2. Current Seams and Eddies
On a more macro level, you can look at an aerial photo-
graph to predict where current seams will be located along a
river or a reservoir with heavy flow. A current seam is a place
where currents flowing at two speeds come together – usually
where the water has to speed up to make it around an
obstruction. Eddies are found usually on the backside of
objects that deflect current, where the water swirls around and
creates a still area. Eddies can sometimes flow upstream if the
swirling action is great enough. Trailing edges of islands, river
bends and tributary splits all create current seams and eddies.
Where are the Bass?
To predatory species such as bass, living in current is like
dining at one of those conveyor belt sushi restaurants: If they
wait long enough, it’s going to bring them something to eat.
For that reason, much of the year bass like to be in areas
close to current, yet protected enough that they don’t have
to expend too much energy to maintain their position.
Knowing this, you want to look for fish in eddies, current
seams or other current breaks. You can apply this on a micro
level (where a bass might be positioned behind a single lay-
down in the current) or on a macro level (a point along a two-
mile-long ledge where a school of bass concentrates).
The following is a breakdown of three typical situations
where you can use hydrodynamics to find more bass.
1. Wing Dam/Jetty
Wing dams or jetties are commonly placed in rivers to direct
flow for navigation and reduce bank erosion. They also hold tons
of bass. As the water flows over a wing dam, it typically creates
two areas of focus – the front eddy and back eddy. The front
eddy, where water rolls over the top, typically contains the active-
ly feeding bass, and the back eddy, where some of the water that
collides with the dam is forced down, is where they go to rest
when they are inactive. Both can be productive at times.
3. Deep River Spots
You can also use aerial photography or bathymetric
charts of rivers to find deep spots and shallow spots and fast
and slow current, then use that information to figure out how
to navigate and find fish. Meandering is a natural process by
which rivers erode the flood plains they flow through. Initially
straight, rivers slowly start to erode their banks in an S-
shaped path. The process becomes gradually more and
more distinct until some sections of rivers actually cut off into
horseshoe-shaped oxbow lakes (see illustration). Typically,
you’ll find the heaviest flow and the deepest water in the out-
side bends of rivers where the current sweeps around.
oxbow formation
over time
CURRENT ON LEDGE LAKES
A common refrain among FLW Tour anglers when fishing the famous Tennessee River lakes in the summer is that they are
waiting for the current to turn on. They’re referring to the distinct uptick in current that starts flowing when the impoundment’s
hydroelectric dam is generating electricity. With the increased current, bass and baitfish can’t roam around in open water as eas-
ily. This causes them to group up in schools on bars, humps, points and ledges that deflect the flow. Pay attention to the gen-
erating schedules if your local lake has a power plant, and be prepared to capitalize when the plant is generating current.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 I FLWFISHING.COM
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