TACTICS FOR TWO
Like all river fish, walleyes and smallmouth bass orient to the current. Most of the time, they will lie behind an obstacle or in the slot between a side eddy and the main flow to wait for the current to deliver food items. Of course, these fish will also actively chase minnows and crayfish. Since they usually face upstream, the best plan is to fish in an upriver direction, casting above the fish and retrieving with the current or allowing the current to drift your offering to the bass and walleyes.

Keeping these fish unaware of your presence is the big advantage to fishing upstream, especially when wading. Smallmouth bass -- especially the trophies -- are wary fish, and walleyes aren’t dummies either. You stand a better chance of catching both species by not signaling that you are in their domain through sight, a cloud of silt or a wake.

Crankbaits, weighted spinners and jigs are all good choices for both smallies and walleyes. It is a good idea to try to match the lure type with the river habitat and the mood of the fish. For shallow, rocky stretches, shallow-diving balsa minnows work great on both walleyes and smallies. For somewhat deeper water, you can switch to deep-diving lures, but keep choosing models that imitate the shiners, chubs and other minnows in the river you are fishing.

Weighted spinners are especially effective in moving water and are a great choice for river smallmouth bass and walleyes. They really get the attention of the fish and have action at very slow retrieve speeds, which is quite helpful when the walleyes and smallies are not especially active or the water is quite turbid. These lures don’t represent any natural food, but they appear alive and attract game fish through both sight and sound.

Jigs fished with plastic tails or live minnows could be the best baits of all for river walleyes and smallmouth bass. They are especially effective when the water is slow and quite deep. They are usually more effective than other lures on relatively inactive fish since they are worked much more slowly. This enables you to give the fish time to decide that your offering is something good to eat.

Drifting the real thing is also highly successful for river smallmouths and walleyes. While gathering or buying live bait and keeping it alive can be a hassle, there are many times when bait will produce more fish. Live bait is particularly effective when the river is muddy and the fish can’t see your lures very well. You can drift the bait slower than the current and allow its scent to precede it, and thus attract fish.

Using a float is a handy and useful way to present live bait to walleyes. The bobber can almost eliminate hanging up on the bottom, which is especially problematic with crayfish and hellgrammites. These critters like to seek out rocks and sunken logs and burrow under them. Minnows may seek out the bottom or try to swim to the surface. A float combined with a small split shot or two will keep the minnow at the right depth. If the bait is struggling for the surface or the bottom, it is sure to attract hungry walleyes and smallies.

To find active walleyes and smallmouths during the dog days of summer, give the above rivers a try. Don’t forget your polarized sunglasses and billed cap so you can read the water to find submerged logs, boulders and other cover that harbor these fish.

For more local information on areas you want to fish, including tackle shops, you can contact the local chamber of commerce through the Michigan Chamber of Commerce at (517) 371-2100, or www.michamber.com.