by Ron Presley
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series addressing the issue of fishing new waters. Part one can be found in the September 2019 issue of CatfishNow with information from Carson and Austin Pierce.
Combine technology and skills for best results.
Michael Haney had not been on the Alabama River in 20 years. He was facing that age-old question that all anglers have when they go to fish new waters. Where do I start?
Haney reported that he and his regular fishing partner, Rodney Crimm, had come over three weeks previously to check out the river, knowing that they would be returning to fish it. It was the first time ever for either one of them to rod and reel fish the river.
Usually, on a new body of water Haney and Crimm would stay away from deep water. Their normal modus operandi is to pinpoint structure and fish it thoroughly. They found it hard to avoid the deep water on the Alabama River so they faced a bit of a challenge.
“Our strategy is generally to check structure,” offered Haney. “We usually stay away from deep holes unless we mark some fish in them. We are normally going to scan the bank and determine exactly where the structure is. That’s the place you find fish in abundance.”
Specifically, Haney and Crimm are looking for ledges, humps, rocks, laydowns, or any other item that gives the catfish a place to hide, rest, and ambush.
“A lot of places where we go ledges will have fish on them,” confirmed Haney. “Or, if you can find a hump, right behind that hump will probably hold some fish.”
“We run a Lowrance HDS-12 Live,” added Crimm. “We use side scan sonar and 2D sonar to pick up fish and structure. We run it at about a 100-foot range so we can cover a pretty large area to see if there are trees, a hump, a ledge, or any other structure that we mark fish on.”
Crimm confirmed that sometime they just mark structure. If it looks good and they have a good gut feeling about it they will put some baits out there and see what happens. They don’t have to see fish on the sonar to fish it.
“Sometimes those fish are tucked up in that cover,” explained Crimm. “They can be so tight that they do not show up on the sonar. They can also be buried on the bottom. When you catch those fish and they are all muddied up on the side you know immediately why you are not seeing them on sonar. That is particularly true on the side scan.”
Haney and Crimm both mentioned the current on the Alabama River as another challenge. The current comes and goes with the generating schedules.
“Fish tend to be more active when there is current,” explained Crimm. “When the current is there, the fish are having to swim constantly. They can’t’ just lay there. They are burning more energy, burning more calories. It is just like you and me. If we are exercising more, we are burning calories and we have to replenish those calories. So, when the fish are in a heavier current situation they are having to feed more often.”
“It is obvious but true,” added Haney. “We tend to catch more fish when we have current. Slack water tends to find the fish less active. Current is a big factor on these river systems that start and stop the flow.”
If the generators are started and current is produced, the bite is likely to pick up. If generation stops and the current slows, the bite normally slows down with it.
“When that current changes it is going to take those fish a little while to adjust to the water going back to where it was. Say they shut it off. The fish will have to adjust to the water going back slack. The same thing is true if they start up and generate more current,” suggested Crimm.
Because the current can come and go, fishing techniques and equipment can be important too. Anglers need to have the right equipment on board to deal with different situations. Slack water is a case in point. You might need two anchors.
“Slack water situations require a different setup,” explained Crimm. “When there is not enough current to hold the boat in place, you gotta’ let your front anchor out and back off as far as you need to put your back anchor out. Pull out the slack between the two anchors to complete the set up.”
The double anchor will keep your boat from swinging around on you. If you are trying to fish structure you want those baits staying in place and not getting drug around in a bunch of treetops or other structure because the boat is moving.
The Alabama River is only one example. Almost every body of water has its own characteristics and it is the angler’s responsibility to determine how to fish it. Technology helps, but nothing replaces experience.
“There are places we go to fish where we would suspend fish,” concluded Haney. “If we were on the Mississippi River we would bump. Here on the Alabama River, specifically the Swift Creek area, the water is really deep. You will see some 20 foot, but it is usually 30 plus. Because of the deep water we fished it on the rope. The river is new to us, but we caught 5 flatheads and 6 blues. And all the fish we caught were on structure.”
Equipment Used: Haney and Crimm are B’n’M prostaff anglers. They use B’n’M rods, Flathead Fever Hooks, and Abu Garcia 500 reels.
