I had the good fortune of being invited by the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau to join several outdoor writers for a four day trip to experience the Smallmouth bass fishing available on French Creek near Meadville, Pennsylvania. We spent two days on the creek and caught a good number of smallmouth bass despite less than ideal conditions. Recent rains had the water up and muddy but that didn’t stop the smallmouth from feeding! The smallmouth we caught ranged from 8 inches to 17 inches. I’m sure there are probably some bigger fish lurking in the creek!

French Creeks headwaters start in New York State then flow 117 miles through Pennsylvania. The creek eventually dumps into the Allegheny River below Meadville Pennsylvania. The creek holds good numbers of smallmouth bass and even some walleye. We caught both on our trip. I even caught a bonus Pike. I am told by local fisherman that the water never quite gets crystal clear in the summer. It tends to have a little “brown” color to it.

French Creek is fairly shallow overall but offers riffles, runs, and deeper pools. Hot spots for smallmouth are naturally occurring wing dams formed by smaller creeks depositing sand, gravel, and chunk rock as they flow into French Creek. These “wing dams” as I call them create great current breaks and eddies.

There are plenty of access point on the river where you can take out or put in. The creek is easily wade fished when low and is a great creek to fish via kayak. The French Creek Project produces maps of the creek that include access points and distances between access points. This makes it easy to plan float trips.

Most of the fish we caught came on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and some on soft plastics. Productive baits were truly a function of the high muddy water. Once the water level drops, soft plastic baits are definitely the ticket.

If your looking for a nice little flow that offers great fishing and a relaxing float, this is definitely a creek you’d want to consider. I know that my time on the water was thoroughly enjoyable. The good numbers of smallmouth bass we were able to catch in the high turbid waters indicates that there is a healthy population. French Creek in northwest Pennsylvnian is  great flow and the entire region including the Allegheny River is a fantastic fishing destination for any serious smallmouth fisherman.

Photograph for article by Dan Henninger.

Smallmouth bass are effective predators that thrive in rocky, generally shallow rivers.This makes sense given their preferred prey. They comb the rock strewn river bottom and ledges for their number one delicacy, the crayfish.

It’s no wonder that over the years fisherman have been using crankbaits to catch untold numbers of those chunky bronze river fighters. A crankbait skipping and bouncing off the rock of the river is a great “imitator” of a crayfish scurrying along the river bottom.

I’ve encountered many fisherman over the years that struggle to catch fish with crankbaits. In talking to these anglers, many times I find that just small adjustments help them improve their catch rates. Bottom line, the key to successful crankbait fishing is ultimately presentation. Some of the primary factors that you should consider when trying to increase your success with crankbaits are depth, deflection, and design.

Depth

Most of the rivers I fish for smallmouth bass are shallow. Typically, I’m fishing in 5 feet of water or less. When making my crankbait selection I try to determine what depth I am going to present my bait at then select a crankbait that dives a foot or so below the maximum depth. For example, If I’m fishing crankbaits on current breaks with an average depth of four feet, I’ll select a Bandit 100 crankbait that dives up to 5 feet.

I want my bait to make continuous contact with the river bottom but I don’t want it diggin in so much that it gets hung up all the time. In general, I’ve found that selecting a cranbait with just slightly more diving depth occomplishes this. I get a lot of contact with the bottom and very few hang ups. This also more closely mimics the movements of a crayfish swimming along the river bottom.

Deflection

Not only do you want a crankbait making constant contact with the bottom, but you also want to maximize its angle of deflection off obstacles. More extreme deflection adds to the presentation and can trigger strikes.

There are two ways to increase deflection. First, use crankbaits with square bills. One of my favorite crankbaits is the Bandit 100 which has a square bill. The corner of the bill catches on rocks and create more deflection. Rounded bills tend to slide off rocks. Second, use monofiliment line. Mono stretches. When a square billed crankbait hits a rock, it momentarily hangs up causing the mono to stretch. Once the bill “breaks free”, the line will snap back creating more acceleration and increase the angle of deflection.

Design

When I refer to “design”, I really mean the color pattern on the crankbait. Honestly, I don’t get real hung up on trying to exactly match the hatch even in clear water. I’m more interested in color combination and contrast. Color patterns you’ll want to have on hand are olive greens, browns, oranges, and reds.

Crankbaits can be fished in clear or muddy water. In clearer water, i’ll use natural looking color designs that more closely mimic crayfish like browns, olive greens, or oranges. These handful of colors will produce in most conditions.

In muddy or more stained water, I go to more reds and oranges with darker more contrasting back colors. I think the contrast is important from a visual standpoint in muddy water. Contrast is even more important than the specific colors you are using many times.

Conclusion
In the world of crankbait fishing, there are hundres of nueances, tips, techniqes, and presenations that can help you catch more fish. In the spirit of “keeping it simple”, I’ve selected depth, deflection, and design because I believe they represent some of the core concepts necessary to be a truly great crankbait fisherman. The next time you hit your local smallie river think about the three D’s and apply them.

The Magazine covers productive techniques on fishing for smallmouth bass, muskie, walleye and catfish in the Susquehanna River, while promoting safety and responsible stewardship of the Susquehanna River.

Susquehanna Fishing Magazine is a free publication that is available at Bass Pro Shops, Dick’s Sporting Goods, visitor’s bureaus, campgrounds, local tackle shops and marine centers throughout the region.

To learn more about Susquehanna Fishing Magazine checkout their website at SusquehannaFishing.com

Exploring new water with a kayak and a fishing rod requires a few resources, proper planning, and a healthy sense of adventure. While sitting down to write this article, I decided to jot down all the different names of flowing water that I’ve caught smallmouth from. In about ten minutes, I came up with 71 names of creeks and rivers I have explored looking for smallmouth. Last Saturday I added another, which I will not name. The exact name and location of this small creek is not important. The process by which three of us explored the new water last Saturday is an important skill set. It starts with a vague notion of an area you wish to explore.

The seeds of this particular trip were planted at the  Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. While talking smallmouth with two buddies, one of them pulled out a stack of prints. The photos were taken the previous summer on several wade trips he went on with friends. They were holding many different 18 to 21 inch chunky smallmouth. The creek in the background couldn’t have been more than a single cast across. He readily named the creek, something I would not be so quick to do if it was in my back yard. He said that despite it’s being near where a lot of people live, is overlooked and under fished. I was intrigued.

If you haven’t heard rumor of big fish in some overlooked stream, you can still find out about them. In fact, your tax dollars and license fees are paying to gather this kind of information. It’s yours for the taking. Contact the fisheries biologist who assesses the stream and river fisheries in your area. They usually have a wealth of information, from electro shocking surveys, to the type of forage you may want to imitate while fishing a new area. Fishing clubs like the Potomac River Smallmouth Club www.prsc.org can also provide a source of information on new waters that may be worth your exploration. Also, using the search function on online message forums like the forum on this site can give you some insight on what techniques and patterns will work in a given area.

Back to the creek in question, once my buddy disclosed the name of the creek, I knew that I needed one of the two mandatory tools of new water exploration: a whitewater paddling guide. I quickly weaved through the crowd walking around the show, making my way over to the Blue Mountain Outfitters booth (www.bluemountainoutfitters.net). This paddling shop located on the banks of the Susquehanna River has an extensive selection of paddling guidebooks. I asked if I could borrow a copy of Edward Gertler’s Keystone Canoeing for a few minutes and made my way back to my two buddies.

Looking up the creek in question, we were able to find several different bridge crossings where the creek could be accessed. Additionally, on the map of the creek were mile markings, helpful in choosing an appropriate float trip distance. While exploring, I try to average a mile an hour. I made a mental note of some of the spots my buddy mentioned as we looked over the book before I returned it to Mary at the Blue Mountain Outfitters booth.

When I got back to see Mary, I asked if she had a DeLorme’s Atlas for Pennsylvania. The atlas for the state in which you explore is the other essential tool for exploration. Finding the creek on the map, I got an idea of how far it was going to take me to drive to the creek, and then looked for possible shuttle routes. I placed the Atlas back on the book rack, and stored this information in the back of my head for six months or so.

Fast-forwarding to about three weeks ago, I received a phone call from Mark Anderson. He was within a short drive of this creek, and asked if I knew of any good places to fish. I could think of plenty of smallmouth rivers in the area, but had in mind that one tiny creek that I would explore with Mark and his buddy Tom. I told him that I needed to do a little more research, but would be in touch with the details of when, where, and how we would go about float fishing this new water.

Looking at the creek map in Keystone Canoeing, I found a nearby town. At the website, www.topozone.com, I typed in the town’s name, and got a better look at the lay of the land. Printing out a few of the USGS based topographical maps, and taping them together, I had a very detailed map of the creek. Details such as bridge crossings, streamflow gauges, places where the road came close to the creek, dam sites, and parklands all came into play when we floated. Each of these landmarks provided an update throughout the day on how far we had progressed toward the take out. Without some way of knowing where you are in the float, it’s possible to end up paddling the last few miles in the dark, or to end the day before you want to. I carried this homemade map in a ziploc bag. Some times, I will take exploration maps to be laminated at a Kinko’s. An easier method is to carry a GPS unit with topographical maps downloaded. Either way, having a more detailed map will help you pace yourself appropriately.

I needed to tell Mark and his friend Tom where to meet me. We decided on a local regional park that bordered the creek. I did a google search for the park, found the address, and used mapquest.com to print directions. I called Mark, provided the address, and then we agreed on a meeting time. I arrived early, looking for a place for us to access the creek. Tom, Mark, and I met and reviewed the topozone map, Keystone Canoeing, and the DeLorme’s Atlas, and then started driving the shuttle route. From the mile marks on the Keystone Canoeing map of the creek, we found that we could to either a 6 mile float, or a 9 mile float. Seeing how low the creek was, we opted for the short one, hoping that we would avoid a 9 mile hike instead of float trip. As it turned out, we only had to get out and drag through four or so riffles.

We put in upstream from a bridge crossing, dragging the kayaks across a bike trail. Before launching, we flipped a few rocks to check out the hue of the local crawfish. The shells were a medium brown with a slight blue/green tint. The tips and hinges of the claws were a reddish orange. I had a hand poured soft plastic that matched the color. Mark and Tom nose hooked 3 inch soft plastic stick baits on a #4 octopus hook to imitate the minnow forage. Apparently, the mid water column presentation was preferred.

Seeing that they had found the first solid pattern, I tried alternate presentations to find something to catch a larger fish. The buzzbait chugging through shady areas got nipped at by smaller fish, but none of them were able to take it down and get hooked. Thinking that mid water column with a larger offering would take a bigger fish, I tied on a spinnerbait. A steady retrieve through one of the deeper pools resulted in a 15 incher following it back to the kayak without hitting it. While Mark and Tom continued to catch numerous smaller fish on the 3 inch soft stick bait, I kept trying to find something that might get a bigger fish to bite.

Crankbaits are not my favorite. When I was 11 years old, I had a farm pond largemouth embed a crankbait treble deep into my thumb, requiring a trip to the emergency room. When I got serious about smallmouth fishing nine years ago, I used them, hooking and loosing many big ones. I recently learned the importance of using a softer tipped fiberglass rod instead of trying to use a stiffer jig rod to land fish on crankbaits. Since then, I’ve developed more confidence that when I use a crankbait, the fish will stay hooked.

Drifting motionless down the shallow side of a pool, I spotted a very pronounced series of ledges and trenches. I put down the spinnerbait rod, and picked up the fiberglass crankbait rod. Waiting until I was even with the jagged drop off, I launched a rootbeer colored bandit 300 to the opposite shoreline where the ledge drop off started. I could immediately feel the long plastic bill of the crankbait ping and grind against the rocks. Half way back, the constant jarring transitioned to an off angle glide toward deeper water. Slowing my retrieve to figure out what was happening, I could tell that something had grabbed it, probably unaware that it was hooked. Keeping soft tension on the fish, I watched intently as it appeared from behind a larger boulder. It saw me and dove under the large rock. My kayak was being pulled despite my not reeling in. Mark paddled closer, asking “Do you have one?!” I just nodded, not taking my eyes off of where my line disappeared behind the boulder. The thick bass shot out in a different direction once my kayak cleared the boulder. By then, Mark could see the churning of the water from the powerful fish’s tail thrusts. Once the fish was safely inside my landing net, I back paddled away from the deepest part of the pool, hoping that there were others there that we had not yet spooked. I knew that we had found one of the few isolated big fish spots in an otherwise dink filled creek.

Tom joined us as we took a few quick photos of the big healthy fish, and we hopped out to wade fish the deeper part of the pool. I looked through my kayak’s milk crate to dig out two more crankbaits for Tom and Mark. From three different angles, we thoroughly probed the pool with crankbaits. A school of carp spooked out from one of the deeper trenches. After about 10 minutes of casting, I figured that we had exhausted our chances at catching another big one from the spot. About to suggest that we move downstream, I heard Tom yell out, “Yeeeeeeah! Take that you little……” His rod was curved down toward the edge of the first trench when a fat 16 incher cleared the surface. We snapped a few shots, and continued to work the spot.

Smaller water like this creek will contain isolated spots like these that harbor big fish. From the looks of the interesting and dynamic structure of this pool, I doubt that we had caught the two biggest fish in the spot. On the six mile float we came across two other spots like this. Once you realize the structure, depth, and/or cover that hold the larger fish on a small creek like this, it becomes a matter of paddling until you see what you like.

Reaching the take out about 6:30 p.m., Mark and I drove the shuttle route to retrieve my pickup truck. When we returned, we found that Tom had made friends with the parks ranger. From where we took out, we had a fairly long carry to a parking lot. However, the park ranger was nice enough to allow us to drive right down to where we had pulled the kayaks up the bank. We discussed the fishery, the history of the area, and the park in general. Local resources, and just asking locals questions about the area often yields valuable information such as alternate access sites.

So in summary, two mandatory tools for exploring a creek you’ve never seen are a paddling guide book to give you details such as access points and distances, and a DeLorme’s Atlas to help with your shuttle routes. Other online and person to person resources exist that can help you make more of your exploration of new water. The most important thing though is your sense of adventure. Once you successfully complete an exploratory float trip, you may want to see new water each time out.

Find out more about kayak fishing exploration with Jeff’s new book, Pursuing Trophy Smallmouth: My Life In A Kayak, available at his website: www.blueridgekayakfishing.com, or by calling Woods & Waters Publishing at (540) 894-5960.

River smallies are a very accessible fishing recourse in our state and for the most part over looked. Many Western Michigan Rivers such as the Thornapple, Flat, Grand and Rogue rivers hold large numbers of these fine fighting fish. Some rivers such as the Muskegon and Big Manistee turn on big numbers of larger smallmouth in late June, July, August and September. It seems the average fish on these rivers is 10 to 14” but larger fish are not uncommon. Pre-spawn smallies in late May and June can reach sizes an excess of three pounds!! Trust me, on any rod that is fun!

Where to find Smallies:
The smallmouth bass in river systems are without a doubt a structure oriented fish. Any structure that is in slow moving water usually holds fish, log jams, logs, rocks, and erosion control structures always seem to have smallies near. The three biggest things I’ve noticed about smallmouth bass are that they love slower moving water, structure, and bright sunshine. Mid day is one of the best times to fish them. The best technique I’ve found for smallmouth is to float these rivers with either a single person float tube, canoe or drift boat. This portion of the technique is important because you will need to follow the shoreline closely and try to present your fly or lure to any fishy looking structure you may pass. Unlike trout, smallies seem to enjoy the back side or downstream side of logjams and structure.

What to use:
There are two types of tackle that work well for Smallies. Fly tackle and light spinning gear. For Fly tackle in rivers, 9’ 5 or 6wt fly rod with either a floating fly line or sinking tip fly lines. Floating lines are great for shallow water or fly fishing poppers. Sink tips are great for fishing streamers down deeper near structure where bigger Smallmouth line and feed.

For spinning gear I enjoy fishing a 7’, medium action spinning spooling with 8lb test. Depending on the size of fish and the amount of logs or structure, you may want to go lighter or heavier on your monofliment.One nice thing about smallmouth is that they do not seem to be line shy but in gin clear water, a quality fluorocarbon leader works well.

Flies and Lures:
Over the years I’ve found that Smallies love flies, small crank baits, and tube jigs. Some of the best flies I’ve found to be are Clouser minnows, any number of crayfish patterns, woolly buggers, and big buggy nymphs with rubber legs.

For lures, I enjoy success on small crank baits such as the Rebel Wee-R in the smaller sizes, Rapala Shad Raps, and smaller buck tail and tube jigs.

As for color, natural tones such as brown, orange, yellow, olive and black work well in flies. The absolute main food supply for river smallmouth is the crayfish, so colors that imitate crayfish work great. Natural colors in crank baits and tube jigs that mimic crayfish and bait minnows work well but don’t be afraid to try off the wall colors like Chartreuse and orange. Sometimes something different works well also.

Smallmouth Bass are accessible and easy to find and unlike most trout streams, warm water streams are relatively closer to home and a great way to beat the doldrums of summer. Pound for pound no other fishing fights harder for their size than Smallmouth Bass so get out and give river Smallies a try, you won’t be disappointed!

By: Chad Betts, Originally Published: 8-08-2005

Betts Guide Service
Website: www.bettsguideservice.com

Copyright:  Smallmouths.com