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Last post 6 years ago by tripleguy. 14 replies replies.
Favorite Trout / Small Mouth Bass Bait
Hank_The_Tank Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 11-15-2016
Posts: 3,677
Anyone fish for Trout and Small Mouth Bass? Curious what your favorite baits/lures are. Next weekend I am heading to PA to river fish and it will be mostly Trout and Small Mouth Bass. The only SMB's I have caught were while using large mouth bass lures/baits. The only trout I have caught were on worms by accident.

Any suggestions are appreciated.
opelmanta1900 Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
I'll admit i checked out of serious freshwater fishing about 4 years ago... prior to that i spent 15 years fishing anywhere from 3-7 days a week, mostly for trout...

My go to lure was always a Thomas Buoyant spoon or a small panther Martin... i like spring colors for spring fishing... bright blues and greens... firetiger is great for spring... save the browns and tans and flatter color lures for fall...

For bait and wait fishing, Berkley natural eggs (jar with the black lid) in chartreuse work great... 1 oz egg sinker, snap swivel, 3 feet of 4lb test leader, size 16 treble hook, 2 little eggs...

I've caught smallmouth on buoyants and panther Martin's before... never specifically targeted them though...
MACS Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2004
Posts: 79,741
Yeah. All my freshwater gear is gathering dust.
opelmanta1900 Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 01-10-2012
Posts: 13,954
Freshwater fish aren't as big, aren't as plentiful, and don't taste as good as the fish from the ocean... i still try to get to the high Sierra's every year...
RobertHively Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 01-14-2015
Posts: 1,817
It's really hard to fish for bass and trout at the same time. You use completely different gear and lures for those two species. So first of all, pick one.

You have caught Smallmouth bass on "Largemouth lures" because you were fishing for black bass. (Smallmouth, Largemouth, Spotted)

I used to live beside a great Smallmouth Bass river in Virginia, for about 5 years. The overwhelming majority of my bass, including 8 trophies, were caught on a Cabin Creek 4" Salty Critter Gitter (Green Pumpkin- Color #96) rigged with a 1/16th ounce Oldhams weedless Jig head. I used spinning tackle with a 10 lb test line. The common name of the lure that I use/used is "tube jig". You can easily find them online or a sporting goods store if you have one close to where you live.

Just cast the jig up current and let the lure float down, jigging it every once in a while. The smallies just wait, behind rocks or around current breaks, for baitfish/crawfish to float down stream; that way they have to expend less energy to get a meal as opposed to fighting the current.

If the water isn't too swift, I also like to use a Yum Dinger 5" rigged weightless with a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook. The dinger is great for all species of black bass, I use it everywhere from ponds to large reservoirs.

Hope this helps.

Hank_The_Tank Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 11-15-2016
Posts: 3,677
Thanks, guys!
ZRX1200 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,580
Real men don't use plastics.
RobertHively Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 01-14-2015
Posts: 1,817
ZRX1200 wrote:
Real men don't use plastics.



Well good thing you aint one. I done seen you on a picture post, plastics are the least of your worries...

Herfing
NVYChief Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 10-18-2016
Posts: 35
Hands down....Panther Martin (gold barrel/blade with feathered hook). Trout seem to like the silver though. It's also plain deadly for pan fish. I've caught almost every freshwater fish on them, and for you southern ocean folk the Spanish mackerel love the larger silver ones
Gene363 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 01-24-2003
Posts: 30,797
Various spinners or an M-80 or two.
NVYChief Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 10-18-2016
Posts: 35
Gene363 wrote:
Various spinners or an M-80 or two.

Oh yea I forgot...those M-80"s sure knock'em dead!!!
delta1 Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,776
I've had decent luck catching trout in Eastern Sierras lakes with:

still fish using inflated night crawlers with a salmon egg teaser covering the hook shank, 2-3 foot leader (2-3 lb test) on a Carolina rig, 4-8 lb test main line...

Thomas Bouyant copper and rainbow colored; Kastmasters gold and silver, half to 1 oz, 6 lb test
sd72 Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 03-09-2011
Posts: 9,600
VISA, or sometimes AMEX if they take it.
tripleguy Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 09-15-2011
Posts: 62
For SMB, I like a black plastic leech on a black round headed jig, size depends on current. Just heavy enough to hold bottom. Could also use a live leech on a hook with a split shot a foot or so above the bait. if using live leeches, just cast out, hold the line tight and retrieve it reeeeaaal slooooow.
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