Finding an angler that doesn't carry at least a few curly-tail grubs is like finding a Flyers fan at a Penguins home game.

There just aren't many.

But as popular as they are, few anglers realize the many ways grubs can be fished. They jig them along the bottom, incorporating a drag-hop cadence. And they catch fish.

But grubs are more than just jigging lures. They also excel as swimming lures, in flowing water, when the target is smallmouth bass.

Most soft-plastic bait companies offer some version of a curly-tail grub. I've caught river and creek smallies on a lot of them, including original Mister Twisters, Yum's Muy Grubs, Kalin's Grubs and Berkley Power Grubs.

Another great swimming grub is the Galidas Grub, now being marketed by Venom. The thing I like about this grub is its ringed body, which I feel allows it to excel as a swimming grub. The body moves water, which nearby bass can detect by way of their advanced sensory system. And the texture might keep bass holding on to it longer.

As the name of the tactic describes, the way you fish a swimming grub is to swim it. Not jig it. Not drag it. Not allow it to rest on the bottom. You keep it moving, though that rate of movement will vary, depending on the season of the year.

I start fishing a swimming grub early in the spring, when smallmouth bass are still holding in areas protected from high current. The attitude of the fish determines if they will hit a swimming grub.

If they are aggressive enough to move up a bit to take the lure, well then, that's the way to go. Why? Because you're not spending time getting jigs un-snagged.

Some days in the early spring, when water temperatures are in the 40s, smallmouths will insist on a jigged offering fished on the bottom. But they'll eat a swimming jig enough to "test the water" each time out.

The same thing happens on smaller creeks, ones that you can wade. Even in cold water, a swimming jig can be one of the best things going.

The key to cold water swim jigs is to move them just fast enough to keep them off of the bottom. An occasional tick of a rock is OK, but you don't want to be consistently hitting the bottom. A lighter jighead will allow you to work the lure slower without excessive bottom contact.

In river situations I use quarter- and three-sixteenths-ounce jigs most of the time. On creeks, an eighth-ounce jig is usually best. Simple ball-head jigs are fine, as are mushroom-style heads. Go with models that feature a barb near the head to keep the grub in place.

The real fun with swim grubs happens as the water warms in the late spring and early summer. Once smallies have completed spawning activities, they'll spread out to the areas that hold them throughout the summer.

Bass will be right up next to the bank, ready to intercept a bait such as a swimming grub. And even though you're casting into water that's often a foot or so deep, stay with the heavier quarter-ounce jighead.

In the warmer water, you want to swim the bait more rapidly. The heavier jig allows you to do this while keeping the bait subsurface. Make your casts as close to the bank as possible; get the bait moving as soon as it hits the water so it doesn't snag.

Most strikes will occur within the first few turns of the reel handle. And since you are fishing an exposed hook, the hook-up ratio is high.

I've found stained to murky water to be the best conditions for swim grubs during the late spring and early summer. When the water gets clear, a more erratic bait like a soft jerkbait is often superior.

The early spring method works again in the fall, as the water cools and smallies move back into deeper, slow current areas.

Jeff Knapp is a fishing columnist for the Butler Eagle