Riffle Help

[Backwoodsbasser]

I've been fishing at this spot on the Merrimack river called goffs falls. It' starts at an old bridge with cement and steal pillings. It has large rocks some that are out of the water and lots that are under. Right now water is high and most rocks are under but there are some tree sticking out. The water runs fairly quick and at the bottom where the riffle stops I always catch a lot I walleye when targeting smallmouth. There is also a large rockpile where an old bridge used to run underwater. Where should I be fishing this run for SmB. At the top by the pillings. In the main riffle? On the sides? At the bottom where I catch the walleye. Help me out. Also what will work best here for bait and preso

[retiredbosn]

Does the current create any Eddies? Look for current breaks, Eddies, etc. I would try a fluke and let the current carry it, throw into the riffles and let the current wash it into the pool at the bottom where u are getting the walleyes. A tube or other craw imitator would be good too. This time of year I would not expect them to be there, rather staging for the spawn. In creeks and rivers they spawn in slow moving water. When the water gets warmer it sounds like a great spot. Use the current to wash your bait down stream as naturally as possible.

[Backwoodsbasser]

That's great advice. Could you give me more detail on teir pre spawn movement and location? What should I be looking for right now on the river?

[retiredbosn]

I want u to know up front I'm not from your area and was hoping someone from up that way would chime in. I grew up fishing for smallies in the Greenbrier and New rivers. Try modifying your original post and put the river name in the title.

Anyway river fishing this time of year is challenging, they warm up much slower than lakes ponds. Find slow moving water close to a flat where they will spawn, typically shelteredwater. By sheltered I mean from the current, I always had luck behind a series of islands that held still water. Since you're walking fish a fluke, fish it like u would a jerk bait. A slow moving grub is a good choice too, the females will be keyed in on crawfish, so jig or trig a rage tail craw. Good luck

[moguy1973]

I've always found smallies hanging out at the end of pools right before the riffles start.  Last year with our low water it was a little different when we found fish in the middle of riffles along the edges of swifter water.  But typically, unless there's some sort of cover in a pool, I find them at the end of them before the riffle.

[smalljaw67]

A rule of thumb that works for me is when the water is cooler like the early spring prespawn, look for flat water or large current breaks, if the water is running high go right to the bank, any current break that is within 10 feet of the bank is going to hold fish during times of high water. When you get into post spawn and warm water , that is different, you will find fish in a variety of places but they will be spread out so covering water is the best bet. In the summer months look for riffles that are slightly deeper, the smaller fish will be at the top of the riffle and the bigger fish will be at the bottom of the riffle, but I have learned that you just can't get bit by trying the bottom of the riffle, you need to work down from the top all the way to the pool behind, the reason is a lot of the bigger fish will track a bait and take it before it hits calmer water. The reason they go to the riffles in summer is due to oxygen content, the moving water is cooler by a couple degrees and has more oxygen plus food gets washed down on a regular basis but as I said, that pattern is for warm water, in cold or cool water conditions stay away from the riffles.

[Shane J]

Right now, the fish are not even close to spawning in the Merrimack. Fish a jig/Rage Craw in the deeper slack water very slowly. They won't be in those riffles until June. Right now, stay in the rocks, and right up close to cement and big boulders. Remember....Slow!

[Crestliner2008]

If you have some current, which it appears you do, the first thing you need to consider in approaching any structure (such as an eddy) is boat control. You will not be able to present your bait effectively to any eddy (or other river structure) unless you control your boat properly. What this means is that your boat must be moving down stream slower than the current. This give your bait time to get down and stay down in the strike zone for longer periods of time.

 

"Slipping" a river was advocated extensively, in the upper Mississippi river area, by Dan Gapan. This technique of boat control is effective everywhere there is current - with fish holding in current breaks (eddys, wing dams, bridge pilings, etc.). All this is, is using your main engine to move the boat forward, bow upstream, but just a bit slower than the current flow - slipping it, if you will. If you get the hang of this technique, your catch ratio will increase dramatically on any river system. It has for me, for many years.

 

When you get the hang of this, it will reveal that smallies, walleye and northern pike, will take just about anything coming down at them close to the bottom, where they feed. Tubes, jigs, soft plastics all work. You'll become proficient at "reading" current in no time. Good Luck!