I wanted to add the pic below of a nice smallie I caught earlier in the year....

Nice healthy looking fish Jason ! Took a deep diver it appears. Shad Rap?

Here are some pics of last weeks smallie trip to the Delaware River in New York state : http://bigbluegill.com/photo/albums/delaware-river-8-8-8-9-2013

Yep.....Shad Rap....lots of people use the floating, shallow running cranks and they work great....but my way of thinking is a little different.....

I throw deep divers just like I do in the lakes, and I use the suspending models....when in moving water they don't dive as deep and when you use a stop and go retrieve they are perfect.....

Love the Shad Rap .Got all three of the only Walleyes I ever caught on the Shad Rap .Use to throw it all the time .Still do on occasion. I had a few Perch colored Shad raps on the Delaware .I should have given them some time .Thanks for the tips !!

Here's the exact lure that I use almost exclusively in rivers for smallies.....color is called "fire craw".....works great.....

Is that the lure you choose for any water conditions or color ? I used these lures to catch about 10 smallies (and lose a few ) ,two days on the Delaware from a canoe or shore under two different conditions : http://bigbluegill.com/photo/p1012110?context=album&albumId=203...

Jason- BTW ,I like the jointed style Shad Rap .Never seen them ,let alone ,used one before .Works great you say ?I'll look for one ! Thanks again for the tips!

Yea, I use these a ton.....I use some grubs/spinners too occasionally though....

I use them no matter what.....

Caught this one yesterday in the river on a jointed Shad Rap....my biggest yet!

Ha ha ,your jointed shad rap again .Great fish .I caught a fat largemouth on a shallow runner Shad Rap the other day .It was in a lake .No pic though .It was only 15,1/4 " but pretty  fat for it's size .I'm thinking it was 2,1/4 lbs.

Congratulations on the great fish!

Caught a few dink Smallies on a 64th oz. black rabbit fur jig tipped with a piece of crawler in the Ramapo last week .Still want to hook one on the flyrod .Here are a few pics from the Wanaque and the Ramapo River outing with my brother.

Welcome Brent ,hoping to do some more Smallie /river fishing this year and have reports .Look forward to some from you

!

Caught my first 3 smallies of the year Saturday evening after work. Water's still chilly on the legs and mid section to say the least. Caught a nice 15"+-....caught all 3 fish on plastic lizards. No pics this time. Getting my new phone this week so more pics are sure to come!

This is the only one I got yesterday evening while wading for a couple hours.

It hit a junebug colored trick worm.

Pretty fish Jason !

What is a trick worm?Never used it . I will be reporting ,in time, on a Smallie Delaware River trip planned for the third week of July .Did it last year and fished twice ,camped over night .The four of us  did good . We are camping two nights this time ! Excited!

I'll report back here Richard .In the meantime here are some pics and accounts of last year : http://bigbluegill.com/photo/albums/delaware-river-8-8-8-9-2013

Have a great trip Richard ,anxious to hear your account .! What campground ? We are staying again at Skinners Falls ,we will go up to Calicoon and fish from canoes back to  the campground .We will do a jaunt down to ten mile river the 2nd day .We may try to drive out to some Trout waters at some point .

Richard ,how'd ya do? http://bigbluegill.com/photo/albums/2nd-annual-delaware-river-trip

I live near an abandon gravel pit.  Some part of this thing is 60ft deep but about 2/3 of it less than 10-12 ft deep and it is full of small mouth bass.  None of any size but when I want to take a new guy fishing this where we go.  I have make a bug just for this pond and the smallies eat it up.  This thing is tyied on a #6 hook and I have know idea what to call it but it works. I will try to load a pix of this thing.

Here is the other one.

I LIKE THE EYES BY THE HOOK!

1st Fly Rod Smallie July 2015

Shot of a Smallie home from the top of the steep bank.

Some more smallies coming outta this hole . Black and Brown are the colors working . Plastic Hellgrammites and Stoneflies, Keitech 'EASY SHINERS' ,2"and flicker style spinners are catching them .

http://bigbluegill.com/photo/keitech-easy-shiner-with-added-spinner

This rig has caught 6 species in the river ; Smallmouth , RBS ,BG LM, Cr, Walleye

This Hildebrandt 'June Bug 'Spinner caught a bunch of Smallies , Largemouths RBS ,Bluegills and one Crappie . It was followed up to the end of the retrieve by the biggest fish I saw that day ,a foot or more long Smallmouth . It is also an excellent spinner for Brown Trout with a light feathered jig attached .The crayfish should work on Btrout as well.

Hot spot was right where it narrows there. Particularly when the rivers up a bit . Largemouths Gills Smallmouths and Red Breasted Sunfish .  

Welcome Kelly Peterson! I look forward to your posts .

Hi John can I join this  group Thanks Mark

Looks like you have already Mark . I hope you'll share those Maine Smallmouth experiences with us here .

Thanks John

I would like to put a pix of some of mine I caught on poppers I made.  These was out a rock quarry that was abandoned about 35 years ago.  The place is just full of 15 to 18 inch small mouth and I have got them up to 20 and 22 inch. 

Fantastic John .Thanks for posting! How about pics of your poppers too ,as well as, gear specs!

John  this a pic of the bugs I caught these on,  They are balsa and I used a #6 2x long hook  The one with bug eyes is completely eat up it just lays on by bench now.

Fantastic ties John ! Mike Shultz a fishing guide from Michigan has got me thinking about the importance of frog imitations .He stressed in a seminar I attended recently that Smallies are big time frog eaters .I always though Crayfish and Hellgrammites for smallies and Frogs for Largemouths but I'm expanding my sense of what the two species  will take .

True enough Jason

Saw no  smallies in Wanaque River yesterday . Hope to catch them in July .

Welcome Michael ,look forward to your input!

Good Concentration of Smallmouths in Wanaque Headwater in early September ,along with many other species.BG,YP,WP,RBS,LM,CR,PS,Carp,

Hi John I would troll flies with floating line , a 8wt LLBean Orio  rod with a Water works lamason ULA force and a 9Wt LLBean Orion rod also with the water works Lamason ULA Force reel I will work the fly rod back and forth as the boat is moving they usually hit it when the fly is dropping' then I set the hook and the fun begins, they will jump out of the water 2 to 3 ft it works trust me Thanks Mark

oops a 8Wt orion