In river current, do smallmouth feed by sight or by feel?
Both, in a division of labor. The lateral line reads the current itself — pressure seams behind boulders, the vibration of prey struggling in flow — and tells the fish where to hold and that something edible is coming. The eyes then take over for the interception: river smallmouth typically tip out of a seam and strike what they have visually confirmed. Practically, that means a bait that both moves water (paddle tail, blade, crayfish kick) and looks right will beat one that only does one of the two.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
Same topic, other species
- How do crappie find a jig in muddy water? — Crappie
- How does the lateral line help a muskie track a lure? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- How does a perch find my jig before it can see it? — Yellow Perch
- How does the lateral line help a pike hunt? — Northern Pike
- What does the lateral line do for a trout holding in current? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)
- How does a walleye find my lure in total darkness? — Walleye