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Posts: 42
| i won't go to a lake anymore. the boat traffic can be terrible, and stupid kids with jet skis can ruin the day. i fell in love with the new river about ten years ago, and i've never looked back.
i ran a search for river techniques, but didn't really come up with anything. one of my fishing buddies told me to look for feeder springs just upstream of submerged trees, and throw into the tree like i don't want my bait back. he's also advised to get at least 30# line and heavy steel leaders. his favorite baits are BIG grubs(because they're cheap) and brightly colored spinnerbaits. he also throws cranks the size of my arm, but i don't have the gear for baits that big.
what do i need to look for? i know that's a very vague question, but i'm completely lost with a musky. the ones i've hooked into were quite on accident, and were probably actively feeding. i'm a fair smallmouth angler, and would like to hook up before the water is too warm to safely catch and release these beasts. i have no intrest in fighting one just to watch it die because of warm water. so what are your prefered river muskie techniques for water in pre 60's?
btw, i ain't thin skinned so throw rocks if you need to. i hate it when new guys come on riversmallies.com and ask the same simple questions over and over again without so much as an attempt to find out on their own.
patrick |
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Posts: 42
| just found something 
feel free to reply though.
patrick |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | No rocks to throw, here, I admire your ethic of not fighting a fish to death in hot water. Spinner baits and Mepps bucktails will work good in river environs. Muskies will often be just out of the current, at breaks or behind deadfalls. Bring the bait past them and hang on. As stated before, 30 pound line is a bit light, I use 60 and 80# braid. Slower moving jerk baits work well in colder water, but so does burning a rattletrap (just be sure to upgrade the hooks and split rings first). m |
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Posts: 2024
| Can you describe in more detail the river you plan to fish (not talking location, just structure/cover)? A lot depends on the type of river and available habitat. You mentioned in your first thread that you use a lot of Calcutta 6" swimbaits... keep using those. Try and rig a 1/0-2/0 thin wire treble on the bottom of it to increase hook ups (but you need the thin wire to break free of snags... you might lose a fish but only if you horse them in... cost/benefit). If it's shallow water you're fishing smallish shad-bodied crankbaits that are highly buoyant ROCK (SS Shads, Super Shad Raps, Cranes/Big Games, etc). I'd say after ~6" swimbaits, those highly buoyant cranks, Kickin Minnows in both the 6" and 10", and smaller Husky Jerks get the nod for me. I would look for big, complex laydowns with LOTS of branches, eddies, etc. Pretty much any of the smallie spots you fish should be great spots for muskies (hence your bite/break offs). Rivers, IMO, are the next frontier in muskie fishing. |
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Posts: 42
| 30# test would be the most for me to throw on my gear. i have a few abu garcia 6500's i cold bring out of retirement if i decide this is going to be something i want to do more often. the muskies aren't huge here either.
48" fish are very rare, and anything bigger is just about unheard of, or not talked about. muskies are looked at by the walleye anglers as being a threat to the population. i've had guys tell me at the launch they slit a muskies guts anytime they can. i think it's stupid, and i hope they get caught in the act, but the overall effect on the trophy muskie population has been negative.
fortunatly, there are only a few who feel that way. the guys i fish with hold the musky in reverance, but there is still an element of ignorance to deal with.
what's even worse is that the walleyes are a stocked fish. every year, 10's of thousands of fingerlings are released up and down the river. granted, the muskies are going to eat some, but from what i've heard, they prefer suckers over anything.
the state quit stocking muskies a few years back to see how they were reproducing naturally. i've not read anything recently though on how succesful they are.
patrick |
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Posts: 42
| the new river is predominantly shallow. 3'-5' on average. i can wade for miles in it and only have to swim a few holes. it's super rocky with mostly hard clean bottoms. there are obviously soft bottomed sections along the way, but pea gravel, sand bars and chunk rock is the norm. weed beds are extremely common in the summer. the current is always a key for me when looking for smallies.
with smallies, i concentrate on ledges, current breaks, current seams and slack water areas with quick access to deeper holes. i'll throw to any wood i can find, but i usually leave the banks alone, and fish the center of the river...it's more work, but it also keeps the lazy guys away. current breaks from submerged rocks are a favorite of mine. most people overlook them, but i can spot them because of the water bulge as it flows over, and i'll usually throw jigs and tubes to that for a slow crawl through.
since i live at the southern section of the new, it doesn't really effect me, but the new river flows north. that means that the weather starts to warm the waters here, and it flows north through west virginia, making it a little better river for early and late season angling than those that flow south. granted it only makes a small differance, but when you're early season jonesing for a trip, you look for any advantage regardless of how small.
there are 5 dams along the way in my section. the last one makes claytor lake. the other 4 offer flood control and hydroelectric to the region. i don't fish the dams because they're sediment traps. i don't like a dirty house, and the smallies don't seem to either.
patrick
Edited by patrick reif 3/25/2008 1:23 PM
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Posts: 52
| If I was you the way I'd start is with your rig w/ the 30# test a heavy fluorocarbon leader and the largest (fairly new bait) X-rap. You will still hook good numbers of big smallies with this bait (at least I do) and its easily big enough to consistently get the attention of the skies. One of my largest fish from last year came for me in a river this way while I was fishing for both smallies and skies. Another good bait to catch both species is a giant jackpot. Fish your usual spots and see what happens. |
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Posts: 2865
Location: Brookfield, WI | Slamr's a River Dancer. He's the Jewish Micheal Flatley.
Kevin
Join or Die. |
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Location: Eau Claire,WI | Here is what I would do, bump up to 80 pound line,you want to fish for muskies,gear up! 30 lb is for bass!!! If you can get a boat near the dams,FISH THEM!!! Bounce your lures off the face...Work the eddiesand entire shore lines near the dams.Fish the fast water,contrary to what some peeps believe,muskies LOVE current. You said there were weeds....Work em hard with spinners,inline too,Topwater,Twitch baits etc...Oh,a guide that I had once said that good smallie spots are good muskie spots,holds true here too. |
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Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | What Paul said! River muskies love current. I've had some of my best action in high water on the Wisconsin River. I've caught +40" fish in 30' of water with 20' current boil's. Muskies are like whitetails, i.e., creatures of the edge's. But don't be afraid to throw in the fast water, and yes the current breaks can be dynamite, with fish often coming off the fast side. Yes, they'll also lay in the slack side of the current break- but sometimes when the river system is in chaos, they're right out there in the thick of the fastest water. Also hit the downstream edge of the pools/holes. They'll lay right on the edge waiting for food to wash up out of the pool/hole.
Good luck on the New! - Paul is dead on with tactic's and lures. However, one you might add is an ZaltNAD 6" 'Alien' in either hot pink, blue or black for muskies. I'm somewhat bias'd because I created the Alien. The 9" model really attract's the bigger fish. The Alien is a very versatile bait, i.e., it can be jigged, twitched or used as the ultimate glider. I really love it in fast water and for the river current breaks.
Don't forget a muskie can easily accelerate from zero to ~ 35 mph. 35mph is ~ 51 feet/second. If they want to eat it, they can!
Have fun!
Al
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Posts: 32926
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Another 'What Paul said.' |
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Posts: 392
Location: KY | Patrick
I have never fished the New River but I have kayaked the river near Fayetteville. Sounds like you are upstream from there.
As a newcomer you should familiarize yourself with the tackle and release equipment. If you are serious about targeting muskie you should go ahead and get a dedicated muskie rod and reel with 60#+ braid. Steel leaders are a must. Most importantly get a set of bolt cutters, long nose pliers, and a good net or at least a boga tool if you are wading.
From what you have described you are very in tune with river fishing. Muskies in general will gravitate to slower water than smallmouth. Look for current breaks, rocks, weeds, wood etc. Islands and creek mouths are must fish spots, and don’t overlook dams in the spring.
Bruce |
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Posts: 159
Location: Stevens Point, WI | I've never fished in VA, but i can guess what the New is like. You said before you'd be fishing in a KAYAK. That's something to keep in mind. My buddy tipped one and almost drown, losing a few hundred dollars worth of gear in the process b/c he got too close to a dam last year. Don't do that. Also, i agree with Paul in "gearing up," but it may not be possible for you to follow the craze and throw pounders with a 9.5 foot rod. That being said, you can use your 6500's, and spool them with at least 50# line. I use an old 6.5 foot stick for chucking out of a kayak because it's much easier to handle sitting down. Get a musky rod, even if you don't plan on fishing for them that often.
As for lures and locations, that's getting pretty well covered. Sometimes they'll be in weeds, sometimes on rocks, you'll have to keep tabs on them. The only lure i'd add to the list would be a topraider- great bait, especially for kayaks. Hope this helps! -andy |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | What Paul and Al said! Get heavier line for in the current. |
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Posts: 83
| Here's a link to a you tube video that shows some habitat preferences. it might help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6e466ulg3E
Am I the only one who has tossed a plug in the general direction of a jet skier?
( not right at them, but to send a message ) |
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Location: Eau Claire,WI | WOW! I thought I most people were going to say work the current breaks,(they live there too),and most people would disagree with my current ideas.THANKS guys!!!!
I would also like to add,work and abvious current break.The river i fish,there is a rock shelf before it drops off,from 3 feet to the basin,fish will be tight next to shore on the shelf. Kinda fun pitching a Super D/Mag Dawg,make one pull and have a fish engulf it! Or pitching a Crane or Jake,one twitch ang having the rod get rippped out of your hands. |
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Posts: 42
| i have a bps extreme 7'6" heavy power extra fast action rod that i bought originally for carolina rigging, but it eventually ended up as a flipping stick for big cats on cut bait rigs. there is already a abu garcia 6500c3 sitting on it, so all i really need is some heavy braid and flourocarbon for leaders and a few more species specific baits.
i prefer longer heavier action rods than most of my smallie brethren use. i do use one medium light for an all purpose/light jigging outfit, but i prefer med power with extra fast tips as a minimum. when i set the hook, i want to cross a fishes eyes.
thanks for all the replies. it looks like i need to do a little shopping.
patrick |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I'm sending you a couple DuckTail bucktail spinner baits and a good, strong Stealth fluorocarbon leader. Should be in the mail Friday. m |
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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | River muskies can pretty much be anywhere at anytime. I focus on the current breaks, timber, and rocks. Mag Dawgs, topwaters, and spinnerbaits are my go to baits. Don't be afraid to fish really shallow when the fish are on, when they aren't fish deeper. |
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Posts: 238
| I would like to add hook sharpeners!! Seems I land alot more fish when I pay attention the hooks and I always carry them with me no matter where I fish but its a must have when river fishing!! Just thought I add this since no one covered it!!
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Posts: 42
| i appreciate all the replies and help guys. i really do. thank you!!!
patrick |
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