River Bassin

Catching bass on rivers differs greatly from taking bass on reservoirs. Anglers may use the same boats, rods, and lures to catch the same species on the two waters, but river fishing presents a much more difficult, and different, challenge. For starters, river bass are different from their calm-water cousins in attitude. Accustomed to fighting current, wily river bass strike fast and fight with great fury. While their size doesn't generally measure up to their potbellied lake brethren, they grow strong by constantly battling currents.

Picking The Right Area: Picking the "right" area means first locating it. Although lake levels fluctuate gradually in a year's time, rivers can rise and fall suddenly. A shallow, gentle stream today can become a raging, muddy torrent tomorrow as releases upstream flood old channels. Bass anglers might fish a productive grassy flat in 3 to 4 feet of water one spring and find a sandbar there the next spring. Rivers change course, isolating oxbows or slashing new swaths through dry ground. But although they take on different appearances, rivers still contain the same fish; anglers must adapt and change as rivers change. Fish don't have the capability to change their conditions in order to survive. Learn what those conditions are and you can home in on where bass are and why fish are where they are. The fighting qualities of river fish and the unpredictable nature of their environment challenge even the best anglers. With their currents, floating debris, submerged stumps, ever-changing bottom contours and unpredictable variations, swift rivers may intimidate novice anglers. But if an angler can successfully interpret the river, he can enjoy some outstanding fishing opportunities.

Reading The River: Reading rivers means reading currents. Fish that spend all their lives in current may never see lures because anglers rarely throw them in heavy current. Fish raised in a river know little else. Trout anglers discovered long ago that there's rest (and thus energy conservation) behind something that breaks the current. This is where the bass are.

Presentation: The most important thing about rivers is knowing how to fish in a current. The biggest mistake anybody makes when fishing rivers is not presenting the lure in the right fashion. Most people float downstream and bring their baits upstream. When they do that, their lure is in position to catch a fish only about one foot of every cast. Use the boat against the current and bring the bait parallel to the current or with the current. Fish lie behind jetties, rocks, or logs to break the current, waiting for batfish to come by. They look upstream and jump out in ambush. When a lure comes behind them against the current, it usually spooks them or they don't see it.

Finding The Right Spot: On any river, 90 percent of the fish congregate in 10 percent of the water. Find these "sweet spots" and you'll fill livewells. Some spots may only measure a few feet across. If the bait hits the hole, bass will strike. If not, an angler may conclude that no fish live along that shoreline. Generally, bass will return to those spots again and again. What attracted one bass to an area usually attracts others. Structure in currents forms sweet spots on both upstream and downstream sides. When current flows against a log or rock, it not only makes a slack spot behind the obstruction but also in front of it. Water collides with the object and stops momentarily. It then bounces back upstream briefly and swiftly flows around the obstruction. Sometimes, anglers can see where current creates slack spots. Sometimes, these slack spots might form beneath structure. Good river bassers probe around rocks, fallen trees and other current-breaking structures for those sweet spots.

What Lures To Use: In heavy current, fish a jig tipped with a plastic craw around all sides of an obstruction. Fish every cranny. Use as light a jig as possible. (Strong currents may dictate using more lead to keep the bait in the strike zone.) Bass won't chase lures far in strong currents. Many rivers contain both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Also, since river bass don't normally reach the size of their lake cousins, smaller lures make more effective baits. Probably one of the best lures for fishing rivers is a 4 inch plastic worm fished on a 1/8 oz. sinker. Other good choices are small crankbaits, 1/4 oz. jigs, 1/4 oz. buzzbaits, and other small lures. A small fire tiger crankbait fished along jetties and rock along the main channel works well. The best smallmouth baits are small shad-pattern crankbaits fished around the rocks along the main river. Smallmouth bass lurk around rocky banks, jetties, sandbar shoals or near islands. Around islands use crankbaits or Carolina-rigged plastic craws or lizards. If an island occurs near a natural bend, it can create pockets and eddies where the current has washed out steep drops. Bass hide in those eddies, If an island sits in the middle of a straight section of river, fish on the downstream side, out of strong current. Anglers not wanting to tangle directly with swift current might opt for casting on the backside of islands, sandbars, manmade jetties. These also break current and produce slack water. On inside bends, sandbars slope more slowly and break up current. Anglers can throw topwaters in the shallows, especially where eddies allow weeds to sprout. In rivers it is possible to catch 90 percent of the fish in 5 feet of water or less. In the hot summer and in the fall, when the water is clear, fishing around sandbars is a good bet. Usually a point of the sandbar sticks out on the upstream side. Depending upon how strong the current is, there might be a point on the downstream side. Another good choice is to fish points, creek channels, dropoffs, riprap, pilings, around barges, weeds or wood cover. Many tributaries and backwaters feed rivers. These may flow through standing timber or brushy blowdowns. Slow-rolled or buzzed spinnerbaits bounced off structure will entice bass. Around wood, use Indiana or Colorado blades. In grass, use willow-leaf blades. In dingy, weed-free waters, use double Colorado blades, since they push more water and make more commotion. During high-water periods, river bass will scatter into these backwaters. They can hide in places where large boats cannot reach. When the water falls, creeks and tributaries drain into the main channels, pulling bass, baitfish, crawfish and other morsels from heavy cover. Bass lurk outside the mouths of these channels waiting to devour easy meals. Throw chartreuse and white spinnerbaits or shad-colored crankbaits as far up these runouts as possible, then bounce them slowly along the bottom with the current. When a crankbait hits an obstruction, pause and let it float back up. Bass will oftentimes nail it as it floats semi-suspended in the water. At the edges of these runout mouths, where water drops into the main channel, let spinnerbaits "helicopter" to the bottom and then slow-roll them out. If that doesn't work, cast crawfish-colored shallow-diving crankbaits or black worms into the creek mouth and holes.

While anglers on reservoirs generally throw the same baits into the same areas, river anglers might experience 20 different water conditions in a stretch measuring just a few miles. Such variance could call for 20 different lures fished 20 different ways. But with a little practice and experimentation, most anglers eventually learn to love river fishing.