Current

If you're a river rat, your key to smallmouth location is current. In natural lakes and reservoirs, current always draws smallmouths because of the food and oxygen it provides. Where a river flows into a lake or where water flow is increased by the squeezing effect of narrows and islands, you'll find active smallmouths flirting with the current. These current edges are good bets even under tough weather conditions. As water temperatures and fish activity drop, these current fish will move onto current-breaking structure or to slack-water areas. Remember that deep water is always close by. To learn more about types of holding structures in current areas, refer to the rainbow trout (steelhead) unit.

Current is linked to water temperature. If temperatures are relatively warm and weather conditions ideal, smallies will be found in or near areas of high current. As water temperatures drop or under cold-front weather conditions, the fish will hold very closely to current-breaking structures. The downstream side of wing dams, midstream boulders, weedbeds, and submerged wood then become the objects of your attention. But in slow-moving, warm, mature rivers, current is linked to the vegetation. Every blade of every weed becomes a current break. Combine other keys such as spawning areas, broken rock shoals, weed rock transitions, and weed types with what you know about smallmouth bass and current to locate fish.

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