Fishing For Smallmouth Bass In Rivers

By Trevor Kugler
There are few things that are more enjoyable than fishing for and catching smallmouth bass in rivers. Smallmouth bass, sometimes referred to as "bronze backs", are widely known as one of the hardest fishing species of fish that can be caught in freshwater and when the current of a river is added to the mix smallmouth can give you a "fight" the likes of which you may have never experienced. There is little doubt that fishing for smallmouth bass in rivers is extremely enjoyable and is something that every angler needs to experience.
The term "rivers" is a broad one as rivers comes in many shapes and sizes, but for the purposes of this article I want to focus on the type and size of river that can be waded and fished effectively. Although larger rivers obviously contain smallmouth bass that can be fished for, I like to fish for small mouth's in smaller rivers that I can wade and fish in much the same way that many people fish for trout. This is the type of fishing that I'm referring to when I refer to fishing for smallmouth bass in rivers.
The first thing to point out is that you will more than likely be wading when fishing for bronze backs in this manner. A technique known as drift fishing is an excellent technique to use to catch hungry smallmouth in the flowing water of a small to medium sized river. This simply means allowing your bait or lure to drift naturally with the current of the river that you are fishing. Drift fishing can be done with live bait, spinners, or minnow plus and is a technique that anyone fishing for smallmouth in rivers need to employ.
Smallmouth bass are voracious predators and live baits such as live worms, minnows, leeches, and crayfish are all effective. The easiest live bait to find and carry with you (especially while you are wading) is live worms. No matter what type of live bait you choose to use when fishing for smallmouth bass a key is that you rig that live bait in a natural, yet effective manner. In other words you want your live bait to appear to the bass as it would in nature as much as you can.
When it comes to spinners brands such as blue fox, rooster tail, and panther martin are all effective choices and many smallmouth fishermen like to use color patterns that resemble either a crayfish or a frog. As far as sizes are concerned, you should stick with spinners that are ¼ to ¾ of an ounce when fishing for smallmouth bass in rivers. Minnow plugs are pretty self explanatory with Rapala floating minnows that are from three to five inches long being the perfect choice for many smallmouth fishermen.
The bottom line is that fishing for (and catching) smallmouth bass is rivers can be as fun as "fishing" gets and many times is as much fun as a person can have with their clothes on. If you have never tried it, I would suggest you do sooner, rather than later.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 25 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his five year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.
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