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The river is the place to be for spring fishing

For those that are chomping at the bit to get back to open-water fishing, may I suggest rolling down to your local river?

As a self-described river rat, I tend to frequently sing the praises of river fishing, and never more so than during the spring, when rivers come alive with aquatic life. This is the case because rivers tend to lose their ice cover sooner than ponds and lakes. Additionally, because spring river conditions are generally similar year over year, fish can be easy to predict.

Regardless of what you fish for, springtime is an ideal time to target just about any species you can think of in our area rivers. However, this type of fishing isn't as simple as tossing a line into the river and awaiting the strike from opportunistic prey. Some basic river fishing tactics, along with some specialized seasonal ones will be needed to coax your springtime targets to bite.

Fish the flow: Dealing with current is the main difference when fishing in a river compared to a still body of water like a lake or pond. In the springtime, this is magnified as rain and snow melt raise water levels and cause heavier and faster currents. The onus is on the angler to locate areas of refuge adjacent to current such as eddies, tailraces and seams.

If you are not familiar with things like eddies, tailraces and seams, the best advice I can give you is to position your vision upstream. On rivers you always want to be casting upstream as that is where fish look for food bouncing downriver. Vary your retrieves and pay attention to what you are doing and where your bait is when you get bit to find the pattern.

Visibility concerns: Spring rains and snow melt are the culprit for not only high water and current, but also diminished water clarity. Since many game fish species feed with their eyes and lateral line, anglers need to account for poor water clarity when picking baits. Traditionally, bolder colors like black, brown, white, chartreuse and neon work very well in stained water.

In addition to color selection, it is important to consider baits that put off a lot of vibration, which fish can sense with the aforementioned lateral line. Lipless rattlebaits and bladed jigs have been spring stalwarts for this reason, but spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and crankbaits are also good options that can shake up some fish.

The promised land: When it comes to river fishing, dams will always be the favored spot of anglers, both because of their accessibility and the promise of good fishing. In the spring, though, dams serve as a great intercepting ground for fish that like to head upstream to spawn. By targeting these areas, you increase your chances of finding a variety of fish.

When fishing near a dam, it is important to target the unique features a dam commonly has. Many dams have adjacent outflows like spillways, pipes and fish ladders that fish love to congregate near, as well as a ton of natural and man-made structure that is very fish-friendly. Simply put, dams are a great starting point for a spring river fishing trip.

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