rvers of ohio

Question
i fish for smallmouth bass in my favorite river i do ok but id like to do better the water is always claerishbrown what is the best lures to use in the plug catagory the food in this river is minnow crawfish and chubs

Answer
Hi Eddie,

I think you are on to it yourself.  match the hatch as we say.  Imitate what you see them feeding on and you cant miss.  For plugs, crankbaits are probably your answer.  Its hard to beat Shad raps or Flicker Shads.  They are great minnow and chub imitations.  I really like size 4 or size 5 Bomber Fat Free Shads as well.  To Imitate crawfish with crankbaits it's easy too.  Crawfish colored crankbaits that bump the bottom are perfect craw imitations.  When they bump the bottom and kick up bottom debris, they look just like a crawfish fleeing.  

Another bait I wouldn't be without is a 1/4 or 1/2 ounce Rat-L-Trap type bait.  Rat-L-Traps, Rapala Rip-N-Shads, Strike King Red-Eye Shads are all excellent.  You can get them in baitfish patterns as well as crawfish colors.  If there is a little color to the water the bass love the racket that these make.  

And, if you are working some shallow areas, I wouldn't be without a 4.5" Storm's Thunderstick.  Crank them, stop and go, or twitch them.  The new Mad-Flash colors are really good.  

Beyond plugs, don't overlook soft plastics.  A 4" senko worm fished wacky style will outfish most anything.

Good luck,

Marc