Rivers the Untapped Resource

There are multiple reasons why certain people prefer lakes over rivers or vice versa. In making a case for rivers I have caught lots of absolute giants from river systems. On most lakes as late winter is giving way to spring, I have had a great deal of success in moving up into the rivers when water temperatures are in the high 40’s and the high 50-degree ranges. Then as fall approaches, I follow the schools of bait into the creeks and rivers again. These strategic moves are based off bass behavior and experiences that have paid off in trophy catches. The headwaters of lakes in my opinion can best be characterized as rivers. The distinction is based more off locations of dams, and the opened-up areas seen more a lake environment. The comparisons are endless, and each person can make a case for their favorite. I like the ever-changing shoreline of rivers, the newly added trees falling in, constant shoreline changes, the current, available vegetation, the abundant food sources in a smaller area, less boat traffic, the BIG bass genetics I’ve found, the muscular build of river bass and the diversity in almost every ecological area of river systems.

Each lake has a unique personality whether manmade or natural. Dams and the original river channels give an indication as to where best cast and catch but each body of water has similarities and unique differences. A major factor for favoring a river system is the presence of current. Learning to read the current and the effects on the fish and its preferred locations is a major plus. Current will position fish to face the moving water for efficiency (less drag and best use of their physical attributes), comfort in the form of cooler water and a built-in food delivery system. Less effort expended means fish grows bigger and faster. Any object the redirects water is a potential holding area for true trophy bass.

I do believe that a person can become a versatile angler if they spend a lot of time learning and testing their skills in a river environment, the variables mastered in a river prepare the lake fisherman for a wide variety of conditions. I believe a good lake fisherman could easily be perplexed by rivers while a river fisherman could adjust a little faster to lakes. Big fish are in both, patterns in lakes are probably more solid and day to day more repeatable, and more often pay offs than in rivers, the possibility of finding fish faster and setting the hook on a giant is another plus.

Again, admittedly I’m biased because of my history on rivers. I’ve caught some absolute monsters in rivers and the headwaters of lakes. Years ago, I made a statement that’s often repeated (and stolen, it’s called plagiarism) “There’s magic in moving waters”. There’s just something that draws me to stream, creeks and rivers.

I can’t emphasize enough the element of playing for the current in a river environment. On a trip into the Elk River the headwaters of my home lake, Woods Reservoir it had become obvious that the recent rain had created a string current flow in the main river. I had faced this several times in the past and discovered a consistent pattern for BIG bass. In small cut, cove or backwater is used by big fish to minimize the expending of energy to fight the string flow of the river. Just off the current I will venture into the places just off the main river. I look for heavy cover, ambush or resting spots and the availability of a food source, my second pitch on this day produced a solid seven pound bass and later I pulled four more good fish from the school that had formed there. This pattern has paid off so many times it’s a “go to” tactic for me. I rely of three specific lure choices, the jig, a Texas rigged soft plastic or a modified spinnerbait. The jig with the fixed head gives me good lure control in feeling the bait coming through over, the Texas rig gives me the option of multiple sizes and colors and the spinnerbait gives a momentary flash that shines in the heavily stained waters. I replace the back blade of the spinnerbait with a hammered copper colored blade for a different look and this river special has been deadly for trophy sized bass. My biggest was a nine and a half pound largemouth resting along a thick weed bed. Other potential fast flowing river presentations are a squarebill crankbait around wood or a big bladed dark skirted buzzbait. It’s worth mention that Debbie’s biggest bass to date a fat eight pound largemouth came on (what else) her beloved Ragetail soft plastics. Her biggest smallmouth a six plus pounder came from the Caney Fork River.

Why I LOVE RIVERS; Often rivers are smaller but longer bodies of water, there are miles of shoreline, easily accessible and two side closer together with more distinct cover. Lakes can require a lot of search time, rivers based off specific size can reduce the amount of search time. Unique to rivers are cut banks, close by secondary inflowing creeks, and two kinds of bends, inside and outside both distinctly different and at times extremely effective when working current flows. Rivers offer a diverse, extremely wide variety of food forage for multiple species. Rivers streams and creeks almost always offer some level of current which often can position fish predictably on the downstream side of natural or manmade objects. It’s been my experience that it’s a bit easier to escape the wind on rivers. Changing water levels can create unstable water levels due to excessive rain, lack of rain but the ever changing shoreline can be a plus, really healthy rivers can change its water three times a day making the waters pure, highly oxygenated and conducive all forms of life. The effect of the rains can also add significant color to the river water. These conditions again are when lure color and the ability to produce increased vibration are mor effective. Another gigantic plus is moving water and vegetation found in any flowing body of water help to maintain higher oxygen levels even in the summer. Some rivers offer shallow water access only and eliminates the competition from the powerfully motorized vessels. *A word of caution; Current flow in any body of moving water can create safety hazards for boaters of every age and level of experience. Judge the current and be aware of any downstream danger like log jams, obstructions, shallow rocks or potential problems.
Many days I’ve seen no one else on the rivers I’ve visited, I’ve found a huge variety of fish caught many of my best bass (and others) from river waters. Rivers remain, an untapped resource!

*More information on fishing rivers, lakes, kayaking and the pursuit of trophy bass coming early this fall in my book Strictly BIG bass
(published by wordscraftpublishers