What are your choice lures for fishing rivers with a decent amount of current? I float down at a decent rate and cast quickly to the bank. Kust trying to expand my tackle box.

I like drifting a weightless senko while I float. Toss it out and let it drift alongside lay downs or under overhanging trees on the side of the river with some shade.

Rapala Flat Rap, BX Minnow.

Spinnerbait, single willow

Rebel Middle Wee Craw

How deep are you fishing and what is the bottom structure/cover like? How fast are you drifting?

4 hours ago, Scott F said:

I like drifting a weightless senko while I float. Toss it out and let it drift alongside lay downs or under overhanging trees on the side of the river with some shade.

How do you manage your line with the current taking it downstream faster. Doesn't this drag the Senko downstream and make it look unnatural? 

3 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

How deep are you fishing and what is the bottom structure/cover like? How fast are you drifting?

1-5', There are current breaks, large eddies, fallen trees, large rocks scattered throughout the river. As far as speed I'm not sure. When I fish a Ned Rig I cast 45 degrees upstream and it tumbles down river at a decent pace. When I'm drifting and casting a spinner bait at the bank I'd say I'm going at a pretty decent pace. CFS is typically 4,000-10,000. It's the Mississippi so it's quite wide.  

You said you were floating with the current. Most of the time, unless the bait gets into an eddy, ideally, I’m moving the same speed as the bait as we both are carried downstream with the current. If for some reason the bait is moving faster than I am, I’ll throw the bait upstream, and let it drift past me, then make another cast. If I’m moving faster, I’ll twitch the bait to help it keep up. Bass are on the lookout for food to be moving with the current. 

2 hours ago, Scott F said:

You said you were floating with the current. Most of the time, unless the bait gets into an eddy, ideally, I’m moving the same speed as the bait as we both are carried downstream with the current. If for some reason the bait is moving faster than I am, I’ll throw the bait upstream, and let it drift past me, then make another cast. If I’m moving faster, I’ll twitch the bait to help it keep up. Bass are on the lookout for food to be moving with the current. 

Do you run a 4" or 5" Senko? 

Most of the rivers I fish this technique on are shallow near the bank and often have lots of wood. The 4” doesn’t hang up as much and works well with the medium light rods I use most often.

I run square bills and reel them fast when I cast up stream trying to hit everything i can. 
 

sometimes  I let really light Ned rigs float down. 
 

to me the brand doesn’t matter as much as just making sure it doesn’t blow out. 

1 hour ago, Susky River Rat said:

I run square bills and reel them fast when I cast up stream trying to hit everything i can. 
 

sometimes  I let really light Ned rigs float down. 
 

to me the brand doesn’t matter as much as just making sure it doesn’t blow out. 

What are your favorite square bills for the river?

1 hour ago, Susky River Rat said:

I run square bills and reel them fast when I cast up stream trying to hit everything i can. 
 

sometimes  I let really light Ned rigs float down. 
 

to me the brand doesn’t matter as much as just making sure it doesn’t blow out. 

What's been your most productive square bill? 

My approach is simple. First choice is a topwater, or a shallow crankbait that floats. My personal favorite is the discontinued storm subwart. Cast at targets as you float by such as undercut banks, fallen trees, boulders, and eddys. Strikes will be aggressive.

 

When the fish misses, follow up with something like a wacky worm or a tube. Quite often the same fish that just missed will strike again.

 

Its easy to toss back with the crank bait, but if you throw back with a tube, the odds for a follow up strike go up.

I'm not floating, nor on the mississippi. I bank fish a river, the Nolin, and I like to fish it where it's pretty fast. I cast up stream most of the time. I use crankbaits and curly tail grubs as well as a handful of other things.

 

I like H20X squarebill, Bomber Fat Free Guppy, Zoom Fat Albert grubs on 1/4oz jig heads.

13 minutes ago, gim said:

My approach is simple. First choice is a topwater, or a shallow crankbait that floats. My personal favorite is the discontinued storm subwart. Cast at targets as you float by such as undercut banks, fallen trees, boulders, and eddys. Strikes will be aggressive.

 

When the fish misses, follow up with something like a wacky worm or a tube. Quite often the same fish that just missed will strike again.

 

Its easy to toss back with the crank bait, but if you throw back with a tube, the odds for a follow up strike go up.

Oh if it was always that easy.  Unless you are parked in an eddy or anchored, this can be difficult from a kayak unless you’re willing, and able, to paddle back upstream for another pass.   It is often very much worth the effort.  Sometimes, though, I decide the miss just doesn’t justify it.

I have had good luck on the Mississippi with crankbaits.  Cast right next to the bank and reel out while drifting.  If I can position the kayak pointing at he bank or up stream  I can make cast that angle up stream too.  I have used Strike King 2.5 and 4.0 cranks the most.  I have also used Rapalas and Black Label Baits wrex crankbaits.  I would start with cheaper crankbaits in case you loose one to a snag or pike.

@ECP1989 I run a lot of the crush series by 6th sense. I’ve also had good luck with the rapala DT series. Technically not a square bill. I am hopefully going to get out this weekend and try out some FAFO square bills. 
 

Just a warning. This is a grinding way to fish and a lot of times I have to read the current and time where I want the bait to come across. 

On 7/20/2025 at 10:04 AM, Scott F said:

I like drifting a weightless senko while I float. Toss it out and let it drift alongside lay downs or under overhanging trees on the side of the river with some shade.

Scott, did you drift it weedless or hook exposed? I fish the Cumberland in Tennessee with an average 1.5 MPH.

I drift them weightless 

18 hours ago, Scott F said:

I drift them weightless 

Thanks Scott! Is there a point where the current is too much to fish weightless? If so, what is that point? I have rigged a pole just for this type of fishing and I am eager to give it a try!

In my river, if I use any weight with this technique, I’ll get snagged. If the current gets too fast, the bass typically find other places where they don’t have to fight it

I do exactly what @Scott F has written about with Senkos.

...and a Texas Rigged Strike King Smokin' Rooster for a more aggressive tactic.

Surprised no one has said jerk baits. They're one of the top producers on the upper sections of VA rivers. A jerkbait/ned rig 1/2 punch is hard to beat around here. 

 

Spinnerbaits, cranks, and chatterbaits are also pretty good. 

Provided you use the right hook - the best river current lure I've used by far is a 5 inch Caffeine Shad. Most hooks are just meh... But on the right hook - it travels with the current, tail moves, swims on its own, a few light twitches and continues, etc.  Owner Twistlock LIGHT hook in 4/0. 

18 hours ago, JHoss said:

Surprised no one has said jerk baits. They're one of the top producers on the upper sections of VA rivers. A jerkbait/ned rig 1/2 punch is hard to beat around here. 

 

Spinnerbaits, cranks, and chatterbaits are also pretty good. 

I use a jerkbait when the current is like 4-5 mph and I can’t effectively fish anything else 

I fish the susky near Harrisburg PA, summer depths 3-5’. We have alot of fun with flukes or soft minnow of your fav, mostly white with Chart. tail, nose hooked with a 1/0,2/0 wide gap drop shot hook. Small size hard jerkbaits, senkos.

Floating a 5" senko wtless is #1.

4" senko/dinger with 1/16 to 3/16 bullet wts.

 

Flicker shad/OG Tiny 04/DT4/Ripping Rap 05/Salmon Hornet 05

 

3" jerkbait if you hit a pool.

 

Soft plastics and there are so many that work. I like 3" to 5" scented jerk shads/ 4" hula grubs/ rage grubs and every size of Pit Boss made.

 

Plus I tie alot of jigs and streamers.

 

And we haven't even mentioned TopWateR (the best 5 years of your life)