Fishing Fast on a Fast River 9/5/2010

Sunday Mike and I hit the river with no bridges. Really. It is ridiculous. Sammy 100 and tubes. Got out to a 21-7 lead on MC, then my tube feel deserted me.

We found several wide, long, straight, shallow silty pools that seem to be the depositories from such eroded classics:

17.5"Chunk on Sammy 100

This pool was not silty. It was so filled with fish, I counted smallmouth into the triple digits. Rough fish by the hundreds. Only managed about 5 and they would only strike Sammy 100 schooled up- which has always been a theory of mine. You could see schools of 5-10 smallies go after the bait, trying to get an angle, pulling up short, whiffing. Once such event occurred at a pushwater funnel resulting in above thick smallie. Biggest of the day.

The long, straight pools were a pain to get through and would have been better off floated, although getting out before each and every riffle gets tiring in a yak. I see this as killing your results at the trade off of time spent on rear. So wading is the best bet. We did find two bridges to park. Last half was through a couple dozen tubers and canoers. Another smallie on a stringer out there, by a guy making his own riffles changing the stream bed by hand.

There is so much gradient. Bigger fish continue to be crazy chunky, if few and far in between. They just aren't in easy stupid places like other streams. Often deep in rootwads or wisely eyeballing you along the riverbank. Most seem to end up in coolers. Would be interesting to fish an overcast day and see results.

Mike got some Gunfish action going and got respectable at 33-22.

Vacation: Day One 3/22 What the...?

Got off to start a vacation this week. I don't need to go to Bermuda or something like that. Rained. Water was clear too probably 4'.

Fish came off boulders in slackwater in winter holes. Started with a tube, thought I saw some movement below which wasn't a good sign- they didn't want the tube.

Went with Fnf- braid-snap- mono loop-leader-fly jig. Sucked to cast. Fly drifted past a big boulder and sunk. Great fight zig-zagging everywhere. 17".



Later, off another drift and boulder, a 15"SMB. Then a 12"

Hopscotched spots and got a real workout chugging to hit as many as I could. Water was clear and lower than I liked for smallies to be in some of the spots. Caught a chunky 13"er at one.

Was planning on hitting the mother load at this next spot. I was working the spot within the spot when the float moved. I set hook lightly and an enormous head poked up. Crap! this was going to spook out the best hole. Worst, I was up some high bank. The carp looked enormous, but I had basically kept it from getting in the current. I had to get around the sycamore and to the low ground below. While keeping pressure on the stupid fish, I handed myself the rod around the first trunk of the tree. I climbed up and down the middle onto the roots and into the water. Hook was clearly in that flab tissue called a mouth. I beached the fish as it fought like a sack of potatoes. Heaved it up on the bank for a photo... and 'recessitate' it . 30"+ :shock:



Thought I could have fisted this mouth, but I don't like touching them:



Got a great cardio workout walking to and fro various winter holes. Either bass were spread out, or catching one in clear water spooked the others. It was pretty much one and done at most spots.

Got this nice 16", which appeared to be female and fought like crazy. Out performed the carp, that's for sure.




6 SMB (17",16",15",2-13", 12") 1 Massive creek carp all on float and fly.

Big Fish of the Internet III

Look what dropped off the back of the chinese delivery van!

Big Fish of the Internet Part 2

More BFoI:

Big Fish of the Internet

Poking around the internets recently. Found some interesting pictures. I love incredibly big fish. Really, I love incredibly big native species that I might actually have a shot at. (Sorry Pirhanas and Mekong Catfish)

So a new series called "Big Fish of the Internet" is born. I'll take your submissions. It's got to be a crazy huge fish like these and a common species to North America fresh water.





These really make your jaw drop. My first thought at each was, "WTF?"