The Challenges
Current: Spring rains will warm the water, wake the hungry fish up, and raise the water level. Wading will be a challenge. Kayaking upstream will be a lot of work. Your main challenge will be entering the water due to the flow. The next challenge will be accurate casts to cover. The fish are tight to current breaks when the water is up. But they are there. Let’s simplify things for spring. Unless the water is gin clear (unlikely but if it happens try the winter or summer finesse techniques), otherwise power fish 100% of the time.
The Bite in Spring: The water temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees and is rising. The fish are loosening up. They have been starved all winter. The bite is no longer subtle. The fish will slam power baits and engulf finesse baits. But you can still miss the bite. Often the water is running in spring due to rains. This will bow your line if casting cross current. This slack will delay any bite signal. They may spit the bait by the time you notice the bite. So cast up stream as much as possible.
The Gear: Casting rod and baitcaster reel
Rod: 6’6″ to 7’2″ medium power, fast/extra fast action casting rod. I’m using a 6’8” medium power, extra fast St Croix Mojo Bass casting rod.
Reel: Medium sized (150 yard line capacity) quality baitcasting reel. I’m using a Shimano Curado DC 150.
Line: 12lb Berkeley Big Game works fine and is affordable. My river is heavily pressured. The fish have seen a lot of bait and line. I use 15lb P-Line Floroclear. This more expensive line is less visible and gives me an edge. I have never cared for braid on a baitcaster, but lots of folks use it.
The Bait
Spinnerbait: Great first choice for windy days. In clouds, tandem Colorado/willow blades 3/8 oz spinnerbait with a single tail grub trailer. Although, under the triple cover of stained water, clouds, and wind, you may want to try a single large willow blade or go straight to single Colorado. I use white, chartreuse, or some combination of these colors in stained water. Throw to all cover. The spinnerbait is truly snagless and draws immediate strikes in cover. Use Colorado blades in muddy water. Put the bait in contact with the cover and reel a little slower to give them time to find the bait. See the page “What spinnerbait should I use?” for a deep dive into selecting the right bait for the conditions.
These baits work well.
Stained water
- 3/8 oz Booyah Counter Strike Colorado/Willow
- 3/8 oz Strike King KVD Finesse Colorado/Willow
- 3/8 oz Z-Man Sling BladeZ Colorado/Willow
Muddy water
- 3/8 oz Booyah Single Colorado Spinnerbait
- 3/8 oz Strike King KVD Elite tandem Colorado spinnerbait
Squarebills: Try this noisy bait under the triple cover of stained water, clouds, and wind. 3/8 oz lure in bright colors or white. Try chartreuse or a splash of red/orange. I love to work boulders and the middle of the river with squarebills. A smallie hiding behind a rock cannot resist the noisy wobble of this bait.
These baits work well.
- 3/8 oz Bomber Next Gen Square 5A Crankbait (dives 3 feet)
- 3/8 oz Strike King KVD 1.5 Hard Knock Squarebill Crankbait (dives 3-5 feet)
Jigs: 3/8 oz structure jig with a dark skirt and a craw trailer for visibility. Try black/blue and switch to green pumpkin if they don’t commit. If it is still early spring, try a little red/orange. Crawfish molt in the spring and appear red. Use a jig with a rattle or insert a rattle into the trailer in stained water. Shake it to draw attention. Put the bait in contact with the cover, especially in muddy water.
These baits work well.
- 3/8 oz Strike King Denny Brauer Baby Structure Jig
- 3/8 oz Booyah Boo Jig
- 3/8 oz Dirty Jigs Tour Level Pitchin’ jig
Texas/wacky rigs: Dark colored crawfish and senkos in cooler water. Try ribbon tails as the water warms. These are easy to see and easy snacks in stained water. Use these when the fish are not taking aggressive baits. Throw to cover and shallow gravel.
These baits work well.
- Strike King 4″ Rage Menace crawfish (insert a rattle)
- Strike King 3X ElazTech Zero/Z-Too 5″ worm (Perfect for wacky rigging because they do not rip)
- Yamamoto 5” Senko
- Berkeley PowerBait 7” Power Worm (Ribbon tail as the water warms up)
The Technique
With the gear above, I can throw 3/8 oz bait. Not truly downsized, but smallies are not largemouths. I throw them a smaller profile for two reasons. Their mouths are smaller, and big meals are hard to digest. These fish are fighting current. Give them big snacks. The fish are pointed up stream because it brings food right to them. With a few waves of the tail, a fish can sit behind a rock in current and ambush whatever comes by. In current, they sit behind any current break and eat at the buffet. Cast up stream to rocks, boulders, logs, stumps, bridge pilings, anything that breaks the current. Reel slow in colder water. Speed up if you are not getting strikes.