Best Bass Fishing Tactics When Water's on the Move

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From the natural water current that occurs in a river system to those in a lake that are produced by wind or some type of funnel, moving water plays a big role in bass fishing. If you’ve ever caught one bass after another on a particular spot, only to return the next day under the same weather conditions and with the water at the same level and not get a single bite, a change in the water current was likely to blame.

Changing currents on a body of water can impact bass positioning in different ways. For example, if the current in a given spot goes from present to non-existent, bass will move to a different spot where feeding comes easier. Alternately, a heavy rain or an increase of water flow through a dam can cause too much current and bass will relocate.

This is true throughout the year in bass fishing, but is most prevalent during the summer months as current brings in fresh, oxygen-rich water along with an increase in food, and bass will position themselves in such a way to pick off an easy meal.

READING WATER CURRENT

While modern electronics can reveal numerous fish-holding locations, using your eyes is often a better way to identify current seams and breaks that should hold bass. By looking for a line (seam) in the current or a boil (suggesting an underwater obstruction that is providing a current break), you’ll be keying on areas that could be holding bass.

Any piece of cover on a river system, such as a wing dam or a shallow sand bar, creates an eddy that opposes the river’s downstream flow and will be attractive to bass. Sandbars can be found along both the shoreline and isolated islands in the main river channel or a secondary slough.

Topwater plugs not only allow you to mimic the baitfish that bass are feeding on in the current, they enable you to cover a lot of water and identify spots in the current that are holding a school of bass. If the current break isn’t a big one and the current is still moving at a good clip, a popper-style bait is the optimal choice, as the noise and disturbance it creates on the surface calls in the bass.

I’ll switch to a walk-the-dog-style plug if the current isn’t as swift and the bass are holding more in the slack water behind the current break. This way I can slowly walk it across the surface of the water, which drives current-holding bass crazy.

I’ll make a cast upstream and either bring the bait back down with the current and let it wash or manually work it over the seam. This gives the bait a natural look, as if it was a baitfish caught in the current and being swept helplessly downstream. If the area with current I’m fishing is on a lake, such as a channel connecting two sections of the lake, I’ll either cast my topwater to the points that have current moving by them or parallel to the shoreline of the channel.

Using a short rod with a soft tip and strong backbone will help you both work your topwater convincingly and allow for a solid hookset. My topwater setup includes a 7-foot, medium-heavy Witch Doctor Tackle Shaman Popping Blank, which is featherlight so I can cast it all day and not get fatigued. I pair it with a high-speed reel (7:1 gear ratio or higher) spooled with 40-pound Seaguar Smackdown braid.

BASS FISHING ON THE SPOT

Many anglers are wary of fishing in swift current as boat control can be problematic, but shallow-water and GPS anchors can help alleviate those concerns. Once I’ve identified a current seam or break that I want to make multiple casts to, or if I want to work my bait more slowly, I’ll either deploy my dual Minn Kota Raptors (if the water isn’t too deep) or engage the Spot-Lock feature on my Ultrex trolling motor to stay in that exact spot. This way I can put all my focus into fishing and making sure I’m making the perfect cast time and again.

Once you’ve identified a sweet spot along a current seam, you can slow down and drag a bait along the bottom to mimic a scurrying crawfish. Lures such as football jigs, Carolina rigs and Texas rigs are all good options for this technique.

Casting a wacky-rigged soft plastic stickbait is dynamite in the current, as you can cast it out and let it tumble through the water to imitate a dead shad. You can also make pinpoint casts with this bait to eddies behind current breaks, where a hungry bass will often be sitting.

Depending on the lure profile that the bass want, the water depth I’m fishing and how far of a cast I need to make, I’ll rig a 4-, 5- or even 6-inch soft-plastic stickbait. Bigger baits allow me to cast farther and they drop quickly through the water; smaller sizes offer more of a finesse profile for tight-lipped bass.

To increase your ability to cast a wacky-rigged stickbait and enable it to get it to the bottom quicker, insert a nail weight into the end of the worm. I like to rig my soft-plastic stickbaits on a Lazer Trokar 1/0 Pro-V Finesse Hook. Its gap gives me the ability to get a solid hookup, yet it’s small enough that it doesn’t affect the action of the bait.

Since the water in a river system is often stained, I’ll spool up with 20-pound Seaguar Flash Green Smackdown braided line to which I’ll knot a 3- to 4-foot, 10-pound-test Seaguar Gold Label fluorocarbon leader. This setup allows me to make long casts to the current seam and watch my line for the slightest tick, as many times bass will grab a weightless soft plastic and just start swimming off with it.

As you get out on your favorite lake or river this month, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for current breaks and seams that could be holding a school of actively feeding bass.

4 Lures to Catch Bass in Water Current

Top offerings for fishing in the flow:

• Rebel Magnum Pop R: When bass want commotion on the surface, it’s hard to beat a popper. You can work it in the current, make some big pops with it, then let it pause in the slack water, prompting a bass to think it’s an injured baitfish on the surface and an easy meal. The original Rebel Pop R is one of my favorites, though the beefed-up Magnum version allows me to make longer casts and keep the bait from getting caught in the current. ($7.99)
• Evergreen Shower Blow: This slender topwater plug has a unique side-to-side action when walking the dog, and its cupped face creates a major surface disturbance. The Shower Blow is a heavy bait, allowing for long casts to spooky bass or when a school starts busting on the opposite bank. ($18.99)
• Northland Finesse Football Jig and 3-inch Yamamoto Yamacraw: I like Northland’s Finesse Football Jig, as the smaller head can easily be popped out of the rocks if it gets stuck. When paired with a small craw, like the 3-inch Yamacraw, it is the perfect crawfish imitation. (jig: $5.99/3; bait: $6.99/8)
• Yamamoto Senko: It’s hard to beat the original soft-plastic stickbait. Vary the size based on the activity level of the bass, the depth of water and how strong the current is. If you want the bait to sink faster, use the 6-inch size; if you want it to tumble in the current, opt for the 4-inch size. ($7.99)

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This article was featured in the August issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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