Fishing the river help

[Flatrock]

Hey guys, I moved to Bismarck last fall and am getting pumped to fish the river this spring. I grew up fishing Van Hook all the time and feel really confident fishing the big lake. However, I feel equally as incompetent when it comes to the river. With the ability to start getting on the river, I'd like to have at least a little bit of confidence in what I'm doing. So, for a guy like me just starting out learning the river, what recommendations would you have for me? I'm not looking for anyone's spots but instead am much more interested in techniques and what to look for when deciding on where to fish. Should I concentrate on current seams and pitch jigs with minnows/plastics? Do most of you guys anchor and fish a spot or slowly slip downstream while casting? I've read plenty of articles on river fishing but would also like some tips from you guys. Any help would certainly be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[H82bogey]

Can't go wrong with jigs, and cranks are a close second for me in both fall and spring. Try to find current breaks, eddies or deep holes. Those are always great places to start. Have also had lots of success pulling floater cranks in 4fow, and pitching jigs shallow. Minnows or plastics can both work, I would say experiment with both.

While fishing the river can take practice, a very much overlooked aspect is navigating the river. Sandbars can change daily, and water levels can rise and fall. Try to stay in the main river channel when traveling, be on the constant look out for tree's, both floating and partially submerged. If you are unfamiliar with which part of the river to travel, follow another boat that has been on the water previously.

Once you break it down a bit, the river isn't as intimidating as it looks and the rewards can be massive. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Kickemup]

Only go up river till u learn to read the water. That way if u end up on a sandbar it will be easier to get the boat off. Fish slack water current breaks and edges of the current till u figure out what is working.

 

[wildeyes]

go slow when checking out the paths to take always check holes out coming up river nothing sucks more then the current taking you into a sandbar and you get stuck. Look for slack water behind sandbars reduced current, shallow water off main channel Jigs and cranks shallow some of my best fishing is in water less then 4' there are plenty of deadheads out there take your time you will be fine. look for V's in the water always better to see on non windy days.

 

[Sluggo]

Some good advice already. A few thoughts. Imagine the river is 100 yards wide, keep in mind that the main channel is only about 20 yards wide and that is where you typically want to be when you travel. Also, the channel will be nearer one side or the other, rarely is it down the middle and it crosses from side to side at major river bends, then runs straight until the next bend. If you look at the shoreline you can usually guess which side the channel is on as the shoreline is generally more of a cut bank on the channel side. I see a lot of boaters thinking it is safest running down the middle but that is rarely the deepest water. As for fishing, if you know where the main channel is you have a head start on finding fish too....now you can watch for those sandbars that cause a seam or a reduced current area but are still near the main channel, fish like these areas.

 

[riverfisher]

take it slow and staying away from the crowds usually produce better results . if u got a Lowrance and want my old trails from last year i can give you them dont know how much it has changed from last year but its better then deriving completely blind. I have from north of the hesket all the way down to state line

 

[shorthairsrus]

imo -- start further south -- where it widens more (ft rice) -- softer current easier to control the boat. I am not much of a river ratt -- I would rather be a bank ratt. IDK i just drag a jig and it works. Don't over think it-- once you nail one, two then it clicks in.

 

[dean nelson]

take it slow and staying away from the crowds usually produce better results . if u got a Lowrance and want my old trails from last year i can give you them dont know how much it has changed from last year but its better then deriving completely blind. I have from north of the hesket all the way down to state line

I'm a big believer in avoiding the crowds but in this case I would say if your not out there with an experienced river guy joining the crowd might help. This way you can see how they are drifting certain structure and the technique they are using. I do a ton of pitching jigs especially towards sundown or rise but much of the time it's vertical jiging. It takes awhile to get boat control down so your line stays vertical. I find the river eyes are often some of the easiest to catch since the spots that hold them are so readily apparent on the surface. Often a guy will jig down the run then crank up it but be mindful of other boats since one boat doing the opposite of the pack can really screw things up. Oh and be mindful near bigger cliffs they often have rocks below them. Hitting a sandbar is not a big deal but smoking a rock can wreck a day fast.

 

[hogslayer]

Walleye fishing the river in the spring is pretty simple really. Walleye hang just off of the main current on small breaks and eddies where the current isn't as fast. They are waiting in ambush to dart out and snatch baitfish drifting downstream. Vertical jig with a slow presentation while slipping downstream and you'll fill the boat up in no time.

The most important things to remember are:
1. Learn the channel!!!! If you lose it, go closer to shore. It seems counterintuitive that the middle of the river is 2-3ft but 10 ft off the shoreline is 20-30ft but you'll get used to it.
2. Refine your boat control. Spring river fishing in Bismarck it is almost impossible to avoid crowds. A good trolling motor with anchor lock is worth it's weight in gold along with a good multifunction display with GPS tracks.
3. Be mindful of others! For some reason it seems like there always has to be at least one a**hole on the water you run into (for some reason most river dicks drive rangers-not sure why?). Don't be that guy. If everyone else is slipping downstream and motoring up and coming back down, don't be the one guy trying to pull cranks back up right through the 20 other boats coming down behind you.
4. Presentation and catching fish is the easy part. Jigs and minnows, rippin raps, blade baits... etc. About anything works when the bite is on. The biggest thing is learning the river and being able to control your boat in the current. Good luck and hope to see you out there!

 

[Aquaholic]

Before you chart your first path, throw in some waders and a oar to push with.

 

[Up Y'oars]

There are MANY stories for those that fish the river. I learned the hard way after two incidents the first three years living here and testing the Big Mo. For this reason I only fish the river a few times during the spawn up until the lakes are open.

First bad event was a rolling log just under the boat, and it popped up and hit the skeg of my kicker motor. I was running upstream about 28mph right smack dab in the middle of the channel next to the mouth of the Heart River. The impact snapped both of the clamps and the motor went flying straight up in the air, only to be pulled back down by the rubber fuel hose. The kicker landed inside the boat right behind my driver's seat. Had it hit me I'm sure I'd be dead. To replace the clamps it was $100 per clamp and I did the work myself.

Second bad event was getting rained on while I was coming back upstream from the U-Mary area. Trying to read the graph and keep my eyes open for other boats made it difficult with the raindrops pelting my face. I had my GPS expanded into the final reading to make sure I was as close to the way I went downstream as possible. I knew there was a really flat area where I would have to traverse sideways in the area between U-Mary and Ft. Lincoln. I got off a bit and came up on a shallow sandbar. I finally worked (rocking front and back) my way off and started the big motor to back up, only to hit a sandbar behind me with the prop/engine. The sandbar behind me put so much pressure on the motor that it bent the trim rods so the hydraulics made it difficult to raise/lower the engine. That repair/replacement cost me $580

 

[fly2cast]

Go to the mouth of the Heart River and jig. Always good fishing. Also straight across to the east is a long sand bar. Pull crankbaits along that sandbar in about 6 feet of water and don't let out too much line. You want the crank to hit the bottom. Should also be good for a few fish or more. Won't get good and consistent for about a month but you should be able catch some until that time.

 

[Flatrock]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Sounds like caution is very important the first few times out just to start learning the channel.

 

[dean nelson]

Caution is required every time out there. No one ever knows the river completely since it's always changing. But a few simple precautions and the ability to read the water can get you by just about everything unless it's windy. Most bars, rocks and deadhead leave tell tail sighs that they are there if you know what to look for. I've hit my fair share of logs but most were minor although I did launch the motor cover up into the bow once. If you can find a person who knows the river to go with will make a huge difference since they will be able to point things out and tell you what it means and if it's something to avoid.

 

[Hookin8easy]

Also, as mentioned, yes the channel is along the cut banks...but so are the dead heads-trees! Generally I try to stay at least the height of a cottonwood from the banks. If you have gps and want a trail show up at ANY boat ramp at 7 am Saturday morning and follow, if your fast enough to keep up, get your trail and explore from there. And yes many think that you'd love to fish with another 5 or 6 boats, if I wanted to fish and have a conversation with ya...id have invited you, doesn't get any worse than spring on the mighty mo

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50' means nothing out there, land locked or in boat, if they're boat fits its on

 

[Sum1]

Id be cautious on the river no matter how many times you have ran up and down it. There are numerous deadheads far enough under the water to not make the tell tale "v" in the water but shallow enough to take out you lower unit. You could have missed it by three feet ten times then on the eleventh "Whamo Kabamo".

If you have an aluminum prop...get a stainless one.

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The cool thing about the river is you can go out there with a handful of jigs(literally) and some minnows and spank the crap out of the waldos.

 

[tikkalover]

I have fished the tailrace for roughly 32 years, only from the dam to 4 miles down river, in the first 25 years, only dinged 1 prop on a rock (slightly bent the tip of 1 blade). Then one day (during low water releases) unloaded the boat off the trailer, and backed up on a rock, there I sat couldn't move, a nice guy in another boat pulls up beside me, and asked if I as grounded, I said no I must be on a rock. Throw him a rope and he pulls me off. Go down river, and cross the gravel hump at the first curve, get in the deeper water on the other side, crack the throttle half open, and the tiller handle shoots out of my hand (have the Stingray Hydrofoil on my motor) hit a submerged tree. Get done fishing, and coming back up river fallowing my trail on the graph, cross the hump again, and hit another rock, and chew up the prop pretty good.;:;banghead 3 times in one day. Moral of this story is, never let your guard down when you fish the river.

 

[DerHornen]

I'm in the same place as you, last summer was my first time on the Missouri. Between some time on the boat and some time in a kayak I'm still learning to read the surface ripples and the shoreline to get a feel for the channel.

Sometimes you just have to kill time, maybe a lot of time, traveling at low speed to make sure anything you hit isn't a big deal. There have been days I spent more time following other boats and idling around than fishing because I didn't want to hit a sandbar at 30mph. So far the worst I've done is shine up my prop on sand because I got a little shallower than I wanted.

 

[dean nelson]

Like was said your first few times go up stream from the ramp that way if you end up on a bar (and you probably will) you can just lift the motor and float off. I would also recommend you wait for a sunny calm day and then wear a set of polarized sunglasses so that you can see the obstacles under the water fairly easily. Don't worry too much about hitting sand bars everyone does it it's not really a big deal its just a pain in the butt and somewhat embarrassing if you have an audience and you do it at high speed.

 

[WLYHNTR]

Like was said your first few times go up stream from the ramp that way if you end up on a bar (and you probably will) you can just lift the motor and float off. I would also recommend you wait for a sunny calm day and then wear a set of polarized sunglasses so that you can see the obstacles under the water fairly easily. Don't worry too much about hitting sand bars everyone does it it's not really a big deal its just a pain in the butt and somewhat embarrassing if you have an audience and you do it at high speed.

Id still worry about hitting sandbars audience or not