my first is  half  of  a 4" brown senko on a jig just heavy enough to bounce along the bottom.the other is a blade bait.if i know they are there and not biting is a live crayfish or hellgramite  if i can find em

I took my Nephew who was about to turn 18 and graduate from HS, on a guided trip on the upper James river here in VA. We went out Near Scottsville VA.  We targeted only Smallies. We used what appeared to me to be Herring or Shad colored swim baits. Plastics! The guide had a little jet boat which was very cool. We basically would position just downstream from some rocks creating a small rapid. We cast above the rocks and let the bait go with the current into the various holes, nicks and crannies created by the boulders and current. Most of our fish were around 2 lbs. But I did catch one that was 3 lbs. I cannot tell you guys how surprised I am at how hard they fight and pull. The whole experience was a lot of fun.