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Going Knee Deep for River Smallmouths
Part I
by DW Harris

The greatest thing about fishing in America is the countless numbers and species we have to choose from. Yes, we are truly blessed and the different styles and methods of angling are also unlimited. I have sampled most of what my region of the eastern U.S. has to offer. My hunt for more and bigger fish continues, but for the ultimate in fishing I long ago discovered that a trip to Canada, Florida, or wherever just was not necessary. Many of us have the finest that sport fishing anywhere in the world has to offer as close to home as where we work, and for some, as close as their own backyard.

About 13 years ago I decided to try for some river smallmouths near my home in southeastern Kentucky; something I had never done before. One thing I didn't encounter on that first trip and really only to a minimum since is other fishermen. I have come to realize that the river smallie is the most underutilized species of gamefish that swims, at least in this region, and I believe, in most others. For those still interested, read on. As simple as this sport can be, our quarry is complex and probably the most challenging fish that swims. My info does not come from any scientific research or from professional fishermen, but rather from my own observations through "trial and error fishing" and a lot of hard, but often productive hours in the water. I am just like 99% of America's fishermen who work five and six days a week, but like to enjoy their time in the outdoors to the max. These tactics can work for anyone willing to try them.

Good smallmouth rivers and streams are abundant, at least in the eastern U.S. They all have their own unique characteristics and this is what makes river fishing so challenging. Even on the same river, the water has carved out various types of structure, as you travel downstream, that require different tactics in order to be successful. By personal preference I fish only artificial bait and believe it to be superior most often. No other type of fishing is so much like hunting, one of the reasons I love it so. Most all of my fish are caught on foot while wading. Reading the current so as to know the best approach to the fish is the single most important part of the game, especially in clear water. Simply wading to the center and fan casting the area produces mostly spooked fish that will not hit anything. Most of the really serious river anglers fish by floating, covering as much as five to fifteen miles in a day. By covering this much water they present their bait to a large quantity of fish and undeniably this is a very productive method, but for the ultimate challenge in the current, leave the boat at home and go on foot. It is shocking how many fish can hold on one good shallow water shoal only a short distance in length. Trying to catch a good portion of these fish is the challenge. A float trip almost always requires two people and some planning for put-in and take-out points, and usually two vehicles. My style requires only me and a few pieces of equipment to be successful and going solo is what hunting is all about. I often fish with a partner, but usually after starting we are most productive by going our separate ways.

Reading the Water
I stated earlier that reading the current was the single most important part of this type of angling and it is, however this involves more than just current direction and speed. How the fish are positioned in or near the current, where you should be in order to make a good presentation, and how best to get there without spooking the fish are the three reasons for reading the water. This is especially true when pursuing large fish, for the first presentation to them is often the only productive one. I often catch my largest fish by using these tactics in the same spots year after year, once a Hawg hole always a Hawg hole! No one, including myself, can draw you a map on how to progressively work a piece of water because again, each area is different and requires different tactics according to bait selection. Working upstream and casting upstream or up and across is basically the most productive, although different anglers will use different tactics. A frequent companion often will do better than I on several areas and I often better than him on others.

Reading the water also includes the type of bottom the fish are holding on because bottom configuration determines the quality of the water by the amount of food present. Most of the rivers I fish have a limestone bed which often has large areas of solid slick rock that are not very productive. You need a mixture of different size rock from sand and gravel on up to small and large boulders to produce good habitat for not only smallies, but most important, the many species they prey on. Sandstone riverbeds basically are just as productive as limestone, but mainly from a lack of experience on my part, I find them a little more difficult to read from a distance, often not recognizing a productive piece of structure until standing in it. Mention the word "structure" to most fishermen and they automatically think of roadbeds, points, or humps covered with twenty feet of water, but change the subject to stream or river fishing and the word "structure" won't even be mentioned. To the serious river smallie hunter, nothing can be more important. When you have all the different types of bottom I stated earlier, all in a short distance, this creates various current speeds and water depths, which in turn creates resting, hiding, and feeding spots for the fish all in the same area. In other words, the bedroom, living room, and dining room are all one in the same. Again, I must say that bottom configuration dictates everything about a section of any river. Water depth, current speed, and types and amounts of aquatic and terrestrial life forms are all the direct result of the bottom composition. Many fish inhabit the deeper sections of any river, but it is my belief that the quality of any river is determined by the amounts of quality shallow water shoals present. I believe that 90% of the food chain evolves from these shallow water shoals. These one to five foot deep shoals are the ultimate environments for smallmouths.

Structure Basics
Following are brief descriptions of the various types of structure you will find in one small area of a river. Of the vast numbers of shoals I fish, they vary in size from a few yards long to as much as a mile or more. Each shoal has it's own individual characteristics and I very much enjoy scouting new water, but usually the most success comes from returning to previously fished areas that I am familiar with, thus eliminating some of the water reading process. Proper wading tactics are just as important as fishing tactics. I often fish the same shoals spring through fall and from experience I have come to the conclusion that where smallies in lakes may change location by hundreds of yards over the course of a day, smallies in rivers will change by only a few feet. Thus only small changes in bait selection, presentation, and location will bring substantial results. River smallmouths live much of their lives in less than five feet of water, letting the current bring food to them. The vast majority of fish I catch are in less than three feet of water.

Tailouts
These are where slower, deeper water starts to come up shallow and speed up as it flows over what is usually a hard rock bottom; a natural funnel area. These are very productive early or late in the day, low light periods, or during any high activity period when smallies are on the feed. Cautious wading and long casts are the rule here because these fish are easily spooked.

Shallow Riffle
These are usually a gravel or small rock bottom with 6 to 18 inches of fast water. Good during peak feeding times because plenty of minnows, crawfish, and hellgrammites thrive in the well oxygenated current. Many times a few scattered large rocks are present and these current breaks draw fish like magnets. This is where the food chain begins.

Deep Riffle
The heavy current during high water flows has deposited many large rocks that the smallies can rest behind or in front of out of the current for long periods while waiting to ambush any prey that comes by. Plenty of food of all types is also present in these waters. Countless times I have witnessed bronzers chasing minnows to the dry bank then retreat back to the deep current break to wait for more.

Back Eddy
These are easy to spot because the water seems to flow in a circle upstream. These areas are usually deeper with softer bottoms. Although eddies come in all sizes, bigger is not always better. The key spots in these are the current-free seams between changing water directions that the fish use just as any other current break. They wait in the slack water watching the current beside them for food on the move.

Grassbeds
Many streams contain grass of various types, both below and adjacent to the water's edge. They are a definite plus for all life forms in the stream with an abundance of minnows, crawfish, and various types of terrestrials. When grass can be found alongside other types of fish-holding structure, you have a definite honey hole.

Ledges
In many rivers rock ledges are abundant, especially in limestone riverbeds, and they can be a smallmouth paradise because they create all the previous types of structure in one area. Tailouts are formed on the upper side of the ledge where the water shallows before dumping over the ledge. Where the water dumps over on the downstream side, you have pockets of deeper calm water that the fish use the same way they would an eddy or any other current break. Also when the ledge has areas that come near or break the surface, water on the downstream side is very riffled creating whitewater that gives the smallies overhead concealment that will keep them secure, often making them an easy catch. Shallow and deep riffles are formed between ledges where faster water has deposited rubble and boulders, making good habitat for minnows, crawfish, hellgrammites, and other types of nymphs. Grassbeds often grow where the ledges create small islands resulting in an excellent food source. Underwater weeds can be productive, especially in the late summer and fall period when the water is often low and clear. I am very confident fishing between and below ledges all through the season because they are a true smallmouth heaven and my most productive type of structure.