How to Catch Big Fish From Skinny Water

Click, Click, Click….Vrooom! The sound of a combine firing up resonates through the crisp fall air in rural Ohio.  Farm fields roll gently over hills and local farmers are reaping their harvest.  As the farmer loads his haul into a grain bin and pulls onto the road, he drives over a small country bridge, not even taking notice to the environment beneath the wheels of his tractor.  Quietly sauntering and subtly snaking through these fields are the creeks and rivers that I attempt to catch and release my harvest from throughout the year.

One of my biggest passions is exploring the nooks, crannies, and stretches in between that exist in the small streams and rivers in Ohio.  Many people would simply dismiss these stretches of water as unfishable, and quite frankly, most of the water would be characterized as such.  However, today, I want to detail how to effectively fish even the smallest rivers for some monster fish.  I will detail the topics of current, structure, and depth as the main points of discussion. 

To give a brief description of the type of water I am referring to, the widest part of the river is forty feet, and the narrowest is 2 feet.  Most of the water is no more than knee deep, and the holes could be stood in, hardly covering an average man’s head.  A “riffle” is little more intense than water coming out of the gutter on a stormy day.  This water is a micro-version of most rivers the average kayak angler fishes.  However, many of the same principles apply when embarking on these waters.

Taking a kayak out on these types of waters is a must.  My preference is, and always will be a Jackson Coosa. Although I will always paddle my Cuda 14 when a guest is using the Coosa, I believe the Coosa is certainly a superior river boat.  This kayak is light, nimble, and durable enough to easily weave, wind, and drag the river in pursuit of my catch.  Many times, I will float 5-7 miles.  Locating a prime fishing spot may be over a half of a mile on the water.  It is exponentially easier to float that distance as opposed to wading.  Bottom line here- the ease of accessibility.

After unloading your kayak upstream, you are off on pursuit to find the perfect fishing hole.  In this case, “hole” is the most appropriate word as well.  In these small bodies of water, finding the place in the river that dips down from one foot to four feet deep is critical.  Larger fish tend to stack up in these holes and taking one our two out of each is not uncommon.  One of the telltale signs of a nice hole to fish is a steep, undercut bank.  These more often than not will follow an area of flow and the water has created that undercut and also has dug out a good sized habitat for fish to reside.  Holes especially in the very hot months of summer and the cool-down of fall and winter will hold more fish than any other area on the river.

When you are done fishing that first hole, and are satisfied that it will no longer produce, you begin to paddle downstream to the next spot.  On your way, you pass over and dodge very nice rocks, tree-limbs, and bridge pilings that create obstructions and structure for fish to hide behind.  Be sure to target these areas on the river.  Some will not hold anything, but others will reward you with a nice catch.  Remember, there are only so many places for fish to hide in this habitat.  The biggest fish will live in the best places.  Structure will always qualify as such.

After target-casting at structure, you see up ahead a good riffle.  A riffle is literally the life-blood of a river.  Riffles oxygenate the water and wash nutrients through the entire ecosystem, providing food from the most basic levels of life up the food chain.  It is tempting to just bust through the riffle, but the smartest thing to do on a river this size is to literally anchor up in it.  I like to put a 3-pound lead ball on the back of my Coosa in place of a drag chain.  This stops me right in the prime area of the riffle to fish both the push water and tail water of the riffle.  Both areas are productive and will catch fish.  Depending on the time of the year, especially in the spring and summer months, riffles are the ticket to consistent numbers of fish.

So, the next time you pass over a small country creek, always consider the opportunity that exists in these skinny bodies of water.  You may just be surprised!