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River Fishing Techniques
Smallmouth bass love fast water and are usually found below dams and power-generating stations. Schools of smallmouths frequently corner schools of smaller fish against the power-generating obstruction. A small top-water spoon or crankbait thrown among the leaping minnows works well to catch a smallmouth, or a try a heavier jig targeting larger fish beneath the skirmish.
Look for turns in rivers and streams where deep underwater ledges produce a slick calm on the water's surface. Fish the calm depths with small orange, brown, or dull yellow jig with a piece of nightcrawler or crawfish at the lure's tip. At the mouths of streams or at the edges of large channels, use light spinning tackle and six-pound test line while slowly back-trolling with a jig-and-shiner arrangement or trolling a small crankbait upstream.
In smaller streams and rivers, smallmouths and trout can be found around obvious rocks, under hanging rocks and ledges, and in shallow pools. In small streams, some anglers fish with a fly rod and a weighted Muddler Minnow or small streamer or bucktail. Fish spinning lures slowly, letting the lures hang in the fast flowing waters around protruding rocks and ledges. Live crawfish, minnows, and hellgrammites are effective when fished at the bottom and below the first riffles of the deepest pools. For this type of small-stream fishing, use light spinning tackle, a No.6 hook, and a small splitshot. In these conditions, anglers often catch both trout and smallmouths.
Where a fast current has smoothed the river bottom, cast a spoon lure directly upstream and allow the spoon to settle to the bottom. The fast waters smooth the rocks that would normally pose a snagging risk, and smallmouths like to rest on the smooth bottom, ready to strike. Fish fast, deep runs through rock layers or ledges in the same manner. Cast directly upstream with a small spoon, permitting the lure to settle to the bottom. This tactic often results in the capture of smallmouths and walleyes.
When the temperatures begin to drop in the fall, smallmouths begin to school near rock shelves near deeper water or near cover at the edges of deep drops. Anglers use the same tactics for fall lake fishing - a live crawfish or a slowly retrieved minnow.
Smallmouths are not protected by law during their spawning season, because the spawning season varies widely from year to year dictated by location and weather. Still, some concerned anglers catch-and-release smallmouths until July 1, ensuring a future supply of smallmouth fillets and excellent fishing for the rest of the season.
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