Best smallmouth bass baits?

Going to caddo river in Arkansa in a month to camp and fish. What are good smallmouth bass baits for fishing a river?

Small green pumpkin tube with a jig head inserted inside it. Fish it on a spinning rod on light line and cast it around every rock you can see.

Brandon Lester River Smallmouth

Jerkbait (Rapala X-Rap)

Caddo River looks a lot like the Illinois River that I fished weekly when I was going to College in Tahlequah, OK. Here is what worked well for me-

In the deeper pools- Shaky head with small worm or speed craw.
Just below the ripples- 0.5 size squarebills casting upstream and reeling down stream

I have canoed and fished rivers all over Texas, Ok and Arkansas for many years. The Caddo is a classic Arkansas smallmouth stream. Lots of lures will catch bass at different times. Favorite topwater is a clear tiny torpedo(small prop bait). Smaller squarebill and shallow cranks usually best in a crawdad color. Inline spinners and smaller spinnerbaits. Jointed Rapala’s or jerkbaits. Soft plastics(worms, flukes & senkos) in slower stretches. Many choices for river bass but in all my years of river fishing one bait has been hands down the most consistent fish catcher. A 1/4oz lead head jig with a 3”-4” curley tailed grub. Not the tiny crappie jigs but one with a decent sized hook for a decent sized grub. Any color....as long as it’s chartruse! . Great bait for largemouth and smallies alike. This bait has caught countless smallies on Arkansas rivers for me. Fish everywhere but really concentrate on the faster water and pools at the base of the faster water. As said many choices but if they are not biting this...they aren’t biting! Did I mention to bring some chartruse jig heads & chartruse curly tailed grubs? Beautiful place, y’all have fun!

Do you mean a traditional bass jig with a skirt or just like a ball jig?

4 inch grub slow rolled just off the bottom.

Last time I fished up there(Little Red), my uncle had us using a old laminate crawfish colored finesse worm on a 1/8 jig head-Jigworm

One of my favorite baits for smallmouth is a hair jig...just look up smallmouth bass hair jigs to get a idea what I am talking about if you have never heard of them...they out produce very other bait for me and are killer on local smallmouth for me.

Spent 9 years living in Kansas. Small mouths will chase the same lures as large mouths but when all else fails a 1/4oz jig head with a 3" tube bait.

I used to catch the heck out of them on Canyon Lake on a shaky head and green pumpkin 5” worm.

might try a whopper plopper or a walk-the-dog topwater. Smallies just seem to get mad at 'em.

Not the "traditional" largemouth jigs with weedguards, skirts...just a simple ball head jig. When I said 'not a tiny crappie jig" I meant that style just not a tiny one. One with a decent sized wide hook and about 1/4oz lead head. Putting a tube on it is deadly also as mentioned above. I just like (and do well with) the swimming actin of the curly tailed grub over a tube but both are great.

Isaiah, this is what I use but you can get something similar at any decent tackle store. 1/4oz lead head jigs in chartreuse(w/red eye): https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-painted-jigheads-10-pack And 3" curly tailed grubs in chartreuse hologram or chartreuse pepper: https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/kalins-lunker-grubs

Everything 361V said BUT...add 3" smoke grubs! They are money on the Caddo!!! A 1/8 oz. buzz bait is a lot of fun too

1/4 oz Panther Martin works pretty darn good at times!

Hair jig. 3/16 - 1/4 brown with natural squirrel tail plain or with brown or orange small straight tail worm.

Caught my personal best smallie (close to 5lbs) on Canyon waking a spinnerbait, also several 3-4 lbs same way.

Catching a small mouth is on my bucket list and this next season i plan to mark that off cant wait