Where I guide, we are fortunate enough to have quite a few bridges, across the rivers. Usually, when we drive across them we don't give any thought at all to what's below us. When we are running a boat, below them, our altered perspective gives us a whole new attitude towards them, and when we are fishermen, we have a completely different way of looking at them. We either know or at least been told or read someplace that the piers holding the bridge in place, at least SOMETIMES, hold fish as well. Well, they do…and they don't…sometimes…maybe! How come they do, and don't, and the sometimes, and the maybe? Let's take a look at this whole picture.

First, it's not necessarily, the bridge pier that may be holding the fish there. It may be the current breaks around it, the shadow from the deck, the water depth around the base, the bottom composition, the presence or absence of bait fish, the brightness of the day or possibly some things I haven't even thought about, but the fish HAVE! Long experience has taught us that SOME of these piers are much more consistent at holding fish than are others. Some are part time fish holders, some only rarely and some only at certain combinations of circumstances. And every once in a while, wonder of wonder, the few than seem to be USUALLY holding fish!

The rivers where we fish usually have dams both above and below the bridges, causing depth fluctuations and another thing we have to contend with are water releases for white water rafting, several times a weekend. All of these things influence the fish holding qualities of individual piers. From here on, I will be talking about fishing for Smallmouth Bass. These same factors probably have an affect on other fish as well, but I just don't know.

The first thing that tips me off, is having caught or seen fish caught from that pier before! Now I'll plead guilty to being a dumb Irish guide, but I'm always on the lookout for what the fish may be trying to tell me! Another thing, I have learned is that it makes no difference WHO caught the fish, what is important is that one was caught, where it was caught, when and how. Try to learn, from EVERY fish you are lucky enough to even SEE caught.

I usually try and assign a "point value" to all of the things I feel contribute to having a fish hold and bite at a particular place and time. Like most things in fishing, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It's not a straight numerical progression nor is it quite an exponential progression, but more like a "guestimate" between the two, but in any case, the higher the resulting number, the more likely that you will find fish there. Anyhow, it USUALLY works for me!

For instance! A bridge pier in moderate current, with the usual current break, just above the leading "upstream" edge, and rejoining in a visible meeting, some few feet or yards downstream of the pier, might be worth 10 points. Add a known deep water hole, in the still water eddy, below the pier, but above where the currents join, takes the total up, not to 20 but to, maybe, 30 points. Add a known gravel (as opposed to silt) bottom in the hole, takes you to 50 points. Now I'm not going to pass up a fifty pointer, with out fishing it! But for the sake of demonstration lets go a step or two farther. Lets add afternoon of a clear sunny day, the hole is right in the shadow of the deck, you're at 75 points, NOW, you see minnows breaking on the surface of the hole, and you're at 100! Anytime I'm at a hundred points, I'd just about bet money on a fish being there!