This got me thinking about how my river Smallmouth tackle has evolved over the years. I didn’t set out to get a “system” or be super sophisticated about things, this is just what works for me when fishing out of my solo canoe. Some of the basic idea here is blatantly ripped off from Al Agnew, who is known for carrying half a dozen rods when fishing out of his solo canoe. I don't know when I first read about his set-up, but it sure gave me a starting point when I got my first solo canoe. I think where my fishing style diverges from his is not only do I use several rods rigged and ready to go, but most of the rods are set up to change lure styles on them easily, too.
I use several rods rigged in ways that make it easy to change lures quickly.
The first is a medium to medium/light power, fast action 7’ spinning rod for treble hooked lures. It’s paired with a larger capacity spinning reel spooled with 4/10 Fireline, and I use Fluorocarbon leaders of 8- 10- or 12-pound test, except for top water lures, then the leaders are almost always 10-pound monofilament. I’m mostly using a Blood Knot to tie my leaders to the main line these days. Sometimes I double the end of the Fireline with a Spider-Hitch before maing the Blood Knot with the heavier pound-test lines.
This rod is for jerkbaits, topwaters, and a whole array of crankbaits. Treble hooked lures, like I said. Read about why I like this set-up for crankbaits in particular here: River Crankin' Smallmouth.
I sometimes also use this rod to present a spoon or in-line spinner. I use a plain snap (Not a swivel-snap) in one of the middle sizes on the end of the line, and remove the split rings from the lures. I can change lures in seconds using the snap, and I think I get more action using the snap. I save the split rings for other uses. I don't have to buy many split rings.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_7816_100010005_100000000_100010000_100-10-5
I was going to post a picture of dozens of different cranks and jerkbaits here, but you get the idea.
There are a couple of cranks that are hard to connect with the snap like the new XRap Shad and the Fat Free Shad series due to their lip design, on these lures use pliers or a hemostat to make working the snap through the eye easier.
The second rod is usually about the same length and power, rigged with a simple jighead. I like one with a single strand weedguard, and depending on current either 1/16- or 1/8-ounce. I’m really liking the E. C. Jigs available at BassPro.com, which uses the awesome Matzuo Sickle hook. I’ve never had a fish come off after getting this hook in them. You can use a 4- or 5-inch grub, an action-tail worm (try Zooms “Shaky Tail“) in place of a grub, or just a plain straight tail finesse worm for use as a Shaky Head. Another great trick is to use this jig head to wacky rig a soft stick like the Yum Dinger or Yamamoto Senko, or just wacky rig a plain straight tail worm. A smaller tube works well on this jighead, too. You can see it’s simple to change this one to fit different conditions pretty quick, too. If the fish are really on the Shaky Head , I will change the jighead out for a weedless one, but this one is a better starting point.
E.C. Jigs jigheads rigged with a 4” Yum Dinger (wacky-rigged), Zoom Shaky Tail, and Kalin 5” Grub,
Plain 1/8-ounce head in foreground.
The third quick change option is a rod with a little more backbone, the same length as the other two, but maybe a medium/heavy power, or at least an extra-fast medium powered rod paired with the reel spooled with 6/14 Fireline. I’ll use heavier leaders for this set-up, sometimes 14-pound test Fluorocarbon, but usually 12-pound. At any rate, on the business end of the leader, it has a extra wide gape 3/0 or 4/0 hook. That’s it.
You can rig a soft jerkbait like the Super Fluke or the Powerbait JerkShad, any of the soft stick baits, or even larger tubes or other soft plastics, like the Yamamoto Ika, which sinks well without any added weight.
Left top: Stik O, Tiki-Stik, Dinger. Top right: Culprit Jerk Worm, Z Too, Fluke.
Bottom: Home poured Ika imitation, Strike King tube, XPS tube.
Tubes can be rigged weightless, or you can quickly slide a small bullet weight inside, point first, to get a longer cast and quicker fall. Try a 1/16-ounce weight in water up to about 6-foot deep, and 1/8-ounce for deeper water or more current.
Floating worms are another overlooked option that is still a killer. Does anyone use them anymore? I do, especially as a substitute for soft jerkbaits, especially in the post-spawn time of the year. If I’m using any of these lures faster (which I usually do at first) and not getting any response, I let the lure fall beside a piece of cover, and if that works I’ll often change the wide gap worm hook out to a weedless wire guard model, and switch to wacky-rigging a soft stickbait like the Yum Dinger or Wave Worm Tiki-Stick, but I’ll try several different colors and types of lures on the wide-gap hook first, because it’s so easy to switch them out. Don’t forget to try a standard straight-tailed worm wacky rigged, either. I like the Zoom Trick Worm for Smallmouths. It seems a little big at first, but it’s a slim worm over all, so don’t think it’s too big. The best place to hook this worm for wacky rigging is right behind its “egg sack”. It’ll look a little off balance hooked like that, but try it anyway.
Left: For comparison, soft stick baits, from top. Stik O, Senko, Tiki-Stik, Dinger.
Right: Zoom Trick Worm in three colors, XPS finesse, PowerBait Shaky Tail, and Senko Slim
These aren’t the only rods I carry Smallmouth fishing, I usually have a dedicated spinnerbait rod, and often one just for finesse jigs. This changes depending on season, in the low clear water of late summer, I might ditch the spinnerbait rod and throw in a fly rod, or a favorite spinning rig just for topwaters.
In winter there will be a rod rigged for a slip float for float and fly and one for nothing but suspending jerkbaits. Often the jerkbait rod is the same one I use for cranks and jerkbaits in summer. I have been carrying one rod dedicated to a swimming jig that is still kind of secret, and in the prototype phase, instead of the jig rod some trips. It could also be fished on my spinnerbait rod, so maybe there’s another twist on that in the future. It’s an evolving thing, and maybe in a year or two there will be other new ways I’m doing things.
