When the dog days of summer are upon us, I often turn to my local river for some untouched
fishing treasure. I head up north to the Delaware River, in search of packs of aggressive river bronze backs. There is more than one way to catch these notorious fighters. Sometimes I’ll hop in my canoe and paddle up stream, out into the widest part of the river and search out the channel. River smallies use this as their highway, as they travel from deep pocket to deep pocket in search of food. In the summer when the river is at its lowest pool, you can luck into packs of them in the deepest parts of the channel. I’ll throw small top waters on spinning gear and light line. They also are responsive to small plastics, rigged wacky style and weightless in slow current. I like to use, a 4” Kamakazee Deep Stix in natural colors like Greens, Blacks & pumpkin seed. When the current is strong, you can find them near boulders ambushing prey. You may have to add some weight to your plastic to stay in the strike zone, or sometimes, I’ll switch to small, wide wobbling crank baits.
By far, my favorite way to catch summer smallies is to wade into the river like a fly fisherman. I’ve always admired the way fly fishermen can stand in the river all day and fish. By standing in the water while you fish, you are truly connected to the fish and the natural environment around you. Not to mention, it’s very refreshing when the mercury is climbing! If you’ve never tried it, it’s quit
e the experience. I’ll put on my Tevas and some water proof shorts with zipper pockets, and head down to the river bank. You’ll need to slim down your gear to one spinning pole, a small pocket full of lures, some polarized sunglasses and some water proof pliers. Stealth is important as you wade in, so walk lightly and use your glasses to spot shallow fish and deep water. While every river is different, I find that I’ve had my best luck casting perpendicular to the current, slightly upstream and letting my lure float down steam as I work my bait. I look for a spot where there is a depth change, structure or even a swing in the channel.
Pound for pound, river smallies are some of the strongest fighting fish. When you do hook into one of these strong fighters, make sure your drag is set right and hold onto your pole. You don’t need a boat and a lot of expensive fishing gear to reach them. So, I hope you use these tips to get out there this summer and catch some smallmouth bass.
