River Fishing

[collards]

This may have multiple posts, but what are some good lures for this time of year. Fast flowing, slightly stained Raritan River in NJ. No matter where you are at, what works. I have fished the river at another place, but just a little luck using dark green senkos. I would like to use a variety, but plastics too.

[scaleface]

Strike King Rocket Shad is a fantastic lure in fast flowing current  .

 

 

But , the hook may come off during a fight.Its happened to me more than once . I wrap a little wire around the double hook to keep it on. Also , the skirt tears up easily and there are no replacements for it. But it does catch lots of fish in rivers .

[Random Tackle]

There are limitless options for river fishing.  My advice would be to learn to spot eddy water and current seams then work your preferred lure through it.

 

Some of my river favorites include but not limited to:

 

Black Buzzbait

Bone Spook

Super Fluke/jr in Pearl or Arkansas Shiner

3-5 inch white grub on the lightest jig head for current

Texas or split shot rigged craws

the 3 inch Senkos are a good hellgrammite imitation with one caveat.  need a sensitive rod and proper line to not gut hook the fish if deadsticking them.

 

Good Luck     

[Frenchman83]

Chartreuse and white spinnerbaits, shallow crankbaits and poppers or buzzbaits.

[rippin-lips]

My river lure selection is very small. It's all I've ever needed to catch fish around here.

Ned rig

4" wacky senko

SK bitsy tube or 3" gitzit tube

[Turkey sandwich]

River size influences who choices, but I've caught river Smallmouth this summer on:

3-4"tubes

5" senkos

3" grub on 1/16 oz heads

X-Rap Pop (Perch)

Baby torpedo

A variety of crankbaits

Lipless crankbaits

Spinnerbaits

Walking baits

Fluke

Dropshot (roboworm)

They tend to not be super finnicky. Just match what they're eating, or throw reaction baits on current breaks, eddies, boulders (create eddies), wood, etc.

Do you know how to read a river?

[laduckhunter]

I have been exclusively fishing a river for the last few weeks.  What works for me, where I am at.  KVD 1.5 Black back chartreuse.  Fishing any runout or point on the river.  We have been finding bass right at the drop off on said points.  Digging this crankbait up the point has been eliciting a good amount of fish for me.

 

If the water is flowing well, you need to find places where the current breaks.  Bass really don't like the current so they will be stationed somewhere where there is a break in the current to ambush whatever comes by. 

[collards]

River size influences who choices, but I've caught river Smallmouth this summer on:

3-4"tubes

5" senkos

3" grub on 1/16 oz heads

X-Rap Pop (Perch)

Baby torpedo

A variety of crankbaits

Lipless crankbaits

Spinnerbaits

Walking baits

Fluke

Dropshot (roboworm)

They tend to not be super finnicky. Just match what they're eating, or throw reaction baits on current breaks, eddies, boulders (create eddies), wood, etc.

Do you know how to read a river?

I want to learn how to read it.

[smalljaw67]

You got a selection of plastics that is really good along with topwaters, so I'll give you specifics on my most successful river cranks.

 

1. Mann's Baby 1 Minus - dives to 1'

 

2. Mann' Baby X - dives to 2'

 

3. Bomber Square A - dives to 3'

 

4. KVD 1.5 - dives 4' (12# mono)

 

I also have a mix of Bagley and Rapala baits that are Balsa and will get beat up in a rocky river but they do catch fish, the Rapala Fat Rap is good for 3' to 4', they claim 5 but on 10# to 12# line it is a hair deeper than 3'. The Bagley Killer B square bill is 4'+, and it draws strikes but the body gets beat up, I have some that catch fish and are more than 8 years old but they are beat up but if the possibility of a balsa bait breaking doesn't scare you away, they are worth a try because they deflect different and they float up so fast that it becomes a triggering quality, I've caught countless big smallmouth just by stopping the bait and letting it float up.

[MassBass]

This time of year especially, I can guarantee you will catch smallmouth on an inline.