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Muskie Fishing -> General Discussion -> River Muskie fishing and current
 
Message Subject: River Muskie fishing and current
25homes
Posted 6/17/2017 10:01 AM (#865402)
Subject: River Muskie fishing and current





Posts: 983


I have heard different theories here and wanted to hear opinions...Some ppl say Muskie hate the current and you have to find slack water while I read on here the other day that muskie love current related to dams...Is this just with dam situations...rivers I fish are lock and dams all the way up...Lots of pple fish below the dam at the lock were there is tons of current and Flow..I think lots of them fishing for walleye but still curious.What are you guys thoughts should you fish these currents or only look for eddies and what not? Just want to make time on water as efficient as possible..
Thanks
guys

Edited by 25homes 6/17/2017 10:03 AM
Musky_Mo16
Posted 6/17/2017 11:39 AM (#865406 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 735


Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't
I don't know much about river fishing at all but talking to people and the little research I've done it seems like all river fish no matter the species want to be as close to current as possible without being in it. Reason being that they can sit in that slow water and wait for food to be swept past them by the current. Not sure how this would effect a Muskie since Muskie don't really target small bugs like other river fish. I also think it would depend on how strong the current is. I watched a YouTube video on it a while ago I'll see if I can find it.
Musky_Mo16
Posted 6/17/2017 11:45 AM (#865408 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 735


Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't
Not the video I was looking for but I think this one sums it up pretty good https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tiz_jLoOvJw
River2Stream
Posted 6/17/2017 1:00 PM (#865411 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: RE: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 119


It depends on the type of river you are fishing. It sounds like your river is dammed for commercial shipping lanes and usually these dams are hydroelectric producers so the current below them is usually super swift. In that instance I think that no musky would be up in the thick of it like a walleye or a striper. How ever if you are targeting musky on a natural river or creek with some riffle and run sections then it is entirely possible to find musky in swift water - albeit they will be holding behind some kind of structure for an ambush and to conserve energy. In my neck of the woods, musky nose their way up to the riffles in the heat of summer to gain as much oxygen as possible. So it all depends on your circumstances.
TannerAE
Posted 6/17/2017 3:37 PM (#865417 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 72


Like stated above it depends on the river you fish. I fish a lot of rivers and almost all the time my fishing revolves around slack water or eddies. Sometimes especially on smaller rivers you will find them sitting in the current. Also remember in some places just becouse it looks swift doesn't always mean that it is near the bottom, often times there is some type of current break like (rock, wood, or a sharp depth change). In small rivers i have seen them in every place they could possibly be. Fish don't like to work any harder than they have to but sometimes musky are strange. Fish deep (relative to the area), fishy looking areas and you will most likely find success. Nothing beats experience, pay attention to the places where you contact fish and start to put the puzzle together for yourself.
ToddM
Posted 6/17/2017 5:46 PM (#865438 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current





Posts: 20173


Location: oswego, il
Muskies love dams. Fish in general dont sit in fast water unless there is a pocket of slacker or slack water to be in. Having said that it is amazing how little a musky has to move to swim in the current.
true tiger tamer
Posted 6/17/2017 10:31 PM (#865467 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 343


Most of my river muskies have been in deep holes or slow moving runs. During high water they stay super tight to the bank behind current breaks; river muskies are super strong due to fighting the current, and are built a little different than lake fish. They are often rounder and thicker across the back (torpedo shaped).
River2Stream
Posted 6/18/2017 12:54 PM (#865503 - in reply to #865467)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 119


There is no doubt that most fish will relate to slower water about 70% of the time. There are no facts to back up my percentage lol. However almost every musky I've caught has come from a hole in the river/creek or large bends, generally larger stretches of river with less current. But they will move up to the riffles if the suckers are spawning or they need extra oxygen or they want to move up stream for whatever reason. So to sum it all up - Musky aren't adverse to current because river fish deal with it their whole lives, but they will try to conserve energy as much as possible by finding eddies, holes, bends, jams, rocks, ledges, and breaks to stay out of it whenever possible.
djwilliams
Posted 6/18/2017 12:58 PM (#865506 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 753


Location: Ames, Iowa
Tanner and tiger tamer have it nailed. On the Big Fork last summer, muskies came out of the slower moving deeper rocky waters to chase topwaters all the way to the boat. On rivers no matter if it's trout, smallies, muskies, one has to overlook the shallow riffles and the shallow sand to concentrate on relatively deeper, darker water. You only have to figure out if the fish are willing to chase down a faster moving top vs wanting it down on the rocks. Fishing clear rivers in MN, WI, IA, and wading them when you can, can be a blast.
fish4musky1
Posted 6/18/2017 3:52 PM (#865518 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current





Location: Northern Wisconsin
Del

Edited by fish4musky1 6/18/2017 3:53 PM
Bondy
Posted 6/18/2017 4:27 PM (#865521 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 718


There are generally two overall musky strains and other subspecies branch off from there. Lacustrian (meaning lake dweller) and Riverine. The river musky love the current. In our area we have shallow river fish that work the current laden weeds and the deeper fish that use deep channels. With the exception of spawning I personally believe they are separate populations as our deep fish are often covered in lamprey or scars from them and almost never do the shallow fish have any. That's just a side observation from the Detroit River...
Bondy
Posted 6/18/2017 4:35 PM (#865522 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 718


And this is how we chase the deep ones...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sCniMseL7Vk
walleyejoe
Posted 6/19/2017 7:21 PM (#865695 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: RE: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 42


Hi, I think you're talking about the lower Allegheny? I'm not aware of anyone catching muskies right below the dam. I would think there's fish in the pocket along the shore, but I haven't heard of any being caught. I've heard of muskies being caught a little downstream of the Harmarville dam between shore and the island, but that's all I know about. I almost never fish the dams.
My experience is that under normal flow conditions, muskies can be anywhere, I've never caught anything but small (minimum size and under) fish from slack water or eddies. They seem to relate more to the channel drop-offs. I don't fish from a boat, I wade, my casts are from 40 to 60 yards, the fish generally hit no more than 25 feet from my rod tip, sometimes a lot less.

Tim
25homes
Posted 6/20/2017 7:51 AM (#865727 - in reply to #865695)
Subject: RE: River Muskie fishing and current





Posts: 983


walleyejoe - 6/19/2017 7:21 PM

Hi, I think you're talking about the lower Allegheny? I'm not aware of anyone catching muskies right below the dam. I would think there's fish in the pocket along the shore, but I haven't heard of any being caught. I've heard of muskies being caught a little downstream of the Harmarville dam between shore and the island, but that's all I know about. I almost never fish the dams.
My experience is that under normal flow conditions, muskies can be anywhere, I've never caught anything but small (minimum size and under) fish from slack water or eddies. They seem to relate more to the channel drop-offs. I don't fish from a boat, I wade, my casts are from 40 to 60 yards, the fish generally hit no more than 25 feet from my rod tip, sometimes a lot less.

Tim


alleghany is one of them I fish the Mon too...know a dude that fishes the Ohio for Muskie but IMO think that would be my last choice of the three but maybe Im wrong..I know exactly where you are talking at Harmor...that area between the island is almost all huge weed Beds..I have caught Muskie right in that area but only in that area on that pool so far..
T3clay
Posted 6/20/2017 9:07 AM (#865734 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current





Posts: 770


Ive found fish in small wing dams, current breaks, or eddies, up in the current right under the dam. And in the deeper holes.
Smell_Esox
Posted 6/21/2017 8:27 AM (#865836 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 267


I think any fish, from a bioenergetics standpoint, would run out of energy if it fought current all day every day. Even below dams, there are plenty of little current breaks that they can find and that you should key on to put your lure in to catch them. It doesn't take much, a big rock, a stump, or even a heavy patch of wild celery, etc. Fish can and do go into the current for a short time to feed, but they cannot stay there for a long time. True tiger tamer is right, river fish are typically solid fish from nose to tail, but don't have that big fat gut that some lake big girls have. They are more like railroad ties.
MUSKYLUND1
Posted 6/21/2017 12:52 PM (#865867 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current




Posts: 203


Location: Germantown, WI
I've caught muskies below dams while fishing for Walleyes and Bass. The key in my humble opinion as with almost all river fishing is to focus on current breaks. River fish can be easier to pattern because of the way the set up in relation to current. On the Three Rivers in Western PA some of the key sports are Islands and creek mouths. Anywhere you find weed beds in the Allegheny, Mon or Ohio could hold muskies. In the shallower sections you would want to focus on the deep holes in those sections and any cover such as laydowns and woody debris associated with those holes. Muskies in rivers are still Muskies so just because they might be easier to pattern does not always mean they are easy to catch.
25homes
Posted 6/21/2017 12:54 PM (#865868 - in reply to #865867)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current





Posts: 983


MUSKYLUND1 - 6/21/2017 12:52 PM

I've caught muskies below dams while fishing for Walleyes and Bass. The key in my humble opinion as with almost all river fishing is to focus on current breaks. River fish can be easier to pattern because of the way the set up in relation to current. On the Three Rivers in Western PA some of the key sports are Islands and creek mouths. Anywhere you find weed beds in the Allegheny, Mon or Ohio could hold muskies. In the shallower sections you would want to focus on the deep holes in those sections and any cover such as laydowns and woody debris associated with those holes. Muskies in rivers are still Muskies so just because they might be easier to pattern does not always mean they are easy to catch.

great point and yes I have seen them around the islands and creek mouths like you stated...also seem them sitting in deep channel mid river too
MuskieMedic
Posted 6/21/2017 2:07 PM (#865876 - in reply to #865402)
Subject: Re: River Muskie fishing and current





Posts: 2091


Location: Stevens Point, WI
They definitely love dams, and especially cover right next to the fast water. On very dark rivers it's crazy how shallow they will be when the water temps are not too high.

Edited by MuskieMedic 6/21/2017 2:08 PM
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