Hi, I fished in that same general area 2 years back while I was visiting my then g/f, now wife, who went to Ball State. If I remember correctly, the water is rather shallow through that stretch and I didnt catch a whole lot. I fish the Eel river where I live and the best way for me to catch the really big smallmouth was to use a live softcraw on the bottom. It works everytime. Softcraws can be expensive though, the other thing you can do is float a minnow.
Artificials that I have caught them on include little spinners, small crankbaits, and fake worms. Best action though has always been the softcraw. The hole I like to fish is about 5-7 feet deep and has a slight current with a rocky bottom. Thats what you want to look for. If you hook into a nice 3-4 pounder you will have a load of fun, pound for pound they are about the hardest fighting fish there is, besides the King Salmon.