bass fishing tips

River Bass fishing is very popular due to the easy accessibility that fishing in the river provides. Oftentimes to reach the best fishing spots in a lake, you need a boat. But this is not the case with bass fishing in the river. But there are some differences to bass fishing in the river. The following quick tips for river bass fishing should remind you of these differences and help you land more fish.

Ask the local bait store what the bass have been biting on.  Common natural river baits include minnows, shad, crayfish, and worms among others.  Follow the recommendation of the local bait store, and fish with either that live bait, or throw lures that resemble what the fish have been feeding on.

Downsize your offering.  While river bass fishing remember that generally speaking, the bass will be smaller than in the lake.  This is due to a variety of factors including them having to swim against current, size of water body, and availability of food.  You will find that jigs that you use to catch Crappie on the lake, will be very effective for Bass on the river.

Cast upstream and reel your bait back slowly letting the current carry it downstream.  Bass position themselves with their head upstream waiting for their prey to come floating down the river.  Remember if you cast downstream, and reel back upstream, the fish is going to have to fight the current to catch up with your bait.

River Bass fishing can be outstanding in the early spring.  During the early spring bass will run up the river and into the feeder creeks to spawn where the water is warmer.  Go fishing from late February to late April for your best opportunity for a good catch.

Fish around deeper holes in the river and around structure.  The bass love to stage around these areas because the current is not as strong. 

Fish the shallower water in the morning and just before dark or on cloudy days.  Fish the deeper holes later in the day or on bright sunny days.  A good technique is to cast your lure on shore, and bring back into the water slowly.  Many times you will find a bass waiting to swallow it.

Remember these differences in river bass fishing and lake bass fishing so that you can be effective on your next river Bass fishing trip. 

River Bass fishing can be a blast. The bass are strong and the bite can be fast and furious. I hope that these river Bass fishing tips help you land more fish.

But if you would like to learn more about river bass fishing and lake bass fishing, then who better to learn from than a 3 time angler of the year and member of the Professional Bass Hall of Fame. Bill Dance has come out with a Bass fishing DVD series called the Complete Bass Fishing Course. Bill teaches you how to catch bass from A-Z in a very simple and understandable manner. I encourage you to check it out.

Don't overlook river bass fishing. Go fish today and take someone you love with you!

Bass Fishing In the Current

Locating and landing bass in current can test the skills of even the most experienced angler. Of course wherever you happen to pull up your boat and drop a line in, there will be some level of current, providing there is wind present. The current I am referring to, however, is heavy river or stream current. Thus, this article is entitled "River Bass Fishing Tips." Coming from the perspective of an experienced angler, fishing ponds and lakes almost exclusively for the beginning years of my angling life; landing bass, or any fish for that matter in current is a whole new realm of fishing. River bass are of a different breed than those that are found in lakes and ponds, they are often thinner from battling current, which also lends to them putting up a more intense fight. Well, we wouldn't want to get bored would we? Now, let us dive into the realm of bass fishing in current.

Location

As with bass fishing anywhere, the first tip that I will give you, or anyone with a brain in their head will give you is this, "Locate the fish." This seems like an obvious first step, but of course it is crucial to our fishing success, because If we are not locating fish... well we may as well stay home and cast in our swimming pools and sip margaritas. So we know that Largemouth as well as Smallmouth bass like to find structure that they can relate to. This can be a tree down in the water, a really big rock, or any part of their environment that is unique to the rest. In rivers this holds true as well but with a twist. In lakes and ponds bass can easily locate structure and hold to it without any problems. In a river or stream, however current comes in to play, and that nice big rock out in the middle becomes a swirling whirlpool of current that would cause more energy exertion that it could possibly be worth. So, this being said, largemouth and smallmouth bass alike, want to stay the hell out of the current!

So that leaves us with a pretty simple answer to the question "Where can I find bass in a river?" Search for weaknesses in the river's current and fish them, find current breaks. An example of a current break is a huge rock up against the shoreline, the water will flow around the rock creating a sort of still pocket of water right behind it. Hanging in this pocket will keep bass out of the current, as well as give them a good view of what is floating by so they can ambush a tasty dinner. This is much like a largemouth bass hanging on the edge of a weedline, ready to ambush when the time is right. Apart from current breaks search for backwaters. Backwaters are the holy grail of river bass fishing, and the best thing about them is that you can just fish them using the tactics that you are familiar with for pond and lake fishing.

A backwater is a section of a river that is out of the main current, forming a sort of small lake, or arm reaching away from the river. The picture at the beginning of this article is one of my favorite backwaters to fish. The third and final river location that I have a lot of luck with, is when a stream or river flows into another stream or river. The two currents collide creating an area where they cancel each other out and make another great spot for bass to hold and ambush any prey that may swim or float by.

Technique

For the three locations mentioned above a few prominent techniques can be used to pull largemouth and smallmouth bass out of the current. First we must understand how a bass will normally feed in a river or stream environment. This involves what it will feed on, and where its prey will most likely be.

First off we know that bass feed primarily on insects, bait fish, and crayfish in rivers and streams. So, like the smart anglers that we all are, we will chose a lure that will mimic one of these. Use a small crank bait to mimic a minnow swimming in the current, a jig to play the part of a crayfish, and if you are a fly fisherman tie on the fly that best matches the hatch for that time of year. With this we must also understand how these food sources also act in current. An insect, well... can't exactly swim, so you fly fishermen, let your fly float past the spots we talked about above. Minnows, and crayfish, much like the bass, will be battling the current, and will be found in places with less current pressure. Crayfish dart around the bottom in short bursts 6"-12" in length with pauses.

When a crayfish sees a bass approaching it will put its claws up in defense and swim backwards more quickly, so we must mimic this movement with our jig. Also, rigging a trailer that will give the profile of two claws is always a good addition. I find the Gary Yamamoto Hula Grub to fit the bill quite well. When fishing a crank bait in the current, know that a bass will rarely strike a lure that you are swimming against the current. This is because this is an unnatural occurrence. You will never see a little minnow in the middle battling the full force of the current, so don't make your lure do it! When using crankbaits fish cross-current patterns, this will leave the bait in the strike zone long enough for the bass to strike, and give a more realistic presentation.

Well, now that you know where to locate largemouth and smallmouth bass in rivers and streams, and how to lure them out, get out there and do it! The most wonderful thing about bass fishing in a river is the diversity of species you will find in a river. Here in New England you could be bass fishing on the Connecticut river and just happen to pull out a 40" pike, you just never know. While bass fishing on the Connecticut river, using exclusively bass tackle I have pulled in a handful of rock bass, roanoke bass, walleye, perch, rainbow trout, and salmon. Its always a pleasant suprise to get something for free that you weren't expecting. Take these river bass fishing tips with you next time your out on the water.

-Happy Bassin'

Bass Fishing Tips

Article Originally Published By "The BASStard Review," For This Complete Article And Many More, Please Visit: http://www.BASStardFishing.com/

The Humminbird Fishfinder 565 offers many great, high quality features that are essential for finding a load of fish every time that you head out onto the lake, river, or even the ocean! Any fisherman who is serious about finding the best fish needs to have a fishfinder like this one. Simply consider the features that it offers. Let’s take a look at them.

The Fishfinder 565 has a high definition, 240V by 240H five inch screen. Sounds great, but what does it actually do? This high definition screen allows for a very good picture. In fact, the grayscale is very precise and you will not miss the color. It is a big screen so you get a good sized picture for easy viewing. But, what does the 565 put on this screen? The 20 degree single beam sonar is optimized for coverage and precision bottom detail. With this amount of sonar, you can see very clearly what is lurking below whether it be a structure or the fish you are searching for. And, you don’t just see directly below your boat but in the area next to it as well. This gives you the best opportunities to see the fish you want.

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Perfect to allow you to get things just right.

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