NSR tip thread.

[Kanati]

So i been working all week on getting my first fish from a river, the NSR. 5 hours a day not a single bite yet. What have i tried. The following:

Spoons - various sizes and types

Spiners - various sizes and types

Slider pyramid rig - 4oz weight - bait dead real minows and those gulp fake but stinky minnows.

Tried 5 diffrent spots/locations

Equipment 9ft rod, medium/heavy

17lb line.

When trying for pike i use a braides leader then spoon.


Going to try day 6 tomorrow..... any tips for tomorrow to help get my first?

[-JR-]

Where have you been fishing on the river.

[fitzy]

All I use on the river anymore is a pickeral rig. It'll catch everything from sturgeon to goldeneye.
River fishing is it's own special animal. It sounds like you're putting the time in for sure, I'd guess you just need to keep trying different spots. Structure will hold fish, breaks and back waters will as well.

[ghostguy6]

What area and what time of day? What species are you targeting? Dead sticking for walleye with worms a few inches off the bottom and and minnows about 2 ft off the bottom always has worked well for me in the evenings. For pike I found spoons only work when the water is on the clearer side. Raps with ball bearings inside worked best in darker water. For Goldeye smaller spinners on lighter gear works well in the evenings.

[Talking moose]

2% of the river holds 98% of the fish. That’s the key. Find a nice big eddy with some depth to it, throw out a pic rig with a worm on the bottom and a minnow on top, you’ll be in fish all day. Burbot, goldeye, mooneye, walleye, sauger, various suckers, sturgeon, and maybe even a pike can be had. I have an excellent location but it’s an hour from the city. But there are holes like that closer to the city as well.

[Kanati]

So pickle rig
6oz canon ball
Worm on bottom hook
Minow on top
Chuck out
Wait
Win

?

[Talking moose]

So pickle rig
6oz canon ball
Worm on bottom hook
Minow on top
Chuck out
Wait
Win

?

If you are in an eddy, no need for much weight as there is very little current. But finding a good deep eddy is your priority.

[NSR Fisher]

Like Moose said, you can probably get away with 1.5 or 2 ounces in slack water in the NSR, if you are fishing a bit more current for gold eye maybe upgrade to a 3 ounce. The shape of a pyramid weight helps it stay anchored so you dont always need to max out the weight.

Definitely try a variety of baits, I find worms are the most consistent action because everything eats a worm even pike. Use 2 swivels and have 2 lines out, one near bottom has the worm, one up top with a minnow. Make sure when you cast to lob it so it hits the water with the bait extended instead of all wrapped up, it makes sure your hooks flow naturally in the current instead of getting tangled up with the weight. I find a lot of guys have trouble with this and don't get bites because of it. It takes a bit of grace to lob a bait rig but practice makes perfect.

A good section of river to walk around and find structure and eddies is the area around Fort Edmonton Park. When you are down there be courteous of course and dont just set up right in some guys spot but you can definitely learn a lot by just getting out and trying a lot of different areas.

If you really struggle, don't be afraid to shoot me a PM and I can tip you off on a few honey holes right around Edmonton.