Tailrace Fishing
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Tailrace Fishing
Large rivers with numerous dams travel for hundreds of miles. The old truism that 90 percent of the fish are caught in 10 percent of the water certainly holds true on these waters. The tailraces below the dams hold the largest concentrations of fish of all species due to the water being well-oxygenated and abundant food. These favorable conditions can extend as far as two or three river miles below the dam.
Fishing other stretches of the river can be productive but you need to be selective. Riverine backwaters can hold bass, muskies, pike, catfish and panfish that find more lake-like conditions than the main river channel offers. Current can be nearly nonexistent which allows for lush underwater vegetation and fallen shoreline trees. Fish preferring the faster current will include stripers, smallmouth bass and some catfish, though most of these will be concentrated in the tailraces.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Lynne Christen |
