I just started river fishing smallies

[AlTheFisherman313]

Thank you guys for your help.

 

i really enjoy challenging myself with new species and locations, so this should be fun. When I do make it out I will be sure to show off my catch! Just so my smallmouth river coaches can see I can follow directions haha 

[Black Hawk Basser]

My favorites: Small Bomber Square A, Zoom Fluke, #6 X Rap, #8 & #6 Husky Jerk, inline spinners, jig & twister/boot tail, Ned rig

 

I don't think color is that important in rivers as much as in lakes.  I feel that they are more opportunistic in rivers and they will crush a lot of baits if it is presented in front of them.  I catch a lot on firetiger and shad pattern cranks/jerks.  Those two schemes are pretty much polar opposites.

[TBAG]

On 7/18/2019 at 2:13 AM, Turkey sandwich said:

 

Lol, I love crankbaits in rivers!

 

So, rivers...

And we'll forget seasonal patterns, and just focus on the where and why.

These are all general rules, and there are some pretty specific exceptions.  Also, bigger and more complex river systems can shake this stuff up, but this is how I've grown to understand how rivers work.  I've found the same rules hold up with most species of predatory fish and how to look at prime holds or prime lies.  I'm sure i'll look back at this want to edit it the next time i can't figure fish out, and totally consider it a work in progress, but I kinda want to put this out there to see what you guys think. 

 

 

- Current is the food delivery system. It carries drifting baitfish, crayfish, nymphs, leeches, and every imaginable food item in between.  Faster current, especially with riffles, will also be more oxygenated.  The most aggressive and active fish will hang out here because there will be the greatest access to feeding opportunities and the oxygen to fuel their fast metabolism. 

 

- The thing about holding in current, is that fast current requires way more energy to hang out in. This means a few things. Predators will only hang out directly in the current when they're feeding actively, but will often hold at the closest possible current break or piece of structure.  Think about boulders, fallen trees, ledges, wing dams, inside bends, undercut banks, weed beds, or in pockets along the bottom (current almost always flows fastest at the surface). These places will almost always concentrate active fish. 

 

- Some fish are likely to feed more actively, more often. Smaller fish are generally going to be feeding almost exclusively on larva/nymphs/press bugs/etc. These are the base of your food chain and will be super abundant in and around riffles and most fast current (can be quite shallow). This is where you'll also find lots of smaller bass, chubs, sculpins, madtoms, smaller trout (where applicable), etc feeding on the real little stuff. Because of this, riffles and immediate current breaks along them can load up with small smallmouth in the summer/fall because they need to eat tons and tons of nymphs to grow.  Areas like these are the places where fish will strike almost recklessly and eat almost anything. "Oh, you bought the novelty spoon that looks like a twig and berries? Yeah, it'll catch fish here."

 

- If there are small fish, you'll find very big fish close by.  So, this is the topic of "prime holds".  Some eddies, current breaks, weed lines, boulders, bridge pilings, etc make for the best hang out spots for predators because of their proximity to fast current, complex structure, or just ability to ambush without taking the full brunt of the water.  These are the places most likely to hold the most dominant actively feeding fish in the area.  The above ugh... "Silver Johnson rule" also sometimes applies here if these holds are breaks in or IMMEDIATELY adjacent to fast current. 

 

Prime holds will usually have a few common things.  First, look for access to deep water. This literally means anything from a change of 6" or 6' so long as it offers slower current (think rest and digestion), protection from predators (birds, bigger fish, us, etc), and a comfortable combination of temperature and oxygenation (this is why deep buckets below or adjacent to riffles can be killer). 

 

Second, you want immediate access to a food source.  This could mean fry, frogs, bugs, and baitfish in grass/weed beds (if they're green), schools of alewives or perch chilling behind bridge pilings or downed trees, or even the bottom of a run during a mayfly hatch.  I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what smallmouth are feeding on (even when they aren't being picky) if you're serious about consistently finding them.  A good example...  The Susquehanna is a smallmouth factory because it's a bug factory. It's common to see all kinds of hatches from giant dobsonfly/helgramites (bodies over 4")  to mayflies and midges ranging from size 6-12 (white flies)  to 14-18 (sulphurs and cahills) all the way down to 22 and 24 (midges, BWO).  It's common to see runs of slow current in 3-6' of otherwise featureless water just explode before dusk. Why? It's below riffles (hatches happen where the bugs are in riffles and runs) and loaded with bugs, has comfortable current, and has everything from baitfish through small bass through huge pike and musky feeding in it. Once you figure this out, you'll realize you can fish using anything from dry flies through poppers or floating jerkbaits (to imitate the baitfish feeding on the flies/emergers) and catch fish.  Understanding events like this is huge because they happen in the same types of places on most nights from spring through late fall.  This type of event can effect the quality of holds because the massive abundance of food can mean almost featureless or seemingly uninteresting water for 20 hours of the day can become the place to be for two hours in the am and two hours at night.  

 

Third is the sciencey part.  These holds need to provide water that is the appropriate temperature and oxygen level for the fish's activity level.  Big, jarring changes are rough on fish, and fish will seek comfort in every season. Fish are cold blooded, so water temperature drives their EVERYTHING. Eating, being almost comatose, being super aggressive, making sexy time, digesting food -  all of these things are driven by or at least timed around water temperature.  Oxygen content can make the difference between a killer hold and the dead sea.  Generally, more oxygen means happier, healthier, more comfortable fish.  Riffles/fast current, wind, springs, and most green healthy vegetation will add oxygen to the water while decaying anything will remove oxygen. This is why active predators hang out around faster current or along green weed beds and tend to avoid brown, stagnant pools (most of the time).  

 

The 4th factor in determining the quality of a hold is security/safety.  Is the fish easily spotted by eagles, ospreys, or herons over head? Is the hold leaving the bass exposed to larger predator fish? Does the hold offer camouflage/cover? Is the water clear and forcing fish to hold deeper or stained enough to protect them from overhead? These things will all effect how safe a fish feels in a particular lie. 

 

The trick to finding consistent patterns, even in rough conditions is find the spots that provide the best combination of those 4 things possible. 

 

A good example of a good mid-day 90+ degree, high sun, clear water, low flows. A lot of fish may be unwilling to even hang out in/around the fastest most oxygenated water because of high water temperatures or exposure to predators (poor lie) unless there are springs and a ledge immediately below the fast water to offer protection and comfort (prime lie).  Another philosophy might be to fish deeper current breaks.  This might be really slow fishing if those points/islands/whatever don't have a lot  of food around them and will likely hold mostly resting/neutral-negative active fish. A better hold might actually be in shallow water even in the mid day heat if there's overhead cover/shade and structure/cover to allow ambush. Extra points if there are springs close by.  I've caught a lot of surprisingly large mid-day smallmouth pitching 1/8-3/4oz jiggs into shade lines, laydowns, grass edges, submerged trees, and once even below an old sofa in these types of conditions.  Basically, current + typically largemouth flipping spots + jig = fat smallies even mid day in the right conditions. 

 

 

Presenting in current is probably the next important thing after finding fish.

 

Seasons are another big topic, but I'm focusing on the warmer months when most are on the water. 

 

Flow and water clarity are also too big to cover in this rant lol. 

 

If this is helpful for anyone as much as putting it out there is cathartic for me, awesome. Also, if this helps anyone, i'll gladly put out some thoughts on the other stuff. 

 

Wow, wow wow! This right here folks is why this forum is so amazing.

 

Thank you so much for this heap of knowledge you just dropped.

 

This thread should be a sticky.

[Turkey sandwich]

4 hours ago, TBAG said:

Wow, wow wow! This right here folks is why this forum is so amazing.

 

Thank you so much for this heap of knowledge you just dropped.

 

This thread should be a sticky.

 

Thank you!  I'm just glad I can help.  We all have good days and bad days, but the key to consistency is good notes and trying to understand what's happening that we can't see.  Rivers can be daunting, but if you break them down, and get a pretty good picture of what's happening under water, it can go a really long way.  Those patterns can change a lot based on time of year, primary forage, spawn, changes in weather and flow, but that's how I approach river smallmouth most of the time and I do alright.  And when I don't, it just means I guessed wrong or missed something that day.  In either case, it's more data, lol.

[JoeInCT]

I’ve been killing river smallies with a white grub and weighted jig. Cast and let the flow take it down river and then vary your retrieve. I caught about 15 in the Housy in northern CT on Sunday.

[roadwarrior]

The Rage Tail Menace is the only artificial that I have used that out-fishes live bait.

 

[CHIP-MAINE]

i have been hammering smallies in a big river here in maine the last 2 years on mepps. silver or gold blade and white or yellow hair in #4 or #5. no- they are not to big . small mouths love these. so do largemouths. later on in the season i usually have one of these on one rod and a top water on the other.

[gall]

Everyone gave killer advice gp tubes, craws on shake head t rig craws. All killer also weightless stick baits are killer. I always cast side up stream at 45 angle and drift it. Also jerk baits swim baits. My favorite 2 are a weedless weighted whacky head drifted. Also walmart sells these very light weight ewg jerk baits wirh the weight near the bend. Those with a gp stick bait drifted is a killer for me near Eddie's and pillars. Anywhere theres a slack water. And of course whopper ploppers torpedoes are always killer. I modify my torpedoes so they will work more like a popper. 

[Otter17]

On 7/16/2019 at 12:14 PM, Jleebesaw said:

Tubes in greens and browns. 3 to 5 inch curly tail grubs in greens and browns. Tubes in green and brown. Paddle tail swimbaits. Again 3 to 5 inches. Use colors close to natural baitfish in your water. I use blue gill imitations. Tubes in greens and browns. Dark colored spinnerbaits with gold Colorado blades. Rapala original floating lure in gold and black. Whatever your choice is for topwater. They hit any topwater lure when the conditions are right.(this is my favorite time)

  Oh, tubes in greens and browns too.

Excellent suggestions on the Colors and lures!

[Otter17]

On 7/18/2019 at 1:13 AM, Turkey sandwich said:

 

Lol, I love crankbaits in rivers!

 

So, rivers...

And we'll forget seasonal patterns, and just focus on the where and why.

These are all general rules, and there are some pretty specific exceptions.  Also, bigger and more complex river systems can shake this stuff up, but this is how I've grown to understand how rivers work.  I've found the same rules hold up with most species of predatory fish and how to look at prime holds or prime lies.  I'm sure i'll look back at this want to edit it the next time i can't figure fish out, and totally consider it a work in progress, but I kinda want to put this out there to see what you guys think. 

 

 

- Current is the food delivery system. It carries drifting baitfish, crayfish, nymphs, leeches, and every imaginable food item in between.  Faster current, especially with riffles, will also be more oxygenated.  The most aggressive and active fish will hang out here because there will be the greatest access to feeding opportunities and the oxygen to fuel their fast metabolism. 

 

- The thing about holding in current, is that fast current requires way more energy to hang out in. This means a few things. Predators will only hang out directly in the current when they're feeding actively, but will often hold at the closest possible current break or piece of structure.  Think about boulders, fallen trees, ledges, wing dams, inside bends, undercut banks, weed beds, or in pockets along the bottom (current almost always flows fastest at the surface). These places will almost always concentrate active fish. 

 

- Some fish are likely to feed more actively, more often. Smaller fish are generally going to be feeding almost exclusively on larva/nymphs/press bugs/etc. These are the base of your food chain and will be super abundant in and around riffles and most fast current (can be quite shallow). This is where you'll also find lots of smaller bass, chubs, sculpins, madtoms, smaller trout (where applicable), etc feeding on the real little stuff. Because of this, riffles and immediate current breaks along them can load up with small smallmouth in the summer/fall because they need to eat tons and tons of nymphs to grow.  Areas like these are the places where fish will strike almost recklessly and eat almost anything. "Oh, you bought the novelty spoon that looks like a twig and berries? Yeah, it'll catch fish here."

 

- If there are small fish, you'll find very big fish close by.  So, this is the topic of "prime holds".  Some eddies, current breaks, weed lines, boulders, bridge pilings, etc make for the best hang out spots for predators because of their proximity to fast current, complex structure, or just ability to ambush without taking the full brunt of the water.  These are the places most likely to hold the most dominant actively feeding fish in the area.  The above ugh... "Silver Johnson rule" also sometimes applies here if these holds are breaks in or IMMEDIATELY adjacent to fast current. 

 

Prime holds will usually have a few common things.  First, look for access to deep water. This literally means anything from a change of 6" or 6' so long as it offers slower current (think rest and digestion), protection from predators (birds, bigger fish, us, etc), and a comfortable combination of temperature and oxygenation (this is why deep buckets below or adjacent to riffles can be killer). 

 

Second, you want immediate access to a food source.  This could mean fry, frogs, bugs, and baitfish in grass/weed beds (if they're green), schools of alewives or perch chilling behind bridge pilings or downed trees, or even the bottom of a run during a mayfly hatch.  I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what smallmouth are feeding on (even when they aren't being picky) if you're serious about consistently finding them.  A good example...  The Susquehanna is a smallmouth factory because it's a bug factory. It's common to see all kinds of hatches from giant dobsonfly/helgramites (bodies over 4")  to mayflies and midges ranging from size 6-12 (white flies)  to 14-18 (sulphurs and cahills) all the way down to 22 and 24 (midges, BWO).  It's common to see runs of slow current in 3-6' of otherwise featureless water just explode before dusk. Why? It's below riffles (hatches happen where the bugs are in riffles and runs) and loaded with bugs, has comfortable current, and has everything from baitfish through small bass through huge pike and musky feeding in it. Once you figure this out, you'll realize you can fish using anything from dry flies through poppers or floating jerkbaits (to imitate the baitfish feeding on the flies/emergers) and catch fish.  Understanding events like this is huge because they happen in the same types of places on most nights from spring through late fall.  This type of event can effect the quality of holds because the massive abundance of food can mean almost featureless or seemingly uninteresting water for 20 hours of the day can become the place to be for two hours in the am and two hours at night.  

 

Third is the sciencey part.  These holds need to provide water that is the appropriate temperature and oxygen level for the fish's activity level.  Big, jarring changes are rough on fish, and fish will seek comfort in every season. Fish are cold blooded, so water temperature drives their EVERYTHING. Eating, being almost comatose, being super aggressive, making sexy time, digesting food -  all of these things are driven by or at least timed around water temperature.  Oxygen content can make the difference between a killer hold and the dead sea.  Generally, more oxygen means happier, healthier, more comfortable fish.  Riffles/fast current, wind, springs, and most green healthy vegetation will add oxygen to the water while decaying anything will remove oxygen. This is why active predators hang out around faster current or along green weed beds and tend to avoid brown, stagnant pools (most of the time).  

 

The 4th factor in determining the quality of a hold is security/safety.  Is the fish easily spotted by eagles, ospreys, or herons over head? Is the hold leaving the bass exposed to larger predator fish? Does the hold offer camouflage/cover? Is the water clear and forcing fish to hold deeper or stained enough to protect them from overhead? These things will all effect how safe a fish feels in a particular lie. 

 

The trick to finding consistent patterns, even in rough conditions is find the spots that provide the best combination of those 4 things possible. 

 

A good example of a good mid-day 90+ degree, high sun, clear water, low flows. A lot of fish may be unwilling to even hang out in/around the fastest most oxygenated water because of high water temperatures or exposure to predators (poor lie) unless there are springs and a ledge immediately below the fast water to offer protection and comfort (prime lie).  Another philosophy might be to fish deeper current breaks.  This might be really slow fishing if those points/islands/whatever don't have a lot  of food around them and will likely hold mostly resting/neutral-negative active fish. A better hold might actually be in shallow water even in the mid day heat if there's overhead cover/shade and structure/cover to allow ambush. Extra points if there are springs close by.  I've caught a lot of surprisingly large mid-day smallmouth pitching 1/8-3/4oz jiggs into shade lines, laydowns, grass edges, submerged trees, and once even below an old sofa in these types of conditions.  Basically, current + typically largemouth flipping spots + jig = fat smallies even mid day in the right conditions. 

 

 

Presenting in current is probably the next important thing after finding fish.

 

Seasons are another big topic, but I'm focusing on the warmer months when most are on the water. 

 

Flow and water clarity are also too big to cover in this rant lol. 

 

If this is helpful for anyone as much as putting it out there is cathartic for me, awesome. Also, if this helps anyone, i'll gladly put out some thoughts on the other stuff. 

 

? Whoa! Rock on to you man.! That will be copied, printed and placed in my tackle bag for sure. You put a lot of time into that, and shared a lot of rock solid info. That should be in every beginner river fisherman’s notes. Thanks so much for sharing that with us, totally appreciate it! ??

[Manly Studson]

Rebel lures work.  Middle Wees and Crickhoppers especially. Rapala’s ultra light poppers work well too.

[kayaking_kev]

The river smallies here aren't picky at all, so it just depends on what I want to throw. But usually it's something I can cover a lot of water with while kayaking, which is usually a whopper plopper. 

[bogfrog]

Try spinnerbaits, and dont be afraid to go big. We get some big ones on accident every year on musky spinnerbaits with #8 and #10 Indiana blades. When targeting smallies the LuckyCraft LV-100 lipless crankbaits are deadly.

[gim]

19 hours ago, kayaking_kev said:

The river smallies here aren't picky at all, so it just depends on what I want to throw. But usually it's something I can cover a lot of water with while kayaking, which is usually a whopper plopper. 

I have found this to be true too. It really doesn’t matter what lure it is, just as long as it gets in the right spot. Given a choice, I prefer using a topwater if my accuracy is working.

[Cdn Angler]

If not crazy deep:

 

I prefer moving baits in general.

 

Casting a crankbait downstream and retrieving against current is my favorite. Using an extremely slow retrieve as current imparts action. Too fast gets snagged. Aim for eddys or slack water around the most raucous rapids. I don't know if it is a "thing" but ill cast a floating crabkbait into thick current and let out line to get it 3-4 times farther than my cast. Then retrieve. Covers a crazy amount of water. 

 

If not in major current I like topwaters especially if there is shallowish cover/structure. 

 

Spinnerbait also works for anything except super heavy current/deep water. 

 

Those are my faves. 

[Otter17]

On 7/17/2019 at 2:11 AM, AlTheFisherman313 said:

Would they like anything like a kvd shallow crank? I own a lot of lures haha, wonder what “hardware” to throw also!

 

I am going to gander outdoors tomorrow to grab some plastics, figured I’d see what else I can get myself into trouble with.

A bandit 100 squarebill crank works nice in a craw color.

[DRFTR]

On 7/18/2019 at 2:13 AM, Turkey sandwich said:

 

Lol, I love crankbaits in rivers!

 

So, rivers...

And we'll forget seasonal patterns, and just focus on the where and why.

These are all general rules, and there are some pretty specific exceptions.  Also, bigger and more complex river systems can shake this stuff up, but this is how I've grown to understand how rivers work.  I've found the same rules hold up with most species of predatory fish and how to look at prime holds or prime lies.  I'm sure i'll look back at this want to edit it the next time i can't figure fish out, and totally consider it a work in progress, but I kinda want to put this out there to see what you guys think. 

 

 

- Current is the food delivery system. It carries drifting baitfish, crayfish, nymphs, leeches, and every imaginable food item in between.  Faster current, especially with riffles, will also be more oxygenated.  The most aggressive and active fish will hang out here because there will be the greatest access to feeding opportunities and the oxygen to fuel their fast metabolism. 

 

- The thing about holding in current, is that fast current requires way more energy to hang out in. This means a few things. Predators will only hang out directly in the current when they're feeding actively, but will often hold at the closest possible current break or piece of structure.  Think about boulders, fallen trees, ledges, wing dams, inside bends, undercut banks, weed beds, or in pockets along the bottom (current almost always flows fastest at the surface). These places will almost always concentrate active fish. 

 

- Some fish are likely to feed more actively, more often. Smaller fish are generally going to be feeding almost exclusively on larva/nymphs/press bugs/etc. These are the base of your food chain and will be super abundant in and around riffles and most fast current (can be quite shallow). This is where you'll also find lots of smaller bass, chubs, sculpins, madtoms, smaller trout (where applicable), etc feeding on the real little stuff. Because of this, riffles and immediate current breaks along them can load up with small smallmouth in the summer/fall because they need to eat tons and tons of nymphs to grow.  Areas like these are the places where fish will strike almost recklessly and eat almost anything. "Oh, you bought the novelty spoon that looks like a twig and berries? Yeah, it'll catch fish here."

 

- If there are small fish, you'll find very big fish close by.  So, this is the topic of "prime holds".  Some eddies, current breaks, weed lines, boulders, bridge pilings, etc make for the best hang out spots for predators because of their proximity to fast current, complex structure, or just ability to ambush without taking the full brunt of the water.  These are the places most likely to hold the most dominant actively feeding fish in the area.  The above ugh... "Silver Johnson rule" also sometimes applies here if these holds are breaks in or IMMEDIATELY adjacent to fast current. 

 

Prime holds will usually have a few common things.  First, look for access to deep water. This literally means anything from a change of 6" or 6' so long as it offers slower current (think rest and digestion), protection from predators (birds, bigger fish, us, etc), and a comfortable combination of temperature and oxygenation (this is why deep buckets below or adjacent to riffles can be killer). 

 

Second, you want immediate access to a food source.  This could mean fry, frogs, bugs, and baitfish in grass/weed beds (if they're green), schools of alewives or perch chilling behind bridge pilings or downed trees, or even the bottom of a run during a mayfly hatch.  I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what smallmouth are feeding on (even when they aren't being picky) if you're serious about consistently finding them.  A good example...  The Susquehanna is a smallmouth factory because it's a bug factory. It's common to see all kinds of hatches from giant dobsonfly/helgramites (bodies over 4")  to mayflies and midges ranging from size 6-12 (white flies)  to 14-18 (sulphurs and cahills) all the way down to 22 and 24 (midges, BWO).  It's common to see runs of slow current in 3-6' of otherwise featureless water just explode before dusk. Why? It's below riffles (hatches happen where the bugs are in riffles and runs) and loaded with bugs, has comfortable current, and has everything from baitfish through small bass through huge pike and musky feeding in it. Once you figure this out, you'll realize you can fish using anything from dry flies through poppers or floating jerkbaits (to imitate the baitfish feeding on the flies/emergers) and catch fish.  Understanding events like this is huge because they happen in the same types of places on most nights from spring through late fall.  This type of event can effect the quality of holds because the massive abundance of food can mean almost featureless or seemingly uninteresting water for 20 hours of the day can become the place to be for two hours in the am and two hours at night.  

 

Third is the sciencey part.  These holds need to provide water that is the appropriate temperature and oxygen level for the fish's activity level.  Big, jarring changes are rough on fish, and fish will seek comfort in every season. Fish are cold blooded, so water temperature drives their EVERYTHING. Eating, being almost comatose, being super aggressive, making sexy time, digesting food -  all of these things are driven by or at least timed around water temperature.  Oxygen content can make the difference between a killer hold and the dead sea.  Generally, more oxygen means happier, healthier, more comfortable fish.  Riffles/fast current, wind, springs, and most green healthy vegetation will add oxygen to the water while decaying anything will remove oxygen. This is why active predators hang out around faster current or along green weed beds and tend to avoid brown, stagnant pools (most of the time).  

 

The 4th factor in determining the quality of a hold is security/safety.  Is the fish easily spotted by eagles, ospreys, or herons over head? Is the hold leaving the bass exposed to larger predator fish? Does the hold offer camouflage/cover? Is the water clear and forcing fish to hold deeper or stained enough to protect them from overhead? These things will all effect how safe a fish feels in a particular lie. 

 

The trick to finding consistent patterns, even in rough conditions is find the spots that provide the best combination of those 4 things possible. 

 

A good example of a good mid-day 90+ degree, high sun, clear water, low flows. A lot of fish may be unwilling to even hang out in/around the fastest most oxygenated water because of high water temperatures or exposure to predators (poor lie) unless there are springs and a ledge immediately below the fast water to offer protection and comfort (prime lie).  Another philosophy might be to fish deeper current breaks.  This might be really slow fishing if those points/islands/whatever don't have a lot  of food around them and will likely hold mostly resting/neutral-negative active fish. A better hold might actually be in shallow water even in the mid day heat if there's overhead cover/shade and structure/cover to allow ambush. Extra points if there are springs close by.  I've caught a lot of surprisingly large mid-day smallmouth pitching 1/8-3/4oz jiggs into shade lines, laydowns, grass edges, submerged trees, and once even below an old sofa in these types of conditions.  Basically, current + typically largemouth flipping spots + jig = fat smallies even mid day in the right conditions. 

 

 

Presenting in current is probably the next important thing after finding fish.

 

Seasons are another big topic, but I'm focusing on the warmer months when most are on the water. 

 

Flow and water clarity are also too big to cover in this rant lol. 

 

If this is helpful for anyone as much as putting it out there is cathartic for me, awesome. Also, if this helps anyone, i'll gladly put out some thoughts on the other stuff. 

 

Nice input....i especially like the part about identifying lies that can become regular feedzones if conditions are right

I would like to hear your input on presentations in current

[Ivey]

On 7/16/2019 at 1:56 AM, AlTheFisherman313 said:

Needless to say all it took was a nice 16 inch smallmouth riverfish to take some drag on my rod that I usually use for largemouth to become much more interested in river fishing, I caught 3 on a whopper plopper two on a popper.

 

in general terms fishing small rivers, what else is good to throw? I went too water because the river was slow, clear and unfamiliar to me so I didn’t wanna be snagging up all day and first cast the plopper was on! 

 

Any suggestions? River fishing is much different than lake fishing, don’t wanna waste my time, I probably own the gear, just don’t know how to apply it for smallmouth!

 

i always loved catching them in lake st clair, but the ones that are stuck in the rivers seem to be pound for pound much stronger, and also a lot more psychotic. 

River fish normally take smaller baits, downsized Spinner Baits, Crankbaits and Jigs are my go to in smaller rivers. Top water is good too, but if you can get your hands on a 1/4 oz or less Black Bear hair jig tipped with a craw imitating plastic trailer like a zoom craw will catch just about anything that swims.

[Ogandrews]

2 hours ago, Ivey said:

River fish normally take smaller baits, downsized Spinner Baits, Crankbaits and Jigs are my go to in smaller rivers. Top water is good too, but if you can get your hands on a 1/4 oz or less Black Bear hair jig tipped with a craw imitating plastic trailer like a zoom craw will catch just about anything that swims.

Small hair jigs like this are a really solid bet, I use them all the time in my river for both smallies and walleye. If I’m targeting you walleye specifically I’ll either use a fathead if their not feeding very hard or a grub/fluke style bait if their a little more aggressive. If I’m more so targeting smallies ive done great with both a single tail grub, rage menace, or a paddle tail. I bet a regular craw would work too. The great thing about hair is that it slows the fall of the bait allowing you to fish a heavier jig but still get a slower fall rate which means less snags and usually more bites. Also gives the bait some secondary action that is really hard to imitate with anything but hair.

[Captain America]

As some have said, location is key. From the shore, I like to look for current breaks. They can be obvious ones caused by a small bay, the spot right behind a boulder or log, or just a gradual transition between the main current and the shore. I have found that fish hang out NEAR the break. they wont always be right on the seam. Sometimes they are in the faster water, sometimes they are in the slower water. For bait selection, I like to use a jig and 4 inch curly tail most of the time. Easy to put in their face, cheap (rivers like to eat lures too), and effective. Also, Trout CAN co-exist with bass. Ive seen it, but that doesnt mean they will always be found on the same section of river. My impression of the Clinton is that there are trouty sections and warmer sections. Id look into that.