Casting Angles for River Smallies

[Sokyangler]

I have started fishing in rivers a lot more and have had great success on soft plastics for smallmouth. Grubs, senkos, swimbaits, ned rig, shaky heads, etc. One thing I am still getting comfortable with is crankbaits. With the soft plastics, I typically retrieve my lures with the current as the fish usually are positioned facing into to current, or sometimes they are in an eddy and I will get strikes at a 45 degree angle bringing the bait with the current.

When fishing with crankbaits, do you typically bring the lure with the current? Or are you casting more perpendicular with the current? I feel like when I bring the lure with the current, it's not getting the proper depth or action, but I haven't gotten any strikes pulling against current where I feel the action is better and I can retrieve slower at maximum depth.

[VAsmallies]

I try to bring cranks in with the current or on a 45* angle. If I'm fishing a current seam I'll set up my cast so it runs right along the edge, just inside the faster moving water. If I'm in search mode and covering water, I'm casting 45* upstream. If you're finding the water is moving too fast for an effective presentation with a crank it's time for a weighted soft plastic. I always have an 8.1/1 ratio reel with me for river smallies so I can work lures with the current when the situation dictates. There are a few times when working a crank against the current is the ticket though, so don't discount it. I find it works when fish are in a negative feeding mode and don't want to move far for a meal. In that case consider using a crank with a subtler action and less water resistance when retrieving against the current. You can get the lure just to wobble in place below a ledge or boulder and then use the rod to get it to kick out erratically and throw the lure some slack to generate a reaction bite. Play with it, it's fun!

[DrewFlu33]

I try to bring cranks in with the current or on a 45* angle. If I'm fishing a current seam I'll set up my cast so it runs right along the edge, just inside the faster moving water. If I'm in search mode and covering water, I'm casting 45* upstream. If you're finding the water is moving too fast for an effective presentation with a crank it's time for a weighted soft plastic. I always have an 8.1/1 ratio reel with me for river smallies so I can work lures with the current when the situation dictates. There are a few times when working a crank against the current is the ticket though, so don't discount it. I find it works when fish are in a negative feeding mode and don't want to move far for a meal. In that case consider using a crank with a subtler action and less water resistance when retrieving against the current. You can get the lure just to wobble in place below a ledge or boulder and then use the rod to get it to kick out erratically and throw the lure some slack to generate a reaction bite. Play with it, it's fun!

I've found this goes for just about any bait when they're negative. We wade fish the Upper Mississippi here (north of the Twin Cities) in the middle of the winter and working the bait against the current is almost always the ticket. It took me a while to figure that out as it's always presented as something "unnatural" and to be avoided at all costs. Then I saw Josh Douglas out one day absolutely whacking them and watched him enough to figure out what he was doing different. I'll usually use a shakey head or a tube worked slowly upstream. Game on!

[basscatcher89]

I fish em against the current a lot. Just the way I stand to cast its comfortable to work out of the right side of the boat so I usually fish one bank against and the other bank with it. Always caught fish both ways. Guess it goes back to that saying I've never seen a fish read a book lol

[572 Fitter]

Cross current,probable the # 1 reason people can't catch quality fish in river systems.Presentation is everything!

[DrewFlu33]

Cross current,probable the # 1 reason people can't catch quality fish in river systems.Presentation is everything!

Can you expand on what you mean here a little more? I've had some success river fishing as I detailed above, but I'm FAR from good at it. You're saying retrieving across the current is a big reason people don't do well?

[iabass8]

Can you expand on what you mean here a little more? I've had some success river fishing as I detailed above, but I'm FAR from good at it. You're saying retrieving across the current is a big reason people don't do well?

He's saying cross current is the , most often, best presentation when fishing for river smallmouth. The reasoning is if you are casting upstream and retrieving back, you're not always in contact with your bait and often you're using an unnatural, too heavy of a weight. By retrieving cross current, or essentially at a 45 /w the correct weight, your bait presentation is drifting and the most natural looking with the current. You also have better control over what the bait is doing. Think of it like fishing current seams on the river for walleye. Once you hit the seam, you're objective is to work the lightest bait possible on the bottom /w the current. Same idea for smallies. Presentation and weight are key /w river smallmouth. There's always exceptions to this but in general a cross current retrieve, drift, etc will be better. Working a jerkbait or spinnerbait against the current can be deadly, too. I almost never retrieve a bait on the river straight back with the current.

[Sokyangler]

One thing is for sure, river fishing for smallies is extremely addictive. It's hard to go back to a hot lake in the summer after you hook a 3 or 4 lb river smallie in cool current water.

[DrewFlu33]

He's saying cross current is the , most often, best presentation when fishing for river smallmouth. The reasoning is if you are casting upstream and retrieving back, you're not always in contact with your bait and often you're using an unnatural, too heavy of a weight. By retrieving cross current, or essentially at a 45 /w the correct weight, your bait presentation is drifting and the most natural looking with the current. You also have better control over what the bait is doing. Think of it like fishing current seams on the river for walleye. Once you hit the seam, you're objective is to work the lightest bait possible on the bottom /w the current. Same idea for smallies. Presentation and weight are key /w river smallmouth. There's always exceptions to this but in general a cross current retrieve, drift, etc will be better. Working a jerkbait or spinnerbait against the current can be deadly, too. I almost never retrieve a bait on the river straight back with the current.

I'm following you. Excellent post! You covered a lot and explained it very, very well in a succinct way.

During my extended hiatus from (competitive or at least boat) bass fishing I did a lot of fly fishing in streams and rivers for trout and smallmouth and thought I had picked up a lot from that, but was wondering if there was something I hadn't considered based on the cross current comment.

I think a huge part of getting better at river fishing is just doing it a lot and getting a feel for everything. You can read and learn all you want, but that feel is something that's really hard to replicate. And you lose it too - this is evidenced by how much I suck at trout fishing when I try to pick it back up, and by how badly I get my teeth kicked in river fishing despite all the time I've spent doing it in the past.

[Sokyangler]

I'm following you. Excellent post! You covered a lot and explained it very, very well in a succinct way.

During my extended hiatus from (competitive or at least boat) bass fishing I did a lot of fly fishing in streams and rivers for trout and smallmouth and thought I had picked up a lot from that, but was wondering if there was something I hadn't considered based on the cross current comment.

I think a huge part of getting better at river fishing is just doing it a lot and getting a feel for everything. You can read and learn all you want, but that feel is something that's really hard to replicate. And you lose it too - this is evidenced by how much I suck at trout fishing when I try to pick it back up, and by how badly I get my teeth kicked in river fishing despite all the time I've spent doing it in the past.

I agree with feel and time on the water. I feel like river fishing is much more about precision than lake fishing. You really have to hit spots and understand current and composition.