Delaware River Smallmouths

[Jack P]

I am new to this website so this may not post correctly. I'm trying to fish for smallmouths in the lower Delaware River.  Fished Sunday in the River just below Lambertville on the NJ side. Nice looking water with lots of rock and ripples/rapids but no bites or sign of the fish. Used jigheadwith paddletail in the afternoon. Any ideas on where to try next?

Or on what lures or baits to use?

Thanks for any suggestions

 

[JJFish]

Topwater i.e. skitterpop or similar, helgramites, trout magnets.

[JHbowhunter]

all that water above  around Frenchtown with so many islands rocks and swift water looks good every time I drive through there.   I find a nightcrawler or half nightcrawler drifted a foot off the bottom hard to beat.   There is no better live bait for big smallies than live crayfish however.  Helgramites if you can get them, and even live shiners...    

[Swamprat]

[BowhunterNJ]

Welcome to the site @Jack P!

[Mallard1100]

Hellgrammites..... did really well on these as well when we ran out of live bait. Live hellgrammites will out fish any artificial on the Big D. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076DB2CXZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

[Bucksnbows]

1 hour ago, Jack P said:

I am new to this website so this may not post correctly. I'm trying to fish for smallmouths in the lower Delaware River.  Fished Sunday in the River just below Lambertville on the NJ side. Nice looking water with lots of rock and ripples/rapids but no bites or sign of the fish. Used jigheadwith paddletail in the afternoon. Any ideas on where to try next?

Or on what lures or baits to use?

Thanks for any suggestions

 

Welcome to the site Jack P.  What color or colors did you try.  The Delaware smallies really love their crayfish, so motor oil can do very well in that river color wise.  As others said, live bait is also a killer for them.  I tossed streamers on a 7 weight the other weekend and caught a few in deep pools between Milford and Dingmans, but I wasn't set up with full sink lines as was needed that day.  

[LPJR]

All good tips above. We used to spend an hour turning over rocks just above Dingman's Ferry bridge catching hellgramites before fishing the eel traps for smallies and giving them hell with them. 

Welcome to the site Jack P 

[Silver Belly62]

Welcome

[Jack P]

Thanks very much to those who posted these suggestions...I really appreciate the responces. 

I'm planning to try around Frenchtown  tomorrow and will order the artificial helgramites from Amazon.

Also, I'll try and scout out some live crayfish, buts its been many years since I caught crayfish as a kid(76 now).

Jack P.

[Rusty]

Welcome to the site Jack and JJ.  

[JHbowhunter]

1 hour ago, Jack P said:

Thanks very much to those who posted these suggestions...I really appreciate the responces. 

I'm planning to try around Frenchtown  tomorrow and will order the artificial helgramites from Amazon.

Also, I'll try and scout out some live crayfish, buts its been many years since I caught crayfish as a kid(76 now).

Jack P.

Look at the lures swamprat posted. I would have some of those in my arsenal for working bottom. Also hard to beat a night crawler  

[Swamprat]

I'll be fishing above New Hope tomorrow morning.  Pa side. 

Aside from crawfish baits I like to throw a 2" pearl colored shad. It's probably my best bait for catching numbers of fish. After I have a few I then start throwing larger baits. Yellow perch colored baits have done well for me as well.