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How can I target spring smallmouths on a fairly large river with heavy current?

Targeting spring smallmouth bass in a large river with a strong current can be incredibly rewarding with the right approach and tactics. Here are some effective strategies to help you succeed:

Use the Current to Your Advantage: As mentioned in the video by The Bass University, smallmouth bass in river systems are always facing upstream to catch food brought down by the current. Cast your bait upstream and allow it to drift naturally with the current. This mimics the movement of prey and can trigger aggressive strikes from bass.
Select the Right Gear: A medium action rod is ideal for river fishing as it offers enough backbone to handle the strong current and fight the fish effectively, while also being sensitive enough to feel subtle bites. Pair this with a high-quality reel, like a 13 Crede as discussed in the Wired2Fish video, which provides smooth casting and durability. Use braided line for its lack of stretch and thinner diameter, which helps in maintaining better control of your bait in the current.
Choose Appropriate Baits: Swimbaits and crankbaits are excellent choices for targeting smallmouth in rivers. Swimbaits can be kept in the strike zone longer by casting into the current and allowing the water flow to move them naturally. Crankbaits, especially those that can dive deep and bump into rocks or other structures, can provoke strikes by mimicking injured fish. As noted in the Wired2Fish video, using fluorocarbon line with crankbaits adds sensitivity and a bit of stretch, which can be beneficial during the fight.
Focus on Structure and Current Breaks: Smallmouth bass often position themselves behind boulders, logs, or other structures that provide a break from the current. These areas allow them to conserve energy while waiting to ambush prey. As shown in the Wired2Fish video, identifying these key spots with natural structures or using technology like lake master mapping can significantly increase your chances of finding fish.
Adjust Your Retrieval Speed: Depending on the water temperature and activity level of the bass, you might need to vary your retrieval speed. In colder water, a slower retrieve can be more effective as fish are less active. As the water warms up, you can increase the speed to trigger more aggressive strikes.
Stay Mobile: If a particular spot isn’t producing bites, don’t hesitate to move. Spring smallmouth can be somewhat unpredictable, and they might be concentrated in specific areas depending on the day or conditions. Keep exploring different areas along the river, especially those with noticeable current breaks or structure.

By applying these techniques and continually adapting to the conditions and the behavior of the bass, you'll enhance your chances of a successful outing targeting spring smallmouth in strong river currents. Happy fishing!

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Bank Fishing River Smallmouth Bass With Swimbaits by Wired2Fish → spot as long as possible and you can cheat that by casting and the current letting the current take it down and then popping it up again so you can hold it in like a two foot swath like behind a boulder behind a log or something like that until something comes out and actually grabs it I want to talk a little bit about my setup really been enjoying this combo this is a 13 feet it's a 7 1 medium and I think that a medium is a really really great option for when you're fishing the river I think it's good because you're not dealing with like a noodley tip when you're working with like a heavier bait like this and the current you can keep it tight you have control your bait a little bit better and obviously for fighting the fish when the smallmouth is digging down in that deep current with a broad body like that it's nice to have some leverage on them this is also a 13 Crede really smooth excellent casting reel that works really well on this medium rod and we've got some 10 pound braid on here I'm really a big fan of lines that don't have stretch and the nice thing about braid is that it's a little bit thinner and the current allows the bait to float in the current a little bit better without the line being constantly swept away so you can cut the current

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How to Catch Smallmouth River Monsters - Fishing Tips by The Bass University → and typically when I'm fishing them I always fishing upstream bringing my bait back down with the current that's key all every fish in a river system he's facing upstream he cannot face downstream it's impossible they can't sit like that so at all times their eyes are upstream waiting for a current to bring it to food to them and fast reels baitcasting reels even when I'm cranking I'm throwing like eight two one seven three two one spread slow it's real I'll ever use on river systems for the same reason the way the fish eat the bait and come at you so quick it creates a ton of slack in your line that and the current a lot of times puts a big bow in your line that's really a long rod really helps to pick up a lot of slack and get a good hook set on these fish and probably the most important part when if you are fishing out of a boat on the river is good trolling motor batteries most of the time I'm fishing Smiley's I like fishing heavy heavy current places a lot of guys would think you know the currents too strong for fish to be but the fish in the river systems are always going to be on some sort of a theme it might look like the most raging us water in the world there will be a little Boulder there or something that fish can hide

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4 Tips to Find and Catch River Bass on Crankbaits (Spring) by Wired2Fish → initially eat the bait it allows them to get the bait a little bit better and it also helps you when you're fighting those fish so when they're gonna make a surge at the boat which today you're fishing smallmouth and they do so much right at the boat is just make endless amounts of runs it's going to allow you to better chance of keeping those fish pegged which is super key when you're fishing crankbaits especially in current and especially with smallmouth it's going to up your odds of landing those fish and i'm using this is 12-pound test it's fluorocarbon so it's got a little bit of give i do like fluorocarbon when i'm cranking though it allows it me to feel a little bit more of what's going on down there whether i'm bumping into rock or a lot of times you're going to pick up leaves on a cast it allows me to to tell if i've got a leaf on there i can just give it a quick little snap and get rid of it so that fluorocarbon allows it to be a little bit more sensitive even though you're using a rod that that's got some give to it we're in like four five six feet of water and i'm just kind of straight reeling this and you can kind of see it'll deflect off a rock every so often and that's kind of what i'm doing to try and trigger these bites

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4 Tips to Find and Catch River Bass on Crankbaits (Spring) by Wired2Fish → little back eddies and and maybe a little depression in an area certain things like that but when you're at home and you're looking to do some scouting i'd definitely start with that lake master mapping is kind of the main deal for me there's one so what we just did here we got a smallie on and we're in current so i just hit spot lock so we can fight this fish we're not going to be drifting down the main river channel it's keeping us right where we need to be and it allows us to simply focus on landing this fish so what we've got here is that main river channel is right outside of us right out to our right and right up here on our left we've got this natural rock a little bit of current and you can see up fro in front of us there's that log that sticks out and a little bit of a point that creates a current break and that's exactly what this fish was sitting on there a nice little river smallmouth you can see he's feeding up there getting ready to spawn here in a couple weeks get him back let him do his thing so when i'm cranking in the springtime you got treble hook baits and baits that when these fish are fighting and they make a turn now they can get a lot of leverage against those hooks and allows them to

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4 Tips to Find and Catch Spring Smallmouth Bass by Wired2Fish → you gotta get them get it right in front of their face before they eat it a lot of times you know you're fishing history and you can pull up to that spot today and there isn't a fish sitting on it a lot of people just oh well they're gone or they're not eating move on next spot well I was able to just follow this brake line and end up relocating the fish doesn't feel huge what's a big black one wow that thing is dark whoa go ahead and hit spot lock well you grew some shoulders all the way of the boat I guess it's still not a great big one but wow this thing is pretty oh come on he had that thing choked - Wow see girl you can throw a finesse swimbait on a whole plethora of different rod sizes real sizes but for for me I like something right in the middle this is a 7-foot medium and then paired with a 3,000 size reel that allows me to make nice long casts a lot of line pick up really fast I also have just an 8 pound braid tied to an 8 pound floral leader and that also allows me to make super long cast super nice I can feel a lot of sensitivity with the braid you know around these rocks and then I still have the invisibility factor of the floral leader so

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Early Spring Bass Fishing: 3 Tips You Need To Know! | Bass Fishing by Bass Fishing Tips & Techniques by BassResource → But until then, there really isn't any small baitfish around. So I use big baits. I use jigs that have 60 or more strands in them. I like to use swim jigs that have big trailers on them like Space Monkeys. And then, I like to use 3/4-ounce spinnerbaits with trailers on them that have big blades on them. I like to use 1/2-ounce and 3/4-ounce lipless crankbait. I mean, you get the idea, right? They're all larger-sized baits that I'm using this time of year because that's what the bass are accustomed to seeing right now in their environment. And that's what they're fishing, where they'll bite bigger baits during this time of year. Keri: There you go, little guy, little tiny guy. They're getting smaller. Glenn: Yeah. Well... Don't do that. Go play. Amazing how a little guy like that can hit a worm this big. The other thing to keep in mind during the spring is to keep moving. The bass...what they'll do is, yeah, they'll hit these areas that I just mentioned and they'll bite in those areas. But they'll find these little areas that you may not be able to find really well on your map that may have some cover, some structure on that don't really show up as well, just a little stretch. It might be a little point that comes out where there's a floating dock on it, or maybe a dock that's got pilings on it. It might be a little drop with some chunk rock on it next to a shallow area.

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