CREEK bass

[Yaker]

I have started fishing in the creek down from my house and have pulled some beautiful largemouth out of there my question is what kind of areas do bass like to stay in or are they always moving in a creek?

[Shif29]

The same places you have been pulling them out of

[Yaker]

Haha thank you!

[Todd2]

I've fished a small river the last two years quite a bit, for me it's pretty similar to the lake..laydowns...laydowns are golden..on slow moving water they even seem better percentage wise.  Pick it apart with jigs and soft plastics before moving to the next. My second best pattern is cranking square bills down rocky banks. I like getting in the skinny water...less pressure too.

[Black Hawk Basser]

No largemouths in my creeks, but the smallmouths tend to be in the fast water areas that also have current breaks nearby - boulders, downed trees, undercut banks, backsides of sandbars, & low-head dams.  I rarely catch fish in slow water, even if there is a hole there.

[moguy1973]

Largemouth in moving water like rivers and creeks tend to like to hang out in the slack water.  Anywhere there is a laydown or cover in deeper water opposite from the channel where the faster water runs is usually where I find largemouth.  That and in old channel sloughs where the water used to run where the water is still and calm typically.

[bhoff]

From experience fish in creeks and rivers usually hang out in areas that are deeper than the surrounding areas, and in some cases slower moving as well. When I go river wading for smallmouth I will usually target current breaks that lead into pools and more often than not those will produce fish. Most of the time the fish aren't going to be sitting directly in a fast moving current, they will be behind rocks or some type of cover and only pull out when they need to.

[Drew03cmc]

On 9/20/2019 at 5:46 PM, moguy1973 said:

Largemouth in moving water like rivers and creeks tend to like to hang out in the slack water.  Anywhere there is a laydown or cover in deeper water opposite from the channel where the faster water runs is usually where I find largemouth.  That and in old channel sloughs where the water used to run where the water is still and calm typically.

Jim, you're correct. I've been fishing a small creek in mid-Missouri that has 1 hole that have produced big largemouth, 2 to 3lbs. Consequently, I also caught my best smallie (actually landed, lost an 18+ downstream) from this creek in one of those holes. They're deeper than everywhere else within a mile downstream with just a little current, boulders and shelf rock on one side, gravel bar on the shallow side. The head of this hole has shallow weedbeds on the opposite bank, about 2 feet deep. This part has also produced. 

 

I prefer topwaters in this hole, followed by the Tackle HD HiDef Craw. 

[AstroFishingTV]

For me when fishing creeks I always I caught fish where there is something that breaks the water current like stumps and rock piles. They like to stay in those "no current" zones to ambush whatever comes by. I also like to fish the hanging trees. I got on a pattern last time where I would specifically take a weightless 8inch lizard and I would throw it into the tree and slowly pull it out of the tree and let it slap the water. The bass were eating whatever fell on the water. They would even strike at leaves. This is what has worked for me in the past.

[the reel ess]

Slower water, deeper pools. Wherever something breaks current. Wherever there's that little line between the slack water and a good flow, bass will like to sit just in the slack side in wait for food washing or swimming downstream. That goes for bream and catfish as well. In a big pool you'll sometimes see a bass or several cruising it. But they'll be easily spooked because, if you can see them, they can see you.

 

After you've fished it all a few times, you'll take the mystery out and be able to go straight to the high percentage spots.

 

 

[soflabasser]

On 9/20/2019 at 4:07 PM, Pickle_Power said:

No largemouths in my creeks, but the smallmouths tend to be in the fast water areas that also have current breaks nearby - boulders, downed trees, undercut banks, backsides of sandbars, & low-head dams.  I rarely catch fish in slow water, even if there is a hole there.

I catch river smallmouth bass in similar areas that you mentioned and I catch more river largemouth bass in parts of the river where the water is not moving much.

[bazzelite19]

Big ones can grow in chest deep creeks for sure i caught a chunky 5 two different times before off of a creek bend. Anywhere could be fair game deoending on the creek. Smallmouths love feeding in the current formed just downstream of a ruffle during low-light. Most feedinng occurs at the head of a hole. When theyre inactive fish will seek refuge in deeper pools with cover or under overhanging trees that create shade. All rivers and creeks follow a riffle, hole, run sequence. Riffles are formed because the rocks that are there couldnt wash away. Then all the silt downstream was flushed out from the high current velocity thus creating a hole. Then you have a run which eventually grows shallower up to your next riffle, or sometimes a dam. The ruffle hole run sequence makes it easy to piece together in your head what and why fish are where they are. Of course, if u cant locate much just go upstream until you hit a concrete dam, which will inhibit fish movement any further and therefore collect fish in the scour holes below