Smallmouth on the John Day

[bbbass]

There is also a variety of soft plastic crawdads. Or some folks use a double twister tail grub or worm as a crawdad imitator.

Sooooo many options... yikes!!

 

[bbbass]

I'm a smallmouth fiend!

You fiend!!!!

 

[Herb g]

Dave Hughs, the flyfisherman, was there one time and we decided to have a fish fry. He was fishing #8 brown rabbit tail with a titanium head. I watched him make 11 casts and catch 11 ten inchers. His wife is Japanese and writes for Japanese fishing journals. She was fishing a surface deer hair bug for one out of about five casts. It was a slow moving "riffle"about four feet and crystal clear-never think there was a fish in it.

 

[No_Regerts]

My favorite baits for smallmouth are topwaters, jerkbaits, crankbaits, tubes, grubs, senkos, drop shot rigs and ned rigs.

Depending on how fast the water is moving, I try to find baits that stay on the strike zone as long as possible. Smallmouth are very visual, sonif the water is clear, I'll often use something bright that can be seen from a ways away.

 

[No_Regerts]

My favorite crank for shallower rivers or open flats is the Rapala Shallow Shad Rap:

 

[No_Regerts]

Favorite topwaters are poppers, prop lures, and a spook.

 

[No_Regerts]

With plastics, I generally use more natural colors like pumpkin, watermelon, smoke, etc. I use grubs when the water is a slower, tubes when the water is faster and/or deeper. Jig heads are necessary evil in current because the fish will hit quick and you'll want to be anle to get a quick hook set. Just choose the head that best suits the current speed.

Dont overlook a steelhead float/jig setup using a long spinning rod. It can be killer.

 

[No_Regerts]

And then there's the tried and true:

 

[Herb g]

And then there's the tried and true:

View attachment 542890

This looks like my hot one...2" same basic back with cream white/ gold sides. Looked and looked and it's the only one that color. Retired it to look at.

 

[Herb g]

I'm not a warm water fish man. Made my living fooling salmonides to bite. Well put the boat in and give it a good go.

 

[aflineman]

Twin tailed grubs have always served me well for smallies. Various colors, normally leaning toward brighter.

 

[bbbass]

My favorite baits for smallmouth are topwaters, jerkbaits, crankbaits, tubes, grubs, senkos, drop shot rigs and ned rigs.

Depending on how fast the water is moving, I try to find baits that stay on the strike zone as long as possible. Smallmouth are very visual, sonif the water is clear, I'll often use something bright that can be seen from a ways away.

All good advice! So many ways to fish smallies!!! Was there any lure type you left out?

Never fished Senkos... what's the tecnique? (sp)

And then there's the tried and true:

View attachment 542890

My all time fave!!! I also use 4" broken backs. BTW they were deadly on Bluefish in NC on the shore.

 

[WAYNO]

I have been on the John Day when there were so many smallmouth, there wasn't enough food to go around, so they remained relatively small.

When an unsuspecting grasshopper jumped in the water, the water exploded like a pool of piranha. So...I would suggest a bait to emulate a grasshopper.

 

[Herb g]

I have been on the John Day when there were so many smallmouth, there wasn't enough food to go around, so they remained relatively small.

When an unsuspecting grasshopper jumped in the water, the water exploded like a pool of piranha. So...I would suggest a bait to emulate a grasshopper.

Yes, that's the problem. Don't have any amount of predators to eat them down to a better size. Been in a five year drought and recent years had water level so low and warm ( lack of oxygen) that had some big die offs. On a good day, and they like it hot, you can catch 200. ODFW is funny with their fish "management". For awhile they had like a 5 fish limit and size restrictions. See they've changed now to wide open. They don't have a hint, like most things they do.

 

[No_Regerts]

All good advice! So many ways to fish smallies!!! Was there any lure type you left out?

Never fished Senkos... what's the tecnique? (sp)



My all time fave!!! I also use 4" broken backs. BTW they were deadly on Bluefish in NC on the shore.

Wacky rigged Senko:


Its fairly heavy and can be casted accurately. Its great for fishing vertical structure, especially if fish are suspended on it. You can keep it in one spot and has a very lifelike wiggle.

 

[Herb g]

Wacky rigged Senko:
View attachment 543060

Its fairly heavy and can be casted accurately. Its great for fishing vertical structure, especially if fish are suspended on it. You can keep it in one spot and has a very lifelike wiggle.

Ah, now that looks good. That wide-gap finesse is a favorite for rigging herring, anchovy, small sardine for salmon. You may be teaching an old some tricks.

 

[Flymph]

You'll use a lot of baits with the wacky rig, so I would advise against it on the JD... usually only get one fish per rig, and they aren't big enough for me to justify that. My brother and father love that rig tho, I'm just too cheap!

 

[Herb g]

You'll use a lot of baits with the wacky rig, so I would advise against it on the JD... usually only get one fish per rig, and they aren't big enough for me to justify that. My brother and father love that rig tho, I'm just too cheap!

Might be better to use that way in the colder water times when the little ones don't bite.

 

[Flymph]

It's a great rig, and a lot of pros use it for just that! Drop shot in cold water.

 

[No_Regerts]

It's a great rig, and a lot of pros use it for just that! Drop shot in cold water.

One thing that gives it a little more life is to not hook through the worm, but use a rubber band. Another thing I do is use a hook with a weed guard like the Gamakatsu wacky rig hook: