River Fishing for Bass
by Charles Stuart
There are many theories as
to how to catch bass in moving water. Opinions differ when
talking about location, lure type, color selection and tidal
charts. In this article I will try to breakdown each component
and allow you to decide for yourself what is best for your
situation.
Location. Your first
objective will be to eliminate as much water as possible from the
location you are fishing. By this I mean that you must carefully
study a map of the water and perhaps spend some time on the water
without fishing. This is hard to do, but it really will prove
"time well spent" for when you do locate your fish.
I like to draw a grid
over a map or use a new item on the market called a MAPTRAP®
(see below for information). On the map or the MAPTRAP® cover, I
draw lines one inch apart first vertically, then horizontally
until my map looks like a chessboard. With a pencil I delete most
mid-water areas and locations where the water is flowing at full
speed. Now I am looking at both shorelines with all the feeder
creeks, possible deltas from other streams, or small rivers that
feed into the main waterway and shoreline detail such as docks,
piers, stone or wood pilings, bridges, locks and heavy weed
growth.
In a competitive situation, I
will now allocate a percentage of my allotted time to each
location and fish them in practice as if I was in the tournament.
Each square inch usually gets 10 minutes. If it is productive, I
mark the area, make a note of the time and move on. I do not
over-fish a location that is productive in practice. I might need
those fish if a pound or two separates me from picking up a check
at the end of the day! Keep moving and give yourself three of
four "back-up locations". You never know when you might
need them.
Lure and Color Selection.
As I have often said in the past, go to local stores if you are
not familiar with the color of baitfish or crawfish in the area.
Then search through your tackle and try to "match the
hatch".
Spinnerbaits are an
excellent lure fished with the water flow, NOT AGAINST IT!
I see so many anglers throw a spinnerbait as if they were on a
lake, they seem to forget that smaller fish cannot fight a tide
or current and will "go with the flow". Bass are
waiting for food in locations where they are facing upstream, so
cast upstream and retrieve slowly, allowing the water to
"work the lure" while keeping a tight line. Do not be
afraid to cast your spinnerbaits into laydowns and overhangs as
you perhaps would for a jig and pork combination, as this is the
perfect hideout for aggressive bass hiding in cover. Remember
that cover slows down the flow of water over their bodies and
allows them to position for passing food. They do not want to try
a fight the current and will gravitate to these locations. Cover
makes their life easier and will give them more strength to
attack passing bait and quickly return to their hideout to
digest. Bites can be very powerful, so keep a firm grip on the
rod or you might see it disappear!
Crankbaits, both
lipped and lipless are excellent choices for moving water. The
jig and pork combination will also work well when cast onto the
shoreline and slowly pulled into the moving water, the illusion
of a crawfish being "swept away" by current is often
too much for a bass to resist.
Worm, gitzit or lizard fishing
requires a heavier than usual yet still weightless finesse
technique that I would normally use for lake fishing. I will use
a spinning outfit with ten-pound test line and change a four-inch
offering for one that is eight inches long. Upgrade your hook
from a 1/0 to perhaps a 3/0 or 4/0 but remember add no weight.
Flipping this lure
into partially submerged trees, weedlines, laydowns, piers and
docks will attract attention very quickly. Allow the bait to fall
naturally, watching the line at all times. With the gitzit, I
like to add small pieces of Alka Seltzer® or similar product to
add a bubbletrail to the bait. Small twitches of the rod tip will
give the appearance of something struggling to get out of the
flowing water; A deadly technique that has won many tournaments
in the Northeast.
Finally, I have saved the best
till last. My favorite way to fish a flowing river or
stream is with a topwater lure! Now some of you might think I
have lost my mind, but this technique is awesome when you have
cloud cover and the water is stained. Casting upstream and
twitching the bait occasionally as it returns towards you will
get some vicious strikes. Allowing the bait to drift over a
likely bass hideout and then twitching the bait just as it gets
over the location gives the impression of a baitfish struggling
against the flow and that it senses danger from below. I cannot
begin to tell you how exciting that strike is! You just have to
try it for yourself.
Tidal Movement and Charts. Tidal
waters require you to obtain a tide chart. These can be obtained
from local tackle stores or from the local Environmental
Conservation departments. There are many anglers who ignore these
tables and fish as if they were on a lake. Their thinking is
"a bass is a bass is a bass" however, I do believe that
river bass are hardier, more aware of their surroundings and
three times more aggressive. When the situation changes because
of flow, you have to reposition also. Think about where the bass
was and where it could have moved since the flow either stopped,
or began flowing in the opposite direction. River bass are
historically nomadic. Meaning that they will follow bait fish up
and down a stretch of river. Your objective is to locate the
baitfish shoals and follow or precede them to the next cove,
laydown or shoreline contour.
The item mentioned at the
beginning of this article is called a MAPTRAP®.
Simply put, this plastic device allows the user to insert a map
or maps into a protective hard plastic sleeve. The device comes
with a marker pen. You write on the plastic without messing up
the map! After a day on the water, I can either wipe the plastic
clean or transfer the information I want onto my own map as a
permanent record. Visit the MAPTRAP website and tell them Charlie sent
you. (Discounts available to clubs and societies).
| Author Information.
 Charles
Stuart is a pro angler, journalist and NY State Guide who fishes
the B.A.S.S., RED MAN, FOXWOODS and the ABC Tours in the
Northeast. Born and educated in England, Charles fished
professionally in England when he lived there. Charles has now
lived on Long Island, NY for over 15 years. He's fished most
lakes, rivers, streams and ponds on the island. He has fished
from the Canadian border to Florida in search of largemouth and
smallmouth bass.
One of Charle's
objectives is to use the knowledge he has gained to teach young
fishermen and women the joy of the sport and the art of
"catching". Charles feels that, unlike other sports,
all members of the family can enjoy fishing together. To Charles,
fishing is a sport that does not place pressure on a child to
succeed, thereby building the child's confidence and self-esteem.
Charles is sponsored by
Bullet Weights, G.Loomis, Budz Fishin Wayz, Gamakatsu, Lake Hawk,
Chevy Trucks, Hawg-ly Lures, Power Resources cranking &
trolling motor batteries, Uncle Josh, Ike-Con Fishing Tackle,
Snap-Set Spinnerbaits, Map-Trap, and Stamina Components.
You can email Charles
at LIFisher@aol.com
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