Putty,
Those cranks are better suited for lakes. The spinnerbait will work in moving water, but they can be hard to keep down in current at times.
To start river fishing keep it simple. Get some 1/8 and 1/4oz. ball head jigs, any color, though I usually use them without paint. Get some grubs and tubes 3"-5". Any brand will work, and you don't need every color. Something bright like a white, something brown or green, and perhaps chartreuse. These can be fished from the top of the water to the bottom, and catch fish in pretty much all conditions. These can be cast out and cranked. Most of the time I like them ticking the rocks, but sometimes keeping them up works, as well as crawling them slowly. You will lose jigs, but as you gain experience, you will learn how to keep them out of the rocks a bit better, but will still have those days where it seems every cast costs you a jig.
Zoom flukes work well. I use the original fluke most often with a wide gap 3/0 worm hook. Cast it out, let it sink a bit and twitch it. Most of the time, I want the fluke deep enough I can barely see it, or just out of sight in shallow water.
From there, you can expand with some small shallow diving crankbaits. The original floating rapala, small Big-O, Strike King or Bandit cranks designed to dive say 2'-4'. They usually have a squarish bill angled down under the chin of the lure.
For topwaters, a small buzzbait, the floating rap is great when worked with subtle twitches, zara puppy, tiny torpedo, and pop-r all work well. Pick up one or two and expand over time. You don't need them all at once.
With these lures, you will catch fish, and you can expand and add on things as you see fit in the future as you develop your own style.
The best advice I can give is learn to read the water. Look for areas where fast water meets slow water. Actively feeding fish are often found at the upstream end of slower water areas where the slack water meets the fast water, but they can be found all along the current seams, and at times in the slack water, and other times tucked closely behind cover in water you think is too fast.
Fish an area thoroughly from top to bottom, and if you don't catch anything, make some mental notes about the area, and look for water that is a little faster, slower, shallower, or deeper. The fish will move around a bit as the water rises and falls, so an area that is loaded with fish at one river stage may be empty if the water rises or falls a bit. Pay attention to your gauges, and you'll start to learn at which levels you can find fish in certain areas.
I've never fished your rivers, but I know in my neck of the woods, the wet summer has kept the river levels up too much, and other times borderline for fishing, so it may be tough. During dry years, the low levels limit the usable water for the fish, and the fish can become stacked up and lead to some great catches.
Have fun on the river, but never lose respect for it. Far too many people get complacent and pay a price far too great when in or around moving water. If there is anything else I can help with, let me know.
Joe
