I just started fishing rivers.  Does it matter if your bait runs with the current, or against it?

yes it does matter usually bass will face the opposite way the river is flowing so take that into consideration           90% i will fish with the current

Ok, thanks for the advice... The river I will be fishing is deep and fast at times, will have to work on timing and tight lines.

Are you targeting largemouths or smallmouths? The species you are fishing for will make a difference in how you should approach fishing the current. Smallmouths like to suspend in faster currents than largemouths, setting up in good ambush points to snag forage as it rushes to them in the current. Largemouth will suspend in areas where faster moving current meets with slower moving current. LM will suspend on the slower side of the current and pluck baitfish and other forage out of the faster moving current as it goes by their ambush point. Hope this helps.

Thanks! I wish the river I was fishing had LM, but its too cold to have much of a pupulation, but it does have a ton of SMs, and very agressive rainbow trout.   In fact I landed a HUGE ranbow on a weigtless senko last week.  I will primarily be going for SM, but is their a lure that would work well for both?

If you are stationary, cast upstream and work the bait towards you. If you are floating, cast perpendicular to the bank and work the lure/ bait back to the boat, but at no more than a 45 degree angle upstream, never downstream.

Smallmouth relate to structure, not cover. Target boulders, rock piles, humps, pools and current breaks. Fish in front and on the sides of eddies, smallmouth are rarely (never) in slack water.

Thanks for the advice, so I will generally work the bait with the current, I will be in a boat.  The watier is really, really clear so I will need to down size my line considerably.

Not my next issue is what to use for smallmouths, I fish for LMs 99.9% of the time!

I suggest 6 lb test fluorocarbon for gin clear water.

My most productive artificial lure is a 3 1/2" Mizmo tube (squash gree or Kent's Classic) fished on an inserted jig head. Other suggestions are grubs and single tail Hula Grubs most of the time. In low light conditions, early and late, jerkbaits and topwater can be effective. Specifically I would recommend Lucky Craft Pointer 100, American Shad and full size Zara Spook, Frog pattern.