White and chartreuse bait colors, or a combination of the two seem to work best in the tannic water up north. I would go with a reaction type bait and seek out any stray logs on the river, they should be holding a good fish.
If you throw a crankbait, use one that you're guaranteed to bang as many rocks as possible. That might mean fishing a deeper diving crankbait than you would usually fish for a certain water depth. Those fish are beasts. I'd be reluctant to throw 8 pound test, IMHO it's a tad too light. MoSmallies buzzbait would also be a good choice. Bring the mosquito repellant!