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Going Knee Deep for River Smallmouths
Part II
by DW Harris

Lures
For my own fishing I have found soft plastics to be superior most of the time and my bait choice for 75% of my fishing. Many different types of these baits can be productive and rigged to fish different ways so I will only cover the ones that have been consistent producers for me, but always keep an open mind and experiment with new types and various rigs and draw your own conclusions. Curlytail grubs in 3" or 5" lengths rigged on a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig head are deadly during all seasons. They can be buzzed quickly under the surface, crawled slowly on the bottom, or anywhere in-between in any type of water and still be effective. If I could only choose one bait, this would be it. Best colors have been pumpkinseed, smoke, pearl, blue-pearl, black, chartreuse, and sand. Experiment with retrieve speeds to see what works, but when water temps are high usually a fast retrieve is best, especially when the fish are aggressively feeding on minnows. When the temps are low or the fish are feeding on crawfish or sculpin minnows, then a slow rate next to the bottom will be the ticket. I have probably caught more smallies on a grub than all other baits combined. It can be productive in all types of water and different conditions.

When conditions get tough and the bite is slow, especially due to heavy fishing pressure, the split shot worm is the bait to throw. It is as close as you can get to a live bait presentation and few anglers use it. My presentation with this bait is the same as a flyfisherman would drift a nymph. I have only used this rig for about six years now, but it has become one of my favorites and once you get the hang of it you can cover water faster than most people think. The rig itself is very simple; start with a 1/0 or 2/0 EWG worm hook with a lead split shot, usually a BB size, about 10" to 18" above the worm. The baits you can use on this rig are numerous and my recent favorites are a 4" Power Ringworm, 4" Zipperworm, 4" and 5" Zoom Lizard, and a 3" Guido Bug. Effective colors have been pumpkinseed, green-pumpkin, black, smoke, and clear for the worms and lizard; brown and orange, black and blue, or any crawfish color for the Guido Bug. The presentation for this bait is very simple; cast the bait up or up and across stream, reel just fast enough upon entry to keep a semi-tight line with a slow uplift of the rod every two to five feet. I believe the worms are good hellgrammite or stonefly imitations. I use this bait a lot in the late spring to mid summer period with the worms. The lizard is deadly in the late spring to early summer and the Guidobug is good anytime a crawfish feed is on. The worms can be productive in all types of water, but in deep riffles or deep pockets below ledges are where they really produce. The lizard is best below ledges or in any of the deep pockets. I like to cast so the bait lands in the water on top of the ledge so it naturally falls over into the pocket; no springtime smallie can resist! All of these baits will produce in various situations, but when the fish are holding in the tailouts, it means they are aggressively feeding, so another bait would be better. Do not try to fish this bait on a long cast, it is mainly a target bait that is suited for individual current breaks and pockets. A long cast defeats the purpose and cuts down on strike detection. Few fish are lost on this bait unlike the grub or topwaters.

A soft plastic jerkbait such as the 5" Zoom Superfluke is quickly catching up with the grub for both numbers and size of fish. It will also catch fish in all seasons, but it is late summer through fall that I like it the most. In fact, in the extremely low and clear waters we had in September and October of ' 98, 95% of the fish I caught fell for this bait. In lightly stained to murky water they will strike many baits, but in extremely clear water they can often be very spooky and selective, thus the success of this realistic acting bait. This bait is the one to use when fish are actively feeding in tailouts or just holding in the slow water flats. It can be effective fished at different speeds including slowly next to the bottom, but skittering it across the surface for a reaction strike is what catches the clear water fish. Under these conditions, make long casts and reel the line before the bait hits the water and continue reeling fast while jerking the bait erratically. The strikes can be awesome, but for sure hookups reel fast until you feel the fish before setting the hook firmly. Mustad's Needle Power Lock hook in 3/0 or 4/0 size with the 1/32 oz weight is my choice for this bait. With the weight inserted inside, the bait casts like a rocket and the action is superior. You can cover a lot of water in a hurry with this one and it catches big fish as well as numbers of fish. Any minnow imitating color can be good with albino, smokin' shad, and white pearl being most productive for me.

The only hard baits that I use on a regular basis are the Tiny Torpedo and #9 or #11 Rapala. The torpedo has been a great producer for both numbers and size with some of my largest fish each year falling for it. It's a great big-fish bait in any water. Some of my most memorable days on several rivers were with this bait. I believe color matters more to the fisherman that to the fish, so make your own choice, it's the sound and action that makes the lure effective. One tip with this bait and I'm sure it makes a difference, is the amount of pitch on the blades out of the package. I flatten the angle so each time you jerk it just 6" or so the blades make more revolutions than before. Experiment with it and you will see what I mean. When it's right it will give a different sound and will leave a trail of bubbles. I also sometimes replace the rear treble with one that is dressed with hair or feathers, it seems to make a difference sometimes on finicky feeders. Often times you get a lot of strikes with this bait, but no hookups, so when this happens don't waste time, try something different. Many people swear by the Rapala during all seasons, but I reserve this bait for the spring and fall, maybe it's just me, but why argue with results. I like the fire tiger color in stained springtime water and the silver and black in the fall. A good tip for this bait is to heat the diving bill slightly with a lighter and bend it down; this keeps the bait from diving as deep when a fast erratic jerk is desired and it does not hurt the action. Sometimes the fish want to feed only on or near the surface, especially in the fall.

Bait selection for river smallies is unlimited with many capable of being very successful. I first started with spinners, crankbaits, and topwaters, but my success has doubled in recent years since switching over to soft plastics. Confidence is the best bait so experiment and draw your own conclusions. I'm sure the baits I mentioned can be as good for you as they have been for me. A basic lure selection for different conditions will simplify your strategy and put more emphasis on careful wading and making good presentations.

Playing the Seasons
Wading for smallmouths can be effective April through November with variations between the seasons in terms of fishing techniques. Water level, flow rate, water clarity, and temperature variations are more important. Often springtime water conditions will be found in summer or vice versa. Just as a deer hunter would only choose to hunt a particular stand when wind conditions are right, I would only spend my time fishing shallow riffles when I thought they held fish. Shallow riffles probably contain more abundant and different types of food than any other section of a river, but because of a lack of protection in shallow water and heavy current, the amount of time spent there by smallies is limited. One persimmon tree in the middle of an agricultural field will draw an abundance of deer when its fruit is ripe and falling, but being there at the right time is the key. Learning the choice tailouts for those aggressive feeding times will make for some memorable days in the water and some lunker smallies on the end of your line. Again, the way the fish are relating to the structure varies with the water and weather conditions. As for those perfect water temps of 60° to 70°F needed for smallies to be active, well, this is just not true. Mid summer can be great, especially when those afternoon thundershowers have the barometer bouncing. Many large fish are caught in the spring, but inconsistent due to fluctuating water levels from heavy rains. Late spring to early summer is my favorite time with fall running a very close second.

Equipment
Since only one rod can be used while wading, it is the most important choice you have and my choice is definitely a 6' 6" medium-light spinning rod. This rod has a 50/50 action so to speak with a soft tip for fishing faster baits and a medium back half for hooksetting power when using worms and topwaters. A high-speed spinning reel is an asset to line control when fishing in current and I find the front drag models superior through the life of the reel.

I wear a strap type fly vest loaded with plenty of lures with the favorites up front and the extras and a few other essentials in the back to balance the load. Felt-soled wading shoes are a must for me; they cut down on fatigue by keeping you sure-footed, not to mention the safety factor. Sliding down a slick rock into deep water can be a dangerous situation, not to mention painful.

River smallmouth fishing is basically a very simple and very low cost type of angling that has been much more rewarding than any other type of angling I've experienced. Catch and release must be practiced since this resource is limited, but the taking of some smaller fish would probably be beneficial to many waters. By all means release the larger fish to fight again. It takes many years for a river smallie to reach the 18" to 20" size. The 14" to 16" fish are our future lunkers and a 20" smallie, regardless of weight, caught in any river is a true trophy.