Small creeks and streams are the most peaceful and aesthetic places to fish.
The gentle flow and noise of these creeks really connects you to nature and provides a very enjoyable fishing experience.
But no matter how enjoyable the fishing environment is, we still want to catch fish.
And to catch lots of fish, you need to be using the right lures.
The wonderful fishing environment paired with the best creek fishing lures create one of the best fishing experiences available for anglers.
For the most part, all creeks are going to share the same general characteristics. They are going to have:
Now all creeks will also have sections that are a bit deeper muddier, and so on. But these are the general characteristics of creeks and streams.
Creeks will have lots of different species of fish in them.
This adds the the excitement of fishing creeks because you never know what you are going to catch, and can check lots of fish off of you bucket list.
The curly tail grub is an absolute classic lure to small creeks.
As a kid, every angler tied on one of these grubs and caught sunfish, bass, crappie, and whatever else in the creek.
Not only are curly tail grubs very user friendly, but they are very versatile and effective.
You can retrieve them very quickly if fish are aggressive and you need to cover more water.
Or you can hop them on the bottom in high percentage areas to slowly entice a fish to bite.
The curly tail grub is the first ever lures used by many anglers, and is a sure fire lure for creek fishing.
Inline spinners work best in the wider, more still water areas of the creek.
Inline spinners have to be fished rather quickly, and can’t really be paused or slowed down.
So they won’t work great in the thinner, more isolated areas. When the creek opens up and gets a bit deeper.
Tie on an inline spinner to cover the whole creek pool quickly and effectively.
Inline spinners seem to work especially well for trout.
They will still catch all species of fish, but are a favorite lure amongst trout anglers.
Growing up, the beetle spin was my favorite lure to use in creeks and ponds.
I always tied one on and fished with it for hours. The beetle spin has a similar flash as an inline spinner, but a more juicy and attractive body design.
It can also be fished a bit slower than the inline spinner, making it more versatile.
I have caught almost every fish under the sun on a beetle spin.
You can also add whatever soft plastic you want to the lure to match the size, color, or profile of the actual forage that is available in your creek.
There are tons of crawfish in creeks. The rocks and shallow, moving water make it the perfect habitat for these creatures.
As a result, crawfish are one of the top sources of food for creek fish. Bass species especially love crawfish.
The Rebel Teeny Wee Crawfish is the best lure for imitating small crawfish.
This lure is a very small crankbait that has an incredibly realistic design.
Because of the floating nature of crankbaits, this lure can be fished very slowly and in any water column of the creek.
Tiny suspending jerkbaits are incredible lures for creek fishing. They perfectly imitate a minnow darting through the water.
The suspending characteristic of these jerkbaits allows you to fish them slowly if need be and to keep them in one spot for long periods of time.
A mini jerkbait might just be the best overall lure for creek fishing, but I never grew up using it, so I have less experience with it as well as less nostalgia driven bias.
Fly fishing is a very popular and effective creek fishing technique.
Fly fishing is often used to target trout, but will still work great for all species of creek fish.
Fly fishing is also a very fun and peaceful way of fishing that gives anglers a certain enjoyment that traditional techniques just can’t.
The satisfaction of making a great cast and seeing your line unfold along the water is well worth the extra trouble and practice it takes.
But don’t let the experience of fly fishing distract you from it’s effectiveness.
Small streams and creeks are typically surrounded by trees and bushes.
This results in tons of bugs, larva, worms, and other creatures to fall into the water.
Fly fishing is a great way to catch fish that are feeding on insects and land based creatures.
Creek fish are not going to be very big. The gear you use in these creeks will downsized quite a bit to effectively use the smaller lures and fight the smaller fish.
It isn’t all that much fun to catch a tiny fish on heavy gear. You don’t get much of a fight, and lose much of the fun.
I only use ultra light or light spinning rods or bait finesse (BFS) gear. I also don’t go above 4-6 pound fishing line.
The smaller, lighter gear makes the fishing easier, more fun, and more effective.
Some of my earliest fishing memories I have are fishing in the little creek behind my grandmother’s house.
The highlight of my month would be wading around in the creek and catching Chub, Bass, little Pickerel, and other fish.
To this day, I still miss fishing that creek, and am always on the hunt for similar ones to fish.
The lures I discussed have caught me so many fish throughout the years, and are my go-to choices when I find a creek.
