Camp and Fish Cancelled Day Three 8/23/14...Whoa.

After day two's pigs, and personally being on a roll with 18-19" smallmouth (6 in the last three trips, good for Indiana). I had to fish day three. Turns out the others had gone west to look for clean water on Friday and not all packed it in. Most of the guys did get 2 days in. I decided to add a third different stream to the mix. Three streams, three days. Water was stained more than I would have expected. I started out throwing tube and a chartreuese 1.5 square billed crankbait. I was rewarded by several nice fish and a bruiser 17.75"er I picked off a log. Love it when fish are right there on a log like they are supposed to be. Great fight and thick bass.

Not ten minutes later, this thick 18" inhales the same crankbait at the niddle of a rocky pool below a riffle.

Caught some decent spotted bass as well. The water had cleared up throughout the day and I started throwing a Sammy 100 for the distance casting ability in the clearer water. Several 16" bass later it was turning out to be a crazy day for medium sized smallmouth bass, with 15" and 16"ers at every pool I fished.

Finally hit one amazing spot in the bedrock. First cast with the Sammy got eaten and no less than 8-10 other large smallmouth bass followed it back. When I noticed all those bass and some larger ones in the pack, I shook lose the 16"er on the hook while it was till 20' away. Sat down and had a water. Idea here to get them set back up, so I could pick them off, one by one. This worked. The next bas to hand, a 17.25" bass, then after another rest, this 18' smallmouth bass. All on Walk the Dog lures.

There was a storm brewing, fishing got ridiculous at this point, lots of misses due to needing replacement hooks. I added a bunch of 15"s. The rain started to pour. Whenever it rains, I give up the topwater. I feel the main advantage of topwaters is the noise element they produce. This gets drowned out be the noise of rain.

It was quickly becoming stained. I made my way back to the previous multi pig hole and nailed another 17.25" and 16" on the crankbait.

7.5 hours wading 34 bass 6 KY Spotted Bass28SMB (2-18"-18.25", 3-17.25"-17.75", 5-16"-16.5", 6-15") 4 rock bass and 3 Shiners dumb enough to end on a hook.

Crazy wet from the storm. Got kind of cold, but so worth it. Nice

Camp and Fish 2014 Day 2 8/22/14

When I woke up the next morning after the cancellation of the Camp and Fish. I felt like one measly day of fishingh when four were scheduled, just would not do at all. South of Indianapolis, we didn't get much rain. I headed out around 11:30 am for a quick wade. Mainly threw a Sammy 100.

First fish was a whale of a 19.25" 4lbs smallmouth, super thick for Indiana stream.

Fifth bass hit the Sammy right before I pulled it up, maybe 6' from me in 8" of water. 18"

Missed a few due to somewhat rusty hooks. Bloomington certainly is far more humid than I'm used to. I guess my old drying techniques of leaving my hardbait boxes open in the garage don't work very well here. Lesson learned and it lost me some good fish. Last, landed a 17.5"

So 7 smallies in 3.5 hours, but (19.25", 18", 17.5") 3 Rock bass, 2 suicidal shiners

INSA CAMP and Fish 2014 Report Part 1

The Indiana Smallmouth Alliance gets together to camp and fish once a year the weekend before Labor Day at the end of August. It's a chance to blow off steam and meet up with other like minded river smallmouth bass fishermen. I created this event back in 2009 as a take off of Eastern Smallmouth "Rodeos". It's been a giant ball of fun each year. Camp, fish, float, wade, BBQ, beer, Kubb Spiel, hang out.

This year, we returned to Lafayette, IN area. My plan was to float the Tippecanoe with the Commander 120 and Zack. Standing and fishing were I may. The Tippecanoe is one of the few large rivers in Indiana with great smallmouth bass fishing. Plan was to float beneath the Oakdale Dam down to State Highway 18 takeout. Both Zack and I got caught in rain and bad traffic on the way up. We weren't ready to fish until after 11am. 3 other guys hit the Tipp, so we left it to them and did a local wade.

This used to be a great stretch on a small, bending creek with nice gradient, abundant water willows, lots of riffle pools. As with most of Indiana's sod bank lined streams floods have changed the streams a lot as of the last few years. This hasn't improved the fishing any. When Zack and I arrived we had 12" of visibility, but we gave it a go anyway. Fishing was decent early as I threw an over sized 2.5 square bill chartreuse crankbait. By midday, the sun had come and the fishing was not good. We were bemoaning the lack of pigs on a pig laden creek in the past. I picked a 16.5" bass on a tube in a shallow nothing pool. It gave us some hope. I tubed a fish here or there, but mostly we'd catch one fish on any lure we tried but were unable to pattern or rely on typical smallmouth behaviour. At the end of the wade, I had 21 and Zack 11. We decided to go above our take out bridge and make a few more casts. I threw over by a sycamore root wad. My tube never did manage to hit bottom in 3' of water. I did not feel a strike. My rod bent double.

The bass looked huge down in the water. I was thinking 20"+. I guess lulled by dinks, bass only went 18.5". I was saved!

BT 23 (18.5", 16.5") rock bass

ZP 11

When we got back to camp, it started to downpour. My gear and clothes got soaked inside Matt's tent. I went home that night as others packed it in on the event. We never had rain before!

Southern Indiana hadn't been hit by the storms very hard, so I was on my way home(for some more fishing).Little did I know what adventure it held. (continued in part two)

If River Smallmouth Bass are Starting to Understand Me, What Next? 8/12/2014

I had to go fishing. HAD TO. Spent all week combing the job market, trying to remotely fill IT positions on the east coast. (Know any Senior Network Engineers in Arlington,VA with Public Trust or better clearance?) Stuck. In. The. House. All. Week. Sandy's been great. I need to be around people or fishing.

So it was that I drove nearly two hours to fish on Tuesday. Mental Health day. It had just rained all weekend, surprisingly the river was only stained and of all things, low. Too low to kayak, so I took out the studded Sims boots and got going. The skies were gray, but I don't care about that. Give me a river and I'll find the bass under any situation. Rain, or Hurricanes.

Things start slow. I intended to head downstream to some really great places Mike and I had found euphoria on last Fall. I went upstream for awhile, intending to head back down. I never did. Two giant wide pools later and my wade was looking like a bust. One crappy slap at a Sammy, nothing doing on crankbaits in very likely water. The sets the mind to wander. Had I driven out here on the wrong day? Were all these 70 degree days in August and July shutting them down?

I had a 14" grab my crankbait. The kind where the fish had to have followed it a ways and finally the bait does something it likes, the bass commits. 4' from me. Not exactly the start of a pattern, but I knew they would chase. Water seemed warmer than the air 70's vs upper 60's.

I'm throwing a Lucky Craft Jointed Wake Crank in 1.5 and some white shad pattern. Off to the side. A 16"er slams it and I bring it to hand with a nice fight. Then a dink. Side slot, down from mountain drain valley. I try the Little Tube at the rootwad. Bunk. Nice fish. Another 16"er. This was looking up.

Heading upstream I spot another,"side pocket" below a riffle, below a large pool. Long cast with a wake crank. Some disturbance and then a fierce strike! Looks like a good one, then overpowers and down into the fast water. I see the fish is barely hooked. One of the three rear trebles only. Keep it tight, I finally take the fish into some water willows for a landing. By the way, this is a kind and safe way to land smallmouth bass. One, the willows serve as a kind of net, preventing that hook in hand we all hate. Two, it is far better than rock and sand that rub off the bass's slime layer. 19" and some change.

3 fish over 16" already out of 5 bass. Pattern was the third larger fish in side pockets. I kept going a fish here or there on the wake crank. If I burned it and paused it, they would eat it. I added some decent bass here and there. Finally hit another side pocket. Whoosh! Big fish and hell of a fight, pulling drag after getting in current. This bass was missing almost all of the rear fin and still measured 18.5".

I catch a 14"er next in that side pocket. Move up and pull a 16" from some fast water, literally ripping the WC as fast as I could. next cast has a bigger fish swipe and miss. Again, big fish eating below the large pools. I hit a huge C shaped pool and have another giant swipe and miss at the tail end of a pool. The fish had been sitting in the current break caused by a buried log.

3-4 bass from this large pool, including a couple emphatically on buzzbaits. Nail a 17.5" off a log on the Wake Crank again. An eagle perched above in a 100' sycamore, is jealous.

Grab a couple, or three dinks. Long dry spell for an hour on good water makes me think they are done. On the walk back to C pool. I start catching in the same places. 7 more bass with the highlight this 18.5" smallmouth bass. So satisfying. I made the perfect cast deep under low hanging branches and still got it within 1' of the bank. Fish immediately exploded on the lure and took drag everywhere. Thought it was huge, but turns out was foul hooked. I had just replaced the belly hook on the WC with a fresh Gammakatsu treble. A great reminder to replace hooks often. The only reason this bass came to hand was that insane replacement hook. I fully believe on rotating trebles out with lots of action. Less misses, more catches. This fish was proof.

So, the smallmouth understood I needed a big fish day didn't they? Right when I needed it? I thank them. Always thank them by letting them swim free.

Fished 6 hours and finished with 30 smallies (19", 2-18.5", 17.5", 3-16")

94 Fish a Failure?

You know you're having a hard time mentally when you catch 94 fish and still feel like you lost out when the largest of the day pops off mid fight. Been a tough year for me, I relocated everything in my life. Fishing continues to provide a nice escape but the drive times can be killer on the production. I'm well short on the pigs this year. At work, things got so slow, half the company is laid off. So, I put my boots on now, knowing I should be in the thick of the job hunt. One thing I hate the most in the world is looking for that next source of income. Fishing certainly takes away some of the stress. The micro science, the fiddling with nature coming up with one's own theories...

Caveat: I was using Confidence Baits "Little Tubes", a two inch tube rigged with an exposed hook for many of these fish and they were often small. However, there were some good ones too. Only other lure was the River2Sea wake bait, nailed me a nice 17" and lost another about that size.

Small creek, well away from people and civilization. Filled with bass. Certainly looks like nothing at the bridges which helps it. Absolute stealth or the bass scatter.

On the wade back down the creek to the car, I toss the little tube over by a rootwad, "Tick" I set the hook. Doubles the rod. Nice fight, headshaking and small hook. Off. 18"+ and thick. Deflated a bit. The constant action kept me entertained, but I couldn't get another pig.

Should have had 4-17"-18"+, lost two. Ugh.

Floating the Sweet Creek 7/26/14

Wait, you did what? Bob and I floated a stretch of stream I knew to be a canoe route. An unforgivable sin? Stupidity? When I arrived at the meeting place a couple minutes after 8 on Saturday. We were in the middle of a torrential downpour. When we got to the take out to place a vehicle, a feeder was dumping mud into the creek.

Two things, first, we could try to fish in between the feeders to find clearer water. Second, a rainy day would surely deter canoers, so this opened up more stretches to us. Right? Right?

WRONG. At the new put in, the canoers piled up. I forgot my tackle backpack, so had to make due with some spare hardbaits and a buzzbait from my trunk. Always carry spares in your trunk people, for just such an emergency. I was without forceps and terminal gear, but at leat I could fish.

We headed upstream for a short wade above the bridge. Upstream, dragging our kayaks behind, Bob lagged behind as I topwatered a few quick fish (15") on a Sammy 100. We dragged and waded upstream a long way through shallow stuff. Picked a fish here and there. Bob fluked a nice 16" and I knew something was up, topwater bite off? We just couldn't see the holes that well after the rain. A brown stain. I had a fish eat a still Sammy right in front of my and another pop a gunfish off a boulder. Flukes mostly.But then the clouds came out!

Now we turned around and got in our kayaks. I would show Bob the benefit of fishing a buzzbait in a kayak. Easy. Drift downstream, rip it loud and don't stop casting. The more casts, the more fish. I quickly had 5, including a 15". Couple more nice ones then a 16.5" right behind Bob's boat. My counter rotating buzz was louder than his single blade and was paying off.

Canoers, so many canoers. The buzzbait bite was insane for me until we ran into them. We tried to wait them out, but they kept coming. We helped a couple right their canoe and ate lunch. The promise of an insane buzzbait bite was ruined by people! I was wrong. The bad weather hadn't deterred the masses. At all.

We were passed by three fly fishermen in canoes. Later I caught up, while they fished an eddy on one side, I floated down midstream and launched a long cast to the complete opposite side, sheltered by some wood cover where I surmised the SMB might have been pushed to by canoe noise. True enough, working the bait parallel to the bank not far from shore,I was rewarded with a hefty 17". I imagined dirty looks from the fly guys, tough. We were on the water first, and I had kindly avoided where they were fishing.. In four more casts I caught 4 more smallies, after a couple they got up and left. I felt bad for them because all the ruckus caused by the canoers was going to make their creeping style fishing difficult.

We finally hit the best spot and a half hour after we saw the last person. Bob nails this really nice fish on a buzzbait, then a 16" on River2Sea wake bait.  Was a great day. Here's Bob's pig just under 19".

Some tubers had been taking their time behind us. A heavy drunk woman got close enough to ask how far from the bridge we were. She said their three year old was cold. It made us both feel bad, but also a little angry that you'd bring a three year old out tubing a 5 mile+ trip, on a rainy day, and that you'd guzzle beer the whole way. It was only a mile, but it looked like a storm. neither Bob  or I had the room to carry 4 drunk people and a child. It poured hail and holy hell after that. I mean, holy hell. I was getting mad at myself for not knowing what to do. Even more mad at the stupidity of people and my poor choice in taking Bob on this stretch this time of year.

Feel like we should have tried another stretch, Bob nailing that good one was excellent. Lesson learned on what could have been a better day if not for the constant interruptions and spooked fish behaving unnaturally. My new Commander 120 was a joy to fish out of once again. Next time out, I'm taking the seat out and standing. Promise.

BT 33 SMB (17", 2-16.5", 2-15")

BC 11 (18.75" 2-16")

Fly Versus Guy? 7-19-2014 Float

Went for a long kayak float with Gregg, who is a fly fisherman. His first time fishing out of a kayak, but he does own a drift boat. Not a complete novice to floating and fishing smallmouth. I put him in a small, easy to maneuver kayak. I like to do this with most newbs. Easy to get out of danger and back upstream to remove your hangups. Fishing started out slow, but the water looked good. Medium sized river for the state, spring fed, water temps 63F. Day would be sunny.

Soon I found a chunky 14.5" bass on a tube next to a undercut bank. Didn't notice this pattern until later. Bigger fish close to the bank right on roots. Smallmouth were playing it tight, so topwaters were a non factor. Couldn't get them to chase either. I picked fish here and there on the tube. Gregg's fly was having a problem getting down beneath all that wood and fast current. We were on Indiana's fastest river. Characterized by clear water, gravel and scour holes found around wood piles.

After catching a few dinks, My Commander 120 drifted a long a undercut bank and I noticed 2 nice 15-16" smallmouth bass emerge from under the bank. Of course! I was fishing out in no man's land and needed to go slow and low in the slack. Next I spotted a 16" under a log I had floated too close to. It was made up, in my mind, the bass were in shade and close to wood. I quick pitched a tube under some brush and was rewarded by a thump and head shake. Unfortunately the fish cam unbuttoned. Not before I could see it was in the 17" range. 

I told Gregg the river widened soon and his fly would have a better chance without the fast choke points. Look for shade at cast to it with kind of a deadstick presentation. For his part, he was putting the flies on the money. Just a different ballgame out there. If you can't get in the scour holes, you aren't getting bit.

At the bottom of this larger pool, the river split into two tails that would come back together at a log pile at the bottom. I fished 4 14-14.75" chunks, who were almost grotesque by Indiana river standards. Then a couple dinks. I was at 20+ SMB without Gregg bringing one to hand. I sent him down to the log pile first, as I thought there would still be some nice ones for him to pick out of the wood piles.

In our state, you have to be able to fish wood. Get down in it, yank bass out. It's often where they hide. Downed trees provide bank protection from erosion, cover, and cause current to scour deeper holes. Smallmouth bass are naturally attracted to them. As I sent Gregg right. I went left, on what I thought was the smaller, more choked side. We left our kayaks behind for each choke point. You don't want to float into the fish and spook them.

So, I'm climbing over limbs and downed trees like a gazelle. (I love to climb on stuff) Suddenly, I spot a nice little scour hole that looks oh, so suspicious! Flip my tube in there and watch the line travel in a direction it shouldn't. Set that hook. I've found a nice one, this time, the fish doesn't shake free. 17.25"

I meet up with Gregg and he hasn't gotten any. We throw a little tube on his fly rod and soon has his first fish.

I pick this nearly 18" smallmouth bass floating next to a huge woodpile. The fish on this river really use the current to fight. Another fat smallmouth. 

Not long after, the bite becomes a buzzbait bite. Almost. I have two mammoth bass jump completely out of the water at my lure without touching it. Frustrating. Both were 18-20"ish. I seem to be stuck in the 17"'s more than usual this year. Gregg connects on a nice one which he brings to hand in the 17"'s. He added a few more as the river opened up and current lessened.

We get to the take out and loaded up at dark. Pitch black. Gregg loses his camera bag and with it all the shots of my standing in my kayak and the fat, fat, fat 14"ers I was catching.

29 SMB (17.99", 17.25", 2-15") 10- 14-14.5" 2 Creek Chubs 10 hour float. Not fantastic. I got some at the end on a buzzbait, but the hooks seemed dull or something was otherwise off.

Fishing in the Rain 7/12/14

Looked like rain. So what? Fish are wet, I'd be mostly wet. I needed to fish. 

Got out for the bike shuttle wade and got fishing just in time for the rain to start. With surface disturbed by rain, I went with a wake crank and Confidence Baits tiny tube. Topwaters just aren't that effective with surface disturbed by rain. I'd come back to it once the rain stopped. Wake produced a 15" at the first riffle, then a 13" on tube and half a dozen small dinks. Another 15.5" walking back up to the bridge on WC. Water looked hot downstream so I waded down a quarter mile, before heading up past a platoon of kayakers. There's no water and they're floating (dragging)? Dink trend would continue the whole day. Small dinks in numbers, anything 12" or better kind of rare. 


Rain finally stopped and I went walking the dog with a Sammy 100 for two nice ones just under 18" by a hair. .5" total makes a mediocre day. If they were 18"'s I'd have been happy. Must be like a few hundred fish on this one by now, almost totally white. Finish has flaked off and all that's left are the eyes and some gray on the back.

Anyways, this was like a 5-6 mile wade. Never really warmed up. Travel time is killing me. Fished 6 hours. 1.5 to get there, hour walk bike ride back to the car 1.5 hours home. Got home at 10 with 6 hours of actual fishing. 





46 SMB (2-17.99", 5-15") 5 Googs 30 or so dinks.

Not Much Time, Where Should I Go? 7-5-14

Called a buddy to ask, "Where should I fish with only four hours?" I drove, and I dreamt, then I called and negotiated another 2 hours. Nice.

So, I stopped along a sandy creek I'd fished once before. I knew it was an Indiana disaster special. Silt and dirt filling most of it. But there was one REALLY nice hole half mile above the bridge. First cast narrowly avoids a soft shell turtle only to have this nice 17"er snarf up a Duo Realis Pencil bait at 85mm. Managed one  fat 13"er on a crankbait and 8 Rock bass on Confidence bait Little Tubes in Dark Chocolate. Just wasn't much in there. I headed out to a larger creek.

I hit six bass in a row on the Little Tube, including this 18.75" smallmouth bass. Things were looking up during what seemed like a dead wade. Another couple hours of fishing, a bad shortcut and I was back at the car, burnt and bent

Confidence Baits Below: Wutz Its, Swim Baits, Floating Birds, Little Tubes, and Battle Stance Craws. I'll be testing these out over the next month or so. You can get some here: http://confidencebaits.3dcartstores.com/

Fishing was slow and disappointing. Dare I blame continued habitat degradation from 2008 mega floods?

 4.5 hours 11 SMB (18.75", 17")

Wade- Mixed Results Dinks and a Handful of Nice Smallmouth 7-3-14

Got out for a wade by midday. Picked a mediocre stretch of stream characterized by shallow, rocky, flats and few wide pools. I threw a Sammy 100 into shade and perceived depth. Had some early micro dink smallmouth bass. Made me wonder if I hadn't made a poor decision in rehashing this old, previously rejected stretch of creek.

Along one tall, cavernous bank on an inside bend the water showed darker green, I took a 17.25" smallie, performing acrobatics the whole way in. I look for these color changes to reveal depth and hiding spots. Typically, my casts with a Sammy 100 are 30 yards to keep froom spooking bass. Smallies in shallow water are extremely spooky, thus the longer casts.

Nailed a 15"er at the one decent hole on the entire wade.  On the way back, picked this 17.25" smallmouth casting downstream at a rootwad. I think I had 14 bass at this point, 4 of which broke 12"!

I decided to wade downstream with the limited time I had left. I abhor wading downstream because it really fouls the fishing. Wading through a large pool, I managed a chunky 17", a 14", and a 15" before things got really quiet.

Not a bad day with the three good ones, the 25 smallmouth contained a lot of small fish. Surprised by quality, but not a stretch I'd hit again for a long while.

5.5 hours 25 SMB (3-17-17.25", 2-15")