Streams and Rivers

Streams and Rivers

Though less fished than lakes, there are millions of miles of rivers and streams in North America alone. You’ll find almost every variety of warm or cool water fish in warm rivers. They type of fish you’ll find in a river depends on how fast the current is. In a slower moving river, silt settles in the bed of the river, making soft muddy floor. This environment is suited for largemouth bass, catfish and panfish who feed more using scent than vision. Swifter currents tend to brush the river bed clean of silt, making it suitable for habitants like smallmouth bass and walleyes who use their vision more for finding prey.

Slow moving southern rivers such as this one can support a variety of species such as catfish, crappies, sunfish and largemouth bass. Because of the silt floor, there is usually little insect life and these streams are usually too warm for trout.

Cold water streams or “trout streams” are streams fed by snowmelt and usually are in the higher elevations. They typically stay cold even during the summer months, making it ideal for trout and salmon. These rivers commonly have clean rocky bottoms with riffles and pools. Their size varies from narrow to wide and is often windy. The pools offer the trout a place to rest. These streams are usually teaming with insect life.

There are two types of streams important to anglers, freestone and limestone. Limestone streams will be fed by rich calcium carbonate springs making the river nutrient rich. This in turn produces a healthy vegetation as well as insect life. Freestone streams will be fed by springs with little calcium carbonate or runoff with little nutrients. This makes the river or stream much less fertile and thus smaller trout populations.

Often, trout populations will be found at the few miles following the base of a lakes dam. The water being discharged from the base of the lake is colder, suitable for trout.

Most rivers are dammed somewhere along its path, but a few rivers remain free and wild. The Smith River is considered the last free flowing river in California and is home to some spectacular salmon and steelhead fishing.

Brook trout are often found at the upper and coldest parts of the river. Before rivers flow out to sea, tributaries or other contributing streams start to flow in. This convergence warms the water and increases the current. The river bed widens and levels out. This is often the area you’ll find large trophy size brown trout.