Smallmouth Bass In Moving Water
Fishing for and catching in the moving water of a river or stream is as fun a fishing experience as can be found anywhere. The fighting ability of the is legendary. This fish is widely considered to be the hardest fighting fish, pound for pound, that can be found in freshwater. Couple this fact with moving water, and you've got a hold of a recipe for a ton of fun. Yep, fishing for and catching in moving water is a good time.
The best thing about catching in moving water is the fact that they can be fished for in exactly the same way that one fishes for trout. Waders, fishing vest, gang hooks, live worms/minnows, spinners/spoons, everything can be the same. Even your gear can be the same. I use the same ultra light gear that I use for trout to catch as well. In many respects, catching nice smallmouth on your ultra light gear, gets you in shape for catching big trout.
The best technique that I've ever seen for catching nice smallmouth is moving water is again the same technique as I use for trout. The technique is simply bouncing a live worm off of the bottom, while rigged on a set of gang hooks. This technique is deadly for both species of fish. And let me tell you something. Hooking a three pound in a moving river on a set of #10 gang hooks is as much fun as a person can have with their clothes on!
Spinners and spoons work well for smallmouth in moving water as well. You can get away with larger sizes than you would normally use for trout, so id you have some extras in your vest, this would be a great time to try them. Sizes ranging up to ˝ ounce are no problem for river dwelling smallmouth bass. Another great lures choice for on moving water is jigs with twister tails. Experimentation, as far as color is concerned, is the key. I always seem to have success with both black and white, and if you use Berkley Power grubs, you can sometimes out fish live worms!
The bottom line is that fishing for and catching is moving water is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, and if you've never tried it, I would suggest you give it a shot. Grab your vest, JRW bait bag, gang hooks, waders, a container of live worms, and favorite fishing hat, because you're in for a good time.
