First Time on Crooked Creek

[WestCentralFisher]

10 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Lures are tools.  And in my opinion, inline spinners are almost never the best tool for the situation.  In keeping with my curmudgeonly ways, I will just say this...if two of your main lure choices are inline spinners and Rebel Craws (especially the little version, the Wee Craw), you aren't using the best tools about 99% of the time, and you won't catch as many fish, and especially as many bigger fish, as you would if you were using better tools.

Let the bashing 

 I do about 70-90% of my stream fishing with either of those lures or something similar. With that said, I'm not entirely sure I strictly disagree. It's probably somewhat rare that either lure is the absolute best option available. They're generalist lures, after all. 

But the thing is lures aren't tools, at least for catch and release fishing, because fishing isn't a job, and there isn't any purpose to it beyond maximizing enjoyment. I simply enjoy fishing those lures, and I have a heck of a lot of confidence in them. For me, specifically, I tend to catch more smallmouth when I'm fishing Rebel Craws, precisely because I've caught a heck of a lot of them in the past.  They also don't require a whole lot of thought to fish, so I can look up at that pretty bluff while I'm retrieving and only minimally reduce my chance of catching a fish on that cast. 

I also catch a lot more goggle-eye and long-ear sunfish on them than I would a 5" topwater plug. And they're real pretty and add variety to the day. 

I honestly can't remember the last time I visited a quality Ozark stream in halfway decent conditions and and didn't stop fishing at some point because I'd caught enough of whatever I was targeting that the desire to go look around outweighed my desire to catch more fish. So I'm sure many people catch more and bigger fish than me, but I am already catching exactly as many fish as I need to. 

*yes, I started rhat thread a few weeks back complaining about the cost of Rebel Craws and implying I might stop using them. I was wrong on that. They're just not dispensable to the way I fish, it turns out. 

[ollie]

57 minutes ago, WestCentralFisher said:

 

I honestly can't remember the last time I visited a quality Ozark stream in halfway decent conditions and and didn't stop fishing at some point because I'd caught enough of whatever I was targeting that the desire to go look around outweighed my desire to catch more fish. So I'm sure many people catch more and bigger fish than me, but I am already catching exactly as many fish as I need to. 

Good point. I find myself as I get older not really caring about how many I catch anymore. I just want to get out and enjoy myself. More fish and bigger fish just seem to be a bonus. After I had that roll over in my car a few years back, I have had a different perspective on a lot of things.

[Flysmallie]

4 hours ago, BilletHead said:

      Big mepps 😆 in ponds right after ice out.

You ever used a Snagless Sally? We caught tons of fish on those in the farm ponds of Oklahoma. 
 

Buy I always have my mepps collection with me. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

1/8th ounce white coach dog rooster tail works pretty good on Ozark streams.  

[Al Agnew]

Let me explain a bit...the big problem with inline spinners is that they are not easily fished around cover.  And smallmouth like to hang around cover.  Sure, they catch fish, but you're limited in where you can fish them.  They are also annoying in twisting line.  They are meant to be fished in the middle of the water column, and there are many other lures that are also meant to be fished there, and catch more fish, bigger fish, and can be fished better in cover.  

As for Rebel Craws, they are an okay crankbait, but no better than a lot of others. They get bought because of their rather realistic crawdad shape, but bass don't care.  I actually occasionally use the bigger, deeper diving model because of one thing...it is one of the few deep diving crankbaits that I can add dressing to the belly hook and it still wobbles well, and sometimes that makes a difference.

Look, I fully understand that we all fish for different reasons, and if you enjoy using these lures, great.  They are producing enough to keep you happy.  But there are lures I enjoy fishing a lot, too...and they are better lures for big fish, which I enjoy catching, and better in common situations that I come to while floating.  It's always a mystery to me why more people don't fish topwater lures for stream bass.  You can't get any more fun than that, and you can't find many more effective lures than that, either.  If I was STRICTLY after big fish, I go to where the most big fish are, and fish for them with stuff on the bottom in heavy cover a lot more than I do.  But topwater is so much fun that I use a couple different types of topwater lures at least 75% of the time in warm weather.

[tjm]

I always fished those spinners wrong and no one ever told me. I was under the impression that they were meant to bounce off the stream bottom and sweep under the logs. Thought that's why they were so heavy. I guess it's a good thing that I discovered  deceivers  and zonkers. Probably saved me embarrassment being seen misusing the spinners. I'm not sure that I've deliberately fished the middle of the water column, I reckoned that if the fish weren't looking up that they'd be looking down. Reason for floats vs sinkers. Still learning and not sure that I'll ever figure it out. Thanks for the heads up. 

Top water just seems like gurgler territory. 

[Flysmallie]

13 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

 

Let me explain a bit...the big problem with inline spinners is that they are not easily fished around cover.  And smallmouth like to hang around cover.  Sure, they catch fish, but you're limited in where you can fish them.  They are also annoying in twisting line.  They are meant to be fished in the middle of the water column, and there are many other lures that are also meant to be fished there, and catch more fish, bigger fish, and can be fished better in cover.  

 

See I told you that you were wrong!! LOL

Not around weeds or cover? What are you talking about. They work fine around weeds and cover. If you would have grown up fishing them where I fished them that cover wouldn’t scare you. 
 

You know I’m just harassing you. The best lure you can fish is one you have confidence in and that typically equates to what has worked well in the past. So in the past inline spinners have worked great for me and I will throw them in some cover. I carry and use all kinds of spinnerbaits and all of them work well at times. The only ones I don’t use are the smaller ones. Those smaller, traditional spinnerbaits, are horrible. A river bass will eat a 3/8 ounce just fine. When I think I need to go smaller than that I use an inline. 
 

And as I mentioned before, a snagless sally will go through anything. 

[Flysmallie]

19 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

1/8th ounce white coach dog rooster tail works pretty good on Ozark streams.  

Many years ago my dad and I were fishing a tournament on Table Rock. Things weren’t going well for us. So I went to the rod box and grabbed an ultralight with a white rooster tail on it. My dad was like what the hell are you doing? Well I was frustrated and needed to catch something, anything. If I could just catch one fish I knew my attitude would change. A gill, a minnow, a baby bass, whatever. First fish was a 16 inch largemouth. Second was over 18 inches. 
 

It didn’t rescue our day. We did not cash a check. But I did catch fish. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

10 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

Many years ago my dad and I were fishing a tournament on Table Rock. Things weren’t going well for us. So I went to the rod box and grabbed an ultralight with a white rooster tail on it. My dad was like what the hell are you doing? Well I was frustrated and needed to catch something, anything. If I could just catch one fish I knew my attitude would change. A gill, a minnow, a baby bass, whatever. First fish was a 16 inch largemouth. Second was over 18 inches. 
 

It didn’t rescue our day. We did not cash a check. But I did catch fish. 

I caught a 19” smallie on one a couple years ago. 

[Al Agnew]

Funny thing is, I just got back from a trip to Arkansas, and fished the Buffalo and Crooked Creek.  In three days I caught around 170 bass, nearly all on topwaters.  Only disappointment was that I didn't break 18 inches, but I caught 14 between 17 and 18 inches.