# Trying the GMR today.



## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

I am going to head out to the gmr today to try and pull out some smallies. the weather warming up a little bit like it has been, should make for a good day today. if today goes well, pictures will follow.


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

Good luck in your chase.


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## grizzly70 (Jun 30, 2006)

were you fishin the tressel or the dam?


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

i wasn't fishing the tressel or the dam.. i have my own little honey hole i to to. there was a lot of ice on the water, so, i was limited in where i could cast. i didn't catch any, but, i'll be back out there soon.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Best wishes to all... I am 0 for January after 3 trips to the river.


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## WalIkng (Nov 28, 2007)

fished the troy dam today but didnt get anything. The river was in great shape tho.


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

I too have a little honey hole on the GMR. Until yesterday I had only caught two rainbows all month. I got on the water at about 1pm. I tossed a chartruse rooster around for about half an hour and not a hit. Then I tied on a quarter ounce jig with a 4" yum hot peach curly tail and hooked a big fish that got off. It felt like it was over five pounds. Not to long after that I caught two nice quillbacks followed by a nice 20" saugeye and a smallmouth buffalo that felt like it was at least 7 pounds. I hooked 4 others that I wasn't able to see or land. All in all a blessed day on the water. On the way home I was able to net some nice chubs and huge stripped shiners for the freezer as well. The saugeye was in a deep hole in a pool that I usually fish for cats. Deep and slow was the ticket. My uncle was using live bait and got skunked.


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

are you saying you caught two rainbows in the gmr?


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## WalIkng (Nov 28, 2007)

and what are quillbacks?


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## chrsvic (Apr 20, 2005)

I think that's referring to quillback carpsuckers, here's a link:

http://www.iowadnr.com/fish/iafish/qcs-card.html

Around here they're usually around 10 or 12 inches. I remember once finding a pool in a feeder creek of the Stillwater that was full of dozens of these fish.


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

Those rainbows were caught in a paylake. This is what a quillback looks like.


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## WalleyeJones (Feb 15, 2006)

Quill backs can get very big. They don't hit conventional lures (at least not the 500 or so that I've caught). I've always snagged them while fishing for walleye/saugeye. More often than not, I snag them then just pull in a thumbnail sized scale. I've caught many over 5 Lbs.

Now, buffalos...there's a prized trash fish. I caught/snagged one last year that went over 25 Lbs.

Typically, when your snagging quill backs, there's walleye to be had. I always view it as a good sign...plus it provides a little excitement while your freezin your tookus off and only catching a couple walleye per day.


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

haha.. okay, i figured you meant somewhere else, but i was just making sure. anybody putting together any river tournaments for the gmr this year?


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## WalIkng (Nov 28, 2007)

that would be sweet to get a river tournament set up


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## midoh39 (May 8, 2005)

I ussually snag a couple of quillbacks each spring while fishing for saugeye. Anyone hit up any smallies lately I'm hoping to try pretty soon for them.


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

After an extremely stressful day of bartender training at Tri-Counties newest "Premium Casual Dining Restaurant"; which is more like a glorified Chuck E'. Cheese, IMO, I hit the GMR for Saugeye today. After about 20 minutes of fishing all the stress left my body. I felt totally relaxed as I slayed the smallmouth buffalo stacked in the hole I was fishing.

Let me first give Praise to God for the Great Outdoors. I can't remember ever being so stressed and then suddenly relieved as I felt today. The mild temperatures coupled with breaking in my new St. Croix, 7 ft. ML on some bruiser, battleship, buffalos made my day.

I did manage to catch a 15" Saugeye while the buffalos were great fun to catch in the current. Five in all were caught with two being over 10lbs. The two big boys took the 4" Yum curly tail to the mouth. The rest were snagged. I hooked countless others only to reel in a huge scale. God please forgive my foul language.

I can['t wait to fish this spring. Thank you Jesus!!!!!


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## midoh39 (May 8, 2005)

Is the river still frozen around Troy?


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## grizzly70 (Jun 30, 2006)

i'm heading out to the dam/tressel monday with a buddy from work, any one getting any action out there?


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## chrsvic (Apr 20, 2005)

I did catch one nice saugeye today, up above Piqua. The guy at the bait store said they've been catching them both at the tressel and down below the dam.

There is still some ice in spots, i took a cellphone pic of the river today - its in decent shape.


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

Today I caught a total of seven fish. Two snagged Buffaloes and five Saugeyes. Two of those eyes went over 20" and I'm guessing at least four pounds each. The biggest could have easily been five pounds or more. When I hooked it I thought I had a big roughfish snagged. It took off while I back reeled like crazy. Then it just stayed on the bottom. I couldn't get it up to the surface for a few minutes. It fought for a long time. I think the Saugeyes are on the move due to the days becoming longer. It might be a bit early yet but I think the fish are staging in their spawning areas already. 

All fish were caught in a slack water area on an orange 1/4oz twister.

:B


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## grizzly70 (Jun 30, 2006)

did you catch them at the tressel?


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

These fish were caught just outside of Monroe.


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