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River Bronzebacks Right Now: River smallmouths fight current all their lives. Like little body builders, "bronzies" are among the strongest freshwater fish. And river smallmouths are extremely maneuverable, able to spin 180 degrees inside a shoe box. Don't take them lightly. Use tough abrasion-resistant 8-to 10-pound monofilament for jigs and minnows, 10- to 14-pound for crankbaits and fiber-guard hair jigs, and 17-pound test on casting gear for working spinnerbaits through timber. Through mid-September, smallmouths spread through a river, using foraging zones containing some kind of rock, which usually hold crayfish, a favorite forage. Look for shallow riffles, where boulders protrude above the surface. Smallmouths hold in slow, 2- to 5-foot water near or within shallow rocky riffles. Check pockets and holes behind boulders and rockpiles. Throw fire-tiger or crayfish-pattern crankbaits ahead of the riffle, sweeping them along the face. In pockets, try hair jigs tipped with small plastic craws or a round leadhead jig tipped with a red-tail chub, preferred over shiners or suckers. Another favorite spot is an eddy where current swirls in behind a rocky shoreline point or the tail of an island. Cast a crankbait, jig, or spinnerbait ahead of the eddy and sweep in the bait. Active smallmouths hold at the upstream head of these spots. Smallmouths also like fallen trees over gravel runs. Throw a spinnerbait ahead of the tree and let the current sweep it through the branches. But hold on and get 'em out fast, or it's good-bye smallie and good-bye spinnerbait.
Use extreme caution when positioning and anchoring a boat around riffles, and release your catch. River smallmouths are a world-class Minnesota resource. More catch-and-release enthusiasts each year are drawn by the number and quality of smallmouths in the St. Croix, Mississippi, and other area rivers. Let's keep it that way.
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