Smallies Last Couple Times Out

After Work Bonanza 8-8-19, Follow the Shad Young Man

I need to get in shape. Really. Got to the river by about 3 pm. Immediately was on bass hitting shad balls. 8 right above the bridge. And this is a well traveled location. Highlighted by this 18" that followed a 15" I caught back to me. Promptly lined up in 4" of water in the shade and immediately hit my Sammy. All about 10' away from me.Uh, ok. Cool.

When I moved out of the shade into a rocky outside bend, the blow ups and come up out of the water strikes greatly outnumbered fish caught. I think something about bright light makes it hard. Or maybe just angry and not hungry?

The fishing was like last Friday, difference is I had picked a LONG wade. But I'm here to tell you, it was incredible. Later it rained and the bass just kept hitting my Sammy in the rain. Another 18".

At one pool I caught like 5 White bass and another 18.

later, this 18.5" off a log at the end of a long straight pool.

I often saw 4-8 other bass follow back the hooked fish. No doubles today. Maybe I should bring an A rig...Fish after fish but always more missing.

I had to hurry to get out of the valley and to my bike as it started to get dark. I pushed 5+ miles on foot, and then took the Huffy back to the car in the dark

Finished with 60 SMB and 5 other bass in 5.5 hours of fishing.4 18-18.5", 4-17-17.5", 9-16"

Just a nutty catch rate. Making up for the last couple months of absolute crap fishing pretty quickly.

Hitting Smalljaws with Zack? 8/4/19

Got out and fished on Sunday with Zack. It's been how long? Can't remember. We usually have pretty good success together.

You can see behind me in this next pic, the eroded banks. Par for the course, this mid lower section has seen a lot of bank erosion and consequently a lot of river channel change. We had some fish show up randomly here and there first on shad swimbaits and then on WhopperPlopper for me. Eventually, we just rainmanned the Whopper Ploppers. I think I had like 10 blow ups in one spot in the shade. Then nothing for like miles it seemed. Bass on this day didn't seem to like the bright sun. Unfortunately, on this river finesse just doesn't seem to be efficient. Plentiful balls of shad everywhere.

We both hit 17"ers and later I got this random 19.5" smallmouth from the random middle of a featureless pool. Wrapped me several times on a twig but stayed attached.

I think I had 10 and Zack 8 before we just called it quits and walked out on the road. Good to fish with Zack though.

I'm Back!.Wade to End the World. 8-2-2019

Tap, tap, tap. Where to start? I moved back to Indianapolis last September in a fit of (in)sanity. Of course I still fish, there is always the fishing. My job as Business Analyst has me solving problems in much the same way you read me deciphering what the fish want on this blog. Its ok.

2 dogs now.

2019 has Indiana seeing a ridiculous amount of rainfall. So much, I mostly stayed inside and worked on problems no one else wanted to actually solve. I inherited the ability to see problems to be solved others mostly want to ignore.Am I truly three steps ahead, or just out of the loop? Like with fishing ,results matter. I've gotten those without fail. Everything can be improved through analysis. That's a whole spot of crap on a white shirt, and you're all here for random secrets to catching more fish, bass nymphomaniacs, Al Queda seeking Anthrax, poor soup cooks, all.

A lot of rain, and I mean A LOT OF RAIN does a few things to our fisheries:

• Erosion displacing scour holes, filling in the river, or scouring the river just right. Like all things, caveat, what has changed? Better or worse?
• So far, worse. Nutrients in the water. Animal pooh, human pooh, lawn fertilizer, farm fertilizer runoff all contribute negatively to smallmouth bass fishing our flow water by changing the chemistry of the water the quarry lives in. Rain puts a lot of it in the river where it clouds water clarity
• Smallmouth are sight fish and need to see to feed. (prefer)
• High water limits the presentations that are effective.

Because of all these factors, I have mostly sat it out since March. With many failed attempts and my usual productivity.

Enter last Friday. My statewide search for a stream with some decent water clarity found my up near some headwaters where the damage would be reduced.

Started around 8 and did something over the next 8 hours and only heard legend of. Walk the dog in the shade at the back of pools and in shade near riffles. I killed it. Look:

74 SMB 3 other bass 1-20", 1-19", 3-18", 14 17"-17.75", 10 16"

That's right 29 Indiana Smallmouth bass over 16", 19 over 17". Crazy.

Fishing High on the River 7-31-19

I'm back into it. 40 SMB 19, 17.5", 2-16"

BIG

BIG. 22.5" SMB, August 6th 2018

New Personal Indiana Smallmouth Best 10/14/2015

I've been fishing for river Indiana Smallmouth Bass very heavily since 2005. I've landed smallmouth bass from over 50 Indiana rivers and creeks. Caught a smallmouth from 11 rivers and creeks in one day. In those 10 years, I've brought nearly 11,000 smallmouth bass to hand. With 60 going over 20".

I've come close to 22" on two occasions, a hair short on each time. An Indiana river fish approaching 23" is something I'd joked about retiring over, but I meant it. I'd written off the chance of it ever happening. 

My fishing time limited the last two years, I none the less headed out for a wade one Fall afternoon. Fallen leaves were a factor, the stream wide, and shallow. Water levels very low, necessitating sneaking softly afoot. The sun made the fish very skittish in the clear water and the shallow runs populated in warmer times of year were mostly empty, if not close to a deeper Winter over hole.

I made long casts with a Sammy 100, a lure I'd consider myself an expert with. It's fun to cast, throw it a mile, skip it under tree limbs, basically, don't spook the fish by casting a long way to get to them. Make lots of accurate casts, let the action do the work. Hundreds of big Indiana Bass on this lure.

A handful of spunky smallmouth came to hand at a large pool filled with fish. In pools like these, gaining an overlook can tell you everything about how to fish it that day or in any future trips. I saw hundreds of rough fish suspending in the deepest water, 3.5'. To one side of the 70 yard wide pool were some laydowns. I approached and lined myself up to bring the lure straight down a log parallel to it, when a breeze to the lure well left of the intended target, I had to steer my rod right quickly. This caused the lure to land at the end of the log rather than the front. To my surprise, it was immediately nailed by a large smallmouth. I'd guess in the 19-20" range. It quickly got airborne before I was ready and was gone! Tip of the hat to that one.

I started to really get into some fish at the top of this large pool from dink to 15", when the river turned and the sun got very low. I had turned a corner and the 80' cliffs now covered the river in shadow. Worse the low sun made it so I could read nothing in the water. Almost blind. At the turn and cliff was another shallow pool. It was filled with fish. They were hitting and missing the Sammy in the low light at a very pleasing rate. I rang them up along that cliff wall like the Terminator. Maybe a dozen all told. Then I started casting towards midstream and a disturbance upstream.

Woosh, Woosh, Woosh! A very large fish came out of the water on three occasions in the first cast. I was stunned by its size. I make another cast, Woosh, Woosh, Woosh, fouled on a leaf. Recast. Woosh, Woosh. It's the same big bass chasing. Only this low light is giving us both a hard time. On the next cast, I bring in a 15". Smallmouth must be chasing baitfish schools. Moving up 50' or so, I duplicate the idea in the earlier failure of bringing the lure side by side with a laydown. Woosh, Woosh. Leaf. Quick recast. Woosh, (nuts!) Thunk. Fish on this time! Judging by the bend in my rod, a monster. The fight is incredible. For a moment, I'm wondering if this is a stray muskie. After several long runs, the fish is in sight and it is truly huge. I notice only one hook is in the lip, so I am walking towards shallow bedrock to get the fish on its side quick. I haul the fish there with all the protests you might expect, when suddenly, the hook pops out. I'm on it quick.

 The largest smallmouth I've ever seen. Seems nearly 2' long. When I lay her on the rod to measure her, she well exceeds my 21" mark and the 22", unused, has rubbed off over time. I take out my sharpie and carefully mark the fish's length, tail pinched and mouth fully shut.

I go on to catch more smallmouth upstream and I spot the reason for this fish's dramatic growth: a big ball of 4" shad about 20' across! I head back home with the very real possibility that I've eclipsed 23". Texts and calls to friends on the way home

When I get home an hour plus later, I walk into the garage and lay the tape to my rod mark. 22.75". No need to retire! I have to say, nearly 2 months later, I'm still on Cloud 9 about this. Man, it has been a lot of effort!

20 SMB (22.75", 2-15")

Quick Wade 9/12/15

3 hours 13 bass (19.25", 2-16",15") 19" channel cat, 5 rock bass on tubes.

Long, Hot Wade Through Sand and Rock- Perfect 8/8/15

So next week is the INSA Camp and Fish near Lafayette, IN. Been getting back into fishing shape. Thankfully, been a finesse bite and not run and gun topwater. I've stayed on smaller streams to keep in the shade so I don't wilt.

On Saturday, I headed in the direction of a cluster of medium to small streams, sort of late in the morning so I thought I'd take my chances. On the drive, I decided to hop a few streams, The first stream I had long ago written off as sand filled ecological disaster. But last time there I pushed past the one good hole I knew and found if I was willing to walk a long way on shallow water, deep sand (exhausting) I would arrive at some holes filled with hungry smallmouth. It was this event that convinced me to get out much further upstream  on a public highway and try to fish.

Brand new water to me. This is always very exciting. I looked downstream and saw rocky cliffs, rocky riffles, and smallmouth under the bridge. HA. I did what I almost never do, I waded downstream, keeping in the shade and bedrock and I probed any depth with a 3" fat tube. The creek was very shallow. And I mean VERY. Rarely more than shin deep, but always some shade. I passed some wild turkeys which scattered off at the sight of me.

At the first riffle, I started catching smallmouth  bass on the tube, it only let up all day, when a hole had given up her goods. In the strange twilight, I could silently get pretty close if I stayed low while the fish were in shade. Longear sunfish constantly harried my lure. Peck, peck, peck, peck, drop, repeat.

Lots of nice fighting 12-14" bass. I was missing out the larger fish until I headed back upstream and fished straight up the creek on the scour side. This produced a 17.75" bass that fought like a demon on my loosened drag.

Because of the unique shade conditions and bright sunlight, the fish didn't spook very easily, if they were in the shade. I could nab one after another. And did. I had 29 smallies by 1pm (started at 11). I had caught 17" fish in this creek before, but in several tries had seen nothing bigger. When I fish a creek, in my head I'm ranking the upper limit on size of the larger bass based on what I see swimming around and what I hoover up on long wades.

Judgement was this creek would be lucky to see an 18"er. The growth rates regionally are very good. Holes aren't very stable(or deep) and there seem to be lots of bass. Also Suckers were on the small side for Indiana. This could be an indicator of a catastrophic flood, or slow growth because of overpopulation.

I was catching fish on tubes, tubes, tubes. A 16" here or there until hit an expanse of straight, silty,sun lit run. I caught a couple bass and spied a shallow combination of sycamore tree scour holes and shad from those trees. All day those proved the ticket. They provide a house to hide under for bigger fish and hold most of the depth. I did find a couple of 5' deep log piles, but these holes would be lucky to go 2' deep. They have shade and shelter.

So fishing this shady are with tube I start banging nice fish in the 14-15" range which put up incredible fights. Then Big Bertha hits, she's chased by three other bass, one a largemouth. I hope that she's hooked well. She looks really fat. I beach her in some shallow sand, grip and she's hefty enough, but alas, under 18"!

This is basically my dream, find a new stretch of creek or river, every bend and hole a mystery, unfished. The anticipation powers me on past where most people would quit.

After landing this fish, on the next cast the water erupts and I'm afraid I have got my 18" smallmouth bass! This quickly changes as I see immediate death rolls and realize its a big catfish. It's funny. I 've caught channel catfish all my life and sometimes I still balk at handling them. This one was nearly 2' long from 2' feet of water. I didn't want to get slimed or poked so I let her go without a picture.

I'm up over 52 Smallmouth and 20 other fishes, out of water and about exhausted a quick creek bath, lowers my body temperature. 7 hours of constant walking in the sand and rock has taken its toll. I clip on a Lucky Craft Wake Crank and begin the long walk back down the stream, using my sense of direction to cut much of the distance through the bean fields, which a farmer has managed to mow around the lush crops. Allows me to cut off an hour of walking. The bass are more active at 6 on the way back I land 7 more smallmouth including another 15" and 16".

Just awesome to have all day, all the time action, from these noble, hard fighting fish.

59 SMB (2-17.75", 4-16"-16.5", 4-15") 24" channel catfish, 2 green sunfish, 16 rock bass. All that, an hour away from Bloomington. Next, Camp and Fish and the return to big water and kayaks. I've got a new Wilderness systems boat to show you all I bought this Spring.

Opening Up a Can...7/25/15

Hello everyone. Been a pretty good year when I've gotten to the place to fish. The enormous amount of rain we've seen and long drive times have kept me closer to home. This is good because I discovered two new smallmouth creeks which are productive closer to home. Hitting about a 17"er an hour this year, which is pretty ridiculous. Lots of rain has made the choices slim, but there have still been some if one looks hard and goes before the next deluge. Been looking forward to piecing together a long wade. Fishing has very much been old school which is a delight after years of low water. This Saturday, I got up at 6:30am and drove an hour and forty five. At the bridge, my first wake crank cast brought a 17"er quickly to hand  :) :

It would be the only fish on the day on that bait, as the tube bite was really good.

I've been tossing a more compact tube on a light jig head, the idea being the slow drop requires patience to be allowed to sink, which has paid off in bites. I nabbed 5 more smallmouth very quickly with a 16.99"er and 17.25" fish before a 15 minutes was up. The smaller tube had a nice hook up rate. Was nailing lots of big googs too.

Fish were in the holes at the back of pools in ambush positions or near cover.

Soon hit this fat 18"er on a tube, smallies were pulling hard in the current. As you can see, the gnats and mosquitos were thick. I used a buff to keep them out of my ears, but they still got under the bill of my hat.

At the back of another pool I started hitting nice fish again, 16" 14"13", etc, not many dinks all day.

Then I a big fish hits the tube and goes nuts, in one of those, nothing big in there spots. But the stained higher water had the bass out and about. Another 17"er.

I was taking a leisurely pace and the number started to pile up. It looked like I could keep catching nice smallies as long as I could keep my body going.

They came in bunches 3-6 fish in 10 minute spurts. Conditions were perfect for me to work slow, unnoticed from close. Man they can fight. Picked a 16" on a Sammy a few 14-15"ers on tubes. Always tubes. Would have had so many fewer without the finesse game.


Tried tickling this rootwad with a spinnerbait. Thunk! Game on! Big fish and what a fight in that current. Finally got her to hand at 18.5".

Now that I had a spinnerbait fish, I had to try it some more. At the next fast rootwad, I got it spinning then let the bait roll into the bottom then as it was about to be pulled over a diagonal log another beast, in the fastest current this time. Pulled off 20' of drag downstream in no time. By the time I pulled the fish in some willows, the third 18" of the day.

Kept catching as I hit 40-30, then 50-40. It was 3:30, but I was at least 4 miles walk back to the car. Confess my body was done without the practice this year.

51 SMB (3-18-18.5", 3-17-17.25", 3-16-16.99", 4-5 15") 40 Googs and a handful of chubs who took the small tube