How/when would you fish this?

[Paul Trybul]

Attached is a drawing of a spot on one of my favorite rivers that has always intrigued me. Actually I can think of 3 spots on this river that have similar dynamics. They are widened out areas of the river that offer some of the deepest holes available. The widened out spots are sandy/silty and deep with good current and rock structure at the front and back of the pool. My initial thoughts are these spots are summer catfish/carp water but good wintering holes for smallmouth. After fishing this spot many times, I can only conclude that this is one of the more hit or miss spots in the river. I have caught some quality smallmouth here but never in good numbers. I have also found this spot to have good multi-species opportunities with bonus catches of walleye, pike, white bass, catfish, and rock bass. I have also fished it at different times of year and again it is hit or miss no matter when I fish it. Most of the fish I catch are in the 2-3 foot deep areas at the front or end of the hole where the river is narrower. I think this spot along with the others like it have a lot more potential than I am tapping into. I was wondering what time of year you would fish this spot the hardest and how would you fish it?

 

 

[jude]

In the summer, I'd hit the upstream end of the pool, right as the water slows down. This area should have decent amounts of oxygen, plus the small debris/minnow food that has been flowing through the faster current will slow down and suspend at the upstream end of the pool. Minnows will have a little feast. Therefore, so will the smallies.

 

In the winter, I'd be home shoveling.

[Guest]

I think we're all fishing the same river. It sure is easier to catch those fish out of a small little pool that you can cover in a few casts. If the water was up pretty good and moving in the summer I'd fish right in the current or main flow all the way through the pool. You could cover it pretty quick fan casting deep diving crank bait or try a buzzbait or spinnerbait to cover water quickly. If you had time to camp out you could work it with plastics. I'm always looking for something to focus on between the front and the back of the pool, maybe a rock or log or a spot where the bottom rises up. If you're going to fish quickly work the front and back and anything obvious in the middle.

In winter it would be easier to find these fish in real high water. Just focus on the spots that aren't moving. There will be some nice little eddies right where the water comes in and along the sides of the main flow. In low cold water the fish can be more scattered. Try a suspending rapala or a regular one with a weight a foot or so ahead of it on the lift area at the back of the pool and also in eddies. Fish it slow with pauses. Next try a jig in the eddies also fished slow with pauses. Last try a float n fly rig this is good in eddies but also out in the main flow if the current isn't too strong. You can map out the pool with the float rig just keep adjusting the float. You'll find out more about the depth of the pool.

Finding the fish in a big pool is probably the biggest problem. The fish are moving, the water's moving, the lure's moving and I'm moving. If you catch a few and spook them they can move quite far and scatter. In a little pool they have no where to go.

These spots are challenging. It takes discipline to work them thoroughly. They don't always pay off, but sometimes they're phenomenal.

One last note in the rivers close to my house the DNR has stocked lots of muskies. If you fish any big pool and come up empty or catch a musky. Then fish heavy cover and smaller deep pools hard. You won't catch a lot of smallies but they will be big.

Phil