That's not to say, however, that the sauger and smallmouth populations should be ignored. It's just that we've talked about how to catch them long enough. If that's your pleasure, use the same techniques described above in this tailrace.

But, with that said, don't expect the smallmouth fishing, and to a lesser extent, the sauger and saugeye fishing, to be as good here as it is in the upper stretches of the river. There's less current in this area and less natural habitat. That all plays a role in the bigger picture. If you're looking for something different, try sampling the striper and hybrid striped bass. They fight hard and taste good, too.

Stripers and hybrids can be caught using spinners, in-line spinners and cut live bait. Fishing spoons and spinners is easy enough. Tie one on, throw it as far out into the water as you can and reel it back, slow and steady and smooth, through the current.

Bigger lures seem to work best. Spoons between 1/2 and 2 ounces are considered normal. Some anglers go even bigger. In-line spinners of the same size are just as effective. Again, throw them as far as you can and wind them back. Any color will do as long as it's silver, white or a combination of the two.

Artificial lures are a great way to catch these big, heavy freshwater fighters. The real trophies are usually taken on cut bait. Bottom walker rigs are the most popular. They tend to keep the bait up off the bottom where the fish can find it and, at the same time, they reduce snags.

You can make one of these rigs with a three-way swivel and a big, stout hook. Tie the swivel to your main fishing line. Make sure one ring is directly below the main line and the third is off to the side -- at a right angle to the main line. Then drop a short line -- 12 inches is about right -- off the bottom ring, straight down. Tie another piece of line off of the right angle ring and affix your hook to it.

When all is said and done, you should have a straight line from your rod tip to the sinker with a three-way swivel in the mix. Your hook should be tied off to the side. This will allow the sinker to bounce along the bottom and the bait to float up, off the bottom in the current.

Big 4/0 or better wide-gap hooks are a must. Some anglers will use light line from the swivel to the sinker. That way if the sinker gets hung, they can quickly break off and retie. That saves a ton of valuable fishing time.

This is the easiest rig on the planet to fish. Throw it out into deep water and gently pull it back. When you feel a tug, tug back. That's all there is to it.

Bait is usually anything that can be caught quickly, cut into pieces and impaled on the hook. The very best baits are oily or bloody. Shad, sunfish and skipjacks are perennial favorites, with skipjacks heading the list.

This is also catfish country. The Greenup Pool below the dam and the Byrd Pool above the dam are full of big flatheads and blues. The flatheads can be taken with bottom walker rigs and big live shad. The blues will take cut bait with abandon.