# Smallmouth Heaven



## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

Without giving away too much, Ill say Deltatoscar and I have been talking about how to actually get on this stretch of river to fish for a year or so. For the longest time it seemed you needed a helicopter or a jet pack to get there legally. Well I finally worked out access and we tried it today. It's still something of an adventure just to get there but its just barely possible. I'd missed one day of work in four years and I called in sick today, thats how much I thought of the place. I got there early and had a four or five hour head start on him. The fishing was in a word unbelievable. I caught three fish over 17 inches and a big ole girl that went 19. To give it perspective when Delta arrived he caught a bass and pulled out the tape measure to see how long it was. I thought now whats he measuring that for? I asked... "Umm how long is he?"... "just a bit over 14". I was shocked. Dont get me wrong, a 14 inch river fish is a swell fish. I usually take a picture of a 14 inch river fish and here I was wondering why he was even bothering to measure this fish. I'd caught, I dunno, ten that big allready this morning and several much bigger. Enough to completely throw off my sense of what a nice smallie was. It wasn't that there were millions of fish, you caught about the same number you would in any really good spot. The difference is that here they get the chance to grow up. I'm sure by the end of the day Deltaoscar wasn't measuring 14 inchers any more either. Even though things had slowed by the time he got there I saw him catch a few big uns of his own, I know one was 18 inches. I'll let him tell about his fish. I also know he lost a stud too at least as big as the 18. About 9 am I set the hook and the rod bent double. The fish just ground around and around the hole, too big for my smallmouth rod. Down below was a huge sweeping riffle that was probably a hundred yards long. Finally I saw the fish it was a very big carp. Tired the fish began to lose ground to the swift current and began going down the riffle. I could do nothing but follow. At one point the fish swept under a log hung up in the shallows. I had to put the entire rod under the water to pass it under. Somehow the fish stayed hooked and I landed it at the bottom of the riffle a hundred yards downstream of my starting point. it was a bit over 30 inches, big in the swift water we were fishing. The long riffles were perfect water for channel cats as well as smallies and I'd landed ten or so by the time Deltaoscar arrived. It slowed in the middle of the day but I landed three or four more and he landed some too. I think I caught more channels today on grubs than I've ever landed when trying for them with bait. Finally tired and soaking wet I left Delta there and headed out. I gotta give the guy lots of credit, the weather had turned lousy and he was soaked and cold but fishing hard. At the last place you can look back I paused and turned for a peek. He was fighting a big smallie that got past him in the current that had him spinning in a 360 to fight it...


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

Nice spot you got there! Awesome fish!


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## Cat Man (Apr 9, 2007)

What a day. Nice fish


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## rguitar87 (May 15, 2013)

Man, those are some gorgeous smallies.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

This might have been one of my longest days at work, ever. I'll be buying a helicopter or a jet pack soon. Nice looking fish!!


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## Crawdude (Feb 6, 2013)

Wow! That's a huge payoff for figuring out access to water you guys have been eyeing for a year. Well done!


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## gibson330usa (May 15, 2012)

Job well done, you did your homework and it paid off. Now how are you going to top yourself next week? I and many others will be tuned in to find out.


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## Hezzer (Feb 26, 2012)

I always enjoy your reports and photos, another very nice day of fishing!


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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

There's this guy on OGF named Matulemj, that I hear, if you take him out fishing, he brings beers and snickers of the peanut butter variety. Just sayin'.


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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

Well, let me first say OSG ain't tellin' no fish tales. That was the best day I've had fishing these parts.

I also took the day off and had planned on meeting OSG at this spot, but there was some confusion on my part. I didn't realize he had also taken the day off. I thought we were going to meet up in the early afternoon. So I woke up at the crack of dawn [in Denver] and started getting my stuff ready for the big fishin' trip. An hour or two go by and I'm thinkin' "Maybe I'll just head there and get a head start on OSG." [Evil snicker]. As I'm driving there I get a text from him asking if I'm fishing today? I replied, "Yes, I'm heading there now.". He replied, nonchalantly, "Oh, Okay I just caught a 19" smallie and a carp as big as my leg."

Son of a...

So I get there and yes, I measured the 14" smallie, but in my defense I like to measure all my fish, even the dinks, not saying that a 14 incher is a dink. I just like to keep a detailed log of every fish I catch, even the dinks. It's just part of my obsession. Move on nothing to see here.

Usually committing the size, species, lure, time of day, cloud cover, barometric pressure, water clarity et al. to memory is not hard. Today was a different story.

Before I left the house I checked the weather, "Hmm, storms to the west. Ahh, their moving slow, they won't be here till at least sixish." It was 84 degrees, the sun was shining and I was on top of the world.

Fast forward three hours. It's 69 degrees and starting to rain sideways, the wind is howling and I'm shivering my tail off. But look who came to dinner.










Miss 18 incher 2013. My second biggest smallie ever, and my biggest was only a smidge bigger. I'm on top of the world again.

The rain died down a bit and we took a break to have a snack under some trees. I checked the weather radar on my phone and see we were in for another downpour. We went back to fishing and OSG whispered a couple more smallmouth into his lair; seriously the guy is uncanny when it comes to catching fish.

Around 5:30 the heavens opened up again and OSG said he was heading out. I didn't blame him, he'd been there since before 8:00 AM, and I kinda wanted to leave too. But the big smallies I lost were gnawing at me, so I tied on a tube and waded back out to a spot where I missed a couple biguns.

If the last four and a half hours of fishing were great, I don't even know what to call the next thirty minutes. I landed four 16 inch smallmouth in a row, oh except for the five pound flathead that got confused and thought I was catfishing.














































I felt like the Bishop at the end of Caddyshack.

I always learn something when I go fishing with OSG. This time I learned I need to pack a poncho.


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## co-angler (Jan 3, 2010)

Ok.....so were they in the swifter current or were they everywhere?

You take such care if those beauties! You even placed them lovingly on a beach towel!!!

Great report from both of you!

Congrats and well.....I hate you both.


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## ghurlag (Apr 27, 2013)

Awesome report! Congrats!

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## senger (May 24, 2013)

deltaoscar said:


> I just caught a 19" smallie and a carp as big as my leg."
> 
> 18 incher My second biggest smallie ever
> 
> ...





oldstinkyguy said:


> three fish over 17 inches and a big ole girl that went 19.
> 
> it was a bit over 30 inches
> 
> perfect water for channel cats as well as smallies and I'd landed ten or so by the time Deltaoscar arrived. It slowed in the middle of the day but I landed three or four more and he landed some too. I think I caught more channels today on grubs than I've ever landed when trying for them with bait.



I went out too and caught a 15 inch smb and some longeared sunfish. Which I felt good about till I read your guys report. Either your great liers or that's the best day of fishing I've ever heard of around here...


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

deltaoscar said:


>


 thats a really cool picture


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## biggredj (May 24, 2010)

Awesome fishing guys, can't complain about a little weather when the fishings that good. Although I was sure that was was a small tornado that came through

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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

Best trip report of the year guys. Way to kill it! Where was your third amigo, Dandrews?


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Jesus you guys had an epic day. Hats off to ya.


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

co-angler said:


> Ok.....so were they in the swifter current or were they everywhere?
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Most of the fish were right next to swifter current. There were two chutes of whitewater that were roaring and right between the two was an eddy that the channelcats were stacked up in. I didn't fish deep slow water much because we started off catching them in faster water and just stayed with it. I think Deltaoscar did great with a tube while I caught mine on a standard grub and one called a Jewel Sculpin. The sculpin has been just about my favorite bait this year. If only they were as cheap as tubes and grubs. The channels in particular loved it. I'm assuming its imitating several of the darters that inhabit the faster water I was fishing. Heres a picture of it I stole off google...


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

HOUSE said:


> Best trip report of the year guys. Way to kill it! Where was your third amigo, Dandrews?


He was working so I tortured him all day with texts. (I bet he makes it next time we go to smallmouth heaven)


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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

oldstinkyguy said:


> Most of the fish were right next to swifter current. There were two chutes of whitewater that were roaring and right between the two was an eddy that the channelcats were stacked up in. I didn't fish deep slow water much because we started off catching them in faster water and just stayed with it. I think Deltaoscar did great with a tube while I caught mine on a standard grub and one called a Jewel Sculpin. The sculpin has been just about my favorite bait this year. If only they were as cheap as tubes and grubs. The channels in particular loved it. I'm assuming its imitating several of the darters that inhabit the faster water I was fishing. Heres a picture of it I stole off google...


Those look sharp. Are you jigging them?


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

oldstinkyguy said:


> He was working so I tortured him all day with texts. (I bet he makes it next time we go to smallmouth heaven)


As a matter of facthes not kidding


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## trailbreaker (Oct 11, 2008)

great fish and report


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## GarrettMyers (May 16, 2011)

Hell of a day guys, those are some beauts


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## BassAddict83 (Sep 21, 2010)

Days like that are few and far between. Great report and congrats on such an outing!


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

Matulemj said:


> Those look sharp. Are you jigging them?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Its funny but when fishing things like cranks or spinnerbait I try to give the lure sudden stops or speed ups alot to trigger strikes but with these or with standard grubs I dont give them any extra action 99% of the time. If possible ill throw it upstream and across and let it sweep down on a tight line just ticking bottom every now and then. Or in slower current Ill let it sink to the bottom on a tight line and then lift it and swim it back just off the bottom. Or some variation of two mainly just trying to keep it working subtly just off bottom


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