Bill Lowen grew up fishing the Ohio river and has been fishing current for over 35 years. He joined The Bass Univeristy in Kokomo, Indiana to talk about catching bass in current. Current just doesn't exist in rivers, but that's what most people think about when talking about current.

Seasonal Approach to Fishing Current

Determining what types of bass will help you determine your seasonal approach. Bill will answer some of these common seasonal pattern questions:

• In the spring for instance, how do smallmouth and largemouth differ during the spawn?
• What season is the current the most important?
• Where do bass go in rivers during the winter months?

Baits and Gear for River Fishing

Bill shares his tackle & bait secrets for fishing river current. You'll learn Bill's approach to casting and fishing a bait in the current and some common pitfalls he sees anglers make. Bill discusses:

• Most common mistake people make with their bait when fishing in the river current
• The best weight for getting a natural presentation with soft plastics and jigs in the current
• What are other baits are great for fishing in the river
• Bill talks about the rods and line sizes he likes for various lures 

Fishing the Current

Bill Lowen talks about how he approaches the current and how his bait selection compliments that. He discusses how he sees other anglers often approach the same stretch of bank. Often he disagrees with the "easy way" of approaching current, but concedes that sometimes it's necessary. In those cases, he shares some tips on how your baits and presentation will should differ for maximum river fishing success. He also talks about finding and patterning "the sweet spots" and making sure that you hit the high percentage spots. Ultimately, you want to use the current to your advantage. Sometimes you'll find the sweet spot on practice day, but, come tournament day, it's like the current disappeared. Bill shares some bass fishing secrets for when it seems like those no current. Sometimes it also seems like your bass disappeared, Mr. Lowen has a suggestion for what to try before cranking up the outboard and looking for a new location.

Question & Answer

Bill Lowen answers the following Bass University student questions:

• How do I take advantage of barge traffic?
• Where do fish go in a drought situation on the river?
• How shallow will bass get in the river?
• Do you fish faster or slower in faster or slower current?
• And more!

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