How to Fish Big Rivers

Big rivers almost feel like a desert made of water. Unlike smaller streams and creeks, which have a lot of obvious flow changes and fishy-looking structure, anglers see large rivers as endless miles of flowing nothingness. Many wander around these massive waterbodies without direction and haphazardly cast different baits and lures into the depths. Or they concentrate their angling efforts in off-shooting tributaries where fish are easier to find and catch. But knowing where and how to fish on a big river can lead to some of the best fishing of your life.

Mapping it Out

The very first step on any big river fishing adventure comes from a map. Whether it’s a bathymetric map of the section of river you’re fishing or a mapping app on your phone that gives details about depths and flow rates of different river channels, they’re the best tool to help you discover what you’re getting into. Even giving the section you're planning to fish a good once over on Google Earth will at least show you some of the different shallow and deep spots and help you locate structures that will hold fish.

Go over your map thoroughly and mark areas with extreme depth changes, wadable and floatable sections of water, and any easy-to-access spots. Take note of things like bridges, piers, islands, gravel and sand bars, and any other obvious structures that you can find. Electronics on a boat can also be helpful in these situations as they can show you different pockets of deeper water as well as underwater structure hidden beneath the surface.

Even if you don’t have access to a map, fish with electronics, or have any time to study a river before going fishing, there are still certain spots in the river that you can target that are easy to find with the naked eye.

Fishing the Bends

River bends are some of the most productive and important spots you can find on any large river. They make great spots for fish to rest and feed as they have different current speeds than the main channel and often act as gathering places for prey like baitfish, crayfish, and large insects. However, not every river bend is exactly the same, and each one you fish needs to be approached differently.

Inside bends are areas where the river makes a turn so that the main body of the river flows around it. These bends tend to have a lot of slower water and will gather debris like logs, brush, and other drifting vegetation during high water, as well as sediment, which can pile up and create deep holes by blocking the current. This makes inside bends ideal spots to find fish like catfish and trout and even large predators like pike, muskie, and gar, which use the area to both rest and ambush passing prey.

Fishing the inside bends of rivers varies depending on which method you prefer and what quarry you’re after. If you’re looking for scent-feeding fish like catfish or walleye, it can be incredibly productive to drift baits into the bend or soak them on the bottom of the deepest sections.

If you’re after more aggressive predators like pike and muskie, then casting large jerkbaits and spoons into the center and edges of the bend where the current flows in and out or ripping them downstream from structure can get you quite a few strikes.

Fly anglers can also have a lot of luck on inside bends when trout fishing, either by drifting dry flies and nymphs through back eddies and foam piles or casting and stripping large streamers downstream and close to or through any deep holes and structure the bend may contain.

Outside bends of rivers can also be incredibly productive as the main body of the river flows directly into it, creating steep drop-offs and faster, more oxygenated water. They are usually full of deep holes and made up of hard rock bottoms where large boulders and other sunken structure can create current blocks. This makes outside bends ideal spots for migratory fish like salmon, steelhead, and striped bass to pull over and rest, as well as areas where cold-water species like trout can escape during warm days.

Fishing the outside bends of rivers often requires more technical techniques as the current is usually moving much faster than it does on the inside edges of the river. Drifting baits with bobbers and heavy weights to get them down in the current can be a very productive method for outside bends as can casting and retrieving lures downstream through the center of the faster water.

Fly anglers can catch a lot of fish in outside bends by splashing down and drifting large dry flies and heavily weighted nymphs or by swinging streamers and nymphs through the edges of the bends with both traditional fly rods and Spey rods.

Edges and Ledges

If the large river you’re fishing isn’t the meandering type and has a straighter course, then your best bet for finding fish is by targeting the edges and ledges. Structures in the river, like gravel and sandbars, bridges, and wood and rock piles, will all gather concentrations of fish along their edges, while steep, nearly vertical drop-offs will often have schools of fish sitting at the bottom of the river along their ledge.

Targeting the edges of structure is a great way to find fish like bass, walleye, and trout, which use these breaks in the current as places to rest and to ambush prey drifting by in the main current. You can fish these spots with a wide variety of techniques, including drifting live bait in the current or casting and retrieving lures and flies into and along the structure itself.

Ledges are a bit more challenging to fish but are great spots to ply if you're targeting fish like catfish, sturgeon, or striped bass, which hold near the bottom and wait for food to fall in front of them or to drift by overhead. Fishing these spots often requires using a lot of heavy gear to sink baits and lures down to the bottom and pull large fish up from the depths.

Soaking live and dead baits on the bottom or jigging with large lures can be incredibly productive ledge fishing methods as they are easy ways to get your presentation down right into a ledge-dwelling fish’s face.

Playing Big

As intimidating as a big river can be, fishing on one can be a true angling adventure. Whether you’re talking about the Columbia, Hudson, or even the mighty Mississippi, the strong currents, massive dams, and often unpredictable water levels make big river fish some of the largest, strongest, and most challenging species you can pursue. They haunt the deepest holes and the fastest currents, looking to fight and feed, and just like an oasis in the bleakest desert, they’re out there, waiting to be discovered.