How Serious Is It?

[laker67]

Sure you can catch big browns on low water. You just run your boat back and forth herding all the browns into the deepest spot in the pool. Then set up about 30' away and chuck some peeled crawdad tails in front of ther'e nose. Nothing to it.

I was unaware that they still used this approach. It was a very popular and effective tactic in the seventies. Most of the hardware store guides used this approach to put their clients on double digit browns. Corn was the standard bait of choice for the mostly stocker size rainbow during that period.

[rps]

Herding was once standard. I remember when a guide I hired used it. I didn't feel it was right somehow although I enjoyed the result. (BTW, I have never kept a brown I caught).

Now days, the good guides (I won't list because I do not wish to offend any good guide by leaving them off) call in any herding they see.

On topic: The best days for big fish were low water days just as a small generation began.

[Greasy B]

Yeah, truth is it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen herding. There has been a big improvement in ethical fishing practices in recent years. The water we fished last weekend came in pulses, at times it was hard to tell a rise until it was underway; most times it was too late to run down river to get ahead of it. More than likely a similar generation pattern will resume next week, let’s hope.

[Mitch f]

What about night time jerk baits, always works for big browns! even when no generation

[Gavin]

Its biology 101. Big browns are nocturnal fish eaters.

[Greasy B]

That river will beat the tar out of any boat at low water especially after a week of it. You'd be limited the the handful of ramps that you could actual launch and the pools they access, even that would require a lot of hull crunching. As it turns out the water gods (an algorithm) have opened ther'e hearts and spigots this morning.