CRANKIN THE CURRENT

For the last three years at this time of year a certain pattern has existed along the Winnipeg River for walleye, bass and pike, not to mention a whole bunch of other rivers across the province were current is a factor. Flowing water is the great equalizer when it comes to congregating fish, whether it be the Red River, or the Saskatchewan River in northern Manitoba. If there is decent current fish are attracted to sections of the river with the strongest flows for two main reasons, oxygen and food. Water that is flowing, surging and bubbling, is laden with oxygen which attracts and holds fish especially when water temperatures are high as they were this August and even now. In fact we were out on the Winnipeg River last week and the surface water temperature was in the 69 Fahrenheit range, pretty warm for the second week in September. Fish were absolutely stacked up on the edge of current breaks that came into contact with shallow underwater reefs. Believe me, there are plenty of these east of Pointe du Bois so such areas are not that difficult to find. Water levels had also dropped so conditions were prime to catch fish in these types of areas and catch fish we did. What I want to relate to you is probably the most effective method of catching fish that are in areas like this. I say this because most people would probably either anchor and drift with a jig or bottom bouncer and spinner and while both these methods are effective they can cause a lot of grief especially in boulder strewn areas that have a tendency to eat fishing tackle.

There are two methods of presentation that I prefer for these areas but the most effective, at least for me, has been trolling a crankbait behind the boat up into the current. I will tie a straight snap on the end of 14 pound test Fireline, which is spooled on a Abu Garcia level wind reel in conjunction with a seven foot Berkley Series One baitcasting rod. The lure of choice is medium diving Berkley Frenzy, in this case the new Pro Model in blue. As I troll up into the current I let out about 60 feet of line out behind the boat, waiting for the lure to work its way down to its maximum running depth of about 15 feet. That means I have to start my trolling run slightly downstream of the structure I want to fish in order to have the bait at maximum depth when I do get on the structure. It is important to look for shallow current areas with big food shelves, which means in this case having a lot area in the depth range between 10 and 15 feet. Now fish will come up a couple feet to hit the lure even if it isn't bouncing off the bottom, but the erratic action of the crankbait hitting boulders and changing speed and direction cannot be underestimated. Last week while fishing with a couple friends we found one current area like this that was just prime. It had good current and a shallow food shelf for a long way. This allowed us to keep our lures in the fish zone for a good forty metres and on three separate occasion we had triple headers. These kinds of areas attract all species of fish and we caught smallmouth bass, walleye, sauger and some nice sized pike in the same area though these fish tend to be a little territorial.

After finish our trolling run up current, I like to turn the boat around and drift back over the spot slowing boat speed down with my back troll motor.

I will then work the boat back and forth along the current break with a size of jig that allow you a good feel of the bottom but not too heavy so you are snagged all the time. If the fish are congregated in one little area, it's time to anchor your boat slightly upstream of the spot so when you cast your jig into the current, the water will sweep the lure into the spot were the fish are holding. Using a line that is easy to see, like Berkley Photochromic or even Solar XT Green will allow you to detect strikes as well as cutting down on the number of hangups.

Fishing current takes a little bit of practice but after some tremendous fishing, you will be glad you did.

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