I've always fished only ponds and lake but I live in a new place that has two rivers very close and not many lakes or ponds. One of the rivers is very large and well known for it's Walleye population. However, I have another one that's much smaller (I would call it a stream or creek). I'm not sure how to approach it. I can probably walk along the bank for a few miles and there are numerous pools and bends that I've scouted. The water is very brown with zero visibility due to a lot of recent rain. 

 

Any suggestions of how to get started and what to throw to find the fish? I'm guessing there will be both LMB and SMB in the river. 

I would suggest looking for deep pockets/holes where fish are wait for food.

Because you have dirty water it's hard to tell where they but ideally you'd want something that moves water and bright colors.

/Chatter/Spinner/Jerk/Crank/etc.

Pretty much use all kinds of lures till you figure out what works.

I most use rooster tails,phoebe for rainbow trouts in my river.

 

 

Try fishing tight against the bank. Fish generally move up shallow in high water to escape the current and to feed on worms and other food items washed in by the rising water. Shallow in this case can mean less than a foot of water. Any obvious current breaks are also worth trying.

I fish a lot of small, shallow rivers near where I live.  My area is over-developed, so most of our rivers are in poor condition, with steep eroded banks and frequent log jams from flash foods.  My go to when fishing a new spot is to take a small (4" Ocho or 3" Senko, depending on current) t-rigged stick worm and fish it in and around the log jams.  The larger bass seem to hold to these spots year round, but especially in the fall and winter.  When the water is up and muddy I will switch to a small (3-4") white or black grub, t-rigged w/ a 1/8-1/4oz weight and fish around the same spots. 

 

 

Bassin, first question to you: are the rivers tidal in any way? If so, you fish them based on the tides.

 

Second question: what is the forage? Crawfish? Shad? Bluegills? Crappie? Bream? White Perch? You really need to find out. If you can't find out, then you have to experiment with different colors and types of baits.

 

Third question: What feeds the rivers? A lake? Reservoir? Dam? Creeks? Long river expanding as it goes south? Each of these options presents different river conditions.

 

Fourth question: What is the water temperature? Remember, you are entering into the bass' habitat and water temperatures direct the bass to feed for the winter; go deep; hold in shallows; hold in eddies; follow the shad into the creeks; and spawn.

 

If we knew your location and the names of the rivers, or at least the state, we can give you better input. Any possibility of you adding your location to your avatar? It would really help us as our answers would be different if you were in Florida as opposed to Michigan.

 

The answers above are all excellent. Try each. And please go to the Introduction section and introduce yourself.

 

Glad to have you with us. Keep asking those questions and post pictures of your catches.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

I'm in NW Ohio. The larger river is the Maumee. Probably not the one I would tackle right away.

 

The smaller one is not tidal. I haven't been able to figure out forage yet because of the muddiness of the water. It's about 20-30 miles long that does expand as it goes South. I believe it is fed by smaller creeks. Temp right now is about 40 degrees. 

44 minutes ago, BassinNWO said:

I'm in NW Ohio. The larger river is the Maumee. Probably not the one I would tackle right away.

 

The smaller one is not tidal. I haven't been able to figure out forage yet because of the muddiness of the water. It's about 20-30 miles long that does expand as it goes South. I believe it is fed by smaller creeks. Temp right now is about 40 degrees. 

I'm in NW Ohio as well, which river? 

1 hour ago, BassinNWO said:

I'm in NW Ohio. The larger river is the Maumee. Probably not the one I would tackle right away.

 

The smaller one is not tidal. I haven't been able to figure out forage yet because of the muddiness of the water. It's about 20-30 miles long that does expand as it goes South. I believe it is fed by smaller creeks. Temp right now is about 40 degrees. 

The muddy maumee. There's another member on here that can tell you all about that river but his name escapes me. 

2 hours ago, Dtrombly said:

I'm in NW Ohio as well, which river? 

Ottawa

9 minutes ago, BassinNWO said:

Ottawa

Gotcha. I drive past it all the time. Never fished it. I fish the Portage River often. It's pretty good if you ever get a chance

5 hours ago, Dtrombly said:

Gotcha. I drive past it all the time. Never fished it. I fish the Portage River often. It's pretty good if you ever get a chance

Can you fish the Portage from shore? I don't have a boat so I'm relegated to shore fishing for now. 

12 hours ago, BassinNWO said:

Can you fish the Portage from shore? I don't have a boat so I'm relegated to shore fishing for now. 

Yep, or you can wade.