best lure of all time -river walleyes and SMB

[Jigman13]

I cant catch shit on grubs. Give me a swim shad or boot tail like a zoom or keitech in a few choice colors from 3-5" and I'm set.

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

I cant catch shit on grubs. Give me a swim shad or boot tail like a zoom or keitech in a few choice colors from 3-5" and I'm set.

Understood, and a common complaint.. I like grubs in rocky snaggy streams and rivers, and I fish them right on and in the rocks.. Hang up a LOT.

15 broken off jigs in a few hours is not out of the question...
However, once they hit open water, grubs are less effective for me, and like you have experienced ,a swim shad is better.
I use shad and FinS/Sluggo types more in lake fishing, and more grubs in rocky streams and rivers.. Also a 5 inch shad is a BIG lure for stream fishing.. For rivers and streams up here which is mostly SMB and walleyes, I seldom go much bigger than 3 inch, and catch a lot of fish on 2 inch grubs.
Big fish too.
Remember,the main food source in streams is crayfish and nymphs followed by small minnow species, many of which live under or near rocks such as darters, sculpins, madtoms, etc.
Over the years I have found that SB especially usually have smaller food items in their gut,, Thats why small lures are so effective.. Walleyes are more prone to bigger food items, no question, but over the years I have caught a lot of 18-24 inch walleyes on 3 inch or less grub tails fishing right in the rocks... bob

[RichS]

My PB walleye was on a black 3” twister tail. I like black in stained water- good contrast.

[Jigman13]

My PB eye ate a 6" plug. My PB river smallie ate a 4.8" swim shad in blue red pearl.

The last thing I used a curly tail for was either cod or striped bass jigging and that was 5-6"

[Lard Almighty]

I also do well on the white grubs for brown trout, as well as panfish. Black is my go-to for bass, if I'm not using swimbaits or senkos. I use chartreuse if the water is cloudy and nothing is biting the black ones. I feel like those 3 colors pretty much cover all the bases.

[JimmyL]

Interesting to read about the different preferences in this post.
Over the summer while fishing in the Niangua river in Missouri I had a lot of results, and fun, trolling a jig/grub combo behind a canoe. Caught bows, browns, and smallies. The rainbows were absolutely slamming that set up.

[thmyorke1]

Follow up to my weed gaurd post.

What if you were to take a knife, cut the grub and make a slit just like super flukes have. Then as you do with a straight shank hook when flipping a creature bait, rig the grub on the jig like that so that the hook isn't exposed but it can easily get pushed down.

Has anyone tried this? If you don't hear back from me it didn't work ,lol.

[bassnblues]

They will catch anything from bluegill to stripers using various sizes.

[PeteyHD]

I usually stick to white but will give these a try next time I'm on the river for smallies

[bulletbob]

Originally Posted by PeteyHD

I usually stick to white but will give these a try next time I'm on the river for smallies

yep... Try the bright Chartreuse and fish it the same way in the same places as you do white.. Over the decades, I have found it outfishes all other colors most of the time, and it is at least as good all the time, with just a few rare occasions when a neutral color such as brown or motor oil was better...
I would be surprised if you got back to me and said white drew more hits... Like I said though confidence in what you are fishing with is extremely important.. For years i simply have had no confidence in white or yellow,,, Maybe if I really stuck it out I would have better luck.... Just never had to.. chartreuse simply always works... bob