Got a late start Sunday. Finally arrived with the kayak in tow around 1:15. First Winter try here. Took another 20-30 minutes to get to fishable water. With water pushing up, I should have plenty of current to push basses to locatable spots. Had theories of course, but you never know until you sink floats.
There were 4 good pools in a 2.5-3 mile float. A long way for a late start lots of empty water, but when I got to the likely places, they were biting. 6 casts in a row at one point, 14"-17.5".
Short video of the mad fight on the above fish.
Rain was falling and eventually my waterproof jacket reminded me it wasn't anymore.
Got 3 in a row, including a 15" Spot, 16"SMB, 15"SMB. I don't remember catching too many of those in Winter. Slowly moved down and fished the pool methodically. Got past the hot zone. Noticed alot of silt deposited by highwater about 4-5' up the bank showing the creek had gotten a good scouring. A log lay parallel to the shore where it used to be silted. Now it appeared chest deep. As I drifted, I kept making short tosses down the log, until my final cast went to the upstream side of the rootwad. Sat down there a few seconds until felt a definate 'tic'. Then, my rod tripled over and I heaved up a huge camo colored bass to the boat. No fight, it wasn't ready to run, and I got it wrapped in line, quickly to hand. 21" Wow. Unexpected. Nothing here in the Fall. Just looked too good not to hold that fish.
It started to get cold with wet shoulders sitting in a kayak. Was hard to tell how late it was and I haven't been paying attention to the sunset time. At the last pool, one I know had a lot of fish in it in Fall, the current was just busting through this mostly straight pool. Too big to locate with one exception, a small dry creek inlet had left some pilings to one side. I had to get out out of the boat as I was starting to drastically drop temperature wise. From the high bank I spied out this eddy. In the 'triangle brown. The brown was a million minnows clustered in shallower water. Maybe a patch 20 feet wide by 20 feet wide. Down where the bottom finally disappeared I discovered the smallies. One at 17" with an eye missing and a second just over 17".
Got two with the float, the rest on bottom, but only because I had fast results without the float. Bite was predicatable and hot when I was on a hole, the runs in between were massive empty distances, preventing a 20 fish plus day.
Paddled and dragged back to the car took forever, got there in the dark. Been working out and running a lot this Winter, but the current was a true test. So much so < made two trips up the hill with my stuff rather than pulling it up the 60' hill. Still geeked and wired the next AM from the exertion and fun. New stretches rule when you have success.
14 Bass: 13 SMB (21", 3-17-17.75", 16", 2-15") 1 15" KY Spot I think 1 fish under 14" all day.
There were 4 good pools in a 2.5-3 mile float. A long way for a late start lots of empty water, but when I got to the likely places, they were biting. 6 casts in a row at one point, 14"-17.5".
Short video of the mad fight on the above fish.
Rain was falling and eventually my waterproof jacket reminded me it wasn't anymore.
Got 3 in a row, including a 15" Spot, 16"SMB, 15"SMB. I don't remember catching too many of those in Winter. Slowly moved down and fished the pool methodically. Got past the hot zone. Noticed alot of silt deposited by highwater about 4-5' up the bank showing the creek had gotten a good scouring. A log lay parallel to the shore where it used to be silted. Now it appeared chest deep. As I drifted, I kept making short tosses down the log, until my final cast went to the upstream side of the rootwad. Sat down there a few seconds until felt a definate 'tic'. Then, my rod tripled over and I heaved up a huge camo colored bass to the boat. No fight, it wasn't ready to run, and I got it wrapped in line, quickly to hand. 21" Wow. Unexpected. Nothing here in the Fall. Just looked too good not to hold that fish.
It started to get cold with wet shoulders sitting in a kayak. Was hard to tell how late it was and I haven't been paying attention to the sunset time. At the last pool, one I know had a lot of fish in it in Fall, the current was just busting through this mostly straight pool. Too big to locate with one exception, a small dry creek inlet had left some pilings to one side. I had to get out out of the boat as I was starting to drastically drop temperature wise. From the high bank I spied out this eddy. In the 'triangle brown. The brown was a million minnows clustered in shallower water. Maybe a patch 20 feet wide by 20 feet wide. Down where the bottom finally disappeared I discovered the smallies. One at 17" with an eye missing and a second just over 17".
Got two with the float, the rest on bottom, but only because I had fast results without the float. Bite was predicatable and hot when I was on a hole, the runs in between were massive empty distances, preventing a 20 fish plus day.
Paddled and dragged back to the car took forever, got there in the dark. Been working out and running a lot this Winter, but the current was a true test. So much so < made two trips up the hill with my stuff rather than pulling it up the 60' hill. Still geeked and wired the next AM from the exertion and fun. New stretches rule when you have success.
14 Bass: 13 SMB (21", 3-17-17.75", 16", 2-15") 1 15" KY Spot I think 1 fish under 14" all day.
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