River Fishing Tips

The thing about river fishing is that there are always some fish around, but perhaps not the size you might find in a lake or ocean. So here are some river fishing tips, the first being that rivers can be clear, or during the rainy season muddy or dirty. When the water is cloudy, your lure or bait should be making a vibration and creating flashes of color to attract the fish. Some like to use jerk baits, spinners, buzz baits and any that have hot colors in them. From yellows to red and oranges try some really bright colors.

Many like to try using jitter bugs or twister tails with a hot orange jig. One universal river fishing tip is to make sure that whatever lure you use, the hooks are razor sharp. Try using a lure that can be worked slowly or use a bobber sinker and hook with bait. Know what you are fishing for and make sure your line is the correct weight. Many times a steel leader is the safest way to go. As with other fishing, the best hours are generally early morning or early evening. The old stand by for river fishing tips is a night crawler worm. Bump it along the bottom of your favorite hole and wait for the big one to bite. If you feel the line stretching out, yank it and set the hook.

Heavy river runs and bobber’s don’t mix, so if the river is running high, try changing your tactics. Many prefer to river fish from a drift boat. This is the ideal way to be able to fish almost all the different water you are likely to find on rivers.

Some say the most important thing to remember while fishing a river is to not spook the fish.  I say the most important thing to remember is to bring your fishing rod.  If this one important piece of equipment is forgotten, it won’t matter if you spook the fish or not. Anyhow, it is important to not just stomp into the water and traps around the place, sending loud sonar noises to the fish you’re wanting to catch.  Think of it this way – if your kids come bounding into the house screaming and yelling, you want to go to another room, right?  Fish are no different. Another thing to keep in mind is – fish the side water first before tramping into the river so that you don’t miss potential fish you may have caught and chased away instead by heading into the waters right away.

To sum up – with the rod you remembered to bring, fish the side section of the river first. Looks are deceiving – don’t be lured (no pun intended) into the more tempting waters.  The big catch may be right in front of you before you even put your toes in. Identify the current and cast in that direction, allowing your lure (or live bait) meander with the current’s flow until it is floating below you.  Keep your line as taut as possible during this time. In order cover the water in its entirety, repeat the step described beforehand, varying your casting length.

Secondly, if you are fishing the river and using live bait, the river bottom is where you want to be. Of course, any good fisherman knows that fishing the bottom is most likely going to get you snagged on something.  You want to try to ‘bounce’ your live bait off the river bottom, allowing it to appear ‘natural’.        Start with two and make a cast.  If, after adding two bottom sinkers you aren’t feeling the bottom as the line heads down the river, add another.  You’ll be able to tell when the line is bouncing along the bottom. Practice makes perfect and before long, you’ll be able to spot the difference between getting a bite and the line just bouncing.

Thirdly, you should be watching for deeper water. This is where you want to fish – in the deeper water. One of my favorite fishing words is ‘riffle’, the favorite place for most fly-fisherman.  The place where the water moves downstream, creating little riffles of white water.  This is also where most of the time you’ll find the fish you’re looking for. This is the area you want to concentrate on. Deeper water is by far, the best place you want to shoot for.

You don’t want to use a bobber and worm to fly-fish, nor do you want to use a fly rod to go bait fishing.  Make sure your fishing gear is the right stuff for the type of fishing you will be doing.  This is the fourth tip. Larger gear is warranted when fishing for steelhead in the river. It’s important to make sure you’ve got the right gear for what you’re fishing for.

There’s something to be said about being able to stand out in the middle of a river, pushing against you as it makes its way downstream.  There’s something to be said about catching a large trout or salmon in these moments of quiet solitude – just you and creation. Once you catch that first fish, and then the first ‘big’ one, you’ll be addicted, or ‘hooked’, as a fisherman would most likely say.

There’s nothing quite as beautiful as watching that fish, as you’re fighting it, give a jump out of the waterer and splash back down.

Rainbow trout have are partial to bait fishing – using a worm  They find them hard to ignore.  And there’s nothing quite as fun as fishing for rainbow trout. There are a few different ways to catch a rainbow trout in rivers.

If you want to ensure a catch, make the bait seem as natural as you can. Using ‘gang’ hooks, using more than one hook for bait, allows the bait to appear more natural. If done just right, your worm will look true to life and the fish will be fooled.

You’ll want to bounce this bait off the river bottom as well as it is funneled down with the current. An effective technique is to simply, cast out and let the worm flow naturally,  just as it would have if you had thrown the worm into the current. Gang hooks are easy to prepare for that next fishing trip or buying them makes them even simpler to use.

Gang hooks, river fishing, and rainbow trout fit together like a horse and carriage and fishing for the idolized trout can be done throughout the United States There is one area (which most likely goes without saying) where you won’t find these beauties.  They don’t like the heat. In general. trout enjoy a fresh hole of clean water, such as those found where two rivers come into one.  These are found in northern parts of North American, many in the west.