A tube jig is great for summertime smallmouths in rivers, as it imitates the look and action of crawfish. (Photo by Drew Warden)
August 06, 2024
By Dr. Jason Halfen
The heat and humidity of midsummer changes our approach to achieving fishing success. Gone are the days of easy bites, which happened so often as surface water temperatures first reached the 70-degree mark. Bass have long since left their beds, quality panfish have largely vacated the shallows, and cool-water species like walleye and northern pike have stopped visiting landing nets and livewells as frequently as they did just a few weeks ago. Yet the heart of summer, with holidays, family vacations and bucket-list fishing trips, still lies in front of us, and the need to get bit remains.
One way to enjoy remarkably consistent midsummer fishing is to focus on moving water, from cold-water trout streams to the largest rivers that carry the nation’s commerce. Productive throughout the entire season, rivers provide several significant angling advantages over their still-water counterparts during the summer.
First, flowing water is always cooler than stagnant water—sometimes by as much as 10 degrees—and cool water is an important factor in concentrating active fish. Second, moving water is better oxygenated than still water, further boosting fish activity levels. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, current is nature’s forage-delivery system. From insect larvae to baitfish, the food that gamefish and panfish need to eat to support their high metabolic rates during summer is delivered to them by current. Indeed, moving water is like Uber Eats for fish. If you normally spend your summers on lakes and reservoirs, fishing in rivers can be intimidating at first. Current and structure present challenges to both presentations and boat handling, but these elements are what make rivers hot spots during summer. Focus on the following species and strategies to start marching toward midsummer fishing success in moving water.
Rocky Smallmouths Few fish are as linked to summer river fishing than the smallmouth bass. With supercharged metabolisms and pugnacious attitudes, smallmouths are everything that an angler needs to shake off the tough-bite doldrums. First, they are easy to find: Locate gravel and rocks that are adjacent to or in moderately flowing water, and you’ll also locate smallmouths. Second, they are easy to catch, responding positively to topwater poppers, mid-water spinnerbaits and bottom-crawling crankbaits—and everything in-between. Third, they are surprisingly abundant across the country and far better midsummer sports than their green-colored, largemouth cousins.
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You’ll find smallmouths in water as shallow as 1 foot out to depths of 10 feet or more, although the most consistent action is often found in water that is 4 to 8 feet deep. Current and rock are far more important than water depth, however. If you can cast a 1/4-ounce jig rigged with a soft-plastic tube across the current, and have it sweep gently downstream while remaining in contact with the bottom, then you’ve got just the right amount of flow.
In many bodies of water, you’ll find no reason to present any bait but a tube. Crawled across the bottom, a tube is perhaps the perfect mimic of the summer smallmouth’s favorite foodstuff: the crawfish. Let the current do the work of moving the bait. Maintain a tight line to feel the jig tumble across the hard substrate, and don’t hesitate to set the hook when you feel that delightful tick of a warmwater bronzeback inhaling your offering.
Concentrated Crappies Springtime crappies get all the press as they inundate the shallows, first to feed and then to spawn, much to the delight of anglers who wait throughout the winter months to watch pencil floats sink slowly beneath the surface. As the shallows warm, however, quality crappies become significantly more challenging to find—unless you start looking in rivers.
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The right current, and the right current-deflecting structure, are the key players for locating crappies in moving water. Look for slightly less flow than would typically attract and hold smallmouth bass; I might call crappie current gentle rather than moderate. Then, recognize that crappies won’t be found in the heart of that flow; rather, they will be concentrated near, and frequently within, vertical cover, especially fallen trees, boat docks and lifts, weed edges and steep riprap shorelines. All of these can provide shelter from the current for staging crappies, allowing them to hold adjacent to moving water without expending significant energy as they wait for their next meal to drift by.
Target summer crappies in such areas with an artificial approach. A personal favorite is a 2-inch minnow-profile soft plastic rigged on a 1/16-ounce jig, perhaps stepping up to a 1/8-ounce jig in slightly heavier current or when fishing deeper water. The first couple of drifts past likely fish-holding cover will tell you all you need to know. Hungry summer crappies are not shy and will show themselves with regularity throughout the day.
Shallow Walleyes While the summer lake walleye is a fish of the deep, the summer river walleye is a fish of the shallows—the current-swept shallows, that is. It is remarkable how many quality summer walleyes are taken from water as shallow as 3 to 5 feet, and frequently less, during the middle of the day, all summer long. Here, walleyes find the three things they need to tolerate the summer heat: cooler water, oxygenated water and especially prey items including mayfly larvae and baitfish.
Believe me when I tell you that a big summer walleye, hooked in 5 feet of moving water, fights with vigor that will put its still-water counterparts to shame. One extremely productive way to locate and catch these fish is called jig-dragging. In this presentation, a 1/16-ounce jig is dressed with a lively leech or half of a nightcrawler, delivered on a long cast behind the boat and then pulled downstream using a bow-mounted trolling motor at a speed slightly faster than the local current. When the boat speed is just right, this downstream motion causes the jig to swim unimpeded just inches off the bottom and right into the faces of walleyes as they lurk on or near the substrate, facing upstream to monitor the flow for their next meal.
The warmest midsummer days can produce the hottest fishing action, as long as you invest your angling hours on moving water. Don’t wish for fall to come too soon because rivers provide tremendous opportunities right now.
This article was featured in the June-July 2024 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
