Thread: River fishing 101

Hey Essox.... You are right about the shad starting to show up thick in the rivers. They were everywhere in the Rock on Saturday. The better days will be here soon.:D

OK.... I will spill my beans. Right around the end of August or the first of September there is a major Shad run up the Rock and Waka and there are tons of White Bass and Crappie that follow the shad up both rivers. During the run last year we have 3 guys including myself that caught around 1500 Crappie between the First of September and the middle of November. BA did go with me in the middle of November, but we had a very stong north wind that day and the fishing was terrible. But BA did see what type of fish come from that river during the Fall. Remeber the fish that my buddy James had BA ?????

And all of the fish were caught past the log jam.

well guys Nate and them caught 1500 out of there and there is nothing left. I would stay out in 20-25' in brush with tandem 1 1/2in tube jigs. That will be your best bet.

Nate are you catching suspended fish? Or are the fish on cover(wood or rock) or are the fish on structure(breaks, bends and drops)

Most come off of lay downs ( trees that were jamed in the bottom by current) that are in the middle of the Channel, and shallow stumps. The best place is.... The second bend after the log jam. I went up that way on Saturday... Plenty of shad but the water is a little clear.

I assume you are talking about RC, cause the jams on the Wakie could be described both directions. How big is your boat to get around the jams? I forgot the lake is still up 2ft.

I am talking about Rock Creek. I have a 17-1/2 Nitro Fiberglass Boat with a 125 Merc and i have plenty of room to get past the log jam. Just trim up your motor and you won't hit some of the underwater logs. I also have a friend that has a 19 ft Procraft Fiberglass that can get past the jam. If you have a Deep V, i don't know if you can make it.

Originally Posted by Big Nate

OK.... I will spill my beans. Right around the end of August or the first of September there is a major Shad run up the Rock and Waka and there are tons of White Bass and Crappie that follow the shad up both rivers. During the run last year we have 3 guys including myself that caught around 1500 Crappie between the First of September and the middle of November. BA did go with me in the middle of November, but we had a very stong north wind that day and the fishing was terrible. But BA did see what type of fish come from that river during the Fall. Remeber the fish that my buddy James had BA ?????

Thanks BN, thats the kind of info. all of us crappie fishers can benefit from and thats why this site is pretty dang awesome, now if I can just come up with some helpful advice of my own I'll be glad to share it.

Work and kids and wife had me ahoe and elbo. This is the first chance I've had to chime but Nater covered the basics. I prefer the Wakarusa River myself for many reasons. 1) The boat ramp to me is better. For some reason the access to Rock Creek always gets me. The first 1/4 mile or so is a maze of loggage and shallow water that I can never manage. Some of you may have the same problem. 2) The Waka is more of a river proper and the Rock is a creek. The further up the Rock you go, the skinnier, both width and depth. The Waka runs 30 to 45 or so yards wide and depth probably averages 12-13 feet at the ramp to 18-19 down river. 3) The Waka runs from either bank generally 5-8 yards to the original channel. In other words from about 1 foot deep to 6-8 feet deep and then the primary channel (the channel that was there prior to the damming and retention of Clinton. At the drop it goes from 6-8 feet to 12-18 feet. ALL along that drop fish can be found especially in the late summer fall/early winter. On that drop there are old stumps and timber rotted off under the surface, some right at the surface. At the current time the lake/river is up 1.75ft so much is just under the water level 2 feet. At the base of those old stumps and trees is an exposed root system and usually on the exposed root is a log jam. The Waka is chalk full of underwater timber. The crappie can be on the "pole" timber at various depths, on the root ball, suspended at or just above the break in "open type" water with nearby timber. 4) There are also lots of major log jams on the Waka that need to be probed in the slab search. Sometimes they are there and sometimes not. If you get hammered and can't budge the hammerer, and feel you line quivering, it's a giant flathead that is making you the butt of his joke. Best thing to do is cut the line and move on. 5) Tons of wildlife on the Waka at the "tunnel" of trees leaves the birds and their melodies just like elevator music. 6) Easy to get out of the wind on the Waka, 20-30mph on the lakes is unfishable for me. Head to the Waka and it's a cooling breeze. 7) It can be really tough in Rock or the Waka at times, but as Nater pipes, the more consistent times are coming. Generally my window is now till ice up. What does ice up mean? Not the first ice. That can generally be busted up and the crappie are schooled up waiting to be caught. Very little pressure on those crappie from Turkey day till solid ice. However, the boats there know what is happening and the best spots are usually taken. The good news is there are tons of water to find your spot. Just keep an eye on boat locations and when you return, see what is there. I guarantee that prior fisher was there for a reason. The Wakarusa River is my favorite place to fish, especially in the fall. I enjoy going there midweek by myself. Chances are nobody will be there and the colors and wildlife are splendid. The fishing can be, well, just like crappie fishing, runs the gammut. The one thing I have found is that the "average" crappie tends to be larger than on the lake. In the fall, it's quite possible to have several 14's and maybe a couple 15's. They are not Toronto fish as that is a whole nother matter. But to me, they are hard to push out of second place if you search for slabs. I don't have the experience, but I hear the Goon is similar with possibly even a "larger" average fish. Others will know of that. Whew, to bed I crawl.