# Little Miami River 09/19/10: Fat bass



## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Went to the Little Miami after a 5k I ran this morning. Didn't look good. Water is very low and clear, but I found a little area with some current and a slightly deeper (maybe 4-5 ft) channel and started casting a rebel craw hoping for some smallie action. I was getting into a rhythm, cast, retrieve, and sort of drifting off, thinking about if people were catching and not posting here, or just not catching. About then, something big took off with my craw in tow, moving down river like an angry truck. After a good fight, and me running about 50 yards down the bank, I landed the big guy below. A man and his son had walked up and started fishing a little further down, and were kind enough to snap a couple of photos with my phone, so I didn't have to set the big guy down on the gravel. The man (never got a name, but if you're reading this, thanks much!) also had a scale, and the bass weighed 2.95 kg (6.5 lb). After I got him released, I went back and looked at my line, and noticed that he'd bent my hook!! These are nice Mustad replacement trebles (thanks to a suggestion in the rebel craw thread a while back, they've worked great), and I have no idea how this happened, but the fish are clearly strong.

Got back into the current, and pretty quickly hooked another smallie. He gave a good fight, and after about 5 or 6 strong head shakes, broke the line, taking my craw with him. The fight the smallie put up was completely different than that of the big guy. Smallies are chaotic and unpredictable. The striper was just brutal, no-nonsense, felt heavy and strong throughout. I like them both!!

After about another hour, I caught a gar. I'd never caught a stiper or a gar, so this was a two-new species day for me, and I decided that was a pretty good day and went home. Now I suppose I have to add stripers to my list of target species, but I think I could do without the gar. Tight lines to all!!

Dustin

P.S. I don't know if this is a striper or hybrid, and I'm not terribly concerned about it. It pulled hard and was fun to catch.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Looks like a beast to me! I don't think there is a fish in SW Ohio that can resist a rebel craw.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

SConner said:


> Looks like a beast to me! I don't think there is a fish in SW Ohio that can resist a rebel craw.


Apparently not! I've caught smallies, cats (channel and flathead), rock bass, various bluegills, largemouth, crappie, and now a striper on the craw. Oh, and a pike up in the boundary waters!

I think I'm going to try to have two on hand at all times. I've been trying more baitfish looking stuff, but the craw is still producing.


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## GMRcatman (Mar 16, 2008)

Really nice fish! thanks for a great report and pic.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

That is a good fish, congrats!
You might check out the Hybrid Striper section of this forum, it's down below the Lounge and hunting section.
There are a couple sticky's that give general info on Morone's and a couple years of posts to go over and pick tips and techniques from.
Way to go!
LMJ


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## fishing247 (May 12, 2007)

in 1 trip i had a fish straighten out a leadhead jig and another one break 1 of the hooks off a crank bait. the are mean little bastards. that why we love them.


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

Gorgeous morone! Congrats on your first, river run wipers really are a blast to catch, like trying to land a freight train.


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## OhJoe (Mar 9, 2010)

Now thats what Im talkin about! Sweet Fish ( not to be confused with Swedish Fish)


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Nice job.

It's really neat how no two hybrids are ever the same. They're always just a little different shaped, have bigger or smaller eyes, slightly different head configuration.

One thing is always the same though, they're the hardest fighting fish you're going to hook into.


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## fishymcgoo (Jul 20, 2005)

Nice fish. I threw a rebel craw for the hour before dark and caught a glob of moss, and several nice tree pounders. I also tried my trusty shallow running Rapala and nothing. I heard a couple big splashes. When I first got there I was elevated and could see big carp everywhere so I thought that's what it was. Seeing your post makes me wander if it was big stripers? Were you fishing the north or the south end of the river?


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## Buzzin (Jun 22, 2010)

Nice hybrid bass with huge eyes. Way to go on the fish!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

LMJ: Good stuff to fuel the fire down in the hybrids section. Looks like you pulled in a monster recently!! Echoing what fallen said, it has almost a completely different shape than mine (aside from being much bigger  )

mcgoo: A little south of my usual stomping grounds. Moss removal was needed after pretty much every cast, and was part of the reason I decided to pack it in when I did. Not sure if this is typical this time of year, but that garbage is everywhere, suspended in the water, stuck to the gravel, attached to structures.

Thanks to all for the kind words, and I'm hoping that we'll all see some more of these in the near future! I figure if a noob like me can catch one of these, they must be getting ready or running!

D


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Buzzin said:


> Nice hybrid bass with huge eyes. Way to go on the fish and the 5k at sharon woods I'm guessing? My brother also completed it today.


I did notice the huge eyes. Didn't know how typical that was. The 5k was down at Lunken. If I would have known about one in Sharon Woods, it would probably have been a nicer run. The trail down at Lunken is basically scorched earth blacktop, although watching at the planes take off was a nice distraction...


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

Congrats on catching that very nice hybrid,I'd take it any day of the week.


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## Topwater Tony (Sep 30, 2009)

awesome fish !! :B


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## co-angler (Jan 3, 2010)

Nice fish! I need to tie into one of those and I'm going to have to break down and start throwing my rebels in the tackle box!
Congrats!


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## lovelandfly (Mar 11, 2010)

LittleMiamiJeff said:


> That is a good fish, congrats!
> You might check out the Hybrid Striper section of this forum, it's down below the Lounge and hunting section.
> There are a couple sticky's that give general info on Morone's and a couple years of posts to go over and pick tips and techniques from.
> Way to go!
> LMJ


Now this is good information. I'm new on these boards and I didn't know how to track that info down. Thanks for sharing.

Nice fish man! I was hoping to get a gar this year but haven't yet.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

lovelandfly said:


> Nice fish man! I was hoping to get a gar this year but haven't yet.


I probably should have gotten a pic of the gar, but didn't think of it at the time. I think it was a longnose gar, but I'm no expert on gars. Floppy, snakelike thing, about 20-25" long; lots of spots on the tail. Not much of a fight, but it did do a couple of taildances. Not something I'll be targeting, but it was a nice surprise.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

> P.S. I don't know if this is a striper or hybrid, and I'm not terribly concerned about it. It pulled hard and was fun to catch.




Clearly, what we have here is a very rare Fish Ohio species... the elusive striped big-eyed-buffalo!


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## Boondock77 (Nov 28, 2007)

Nice fish man! Congrats


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## bsmith (Mar 26, 2010)

nitsud said:


> I probably should have gotten a pic of the gar, but didn't think of it at the time. I think it was a longnose gar, but I'm no expert on gars. Floppy, snakelike thing, about 20-25" long; lots of spots on the tail. Not much of a fight, but it did do a couple of taildances. Not something I'll be targeting, but it was a nice surprise.


Careful now, there are some of us that like to fish for gar . The spots on the tail and taildances lead me to believe it was a longnose. They are strong fighters and gnarly looking fish. In the heat of the summer when the water is low and nothing else is biting, you can sightfish for them. I didn't get much time to go after them this year but in year's past I've spent a lot of time fishing for them.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

bsmith said:


> Careful now, there are some of us that like to fish for gar . The spots on the tail and taildances lead me to believe it was a longnose. They are strong fighters and gnarly looking fish. In the heat of the summer when the water is low and nothing else is biting, you can sightfish for them. I didn't get much time to go after them this year but in year's past I've spent a lot of time fishing for them.


Hehe... no offense intended!! I was glad to catch it, but this was the first one I've caught, not the first one I've tried to catch, nor the first one that hit something I was trying to feed to it, just the first one I've been able to hook. I've found them kind of frustrating, to be honest. They are seriously gnarly looking fish, clearly pretty strong, and I know they get big too. I'm just not sure I'm willing to go out looking for them, but I suspect it would take about 1 big one to change my mind...


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

nitsud said:


> Hehe... no offense intended!! I was glad to catch it, but this was the first one I've caught, not the first one I've tried to catch, nor the first one that hit something I was trying to feed to it, just the first one I've been able to hook. I've found them kind of frustrating, to be honest. They are seriously gnarly looking fish, clearly pretty strong, and I know they get big too. I'm just not sure I'm willing to go out looking for them, but I suspect it would take about 1 big one to change my mind...


I like to target them with rope flies, which tangle their teeth & make sightcasting to them on the flats in the middle of the day a blast! They definitely fight the good fight too... no easy task to reel in a 40 or 50 incher!

Then there's getting them untangled or off the hook. That's a whole other adventure...and THEN.... if you want a picture with the beast... well... good luck.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> I like to target them with rope flies, which tangle their teeth & make sightcasting to them on the flats in the middle of the day a blast! They definitely fight the good fight too... no easy task to reel in a 40 or 50 incher!
> 
> Then there's getting them untangled or off the hook. That's a whole other adventure...and THEN.... if you want a picture with the beast... well... good luck.


Sounds like a blast!! No, seriously, like a real dangerous, explosive blast... with teeth... 

The thing I caught was pretty small, and I had a hell of a time trying to keep ahold of him. I can't imagine a 50 incher.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

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Narsty little bugga's, and hard to hold on to!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

If that's a longnose gar, then I caught a longnose gar, only smaller. The distance you're holding it away from your chest and face tells the story


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

nitsud said:


> If that's a longnose gar, then I caught a longnose gar, only smaller. The distance you're holding it away from your chest and face tells the story



It's a longnose. It is my understanding the shortnose are much less common.


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## Daveo76 (Apr 14, 2004)

Way to go Nitsud,,Do I see another Wiper Fanatic in the making??!!


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

Hey Nitsud, cool post dude.
Do you fish those rebel craws on a steel leader? I've been fishing mine on 8# fluorocarbon line and haven't been able to cast out as far as I think I should. Maybe a leader would help me get a little more distance...


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I'll be looking for more of these guys, that's for sure.  

As far as the setup, this was just a craw on 4# test (spiderwire super mono), with ultralight rod. I also have a medium power setup with 8# flourocarbon, and I'm seriously considering switching that out with 6# mono. The flouro is crazy stiff, doesn't handle twisting at all, has alot of memory, and doesn't cast well. I'm not sure how all of the variables affect casting distance, but I know that lighter line casts farther.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

> The flouro is crazy stiff, doesn't handle twisting at all, has alot of memory, and doesn't cast well.




Which begs the question, why even use it? 


I can't stand it in all but a few select applications.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> Which begs the question, why even use it?
> 
> 
> I can't stand it in all but a few select applications.


I plan on avoiding it in the future. What applications is it good for? I gather it has good abrasion resistance and is nearly invisible in the water (same index of refraction as water for the nerds), but that's of limited use to me if it snarls up at the drop of a hat. I guess it could be a good leader material???


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

nitsud said:


> I plan on avoiding it in the future. What applications is it good for? I gather it has good abrasion resistance and is nearly invisible in the water (same index of refraction as water for the nerds), but that's of limited use to me if it snarls up at the drop of a hat. I guess it could be a good leader material???



For me, abrasion has never been an issue so the only "reason" to use it is its low stretch, which gives much more solid hooksets. It also gives you much more sensitivity when drop shotting or jigging because with no stretch, you can feel the fish fart.

Again, it's of such little importance to me that I've stopped using it. I may tie up a tippet with some 10lb stuff just because I have it laying around but I actually prefer stretch in my line, especially with bigger fish.


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