Smallmouth lures

With all the talk of open water I am starting to think of refilling the tackle box. So what are your favorite smallie lures to use, just thinking of trying some new lures this year.
Mine are a white buzzbait (1/8 or 1/4) or a 3/16 with long shank 3/0 hook and a 3″ white w/chartreuse slider grub.
Thanks Ron

P.S. Blue Fleck what do you recommend for (color and size) saltwater poppers?

Quote:

---

Blue Fleck what do you recommend for (color and size) saltwater poppers?

---

Saltwater Chug Bug…….those Mille Lacs Lunge love ’em.

River Smallies? Grubs(year round), Spooks(late spring & fall), Rat-l-Traps, Fat Raps, Tubes(all 3 year round).

If you want to try something a little more radical this year, find a clear watered smallie fisherie and have a clown or chartruese crankbait, anywhere between a Rapala Floater size 7 to size 13 (any crank or brand but Raps work too). Take these cranks and do some night trolling over smallie haunts. This picture is from a July night last summer.

I’ve been doing this for a couple of years and frankly, it’s a good way to compete with less boats and stay in a higher quality fish (in size) more consistantly throughout your summer season.

Everything Blue said works for day fishing. I’d add a white spinnerbait or two (with different style or number of blades) in a couple of different weights too. I just can’t count the number of times a spinner bite comes on that they pop the white about 5 to 1 over any other color. Feel free to experiment with different colored grubs in tow too. Sometimes that becomes the difference for noncommitting onlookers or following fish.

And lastly, take pictures so we can see how ya do!

Ron if you are heading out north of the coon rapids dam near Anoka they like small spinner baits and poppers same on the Rum from Cambridge south.

Good luck

Some of the reed beds on Mille Lacs put out nice Smallies. We caught a few off them last year. Many of our fish were caught off the reefs but not necessarily off the bigger boulders.

I started using senkos and gulp sinking minnows last year on pool 4 and had very good luck.also k-tails and ring worms,easy to fish and the hits are awesome.Just my 2cents Stuart

The pond smallies do not seem to wake up till 9:30-10:00. Last year it seemed that the smallies were in the transition area of the reeds and gravel. They never left the weeds for me. The year before it was all about BIG rocks.
Ron

For smallies I’d have to go with 3″ Berkley Power Tubes with 1/8 or 1/16oz. rattle jigs in either pumpkinseed, chart. pepper, or white. Unfortunetly, Berkley quit making those in white, which is a HUGE MISTAKE. I also occasionaly use grubs in those same colors. My other “go to” baits are Skitter Pops, and Spook Puppys, and small Rattle Raps.

My go to bait is the Northland Mimic Minnow in the 2.5″, 1/4 oz head. I swim it just under the surface but it can be fished a lot of different ways.

Depends on the cover and structure that im fishing.If it’s rip rap shore line i use a tube jig or a small worm on a jig head. Wing dams i’m using rattle traps. My fav way is on sand flats.Then it’s pure shad rap time. Grip it an rip it!

4″ christmas tree colored Senko texas rigged on a 3/0 red Gammy hook with bullnose splitshot (1/16oz)

Here is a question that deserves an honest answer…….

With all the different tube baits on the market…….
What is the difference????

Isn’t a tube just a tube???

Not in my opinion. First off, they come in several lengths. For my smallie fishing on Mille Lacs, I don’t want anything longer than 3″. You can get bites on the 3.5″ and 4″, but I do not think you get as many as you do with a 3″. There are other things such as color, and scent that effect the effectiveness of tubes also.

The wideth of a tube is important in my mind also. The wideth determains the size of the bait profile the fish see, and also, when not weighted, determains the drop speed thru the water as it falls towards the bottom. Its amazing just how much difference there is catching fish depending on the speed the bait sinks. Most of the time, I’ll fish my tubes with a 1/8 oz. rattle jig, but will also use a 1/16oz., Carolina rig it, or even just put it on a plain unweighted worm hook tied on the end of my line. Each one of those presentations will have a different triggering action just because of the drop rate in the water. (All these presentations I’ve mentioned I use fishing on Mille Lacs, they would be somewhat different on a river though.)

My all time favorite tube for smallies was the white Berkley 3″ Power Tube. Something about that white color just pi$$ed those smallies off, and they would just slam that thing so hard.

Lots of Good points JLDIII.

My favorite tube is the GY Fat Ika…I like that they are solid throughout (not hollow) and they hold up well. Some tubes are junk after 1 hookset. I can catch several bass on just one Ika before needing a new tube. Also, they are just heavy enough that if you are fishing shallow or low current, you don’t even need a weight..I just think they are versatile…more so than me