Even though it was only early evening shadows enshrouded the Clarion River as my friend Dave Keith and I made our way down the river bank from the bridge crossing. We’d be fishing within a quarter-mile of the truck, a welcomed low-intensity outing, and a stark contrast to the six-mile hike/wild trout outing accomplished earlier in the day.

A couple hours later, in the gathering darkness, we drove back to camp with the satisfaction of having landed a few Clarion River smallies, fine specimens in the 14 to 16 inch range. During the trip we discussed how bass like these — ones easily accessed by the wading angler — are largely overlooked by so many.

Indeed, though we fished close to a bridge, within 400-yard stretch that boasted several fine pools and runs, we had the place to ourselves during a weekend evening.

Here are a few tips on fishing for river smallies on small rivers and larger creeks:

It doesn’t take a lot of tackle options to cover this angling situation. I like to carry a small box loaded with some soft jerkbaits (aka “flukes”), a couple hard jerkbaits like Rapala X-Raps, some eighth and quarter ounce leadhead jigs, and a few three or four-inch twister tail grubs like Galida’s Grubz.

In nearly all situations the best presentation is one that quarters slightly upstream.

Smallmouth rivers have current, and the bait will swing downstream as you’re making your retrieve.

With both hard and soft jerkbaits, incorporate an occasional twitch, then allow the lure to pause.

The twitch gets their attention while the pause provides an opportunity for the bass to strike the lure.

Braided line such as Power Pro is great in this situation.

It allows for long casts and good hooksets, since it has virtually no stretch. Add a two or three foot section of fluorocarbon line as a leader.

Twenty-pound braid with 10 pound leader is a good combination.

The twister tail grubs function as both a jig-type bait, fished on the bottom, and swimbait, fished higher in the water column with a steady retrieve.

I catch a lot of fish via the swimbait approach, and don’t have to deal with hang-ups.

Smallmouth bass thrive in warmwater streams and rivers with moderate gradient.

Around here we have many choices, including the aforementioned Clarion River. It’s good smallmouth water from Ridgeway on down to the headwaters of Piney Dam, with the occasional trout (upper reaches) and walleye (lower reaches) to spice the catch.

Others include Mahoning Creek, the lower portion of Little Mahoning Creek, Redbank Creek, the Conemaugh River and the Kisikiminetas River.

As mentioned earlier, it’s not typically necessary to hike too far from an access point to get good fishing, providing the habitat there is adequate.

But if you’re in a more adventurous mood, and have a willing partner, it’s often feasible to fish a lengthier portion of creek by way of two vehicles. Simply leave a vehicle at the area where you’ll be finishing up.

Of course this is dependent on the stream and its individual access.

Lengths of one to one-and-a-half miles are about right for a day’s sport, allowing plenty of time for serious fishing.

Resources like the DeLorme Atlas and Sportsman’s Connection All-Outdoors Atlas are great for planning outings on smallmouth bass waters.

Jeff Knapp is a fishing columnist for the Butler Eagle.