Ohio River Backwater Bass

By Tom Clay

As the alarm clock clanged, rattled, and was then knocked to the floor, I lay there thinking that maybe I’m getting a tad too old for these early morning sessions. My feet finally hit the floor when I smelled the brewing coffee that I set up the night before. I had set it for extra strong and my eyes began to widen. On the second sip the phone rang. “Where you at?” stated the voice on the other end. ““Florida Keys, I thought.” Then it hit me; I was supposed to be at the boat ramp by five-thirty. “What’s the hurry?” I asked. “You want to catch largemouth in the back water?” “Yeah!!” “Then let’s go.” What my angling partner was referring to was the largemouth bass that are stacked up in the backwater just off the Ohio River.
Up and down the shoreline of the Ohio River are miles and miles of backwater bass fishing. Slews, streams, and indentions, or whatever one wants to call them, are just off the main channel and they are loaded with largemouth bass. After a quick biscuit from a local bait store, the boat entered the waters of the Ohio and the fifty-horse engine broke the silence of early morning. A quick ride landed me just off the main channel of the river. With trolling motor down and an acre grass bed off the stern of the boat, I began casting an A.C. Shiner against the outline of the grass bed. Within minutes, the early morning sky came alive with the sound of a struggling fourteen-inch scrappy largemouth bass. Shortly thereafter, another was swirling just behind the top water bait.
Grass beds, with the occasional lay down of a log that has jammed itself against the shallow water, are a prime area in which to catch largemouth bass off the Ohio River basin. Spinner baits in the white, chartreuse with willow leaf or Colorado blades, along with minnow baits like the aforementioned A.C. Shiner, Rapala or Zara Spook, can place an ample supply of bigmouth in the boat. Although the fish just off the river can be somewhat smaller than that of area reservoirs, the occasional four- to five-pound bass is not uncommon. Although many anglers of the Ohio River stay with the grass beds that line the walls of the river or opt to fish below the running waters of the lock & dam areas, the savvy fisherman, along with many tournament anglers, will check a map of the area and seek out areas that are just off the river. These areas can provide breaks where fish can spawn or take a break from the continuous current that is present in the Ohio. These backwater areas also provide great places for baitfish to relax in the massive schools that are found along the river. Find the baitfish and find the bass, so to speak.
A tip that anglers need to be aware of during this time of year is the heat of the water. Backwater areas that provide a fresh running stream such as the mouths of the Hocking, Leading, or Raccoon areas can be very productive during the heat of the Ohio summer. Early morning and late afternoon light can cause some heart-pounding action.
One tip to remember while on the Ohio River is the massive wave action created by barge traffic, so always wear your PFD while the big motor is running. For those who take a few fish home for the summer grill, a live well is a must to keep the fish fresh.
Top water lures, backwater, and grass are the keys that can make a summer angling experience a lifetime worth of memories.