I fish in a rocky bottom river with stained water and the main forrage is crawfish. I do a lot of jig fishing with red or brown colored tubes and Spider jigs and a rage trailer. If I'm using crakbaits I niormally throw a red rebel craw.

Around here perch patterns seem to be a favorite for smallies. I have a bandit 200 in perch that I nailed a nice smallie and a patrolling Northern...

My son also nailed a 3 pounder on a jointed shad rap in perch and one of my buddies got a 2 pounder on a little Xrap in perch with a white feather tail.

Guess they like perch.

I got to get out yesterday for a quick trip. I hit the Pike Island Dam on the Ohio river. I only got to stay for about 90 minutes. Caught 9 smallies and 1 LM. Caught most on a Jointed Shad Rap (JSR-4) in Silver Shad color. Caught a couple on an X-Rap (XR-6) in Glass Ghost color.

I had a MONSTER "something" on, but lost it before I could see it. If it was a smallie, it was a 6 pounder ;D

I have a feeling it was a big ole ugly drum though. My drag was singin, and I have pulled some giant drum out of the water below the dams. They will eat anything! Could have been a nice striper. A few guys were catching those.

I always seem to do very well on Rapala's in the river, so I will call Rapala's of all types, colors, and sizes my favorite river smallie bait.

I haven't found smallies that won't hit a white grub. They also like Yum Crawbugs in green pumpkin and curltail worms on a carolina rig. I like to let these baits drift through areas where I think the fish are. Let the river do the work. Shallow cranks are great too, I prefer the Bomber Square A.

Tubes on standup jigs

Bandit 200 (chartreuse spatterback)

#3 in-line spinner

rapala skitter-prop and skitter-pop

On the river from shore where I live, any conditions:

3.5" tubes, green pumpkin, black flake(CENTER weighted)

4" Yama DT grub, same color as above, jig head in the tentacle end, weedless jig.

Small grubs, white and black

Mepps, etc.

Black hair jigs early in the season, like now.

hmm good info here guys

We have never caught smallmouth until this year. We started using a storm wildeye swim shad. In a 4" 7/16 oz and a 3" 1/4 oz size. Probably just dumb look for us, but i guess they like em a little bit.

We have never caught smallmouth until this year. We started using a storm wildeye swim shad. In a 4" 7/16 oz and a 3" 1/4 oz size. Probably just dumb look for us, but i guess they like em a little bit.

for some reason every swimbait i buy from storm ends up swimming funny on its side no matter how i tie them on

My best bait has been this http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10203974_100006006_100000000_100006000_100-6-6 5/16th, in the brown craw color with a 4" green pumpkin Berkley power hog trailer.

zoom finesse  green pumpkin, texas riggged, football jig with net bait paca chunk green pumpkin or a top water popper.  It always seems to produce something...

green pumpkin ultra vibe speed craws or tubes of the same color texas rigged

Case Sinking Salty Minnow(White), Tube(Green Pumpkin), Jig n Grub(Green Pumpkin), Spinner Bait and 3" senkos.

But the best ever bait for bronzers is a live hellgrammite.

Smaller rebel crawfish crankbaits in chartruese or match the crawfish natural colors in your area.

We also use joesflies short striker in the pools too.  I try to bring it over rocks into the pools os i don't spook the bass by casting it into them.

Remember the river bass are always hungry and the river bass are much stronger fighters because there swimming all the time against the river current.  I'm not sure if any have noticed this or not.

I've been told to fish lakes/ponds for bass during the spring/fall and fish the rivers during the summer for bass.

Tubes Mister Twisters and beetle spins

Custom topwater bait (smaller than a zara spook) and weightless senkos

3in gulp leech on 1/8 oz jighead

4in tube in brown/orange (craw)

4/5in Kalins lunker grub 1/4 oz jighead

Mepps black fury in-line spinner

spro bonzeye frog- popper

3inch curley tail in electric blue on a 1/8 oz jig head

or a drop shot tiki worm (no one really uses senkos do they?)  ;D those are my 2 best producers.

This is what always works for me.

Strike King burner spinnerbait in sexy shad

then 3" Chug bug

then Rapala flat rap in chrome/blue

then 1 oz Buckeye football head mop jig

if that doesnt work my all-time favorite,

4" Yamamoto grub dark color on 1/8 oz texas rig, or you can start with that rig first  ;D

The RageTail baby craw has been hard to beat this season. Fished on a naked jighead or a trailer on a finesse jig, it's been hard to beat in our waters.

grubs

senkos 5" black/blue fleck

lipless blue crank