PHOTO BY JD BLACKBURN
Ott DeFoe focuses on warm-water runoffs during the prespawn . He turns his attention to spots closer to the main river in postspawn .
THE CATCH
This all probably sounds incredible . An easy-to-fish , unpressured fishery . What ’ s not to like ?
Well , there are some drawbacks to consider . As predictable as a bass can be in river , the river itself can be anything but predictable , especially when it comes to water levels and clarity .
Spring rains can cause a river ’ s water levels to rise and fall in a matter of hours . Too much new water can make a river treacherous to travel , and even if it ’ s safe , depending on how the backwaters lay out , a rise in water level of only a foot could mean miles of new backwater to fish that you can ’ t even reach . And , of course , with more water and current most often comes dirtier water conditions , which can further complicate things .
According to both pros , though , it ’ s rare for even the worst of these fluctuations to last long . Once they start to dissipate , you better be ready . The best fishing is right around the corner .
“ Say you get a big storm tonight ,” DeFoe says . “ Tomorrow will probably be blown out . The next day will probably still be a little iffy . But the day after that can be excellent . They ’ ve had the lights turned out on them for two days , so when the water starts to clear up and the light starts to come back on , they start to feed heavy .”
Basically , much like in reservoirs , a bass ’ mood can be altered by the water conditions and levels , though it may be even more extreme in a river because it can happen so fast . But that mood will also switch back to positive just as quickly .
“ I may have been on a topwater bite , but then the water drops a little and I ’ ll have to go to pitching a wacky rig for a day or two ,” DeFoe explains . “ I may have been catching them on the inside of the grass , close to the bank , and then have to switch to the outside . The nice part is they don ’ t move far .”
PHOTO BY JD BLACKBURN
That happened to DeFoe just last year . He and his son , Parker , were one a tremendous pattern on the Holston fishing the inside of grass , where it met a hard bank , catching plenty of fish ( and Parker catching one close to 7 pounds ). A couple days later , though , DeFoe came back to film a TV show only to find the water levels were a couple inches lower and the fish more skittish .
He quickly pivoted to the outside of the grass , where he managed only two bites , but both were close to 6 pounds . And , of course , a couple days after that , they were back up on the inside grass , not far away .
One key advantage to fishing rivers in the spring is the efficiency with which you can break down productive water .
APRIL-MAY 2021 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 57