Neal closes us out by offering a few pointers on maximizing the current break game.
Where to put it: Moving water requires greater casting discipline and Neal knows that factoring in the flow is essential to effective presentations.
“You don’t want to cast at 90 degrees,” Neal said. “You want to be either straight up-current or out to about a 30-degree angle. Even if you want your bait to wash down a current seam you don’t want to throw right at the seam, you still want to throw in front of the boat and let the current move it naturally.
“If you’re throwing perpendicular to the (structure), the current grabs your line and pulls your bait to you, as well as sweeping it down. Typically, throwing as close to 0 degrees is best.”
Know the flow: Any hard object breaking water flow creates a fish-friendly scenario, but Neal notes a key difference.
“It’s easier to fish the up-current sides of those navigational towers and bridge pilings,” he said. “The current actually splits a little bit in front of the visible structure and that’s an overlooked part where fish can sit. The wing dams are often so shallow that you can’t fish the front sides without risking getting your boat up on top of the rocks.”
Off the beaten path: Wing dams serving back channels can be hidden treasures, as many anglers fixated on main river structures simply overlook them. Neal checks his mapping for such tucked-away sites because he knows well their potential.
“When the current’s running really, really strong, the fish may get closer to the bank in shallower water where they’re not fighting it so much,” Neal said.