My stuff got rescheduled for today. Needed to get the cobwebs off the walking legs, so on a whim I planned to wade/march close to 5 miles and then bike back to the car. Got a late start, but I knew shortcuts through the woods to most of the best holes. Sunny, clear, warming, windy.
Both pairs of waders are leakers. Yesterday I repaired them with AquaSeal. Turns out, I fixed the right leg, but the left still had a leak near the knee. Grrr...
Took a few river bends before I caught a 6" micro dink on FnF. Float didn't even dunk.
Few hundred yards of no fishing until one of those deep bends happened. Turns out the inside bend I was standing on gave some nice elevation to see down 4' into the water.
Thought I spotted a... or is it a rock's shadow? *Throws* 1/8th oz BTjig, planning for current to sweep it down 3' in front of the 'fish'.
The shadow turned, definitely a bass. Then it faced downstream and my jig was gone. I waited a second or 2 (always prudent when sight fishing). *Rears*. THUNK. Immediate head shakes. Great runs, the runs today! Nice 16" smallie. Sooo, that fish was in feeding position in a Winter area, but a feeding position. I worked the inside bend with my hairjig, nailing 4 more smb between 12-14". I could see them taking refuge on the slope of the inside bend, waiting for food, reacting to my jig. This gave me vital information on what I needed to do to get the jig bit.
Float and Fly rod picked another 14" bass from the outside. Another fish followed him, for a second looked like he would inhale the Hunter's orange float. Turned back. In the middle of this bend is a riffle, then another hole, then the final riffle. On the second upstream hole I lose a fish on my jig that felt really nice. Throw FnF in there and nail 4 more 14-16" smallies. I think the hole died, so I switch back to the harijig. Bigger thump. Ugggh, that's not a smallie! Crap! I muscled him and he really didn't get going until he was landed. measured a thick 26". One more 12" after that.
Walked a path to the next spot upstream. First cast on FnF hung on a root. Switched to braid rod and hair jig cast upstream. Thunk. 16"er, then a 15.5", 15", 12", dink", Big Goog. Some misses that didn't hook. Action was awesome. They wanted it moved, then dropped..wait...wait...wait.
Hit a long stretch where nothing was going on. Didn't even see smb for a while. Maybe a mile or more with the sun behind the clouds. Strange compared to the last hole. Where a pipe came in they started up again. Then sun had come back out to play and it was on! I threw on a tube and had a couple fish to hand just to check. Pulled 5 from there from 12-14.5".
Not far upstream in the sun I get bit, see a nice fish on then he head shakes free underwater. Next cast a 12", then a 16.99".
Long walk to the next holes, but what a good one. Rock point and sycamore shelter produced a couple. Then 6/8 come to hand with some head shakers coming off. 3 16-16.5" out of the bunch. Couldn't believe there was a real chance of getting 50 smallmouth this early in the year. Walked up a ditch feeder and found a hole in it, threw in- SMALLMOUTH of 13"!
Last couple holes I needed big things from to hit 50. 4 and 2 11"-14" .
I could see a lot of the bites today from up high on banks.
44 SMB (6-16-16.99", 5-15") 2 Googs, Chub, 26" Carp. 5 hours of fishing Probably lost at least 6-10 fish with a few diamonds in there. Charged up bass.
Biked back to the car. Wind was at my back or side the whole way. Called my wife and told her I'd be late because there was a lot of trash to pick up at the bridge and adjoining road. Grabbed 3 tires and about 70 lbs of bottles, cans, and cups. Only a dent.
Both pairs of waders are leakers. Yesterday I repaired them with AquaSeal. Turns out, I fixed the right leg, but the left still had a leak near the knee. Grrr...
Took a few river bends before I caught a 6" micro dink on FnF. Float didn't even dunk.
Few hundred yards of no fishing until one of those deep bends happened. Turns out the inside bend I was standing on gave some nice elevation to see down 4' into the water.
Thought I spotted a... or is it a rock's shadow? *Throws* 1/8th oz BTjig, planning for current to sweep it down 3' in front of the 'fish'.
The shadow turned, definitely a bass. Then it faced downstream and my jig was gone. I waited a second or 2 (always prudent when sight fishing). *Rears*. THUNK. Immediate head shakes. Great runs, the runs today! Nice 16" smallie. Sooo, that fish was in feeding position in a Winter area, but a feeding position. I worked the inside bend with my hairjig, nailing 4 more smb between 12-14". I could see them taking refuge on the slope of the inside bend, waiting for food, reacting to my jig. This gave me vital information on what I needed to do to get the jig bit.
Float and Fly rod picked another 14" bass from the outside. Another fish followed him, for a second looked like he would inhale the Hunter's orange float. Turned back. In the middle of this bend is a riffle, then another hole, then the final riffle. On the second upstream hole I lose a fish on my jig that felt really nice. Throw FnF in there and nail 4 more 14-16" smallies. I think the hole died, so I switch back to the harijig. Bigger thump. Ugggh, that's not a smallie! Crap! I muscled him and he really didn't get going until he was landed. measured a thick 26". One more 12" after that.
Walked a path to the next spot upstream. First cast on FnF hung on a root. Switched to braid rod and hair jig cast upstream. Thunk. 16"er, then a 15.5", 15", 12", dink", Big Goog. Some misses that didn't hook. Action was awesome. They wanted it moved, then dropped..wait...wait...wait.
Hit a long stretch where nothing was going on. Didn't even see smb for a while. Maybe a mile or more with the sun behind the clouds. Strange compared to the last hole. Where a pipe came in they started up again. Then sun had come back out to play and it was on! I threw on a tube and had a couple fish to hand just to check. Pulled 5 from there from 12-14.5".
Not far upstream in the sun I get bit, see a nice fish on then he head shakes free underwater. Next cast a 12", then a 16.99".
Long walk to the next holes, but what a good one. Rock point and sycamore shelter produced a couple. Then 6/8 come to hand with some head shakers coming off. 3 16-16.5" out of the bunch. Couldn't believe there was a real chance of getting 50 smallmouth this early in the year. Walked up a ditch feeder and found a hole in it, threw in- SMALLMOUTH of 13"!
Last couple holes I needed big things from to hit 50. 4 and 2 11"-14" .
I could see a lot of the bites today from up high on banks.
44 SMB (6-16-16.99", 5-15") 2 Googs, Chub, 26" Carp. 5 hours of fishing Probably lost at least 6-10 fish with a few diamonds in there. Charged up bass.
Biked back to the car. Wind was at my back or side the whole way. Called my wife and told her I'd be late because there was a lot of trash to pick up at the bridge and adjoining road. Grabbed 3 tires and about 70 lbs of bottles, cans, and cups. Only a dent.
