I like to go fishing in a river in florida which leads in to the ocean, but from where i fish it is at least 30 miles away from the ocean. I was wondering what kind of fish are probably in this river, there are a lot of stubs and fallen trees and boat docks in this lake and i was wondering what i should use in these areas for the fish that u may suggest r in there, so please help
well im not sure if the river is partially saltwater (brackish) and partially fresh or if it is all freshwater or saltwater…but most likely you have some largemouth if you know for certain it is fresh and sunnies and bluegills along with catfish…catfish are most likely in that river because they live in both saltwater and freshwater under a lot of hectic conditions…there may be snook in that river if it is brackish. try using some sort of live bait such as minnows, worms, crawdads, shrimp, ballyhoo etc that will stir up some action in the water…have an amazing time fishing and hope that I helped!!!
First we'll talk about the inside and outside curves. As a river flows, the current cuts deep banks, which are called outside curves. It deposits gravel, sand and debris on the inside curves. Outside curves mostly consist of deep water, fallen trees, root systems and bigger rocks. Inside curves consist of sandbars, smaller pea gravel and shallow water flats.
Current breaks can be any type of object that provides a substantial reduction in water flow. This can be a man-made bridge, a tree lodged in sand in the middle of a river, log jam, large boulders, or any type of fallen trees along the bank. One thing you have to remember is that fast-moving rivers are harder for bass to live in.
Medium or slow-moving rivers are best. The number one key to fishing rivers is to find "peeper" holes. This might be a hole 10 feet deep and 30 yards long on larger rivers. It can also be 20 feet deep and run for a quarter of a mile or more. I would say that most of the time bass live and stay near these deep pools. There is an exception to this. During the spring, they will scatter and travel up sloughs and feeder creeks to spawn.
And remember creeks and sloughs are also good areas, if they have enough depth. You want to find water that is seven to 10 feet. This will usually hold fish year round. Creeks and sloughs will be at their best in the spring as bass travel all the way to the backs of these areas. Fall can be another peak time for these areas, but fall also usually brings lower water levels and bass don't normally venture too far from the main river.
When you run out of depth, you'll run out of fish. Most sloughs have dingy or tea-colored water. This factor alone will hold fish shallower throughout the year. A lot of these areas have flooded hardwoods such as oak trees, which cause the water to have that color. Tannic acid is the main reason. As this acid seeps out of the bark and roots of the trees, it will settle to the bottom. In these areas, most bass will be located up against the roots or around logs in 1-1/2- to 4-foot of water. If the center of the slough is eight feet deep, most bass can be found above six feet to avoid the tannic acid.
To compensate for this positioning of the fish, it's always good to simply raise your rod tip a little higher than normal to get the bait some distance off the bottom. Lighter jigs work well for this because they fall through the strike zone slower.
Now we'll get back to the river itself. As I said earlier, most of the time bass will hold in deeper pools during the day. Late evenings, at night or in early morning times are when you will need to fish shallower water. The inside curves will have sandbars and small pea gravel points. These are excellent places for bass to ambush bait. Two other prime feeding areas are where the river is coming into a deeper hole and where it's going out.
Most of the time a river will be wider with shallow water just before a deeper pool. As it flows into a hole, it will usually compress or get smaller. Bass love to feed just at the front of these holes. If the water is fairly clear, you'll see the bottom just as it falls off into the hole. Another indication of a drop-off is a small line of tiny ripples on the surface. Any place where you find drop-offs of some significance are ideal ambush places for bass. On the lower end of a hole, where the river starts to widen back out, is another area where bass will be feeding.
If you think about it, the river itself is not that complicated. You have two banks that are not usually very far apart. The number one place I always rely on is a deeper bank, where there are drifts that have fallen trees and brush piles. These banks will have root systems, rocks, and undercut banks. They will always hold a good number of fish.
One of the most important things to remember about the current, whether it is in a river or creek, is that bass will always hold on the down-stream side of current breaks. With this in mind, most of the time the bass will be looking upstream, or just to their sides. This should give you an idea of the best way to approach fishing a river. I'm always going to slip upriver and fish ahead of myself. If the water is moving pretty good, I move out at about a 45-degree angle from where I'm fishing. What this does is give me more control over my bait. If you get directly behind a shoal or sandbar, the current carries your bait toward you too fast and you can't feel the bait.
Always pay attention to what's going on ahead of you. It may be a raccoon on the bank or a crane standing in the water next to a drop-off. The coon may be digging for crawfish or searching for frogs or grasshoppers along the grassy bank. The thing that needs to click in your mind is that bass also eat all of these things. What the coon is not catching, he's flushing. I have seen it all my life. Animals use each other to catch their prey. That crane is not standing there looking up at the sky thinking it's a pretty day. He's there for a reason. There are minnows or some type of prey right there close. All of these things can tell you what's going on under the water.
Since I just mentioned minnows, you should also realize that they are the mainstays of many rivers. When I was 17, an old man told me about how the minnows migrated up rivers in the fall. We all know that shad do so, but as early winter arrives they move back toward deeper water because they have a low cold water tolerance. Minnows, on the other hand, go as far as they can. Some travel hundreds of miles. One day in October as I stood above a river and looked down into the water, I saw what the old man had told me about. It's like one of those pictures where you stare at it for five minutes then it jumps out at you. I could see the sand, then the sand was moving. It was minnows, a huge line of them as far as I could see. There must have been millions of them. I have only seen this migration twice in my life. Many people never see it, so I feel fortunate to have witnessed it.
Have fun and tight lines.
Id like to find a campsite that is right next to the water among tall trees, good fishing, and among nature and all its wonders.
There is a beautiful spot north of Bodega bay called the Gualala river. In the same area is the Garcia river. You can camp at Manchester state beach on the beach. Or there is a KOA camp place up the road. Fifty bucks a night will get you a small cabin or a trailer with water and shower. The Gualala is absolutely beautiful there are a lot of neat shops in town and a nice little chart house to eat overlooking the ocean and waves. Along the river are huge trees, ferns and stuff it's beautiful. The only fish you will be after is steelhead (ocean run trout) they are pretty big. The rivers are open until mid April with strict gear regulations. If the rivers are high try alder creek. Just plan on drifting salmon roe or night crawlers. Bright colored spinners and bright orange spinners work well too. It is all catch and release but the average fish is 4-8 pounds with 20 pounders possible. I have been there sometimes and not caught a thing but still had a wonderful trip. It is a very special spot not many people know about. Have fun!
There are places you can access bridges, piers and wade on 44 out toward Fort Island and at Fort Island.
