River Bass Fishing Tips (cont.)

River Bass Fishing Tips (cont.)

Rockpiles, common along damns, are great smallmouth structures. Crayfish and baitfish are often found around these rockpiles, thus making them prime places for foraging river bass. To catch these bass an angler must learn how the differing current strength and water levels affect how the smallmouth and largemouth bass react. When the damn is kicking up the water full blast and the current is strong, river bass will be holding tight to the rockpile. A 1/2 ounce jig that isn't as likely to be carried off the target and will sink fast is likely to work best in areas down stream or at the top of the rockpile. The bass will hold in these areas during strong current darting out to strike passing prey. If the current is slow, bass will hang loosely to the rocks and on the deeper ends of the structure. Use a deep diving crankbait and tap the bottom with it when the current is slow like this.

You will find many river bass hiding ready to ambush baitfish in current eddies. Current eddies occur when an obstruction breaks the currents flow and the water behind these obstructions is dead calm or sometimes a whirlpool. Baitfish swim into the calmer water of eddies to escape the stronger current, or the injured baitfish will be sucked into the whirlpools. Use a jig, grub, or tubebaits work well in these areas to catch smallmouth and largemouth bass, as well as white bass and stripper bass.

Undercut banks will hold a good amount of largemouth bass. However smallmouth bass, white river bass and strippers are not as likely to hang in undercut banks. The current sweeps away the dirt from the bank leaving part of the bank overhanging above the water. Loads of roots and rock beneath that lip will attract many largemouth river bass looking for cover. Pitching or flipping a jig-n-pig, a worm, or a tubebait into the rocks and roots will often provoke a strike from hungry largemouth. The water is usually murky and muddy along undercut banks, which will allow you to get your boat a bit closer than in areas with clearer water.

Look for places where barges and tugboats moor. The pilings not only provide mooring for the barges and boats; they also attract largemouth bass, smallmouth river bass, stripped bass, and all other species of river bass. The fish hang around the wood pilings waiting to ambush baitfish, so the use of a crankbait will work well here. Use your rod tip to guide the crankbait around the wood pilings making it careen at a steep angle. Use a plastic worm attached to a jig head to work around moored barges and boats, as bass will use the large boats as cover and shade.

Gravel bars will often hold smallmouth river bass. In the summer these are great night fishing spots. The smallmouth bass normally stay deep in the day, move into the shallow water of the gavel bars to feed on crayfish, baitfish, and other forage. You'll have to be quite though as the smallmouth river bass will be in less than two feet of water and will be very easy to spook. During periods of low water, find these gravel beds and look for current breaks such as stumps, large rocks or fallen trees. Return when the water has submerged these structures and fish a jig or a spinnerbait.

Use these tips the next time you find yourself on a river fishing and watch the jaws of other anglers drop when you tell them or show them your success at fishing for river bass.