How to fish on a river?

coppercarbide · #1 04-05-2012, 01:35 PM

Hi there. I've fished on lakes in summer and winter by spincasting for my whole life, but being a prairie boy I haven't really had much time on a river.

A buddy and I are going to take a 4-day canoe trip on the Athabasca river from Hinton to Whitecourt in late June, and I'd definitely like to spend some of that time fishing.

Can I use spinning gear? What kind of lure would one use? What kind of fish are in the Athabasca river? Can you effectively fish from a drifting canoe if you get in some slower water, or is it best saved for shore breaks?

Fishtech1986 · #2 04-05-2012, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coppercarbide

Hi there. I've fished on lakes in summer and winter by spincasting for my whole life, but being a prairie boy I haven't really had much time on a river.

A buddy and I are going to take a 4-day canoe trip on the Athabasca river from Hinton to Whitecourt in late June, and I'd definitely like to spend some of that time fishing.

Can I use spinning gear? What kind of lure would one use? What kind of fish are in the Athabasca river? Can you effectively fish from a drifting canoe if you get in some slower water, or is it best saved for shore breaks?

Its the same as lake fishing, Cast into deeper water and retrieve. Definitely fish from the boat, whenever the canoe slows right down due to lack of current are good places to try. Bring small spinners, spoons, jigs and give it a go. you will hook into something. Good Luck

Cal · #3 04-05-2012, 05:08 PM

I've canoed that section and fished it successfully with a spinning rod. You can PM me for more specific info but try to learn all you can on reading the water, big rivers like the Athabasca can be hard to read and there is alot less info on reading big rivers than smaller trout streams. The trick is to try and break it down into smaller parts, rarely will the whole river become a pool but you will find all the classic fish holding waters allong the sides or around islands and bends.

And now for a tip I can not stress enough, you will get most of your fish while your lure dead drifts and not while you reel it. Cast straight out into faster water and let the current swing your hook into the pool, vary your line length and casting position to make the lure cross the current seams at different spots. All the biggest grayling I've caught in Alberta came from the section, small spinners and flys on a nail rig have produced the most fish.

Cal · #4 04-06-2012, 01:46 AM

Oh and I usualy just fish from shore, in that stretch of river using an anchor would be pretty dangerous in most places. In general your going to find fish holed up in little pockets and eddys and not scattered over large areas, at the pace the river moves there I think it would be hard to fish effectively from a drifting canoe. Holding the canoe in position would be a full time job and require a strong paddler who knows what he's doing.

These are generalizations though and a few spots spring to mind where the canoe could be used safely and effectively without excessive frustration. For river tripping I often bring a small gunny sack and fill it with rocks to use as an anchor when needed.

OrigNL cast · #5 04-06-2012, 07:29 AM

Also target the inlets of other rivers and streams. Usually deep holes where the currents mix that will hold some nice eyes. Grayling will hold up the inlets a bit. I know there is a nice grayling hole up the Berland a few hundred yards.

densa44 · #6 04-06-2012, 07:45 AM

I've never been on that river but if there are islands etc. there may be opportunities to stop the canoe in the middle of the river, if so, some of the techniques the boys have mentioned will be very effective.

It is often possible to eddy out in a good spot and cast close to shore where others have not been able to fish.

I'm a trout fisherman, but panther martins and mepps work great.

bobcatguy · #7 04-06-2012, 08:43 AM

Most fish will be in the spots where the water slow down such as behind rocks & logs. They use less energy in slower water. If you are out of boat stand at the head of rapids or riffles & let a small spinner drift out downstream of you. Vary the length of line out to cover more water. Just downstream of any inlet should have fish as they will be waiting for the food that comes down that small stream.

OrigNL cast · #8 04-06-2012, 10:16 AM

Nice thread. I think our rivers are one of the most under utilized resources we have. I live within half an hour of the NS near Edmonton and have never fished it. Would be great to get together with an expert sometime this spring.

Cal · #9 04-06-2012, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrigNL cast

Nice thread. I think our rivers are one of the most under utilized resources we have. I live within half an hour of the NS near Edmonton and have never fished it. Would be great to get together with an expert sometime this spring.

Too true, just take a look at how many Alberta angler of the year awards have gone to fish coming out of our rivers over the years. Especily for pike and walleye the chance for a trophy seem to be heavily in the odds of a river fisherman. I've caught far more big fish out of the rivers in the Slave lake area than out Lesser Slave Lake, unfortunatly in the last few years things seem to have silted up, holes have moved and I'm having to re-learn some rivers.