Smallies in Fast Water

[osg2729]

Hi Larry,

I live in the Southern Tier of New York State, near Binghamton, NY. We are blessed in this area by 3 great rivers - the Tioughnioga, the Chenango, and the Susquehanna, all of which hold lots of smallmouth bass. Last summer, beginning 7/12, I fished numerous early mornings over a two week stretch in the Susquehanna and caught a lot of really nice bass that were blitzing baitfish in a very broad, and relatively shallow stretch of fast water. While there are some fairly deep holes near this fast water, the riffle where these fish were holding was only 1' - 2' deep. This water was more like the type of water rainbow trout would hold in.

I've never seen anything like this in all my years flyfishing for smallies. I caught these fish on poppers by casting up stream and ripping the popper down through the current as fast as I could. At times, bass would porpoise out of the water for the popper! The explosive blitzing action of these fish reminded me of fishing for bluefish in the salt. The bass would hit in a rapid succession of "pops", sending baitfish flying out of the water in all directions. The blitz itself would typically last an hour or so. Once the sun was up and really lighting the river, the action would tail off to nothing. By 7:30 am, it would be over.

I was wondering if you've ever experienced this and what prompts the bass to hold in such fast water? I've caught bass in riffles, but I've never seen anything this before in current strong enough to require very careful wading.

Thanks,

Bob

[dahlberg]

Hi Bob
I experienced it every summer for 23 years while I was a smallmouth guide. It happens under a couple of circumstances.
One, when the water gets really warm and low. (high 70's to low 80's)
And also if you happen to hit a bunch of migrating fish that end up congregating there. I tagged something like 1300 of them and found they would migrate 70 miles or more in a season in the river system I fished! Also that they'd return to the same locations, far from the wintering water, to spawn!
In some rivers, like where I used to live on the mississippi in brainerd many would go upstream to a deep wash out hole below a dam. In others they'd go down stream to deep water.
Fascinating creatures.
best,
L

[patrick reif]

you've described exactly what i look for on the new river in s.w. virginia from early june til mid november.

i usually concentrate were there is an adjacent deeper access point with less current pushing through.
this gives the smallies a quick escape from predators and refuge during frontal movements.

i don't mess with fly fishing though.

i'm a casting type guy. i use soft jerks, tubes, spinnerbaits, topwaters and cranks.

there's nothing like smallie fishing the river in a kayak.
gotta love it.


my first float will be in about a week and a half.

patrick