Current Break?

[Aquaman01]

Got a question for you about current structure. I'm taking my neighbor out to a shore spot in The Missy tomorrow evening and the shore we can get to is the inside of a wide bend - the closest 20' - 30' is riffled, then it gets smooth more towards the center of the river. I didn't notice any back-currents, and structure like logs and big rocks is nil.
Q) - what's that smooth spot likely to be? faster? slower? deeper? sand? main channel?

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Aquaman
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"I think we're gonna need a bigger boat."

[Dennis Steele]

I am not sure I am getting the picture of what you are describing but I think it might be faster water.A "slick" is fast water that is not disturbed by obstructions and usually form ahead of a shallow spot or riffles where the bottom gets shallow gradually.Wind on the surface of the water has a hard time making waves in this fast water also.

[Boar]

Trying to visualize what you discribed. The close 20-30 ft is a flat that drops off into the main river channel of undisturbed water mentioned by dennis. Sounds like a nice shore spot to fish to me. Correct me if I'm wrong, hard to get an idea not being there. Later boar

[CANOPY SAM]

Aqua, you're casting from shore from the inside of a large bend in the river. The water is likely rippled near you because it's shallow. The inside of the bend is usually the slower water so stuff gets deposited there over time. Bottom could be smallish rocks, gravel, sand, but it's likely covered with some silt as it is probably a little slower moving water. As you get farther into the middle of the river the water will gradually get deeper and faster. The outside bend is usually the fastest current.
An awful lot depends on the structure, current, or other bends in the river just up river from where you are fishing. These things determine the currents, and speed of the water when it reaches you.
Almost all rivers will have a "river inside of a river". In other words the main channel of the river has quite well defined breaklines or edges beneath the surface that you can see. This channel can only be seen during really low water periods. If you can get your baits right on top of that break, or right on the bottom of that break, down on the bottom edge of the main river channel, you should be in business for whatever might be swimming around out there.
I've never had a lot of luck fishing the slower water on the inside edge of a big turn in the river - usually holds slack water fish - carp, suckers, sheepshead, but you never know! Good Luck!

[Dennis Steele]

Personaly,at this time of year I would target the inside bends and slower water and stay out of the faster main current.I have found that until the water temps reach into at least the mid 50's fish will not hold in fast water.This includes game fish.
If what you described is a slick, which is not a deep outside bend but the fast smooth water above a shallow area.There may be a small break just ahead of this smooth water that will be much slower at the bottom.I have found fish holding there even in cooler temps.

[Aquaman01]

Thanks gentlemen! Lemme try to add more to the picture. It's a wide, shallow arc with the radially closest 20'-30' of water throughout that arc being riffled, then the next radial 10' or so is smooth, then blend of riffled & smooth to a steep bank at the base of a hillside.

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Aquaman
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"I think we're gonna need a bigger boat."

[Boar]

Hey sam, remember when we shore fished that time at oslo landing one night? kinda the same thing isnt it? Although its been constructed into a landing, iit's definately a flat with a slight inside bend of the river that drops into the main river channel. Now I know we did'nt catch anything more than stonecats and sheepshead, but I have seen people pull nice channels 10lbs plus from that spot mid summer. But I think you're right the majority will be scrap fish. Later boar. P.S Good topic Aqua.

[Aquaman01]

Just got back from that spot. The smmoth spot was main channel, and much faster. A test with a few sticks thrown in showed the inner radius of riffles was a slow back-current that looped back into the main channel. Casts shown it to be shallow, gradual slope with fine weeds. A couple of longer casts felt like they hit a steeper slope. The wind and light weight i chose made it hard for me to keep it in that range, work the drift, and sample the 10 year old bourbon my neighbor brought. Yum Yumminy Yum!

Was fun, though. I tried a couple of casts with wads of cut fatheads, hoping for cats, but got zip. Got a really fun carp, and some good time with the river.

Thanks ya'll. This was very informative. Reading a river is an art I'd like to get practiced at.

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Aquaman
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"I think we're gonna need a bigger boat."

[This message has been edited by Aquaman01 (edited 04-02-2003).]

[Boar]

Reading the river really is an art in it self, I fish'd mainly holes, an snages on the Red with great success an never really had to applly much thought to what the made the river flow the way it did. That all changed after the flood of 97 when the river pushed all the huge established snags out of the river entirely, now reading the river is key. I was always impressed in canopy-sams abillity to read the river, always caught fish. Inspireing topic aqua later, boar

[CANOPY SAM]

Glad you had fun Aquaman! Bourbon always makes the picture much brighter!
And thanks for the compliment Boar. You'll find the MN river to be much more difficult to read when you make it down here. I don't know what it is yet, but this water just moves a little weird? Dennis is really an expert at reading water.
I'm sure if he could have seen this spot, he would have known exactly what the water was doing Har Har Har!