Given a choice of lower clear water or high clear water I'll take the high version every time during cold months. It stacks fish into even more concentrated places than before.
Saturday I got on a medium flow over 1000 CFS. Usually a sign for multiple pigs! Water visibility was probably around 2', air temps would reach 52F.
Brought my kayak just in case, but was too lazy to launch it, instead hoping to a bunch of Winter holes via car, and foot. I really did my first wade of maybe a mile in the middle of all the short to medium walks. First spot I got one on a chatterbait, tube and hair jig. Each a 15" fish.
Moved up a mile and across corn fields on foot where I got another 5 without a miss to 14" on the hairjig.
Got in the car and cut across woods to a new theoretical spot which produced a handful more on the hairjig, still no misses. Took a long walk on the bedrock with current thrashing my shins. I finally reached high ground and pitched into some rootwads along a shorn steep bank. Rewarded by two more bass to 15". That was all I could find in the high water there, so trotted back to the first spot lost one and caught another 15" bass on the jig. Curious now as that was 5-15" smallmouth and nothing larger. Even with this high water to push them in easy spots?!? Weird.
Hit a gulley pipe and found another 8 bass without a miss. 2 more 15"'s and 2 16"ers. Certainly don't mind catching these. Just couldn't get the big fish today...until.
I hooked a mamouth carp on the fly along the bottom stopping at one last spot. 10 minutes plus to land. I had to wade down from a high bank and hog wrestle the fish at nearly 3' long and I'm guessing 20 lbs or more. There wasn't a good place to get a pic so I let him go. managed a handful more smallies beforehand to finish with
25SMB (6 -15" 2-16-16.5") a 3' carp and a rock bass
Saturday I got on a medium flow over 1000 CFS. Usually a sign for multiple pigs! Water visibility was probably around 2', air temps would reach 52F.
Brought my kayak just in case, but was too lazy to launch it, instead hoping to a bunch of Winter holes via car, and foot. I really did my first wade of maybe a mile in the middle of all the short to medium walks. First spot I got one on a chatterbait, tube and hair jig. Each a 15" fish.
Moved up a mile and across corn fields on foot where I got another 5 without a miss to 14" on the hairjig.
Got in the car and cut across woods to a new theoretical spot which produced a handful more on the hairjig, still no misses. Took a long walk on the bedrock with current thrashing my shins. I finally reached high ground and pitched into some rootwads along a shorn steep bank. Rewarded by two more bass to 15". That was all I could find in the high water there, so trotted back to the first spot lost one and caught another 15" bass on the jig. Curious now as that was 5-15" smallmouth and nothing larger. Even with this high water to push them in easy spots?!? Weird.
Hit a gulley pipe and found another 8 bass without a miss. 2 more 15"'s and 2 16"ers. Certainly don't mind catching these. Just couldn't get the big fish today...until.
I hooked a mamouth carp on the fly along the bottom stopping at one last spot. 10 minutes plus to land. I had to wade down from a high bank and hog wrestle the fish at nearly 3' long and I'm guessing 20 lbs or more. There wasn't a good place to get a pic so I let him go. managed a handful more smallies beforehand to finish with
25SMB (6 -15" 2-16-16.5") a 3' carp and a rock bass
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