What are some good river fishing techniques and baits?

My favorites are:

Topwater

Jig/Grub

Texas rigged worm

I have lost too many crankbaits to snags to recommend them.

Bank fishing or from the boat? Where is the river located?

Your location isnt listed. In our area (Ohio River) snags arent a big issue so cranks work well. I normally fish a senko or tube though. They have produced my 3 biggest bass of the season in the river.

The same baits you would use in a lake. You need to find current breaks (wing dams, berms, big rocks, ledges, flats, sand bars, cuts etc...). The fish will position head first into the current waiting for a meal come to them.

In faster moving currents texas rigged baits are too hard to keep contact with so I like spinnerbaits and crankbaits. In backwaters with slow moving currents just use anything you normally would t-rig, jig, c-rig, spinnerbaits, cranks, topwaters, etc....

Jerkbaits

Grubs

C-Rigs

Lipless Cranks also produce well for me in the River

Please do give us some more information!

Are you fishing from the bank or in a boat?

Are you fishing a big or small river?

Fast or slow current?

Deep or shallow?

What kind of fish are you fishing for? Smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, northerns?

Help us to help you.

One of my favorite thing to do is tie on a jighead with a sabertail,cast it up toward current and let the current do the work.This can work for a lot of soft plastic techniques.

This is one way to cover an area of the river real fast.You don't get a bite within 15-20 minutes move up or down the river a couple feet and repeat.

i have twice vacationed at my friends house on the coosa river in alabama and i learned that you fish the same lures as on a lake but you downsize your lures.

spinners-pond magics and roostertails

topwater-the small skitterpop from rapala

worms-thin senkos(i really killed them)

lipless cranks-1/4 ounce cordells

keep it smaller.....good luck

to add to my last post, if targeting smallies in a river, tubes are far and away #1 for me