Breaking it Down
Part One "Current"
By: Blake Ellison 

Current is something that affects all aspects of a bass’s life. It determines the mood such as whether it rests or feeds. Current also greatly influences the location of a bass by determining where it will spawn, feed, and rest. There are three main types of current being generated current, free flowing or natural, and wind driven current. Part one will be discussing generated current being the most common here in the northeast. I would define generated current as current created by releasing water from the dams.

There are two types of currents created from these situations. One is the current created by water being released into a reservoir and the other is a current created by pulling water from the reservoir or releasing it It’s important to know what’s going on while on the water because these to current situations have totally opposite affects on bass behavior. First it is important to know how current affects a bass’s behavior. Largemouths in particular do not like to swim or rest in current because it requires a lot of energy for them to stay in place. So naturally they often position themselves in current breaks behind objects. Smallies and Kentucky’s on the other hand like current and often position themselves in current, but around current breaks as well.

Personally the ideal situation for me as an angler is the current created from releasing water into a reservoir. It positions bass, generally shallower and around or behind objects awaiting an easy meal. Anything that gives a bass a break in the current, such as a rock, tree, or a stump can create a great hiding spot for a bass. Fishing can be quite spectacular at times while the current is running because it puts the fish in a feeding mood and positions them in a predictable location as well. A good choice for a lure in this situation is spinner bait or flipping a soft plastic.

On the flip side when current is created from pulling water out of a reservoir it often puts bass in a non feeding mood, and the often abandon shallow cover for deeper structure. Bass often reposition on break lines or move out to offshore structure. The fishing can still be good and even great when the water is falling, because bass often stack up on offshore locations at this time. It just requires a great deal of patience and determination because these locations are often hard to find. A great lure for searching for bass under these circumstances is a Carolina rig. Heavy weight spinner bait and deep diving crank baits are also affective for finding offshore bass.