Your PFD, Paddle, and kayak are base line essentials for a day on the river. Of course, your PFD should be worn at all times. That goes without saying. I just received some 2013 safety data from the American Canoe Association and last year 75% of all canoe and kayak fatalities involved individuals who where not wearing their PFD’s. Remember your PFD cannot save your life if you are sitting on it or have it stowed someplace in your kayak. Ware it zipped and buckled the entire time your on the water… I do.

Since this part of my “River Kayak Angling 101″ series, I wanted to take a look at some fishing related equipment that will make you a more effective and efficient river kayak angler. It is basically a list of fishing related equipment that I wouldn’t hit the river without. I’m all about efficiency and getting the most out of my time on the water. This list of gear helps me accomplish those goals.

River Stick

I NEVER hit the rive without my river stick. A “river stick” is basically a short stake out pole of approximately 3 feet. It is used through the scupper hole in shallow slow moving water to hold position in rocky river environments. Just slide the pole into the scupper till it makes contact with the bottom. It will find a crack between the rock and pin your boat in place.

You can make them yourself by cutting down an old rake handle and sharpening it or you can go with the solution I use, a “Little Stick” made by YakAttack. I like this manufactured solution best because it floats, wont warp like wood, and the point stays sharp… Oh yeah.. did I mention it floats too?

Rubberized Telescoping or Collapsible Net

In the past year I started using nets more and I’ve decided that it is much easier to manage the fish in the kayak when using a landing net. I’ve honestly never lost a trophy fish landing by hand but I have had a few “hairy” moments over the years! I have two requirements for kayak fishing nets when it comes to fishing Rivers. First, the net must be compact so that it takes up minimal space in transit. Second, it must have some type of protective coating on the net so that it will not destroy the slime coat of the fish. I’ve found two nets that meet my standards and perform well in the highly dynamic environment of the river angler. The Leverage Landing Net Kayak version and the Promar telescoping net are the best that I’ve found.

Lip Grippers

I don’t use lip grippers to land fish. I use them to keep picture worthy smallmouth bass submerged and healthy while I’m getting the camera out and setting up the shot. I connect a simple carabiner to the wrist strap on the grips then connect that to the side carry handle of my Wilderness Systems Ride 115. The fish stays in the water and is right there when I’m ready to grip and grin. This technique reduces the time a smallmouth bass needs to be out of the water for a photo down to seconds instead of minutes.

Needle Nose Pliers & Scissors

Clearing treble hooks out of a fishes mouth and cutting braided line are all essential functions when on the river. I know from experience that a visit to the hospital emergency room to have hooks removed is no fun and cuts WAY down on your fishing time! Also, your dentist will not be happy if you’re using your million dollar smile to cut line! I like to keep my pliers handy in the pocket of my Kokatat Bahia Tour PFD. My scissors are at the ready stored attached to the outside of my crate.

Drag Rope

River fishing is never a drag but you may need to drag your kayak when portaging or you may want to tether your kayak to you while wading. I have a home made solution that does both. Clip on the handle and you can drag your kayak flat across dry river bottom or the forest floor when portaging. Take the handle off utilizing the carabiner to clip the kayak to your life vest or belt loop when wading.

Crate

No self respecting kayak angler would be without a totally awesome crate to carry all their fishing gear. Some kayak anglers take great pride in designing their own. I use the homemade crate pictured below on my guide kayaks. If you want an excellent “out of the box” crate solution check out the YakAttack “Black Pack“. No matter which solution you opt for, always make sure to add on some additional rod storage. The more rods you have the less re-tying you’ll do and the more efficient you’ll be on the water.

Now you know a little about how I increase my efficiency on the water.  What gear do you use to help you stay organized and efficient on the water?

One of my Guided Kayak Fishing Class students with a nice smallmouth bass caught on a Winco’s Baby Predator Craw.

When you’re chasing river smallmouth bass, you’ve got to have the right lures at your disposal. As I was developing this list, I challenged myself to come up with a handful of baits that would work for river smallmouth spring through fall. The result, a collection of lures that I would have complete confidence in no matter what the river condition or the fishes mood.

Top of Water Column

Poppers – A great top water bait for “calling in” smallies from a distance. A few pops and let it sit for as long as you can stand it and the smallies will hit it with reckless abandonment.

Prop Baits – Prop baits like the Heddon Tiny Torpedo are excellent for smallmouth. The distinctive gurgling noise produced by the metal propeller and resulting surface disturbance has enticed more that one trophy smallmouth to inhale this strange combination of metal and plastic. A few sharp short snaps of the rod followed by a long pause will drive the smallies crazy.

Buzzbaits – When the top water bite is heating up, you’ll want to fish fast, cover water, and find the biters. A buzzbait is a great cast and wind bait. Make sure you start the retrieve as soon as your bait touches down. If you can deflect the bait of wood, rock, or your fishing buddies kayak on the retrieve you’ll trigger far more strikes!

Colors: Represented are a number of colors and patterns that can be effective for river smallmouth ranging from flashy baitfish colors to darker colors that provide high contrast.

Middle of Water Column

Soft Stickworms - Most often smallmouth will hit soft stickworms on the drop or on the drift so I consider it primarily a middle of the water column presentation. Nose hooked, texposed rigged, or wacky rigged this bait can be fished in a variety of situations. It’s truly a “do nothing” kind of bait. Cast it out and let it fall through the water column in a likely looking smallie haunt. I like to fish this bait on a bit of a slack line to maintain a more natural drift and parallel slow fall to the bottom.

Colors: Shades of browns, greens, black, and laminated with a  dark color and contrasting light typically work well. I’m also a big fan of chartreuse tipped soft stickworm. Baits below are all Winco’s Custom Lure baits ranging from 3″ to 4.5″

Soft Jerkbaits – Soft jerkbaits are one of the most effective baitfish imitating middle of the water column baits for smallmouth bass. Cast it out, let it sink to the desired depth, then add a few short jerks followed by a pause. When smallmouth are in a neutral or negative mood, you can cast it out and dead drift or dead stick the bait adding no action at all. This presentation is absolutely deadly for trophy sized smallmouth bass.

Colors: Colors matching baitfish in your local flow are a good place to start. I use an iridescent color called “electric blue” then just paint on custom color patterns with a scented “Spike-it” marker. Pictured below are solid body Creek and River Darters by Winco’s Custom Lures.

Spinnerbaits – One word comes to mind when  look at a spinnerbait…. “versatility”. A steady cast and crank retrieve,  a stop and go retrieve, or burning it back to the kayak,  very few lures can cover water as quickly and effectively as the spinnerbait. Don’t forget to bang it off those sub surface obstacles to trigger strikes that will darn near rip the rod out of your hand! Armed with a hand full of 3/16 oz. to 1/2 oz spinnerbaits you’ll be ready to do battle with a big chunk of river bronze!

Colors: Spinnerbaits pictured range from 3/16 oz to 1/2 oz. White skirts are typically fished in clear water, chartreuse skirts in slightly stained or green water, and black skirts for heavily stained water. Experiment with gold or silver blade color until you find what fish want.

Bottom of Water Column

Tubes – Yes, the classic tried and true tube makes the list!  Does it represent a minnow or a crawfish? We may never know but the lure has probably caught more river smallmouth than any other in the north east waters where I fish. Rigged on a 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz.  internal tube head jig and worked with a series of short drags and long pauses in between will draw the attention of smallmouth bass.

Colors: Match local crawfish and baifish color for best results. Shades of greens browns, and black will imitate crawfish nicely. Use dark colors in stained water. Laminated tubes with dark on top and light colors on bottom bottom will make good baitfish imitations. Tubes with various metallic fleck colors can also be good baitfish imitators.

Soft Plastic Crawfish Imitations -It’s no surprise that crawfish are a smallmouth’s preferred food source in most river systems so this bait is a must for the serious smallie hunter! Crawfish are one of my favorite baits for river smallmouth no matter what the season.  Crawl it slowly and meticulously on the bottom for 8-12 inches at a time with long pauses in between drags and you’ve got a great presentation.

Colors: Do some exploring in your local flows. Lift rocks and pay close attention to the colors of crawfish. You will likely find several different color variations. Use that research to select some colors and go from there. Below are pictured 3.25 inch Predator Craws rigged on a Flutter Head and the smaller 2.25 inch Baby Predator Craw rigged on a Rock Guarded Football Head by Winco’s Custom Lures. Adjust the size of your offering based on the fishes mood and the size of active crawfish you may observing while fishing.

Crankbaits – When fish are in the mood for a fast presentation low in the water column, it’s time to break out the crankbaits! Making bottom contact with your crankbait is important. Most often strikes will come as the bait deflects off rock on the river bottom so selecting a diving crankbait that will hit bottom is important. Experiment with fast, slow or stop and go retrieves to find what the fish want.

Colors: Match the coloration of baitfish and crawfish in your river system for most water conditions. When the water gets muddy, switch to crankbaits with red or very dark contrasting colors.

Honorable Mention

Suspending Jerkbaits – This bait shines in early spring and late fall. When the fish  want something hanging forever in the middle of the water column, tie on a suspending jerkbait. Jerk or crank it down to depth in a likely looking smallie haunt and just let it hang there. A typical cadence is two or three jerks and then a pause. In cold water let it hang for minutes.  In warmer water you can shorten the pause significantly. Smallies will usually crush the bait on the pause. Let them tell you how long they want the bait to hang.

 The Real Secret

In my Guided Kayak Fishing Classes, I often stress moving outside the “normal boundary” of a lures “perceived” usefulness to extend the situations that a lure can effective. My list above is actually built on the idea that lures can and should be used beyond the the loose boundaries I’ve outlined. For example, I’ve listed the soft jerkbait as a middle of the water column lure. This is in fact the most common use of this bait however it can be used effectively in other ways. For example,  dead sticking a soft jerkbait on the bottom has produced many citation class river smallmouth bass for me and many of my fishing buddies. The soft jerkbait can also be used for a top of the water column presentation by skittering the bait across the waters surface using a combination of short snaps of the rod while quickly reeling up slack. Bottom line, always consider how you can push the limits of a baits usefulness when chasing river smallmouth.

Doubling the three rod set will make you a more efficient river angler.

I often see message board posts asking about rods for river kayak anglers. Most often anglers want recommendations on length, power, and number of rods they should be toting along on their quests for river smallmouth bass. The philosophy I’ve developed over years of river kayak angling is one of keeping things simple while still allowing for the widest range of possible lure presentation. The result, a three rods “set” that I believe covers over 90 percent of the presentations river anglers will need when pursuing smallmouth bass. My approach is more of a “generalist” approach. I want to get the most use across baits from each of my rods. Yes, this seams counter intuitive in a market full of specialized rods but it works.  I’ll get into the details of my rod set later in the article but first I want to start with some general guidelines for selecting you river kayak angling rod arsenal.

One thing I want to make perfectly clear is that I do in fact use some specialized rods. For example, I have a specialized rod for throwing 1 oz. – 2 oz. spinnerbaits during periods of high muddy water. What the three rods set does is provide a core of rods that handle the widest range of baits possible so that I do not need to have to find room for an overabundance of specialized rods in my kayak.

Rod Length

Long rods are the norm for me when river angling for smallmouth bass. My three rod set consists of rods in the 7 foot to 7.5 foot range. The reasons to use long rods are many but I’ll focus on just a few here. First, longer rods help make longer casts with light baits. Finesse fishing with small weightless plastics is an effective way to catch monster smallmouth in low clear water.  Second, Longer rods allow you to work quickly around the bow of your kayak and control that smallmouth of a lifetime. There is nothing more frustrating than loosing a bass that runs under your kayak and makes it’s escape leap several feet on the other side of your kayak because you can’t get your rod around the bow to control the fish. Last, longer rods allow for a higher line angle when slow dragging tubes and other bottom hugging baits. The higher angle helps reduce those unwanted snags with the thousands of crevasses on the rocky river bottom.

The Three Rod Set Revealed

Please remember power ratings are not standard in the fishing rod industry across manufacturers. I’ve listed the recommended bait weight range for each rod. That should give you some guidance for selecting the right power from your favorite manufacturer when putting together your three rod set.

Rod #1: 7 ft. Medium Light Power, Fast action Spinning Rod

The rod I use is a Temple Fork Outfitters Gary Loomis Signature series TFG FWS 703-1 7. The rod handles lines from 4-10 lb. test diameter and baits ranging from 1/8 to 1/2 oz. This rod is great for bottom dragging baits like tubes and crawfish imitations.

Line – 6/20 Power Pro Braided Line with a 10lb test fluorocarbon leader

Baits – Tubes, crawfish imitations, Small crankbaits, medium to large “fluke” style baits, larger “senko” style baits, suspending jerkbaits such as Pointer 78′s and XR8′s

Reels – Any reel of you choice that handles line in the 6-10 lb. test range should be sufficient.

Rod #2: 7.5 ft. Medium Light Power, Fast Action Spinning Rod

The rod I use is a Temple Fork Outfitters Gary Loomis Signature series TFG FWS 763-1. The rod handles lines from 4-10 lb. test diameter and baits ranging from 1/8 to 1/4 oz. This rod is great for tossing very light baits such as unweighted 3″ stickworms. The extra length helps it handle the smaller baits very well. It also makes a  great top water rod. It will cast standard size Pop-r’s and Tiny Torpedoes a country mile!

Line – 6/20 Power Pro Braided Line with a 10lb test fluorocarbon leader

Baits – Smaller soft jerkbaits, 3″ Stickworms, various weightless soft baits, smaller “senko” style baits, medium to small top water baits, 1/16 oz hair jigs and other small cold water bottom dragging baits up to 1/8 oz.

Reels – Any reel of you choice that handles line in the 6-10 lb. test range should be sufficient.

Rod #3: 7 ft Medium Power, Fast Action Casting  Rod

The rod I use is a Temple Fork Outfitters Gary Loomis Signature series TFG FWC 704-1. The rod handles lines from 6-12 lb. test diameter and baits ranging from 1/4 to 3/4 oz. I use this rod primarily for throwing my full arsenal of spinnerbaits from 1/4 oz. to 1/2 oz. It’s also great for tossing medium to larger sized crankbaits and lipless crankbaits.

Line – 10lb test monofilament line.

Baits – Medium to larger top water baits, medium sized crankbaits, medium sized lipless crankbaits, Spinnerbaits up to 1/2 oz., suspending jerkbaits such as Pointer 100′s and XR10′s

Reels – I’m a big fan of high speed casting reels for river fishing. I’m usually looking for something that’s ripping in 30″ of line or more per handle turn. High speed reels will help you keep baits like spinnerbaits working properly when reeled from upstream to downstream. They also are a big advantage when trying to get a quick follow up cast. If you do a lot of cranking and winding, you’ll also experience less fatigue during a day of fishing because you don’t have to work as hard in terms of cranking in your baits.

Multiply The Set By Two

You are probably getting the idea by now. The three rod set will help you cover most bait presentations while out on the river. If your like me and don’t like taking extra time to re-tie lures, just double the three rod set to six and you’ll fish fast and efficiently all day long.

Fall in the north eastern United States means the river smallmouth put on the feedbag preparing for the long winter when food will be scarce. Appeal to the smallmouths “need to feed” by sputtering spinnerbaits!

Video: Sputtering Spinnerbaits for Fall Smallmouth Bass

When the bite gets tough its the details that can improve your catch rates. In  this video I share a rigging technique I’ve used for river smallmouth bass during cold front and other “tough bite” situations.

Video: Wacky Rigging a Laminated Stickworm for Smallmouth Bass

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Andy Cameron of The Milkcrate Magazine. The Milkcrate is an on-line magazine/blog dedicated to chronicling the kayak fishing lifestyle and history. The list of accomplished kayak anglers featured on the site is growing all the time. It’s a great place to see who’s out there shaking up the kayak fishing world and it’s just flat out entertaining! I had a great time doing the interview and telling my story!

Winco’s Creek Darters
Predator Craws
Laminated Wacky Worm
Winco’s Smallmouth Speical Spinnerbaits 3/16 oz. in both chartreuse and white
Floating Rapala’s also took some fish.