River fishing

Hey guys. Need some help again. How do you fish in a river? There’s a stretch of the Chattahoochee closest to my house but I can’t figure it out. This stretch has no major creeks off of it and the few creeks that are on it are silted in and very shallow at the creek mouths. It sits between the dam at Eufaula and another dam a few miles down. It has two major bends in it, otherwise it’s relatively straight.
I can’t figure it out. I can’t find fish no matter when I go. Seems like they’re pulling water every time I go and it’s un-fishable. The few times I have that it’s calm, I can’t find them. What am I doing wrong?


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[ATTACH][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]][emoji637][emoji639][emoji639][/ATTACH]Here’s a pic to show you the stretch of river. Nothing very exciting.


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https://www.crappie.com/crappie/images/icons/icon1.png How to Catch Crappie During Lake Drawdown

check out this post just a little down from yours. It should answer some of your questions.

the deepest stretches late in the day and then late or early the spots where the shallow stuff drops off to deep is a start , under any bridge over it as well .
no telling what they might be up to , but for sure if you can find bait shoals ,they will be in the immediate vicinity :cheers2

I’d try and find the best fisherman in your area. I’ve been blessed to have a few local mentors who have helped me learn how to catch fish once again.
20 years ago this Friday, 8/29/2005, my family and myself were displaced over 60 miles by Hurricane Katrina. Up until then I had fished the salty marshes of Southeran Louisiana , The Sportsman’s Paradise. PreKatrina I fished every weekend and routinely limited out on speckled trout and or red drum.
Once displaced north of Lake Pontchartrain I struggled to catch any fish. Fresh water fishing is very different and due to age I needed to fast track my learning curve. I was fortunate that there was a local fishing blog that had some members that posted what, where and how they caught their fish trip after trip. I studied the blog posts from years past to the present. I reached out and was fortunate enough to find 3 mentors who combined had over 100 years of crappie fishing experience in my area. They put me on the fast track to putting the stink in the ice chest EVERY TRIP.
Find some locals that catch fish. Dont just try and find where their spots are and pirate their spots. Rather, pick their brains on how to find new spots and learn their techniques for the various seasons of the year. Once you have a little success share your success, spots, and techniques with them openly. PASS IT ON!!
If there isn’t a local fishing blog check out local tournament weigh ins or local tackle and bait shops. Find and learn from the best.
Bon Temps!!

Find a flat , off a deep bend and pitch a small jig with a crappie nibble on it , under a float about
3 to 4 foot deep in waters around 5 to 8 foot deep early in the day ….
Try a few different locations like that and for sure look for bait balls close to the area …
You should be able to rack em pretty good that way if you can find them
They tend to wind down quickly in those spots as the sun gets up as well , just saying

What about if the river is running? Seems like every time I go, they’re pulling water. Everything I cast is headed down stream, quick, fast, and in a hurry.


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Originally Posted by Auston22688

What about if the river is running? Seems like every time I go, they’re pulling water. Everything I cast is headed down stream, quick, fast, and in a hurry.


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More weight works. You can usually see a eddy, break in the flow, or other underwater obstruction that will herd the Crappie out of the flow. Flowing water here, say a 2-1/2ft to 3 ft tide I work around the house. Certainly hurts the bite. I like to find holes near the bank where the flowing water has scoured out a deep spot right behind it that doesn't flow, the Crappie stack like playing cards. Most of the time it will be in a bend but a natural ridge running out into the water can create these spots too. I hope this gives you some direction.

Fishing rivers ( current ) fish are not going to be in a place they have to fight the current but will be close to current as this is their dinner source. Lying close to bottom or suspended as the current increases they move closer to the shore line.

Areas can be anything from a depression in the bottom, log, single stump, a big rock, shallow flat with a steep drop behind it, wash board bottom anything that will break the current but easy access to their dinner source where they can dash into the current and return to low flow area. They will move within these areas as current changes.

I never see them on the graphs. I’m still dependent on my graphs to know if I’m in a productive area. I never see bait or anything, but as I said, the current is always moving pretty quick. What setup would you use in the eddies and current breaks? I can tell you, just a [emoji637]/[emoji637][emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]]th ounce jig with a plastic doesn’t cut it. Vertical jigging? Casting?


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