Big River Blue Cats

Boats for Big Rivers—If you’re serious about scoring a mega-blue, you need a big, safe boat. Major rivers are subject to heavy commercial traffic, and it’s no fun bucking a barge wake in a 14-foot jonboat. I use a 20-foot Lund 2025 deep-V with a wide 102-inch beam; this is a safe, roomy, stable craft that can take plenty of rough water. It’s powered by a 225 hp Mercury OptiMax outboard, powerful and fuel-efficient. I mention this because in a big river, you’re going to do a lot of running. Boat ramps are usually few and far between—50 miles apart on some rivers—and you invariably find the best trophy water far from an access point. You can’t get by with a couple of 6-gallon gas tanks. My boat’s fuel tank holds 58 gallons.

Most of my fishing is done while anchored, but a strong, quiet trolling motor is important for boat positioning and for other tasks like retrieving hung lines. I use a 36-volt MotorGuide powered by Optima batteries. Reliable batteries are a must. The last thing you want to do is spend the night on the river because your big motor wouldn’t crank, especially in winter, which is prime time for big blues.

Your boat should be outfitted with several rod holders. I have a removable rod rack. It holds several Santee rod holders, the strongest I’ve found, and attaches to my boat with downrigger mounts. As for electronics, a graph with GPS capability is a big help for getting you back to offshore ledges in a jiffy and is especially useful when night-fishing.

I use two anchors. One is a unit of my own design that weighs 141⁄2 pounds and is good in rocks. The other is a standard 9-pound naval fluke anchor for use on slick mud bottoms. Three to 5 feet of chain is installed between the anchor and the rope, helping to wedge the anchor into the bottom and reduce rope abrasion.

Frequently, you have to retrieve your anchor to avoid a passing barge or a big tree drifting downriver. A buoy ball attached to the boat end of your anchor rope floats the rope, allowing you to untie and move the boat without hoisting the anchor. Once the barge or obstruction passes, just grab the buoy ball, unhook it, and tie the rope back to a boat cleat. I carry 150 feet of 1/2-inch poly rope per anchor. It usually takes 3 feet of anchor line for every foot of water you’re fishing.

Current Events—The flow in rivers I fish is controlled by dams. Big blues thrive in current, and when an upstream dam starts generating, current kicks in, sweeping algae and organic matter off bottom, activating the food chain by triggering baitfish to feed, which in turn lights up predator fish.

Current also infuses the water with life-giving oxygen and moderates its temperature, preventing the river from getting as hot as nearby lakes in summer. The tumbling action of current distributes oxygen from top to bottom, so there’s less chance of a thermocline forming, common in slackwater reservoirs.

I’m often asked what level of current generation is most conducive to catching big blues. From my experience, a flow of 35,000 to 55,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) is about right, but then, it depends on where you’re fishing. If the river’s only 100 yards wide, 55,000 cfs would put it above flood stage. As long as you notice a good swirl behind your boat when you’re anchored, you should do all right.

Current can get too fast to fish, though I doubt this bothers the blue cats. I use up to 16 ounces of lead on my bait rigs if I have to. Safety becomes the primary concern when the current’s really smokin’—it’s possible for the bow of an anchored boat to get sucked under, and floating debris can make bottom presentations impossible. Never anchor close to a dam. And always wear your lifejacket when river fishing.