Alright guys, I found access to a new fishing location this morning. It’s a local river, and Iv never fished in a river before. I plan on catfishing here, but also trying for some bass to see what, if any, is in there. I’m brand new to fishing in this kind of water so I need your help with how to go about catching fish here. It has a noticeable current, but not heavy by any means. At least not at the moment. There are various sized rocks in the water, as well as a little sand bar. I tried to attach some pictures I took, but I’m posting from my phone, and I guess they’re too big. If I have a chance to get on my computer later, I’ll post the pics. Thanks guys. 

 

Nothing has worked better for me on the rivers than bashing squarebills along the bottom and off the rocks. Ned Rig too. Whopper Plopper for top. Those 3 baits make up the most of what I'll use on rivers because of how effective they are.

Largemouth bass are do not like strong current whereas smallmouth bass do. You first decision is what bass are in this river? Current is moving water and doesn't move in straight line it swirls counterclockwise creating edies and that is where LMB will be located in current breaks.

When you look closely at the river current you will see seams in the water where faster moving water meets slower moving water, Smallmouth bass like to sit in seams that provide a current break. Any structure that provides a current break bass should be located there. Channel catfish like current breaks, deeper the better.

Good luck,

Tom

 

Thanks guys. I’ll be back to the area soon, and see what I can do. 

Mac, there are two types of current in rivers.

 

The first is from the normal flow of the water.  The second is tidal.

 

We have no idea where you are in North Carolina, a state that has both types of rivers. 

 

Please note what Tom penned above about river current. He hits it on the head.

 

So let us know if you are fishing a tidal river or one in the interior and we can give you a better response.

 

 

   You can take what Tom wrote to the bank.  Pun intended.   ?   jj

Current's tricky when it comes to baits to throw. Let us know where you are and what the estimated streamflow rate is (if possible) and I can make some better suggestions. 

 

Streamflow data can be found if you search USGS Streamflow Data

The entire state of Tennessee only has one natural lake so I really never fish anything BUT current . Even the cow ponds have some flow here! Fish tend to face upstream and wait on food to come their way. I don’t like for them to see me, so I usually cast upriver if I’m wading shallow water. If im floating downstream in shallow water I like to cast downstream (most consider this sacrilegious) or directly across, trying to get the bait to a fish that hasn’t yet seen me. Deep current, like the TN river, the fish usually can’t see me, especially the ones on the bottom. When it’s raging fast they tuck up against the bank or behind rock shelves. When it’s slower they spread out and get a little tricky but still eat. 

Reading the water on rivers is so important, in my opinion. This may sound silly, but check out some YouTube fly fishing videos about reading water. Your river may not run like a trout stream, but they are fundamentally the same. I say this because the river features you will see in the vids are more obvious and noticeable and you can easily see their affect in the vids. This will help you rule out lots of unproductive water. 

 

If you’re fishing tidal currents, it gets a bit more tricky. You’re still looking for the same features, but now you have to also deal with fish that likely or potentially migrate with each tide. You may fish a spot and do well at high tide, then come back at low and you can hardly notice a difference, but the fish just aren’t there. 

 

Read the the water and fish the high potential areas. Move around a lot. Insect hatched and other natural occurrences happen in different parts of the river at different times of day, and different parts of seasons. These hatches feed the bait, who in turn, feed the bass. Some of these insects and even craws will migrate at certain times throughout the year.

 

Stick with only only a few baits. Move around a lot. Try fishing at all different water heights until you nail down a pattern. Good luck, and let us know how it goes. 

 

 

 

Look for eddies behind any kind of structure.  Cast beyond it and a little upstream so you can bring your lure right through the pocket.  I like jig and spinner combos like the beetle spin or meeney spin.