# Where do they go?



## Rick's Tropical Delight (Apr 30, 2017)

So where do the smallmouth go when conditions change from this








to this


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

Under the bushes


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## Rick's Tropical Delight (Apr 30, 2017)

seems to me the current is so fast all the way across that they couldn't stay


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## cane pole (Nov 27, 2011)

You might not believe this, but for the last couple days I to have been wondering about this same thing. Drove by whites Mill couple weeks ago and the water was so high that there was no drop between the upper & lower levels. Someone once told me, that when the water at Griggs Res is up and running high, that in the middle & about a foot off the bottom the river at that place was pretty calm. He use to do water rescue. Would really like to know though. Thanks for asking that question and posting the piks.


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## fishmeister (Jul 29, 2004)

The water right against the bottom has little current, especially behind rocks. For the same reason that you can't blow dust off of your car by driving fast.


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## Rick's Tropical Delight (Apr 30, 2017)

I guess I should have remembered that from my hydrology classes in college...

so all the fish are drafting behind rocks at the bottom where the flow is going to be much less than near the top. I envisioned them all stacking up behind the bridge abutments


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

In my days of bank fishing a couple of the best spots for Saugeye when the river was blown out was whirlpools created by outcroppings (below Delaware) on the shore or bends in the river. Sometimes there were so many fish stacked in whirlpools you would constantly bump them retrieving. Below Alum where the sidewalk bends it creates a slack water area as well that can be dynamite when the water is over the sidewalk.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I realize the Ohio River is a lot bigger than the river pictured, but I've fished it a few times when it was up and really ripping. Yes the water is slower along the bottom because of obstructions, but you still have to get your bait through the strong current to get it to the bottom, and you have to have it close to the bottom or an obstruction or you aren't going to get bit.

The biggest problem with using enough weight get your bait to be bottom in that kind of current is once it gets to the bottom you're going to hang up a lot. Couple that with dirty water and fish that can't see and that aren't going to move out into current that fast because they can't see, and you need to find slack water.

The down stream side of inside turns is going to have the slowest water. And that's where I've had my best luck when fishing the kind of conditions pictured. It will have slack water tight to the bank and mostly likely also an eddy.

If there is a real sharp outside turn you can also find eddies down stream from outside turns. If there were riffles leading to a deeper hole you can also find them tucked up tight against the drop into the hole from the riffle, or the tail out of a pool leading up to the riffle. There will be slack water at the drop just past the riffles, and slack water at the push up leading from a deep hole to the head of a riffle.

Those are super tough conditions, but mostly because the water is so dirty.

Personally if I had a choice I'd be looking for a lake or pond. Or anywhere on the river where a small creek comes in. The upstream and down stream areas of where feeders come in are good spots in high water and some times they'll stack up in the mouth of small creeks or feeders as well.

Addition: I don't know if there are gravel bars on that river, but if there is and you know where they are, fish the upstream and down stream sides of those as well. Anywhere you can find slower or slack water.


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## mas5588 (Apr 15, 2012)

Man, I've been thinking the same thing since about February.

I'm relatively new to river fishing, but I'm hooked. I did pretty well finding the smallies in a couple spots on the Cuyahoga late last year, but I can't seem to find them with the water up and moving. Went last night to a little honey hole and the water was down a bit and not moving too much...my hopes were high. I only spent 90 minutes or so, but didn't find one single Smallmouth. Did catch a few largemouth and a handful of Rock Bass, but no smallies.

It's like they vanished!


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