By: Lance “RedHeron” Coley     

Ever find yourself asking that question?  Many people don’t know that there are actually eight scientifically recognized different species of black bass. While you can’t catch all of them in the state you reside in (although Georgia comes close, being home to 7 of the 8 species), you may find the following informative. Maybe (if you’re like me), you’ll see it as a challenge to catch all 8 species, learning about each one’s peculiar characteristics in the process. Continue Reading

Author: Herschel Finch (doahriverrat)…

About the river: The main stem of the Shenandoah River begins at the conflux of the North and South Forks at Riverton, VA.  Riverton is actually a part of Front Royal, VA (my hometown) these days. But back in the day, it was a separate town and was a main stop for the flat boats I mentioned in the South Fork article. Here at Riverton, the flatboats would be unloaded, goods sold and even the boats themselves would be knocked apart for the lumber they contained and the lumber then sold, because you sure as heck weren’t getting a boat that was 12-14 foot wide and up to 80 feet long back upriver! Many houses and out buildings in the old parts of both Front Royal and Riverton contain structural beams and timbers with tell-tale mortises, holes and square joints that were used to hold the boats together.

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The South Carolina/Georgia sections of Riverbassin.com would like to present our next rodeo, The Georgialina Border Bash!  We will gather on the banks of the Savannah River on the border of Georgia and South Carolina to enjoy food , fun, fellowship, and Riverbassin!

What: The Georgialina Borderbash will be a fishing and camping excursion for registered forum members of this site and their guests. To become a member simply register for free on the Riverbassin forum. Continue Reading

Recently a great post was made on the River Bassin Forums by klmccllg and it made me realize that it is another common topic we have yet to cover in an article.  This question was posed, “How far is too far to paddle upstream when doing a paddle up trip?” Continue Reading

About the river: The North fork of the Shenandoah River is an entirely unique river. Where the south fork is wide, with lazy sweeping bends with wide vistas and scenic views of the Blue Ridge and fairly benign in nature, the north fork tends to be narrow, winding, heavily forested with overhead tree canopy and have some chutes and drops that can be downright dangerous at certain water levels. You can float the south fork all year round, regardless of gauge levels, although I don’t recommend trying it above Continue Reading

There has been a lot of talk on the forums lately about where bass go in the winter.  Well, I hope to shed some light on the topic based on my experience in this article.  Be warned that not every river is the same due to several factors each could have – dam downstream or upstream, large tributary entering it, warmwater discharge by a power plant, a lake downstream etc.

The key to this question is to know more about the bass and the priority of their needs to survive.  It is no different than humans really.  We have certain needs that must be met in order for us to stay alive.  I would put oxygen at number one on that list.  If I am not getting oxygen then everything else is moot because I will be dead.  I’m not thinking about women or food if I can’t breathe!  Likewise, if I am Continue Reading

Submitted by: Herschel Finch (DoahRiverRat)

About the river: The Shenandoah is actually 3 distinct Rivers: The south fork, the north fork, and the mainstem. It’s easier to write about as three separate rivers so I’ll begin this series discussing my favorite (and my ‘home’ water), The south fork of the Shenandoah River.

The Shenandoah figures large in American History and especially the during the years after the Revolution and the westward expansion into the interior. The Shenandoah Valley was never home to vast numbers of indigenous Americans. It was used more as a warring and hunting ground and the river itself as a fishery. Many old Indian fish dams are still present on the river (all three sections) and were used by the colonials and well into the 1800s as well. You’ll recognize them as being Continue Reading

Article by: Dale Oakey (JustFishin)

Over the years I’ve probably canoed and waded a few thousand miles on rivers and streams east of the Mississippi.  As I’ve gotten older the two-man canoes I use seemed to have gotten much heavier. To compensate for age and to extend my river fishing life I purchased an Old Town Discovery 119 which has become my go-to boat. Why a canoe over other options? Primarily because Continue Reading

…By:  WaderJon

How many times have you made a trip to the river in hopes of having a day of repeated top water blow ups and rod jarring spinner bait strikes only to find that the fish were just not in the mood? That’s why I always have a worm or soft plastic craw tied on for just such occasions. Usually even on the worst of days when the fish are not cooperating you can mange to catch at least a few small one’s if you have the Continue Reading

People are always asking me what is the best lure to use on the river and it isn’t a simple question to answer.  There are just so many variables to consider when choosing a lure, like water clarity, temperature, time of year, current speed etc.  What I will try to do is share about my top five favorite river lures that I use at different times of year.

Before I get started I’ll begin by showing you the results of a survey I conducted in the summer of 2007. This poll was asked to river fisherman only and the question was,”What is your top big river bass producing lure?” The results were very interesting and fairly diverse. Continue Reading