Very Challenging.
it's tough to learn, & takes a lot of patience & lost lures to figure out.
it's drift-fishing, just like steelhead fishing in the rivers out west.
once you understand it (the lures, the rods, etc) it'll seem totally natural.

...... only took me 6 years, & I had some GOOD teachers

lightweight, medium to fast action Rods in the 9-10' range are optimal to me,
but that's how I was taught. some like longer. gotta cast FAR, & work jigs
back w/ current, @ high rod angles. needs to handle 15# drag to move fish out of current
a quality reel with 200y capacity of 30# braid, & good drags
again, to combat fatigue, weight is a factor when choosing
(I fish a Stradic Ci-4 4000, but they will wear out in 3-4 years)

the weighted cork & jig setup is pretty specific in tailrace fishing, too
obviously try to use the least amount of weight you can & still cast the distance to where the fish are (sometimes honest 70-100y casts) leader length
off the cork is usually 2-5', & it can be a bucktail, fluke, whatever.
the casting weight is in your cork, allowing for a lighter, more natural lure presentation. makes drifting a lot easier, too

most important is knowing the water. If your fist time fishing Dension dam is conditions like now, expect to lose every lure you have in an hour. just how it goes. Dave's exxon is right up the street & can re-stock you.
go there when there's NO water & understand all the little islands & cuts in the riverbed. That will help immensely.

also, when the water runs, every clown with a rod & a plan is there for their share. bring patience, & scissors.

bout all I can tell you. There are others in this thread that hold much more knowledge than me. up to you to seperate the wheat from the chaff.

I'm going up there this weekend, rain or shine.

My advice is to take all your gear and leave it in the car. Watch the veterans and learn. The way I learned was spending half the day just watching the fishermen, the flow, etc for about 3 hours one day, then returned at night to watch again. Came back the next day with reels, rods and bobbers. No hooks. Worked on the technique of casting across the current and working the bobber. Finally worked my way up to adding a jig with my bobber. Hooked a small striper on my 3rd cast, small, but it was my personal reward for my patience. Take baby steps and use the power of observation to learn how to fish this water instead of littering the place with broken line and lost lures.

Have fun!!

Very Challenging.
it's tough to learn, & takes a lot of patience & lost lures to figure out.
it's drift-fishing, just like steelhead fishing in the rivers out west.
once you understand it (the lures, the rods, etc) it'll seem totally natural.

...... only took me 6 years, & I had some GOOD teachers

lightweight, medium to fast action Rods in the 9-10' range are optimal to me,
but that's how I was taught. some like longer. gotta cast FAR, & work jigs
back w/ current, @ high rod angles. needs to handle 15# drag to move fish out of current
a quality reel with 200y capacity of 30# braid, & good drags
again, to combat fatigue, weight is a factor when choosing
(I fish a Stradic Ci-4 4000, but they will wear out in 3-4 years)

the weighted cork & jig setup is pretty specific in tailrace fishing, too
obviously try to use the least amount of weight you can & still cast the distance to where the fish are (sometimes honest 70-100y casts) leader length
off the cork is usually 2-5', & it can be a bucktail, fluke, whatever.
the casting weight is in your cork, allowing for a lighter, more natural lure presentation. makes drifting a lot easier, too

most important is knowing the water. If your fist time fishing Dension dam is conditions like now, expect to lose every lure you have in an hour. just how it goes. Dave's exxon is right up the street & can re-stock you.
go there when there's NO water & understand all the little islands & cuts in the riverbed. That will help immensely.

also, when the water runs, every clown with a rod & a plan is there for their share. bring patience, & scissors.

bout all I can tell you. There are others in this thread that hold much more knowledge than me. up to you to seperate the wheat from the chaff.

I'm going up there this weekend, rain or shine.

yea. sit , watch, and learn from all the veterans how to snag rocks and go home with a bigfat goose egg.