My Top Three Lures for a Missouri Ozarks Stream

My favorite place to fish is a Missouri Ozarks stream. A typical Ozark stream is a fast flowing, crystal clear, rocky bottomed stream surrounded by limestone bluffs and dense forest. My dad and I fish Ozark streams every chance we get. The main predatory fish species in these streams is the Smallmouth Bass. We both enjoy targeting these bronze “smallies” as well as a variety of other species found in these streams. We have both used a variety of techniques and lures to fish Ozark streams effectively, but the following three lures are my favorites and they will catch you fish.

My all-time favorite Ozark stream lure is the rebel craw crankbait. We fish the smallest size on ultralight rods, and we have caught more fish on them than anything else. Every species we target eats crayfish, and this little crankbait is small enough to interest the sunfish and Goggle-Eye, but also meaty enough for even the largest Smallmouth Bass in the stream. This bait produces nearly everywhere you can cast it. If you work it slowly in a slow-moving backwater you are likely to catch Longear sunfish and Spotted Bass. This bait also excels in current. If you cast to an eddy behind a boulder in current, it is likely a Smallmouth will hit it. If it gets into the current, you will be in for a ride. The bass will seem much bigger than it is. The Rebel Craw is a must-have for any Ozark Stream.

Another top lure for multi-species stream fishing is the marabou hair jig. These come in a variety of colors. If I had to go with one color, I would pick white, but you can’t really go wrong. The value in these jigs is their versatility. You can fish them fast or slow, shallow or deep, erratic or straight, and they work everywhere but the swiftest current. Hair jigs are exceptional for sight fishing, as you can control where they are in the water column and they are highly visible. Even though they are relatively small, large fish can still be caught on them. This is the best bait on this list for catching many species. About everything that swims will eat a white hair jig.

The last lure on my list is a Rebel Pop R. There are times on these streams, especially close to sunrise and sunset, that a topwater bait will get inhaled nearly every cast. I have had smallmouth jump clear out of the water in pursuit of my popper. It can be the most exciting lure to fish, as the strikes are vicious. The downside of a popper is that it needs to be fished on relatively flat water, which rules out riffles and runs, but fishing these in a deep pool right at sunset can get you the biggest smallmouth in the stream. This is another must-have for stream smallmouth.

The previous list is what we have had our best success on in these streams. There are certainly other ways to do it, but I can assure you that these lures will bring you success if you fish them in the spots I mentioned. This type of fishing is easy to get hooked on, and I wish you the best of luck.

Feel free to share your favorites in the comments below.