# Smallmouth Season '17



## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Embarked on an early morning wade. Started with a few search baits with no luck. Seems it might still be too early for them to chase faster moving presentations. Switched to a tube and quickly found them in the head of a pool. Once the activity subsided I switched to a senko. First cast yieled a respectable bucketmouth on the fall that checked in at the upper end of the size range for LMBs in this waterway. 

All in all it seems they are back in their usual haunts. The bite seemed to turn on when the cloud cover cleared. If my schedule permitted I'd go back out in the afternoon after a day of warming sunshine.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Looks like a fine morning to me! How you like that Avid ?


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

As an all-purpose rig I haven't found a fault with it yet.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

The allure of bronze called me down to the waters edge at sun up this morning. Weather radar suggested I didn't have much more than an hour but knowing they were back in their normal holes was too much to pass up. Based on yesterday's experience I scrapped the search baits and the bait caster and went finesse with spinning combo and jigs. Started tossing the senko since it yielded the largest catch a day earlier. Twenty minutes in and nothing so much as a bump and I switched to the trusty tube. Quickly got into a roughly 13" smallie. Ensuing cast resulted in getting hung up. Went to go retrieve the snag and discovered I misjudged the depth of spring pool. One misstep and the current crested over the top of my chest waders for a moment. Refreshing yes, but dampened the contents of my pockets. 

Ego bruised and my quarry certainly scattered, I packed up and headed for what is often another high density hole. Shortly after my arrival it began to sprinkle. Facing a fairly long hike back to the car the fleeting thought to reel in quickly and call it a day crossed my conscience. Following the high viz line with my eye I saw it was just coming out of the riffle into the seam when that familiar tap telegraphed through the rod. This 15"+ bronze beauty was on the other end. Checked in under 2 lbs but I am not certain the scale was tared properly. Felt heavier

By the way, does anyone know of a weedless/snagless tube head jig?


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## Ranger6 (Dec 27, 2015)

Pm sent.


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## Govbarney (Jan 3, 2011)

honestly I almost never fish Tubes , so I can't attest to their fish catching ability, but I did buy these tube jig heads a few years ago , and they do a pretty solid job of avoiding snags


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## Saugeye Tom (Oct 6, 2010)

Govbarney said:


> View attachment 232816
> honestly I almost never fish Tubes , so I can't attest to their fish catching ability, but I did buy these tube jig heads a few years ago , and they do a pretty solid job of avoiding snags


HUH I think i can rig regular tube jigheads that way.....


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## Govbarney (Jan 3, 2011)

Saugeye Tom said:


> HUH I think i can rig regular tube jigheads that way.....


True , but something about this jig allows the tube to fall almost exactly as it would with a normal jig head rigged with the hook exposed... or so I am told , like I said I'm not a big tube jig guy.


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

RiparianRanger said:


> By the way, does anyone know of a weedless/snagless tube head jig?


Nice read. Best Weedless stream combo I've came up with is the CrawTube. If fished properly I rarely lose one.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

SMBHooker said:


> Nice read. Best Weedless stream combo I've came up with is the CrawTube. If fished properly I rarely lose one.


These?

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Craw_Tube_8pk/descpage-BBBCRTB.html


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

i like texas rigging.... gives the tube as awesome action as it can be weightless at times and flutter/roll around like a dislodged meal.


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

RiparianRanger said:


> These?
> 
> http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Craw_Tube_8pk/descpage-BBBCRTB.html


No, it's a generic term I use. 

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/index.php?threads/297153/
The TubeCraw

U were the last to comment on the thread. LOL


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Tossed and turned last night with bronze on the mind. Finally gave in to my obsession shortly after 5:00 AM and decided to hit a new stretch I have wanted to check out for months but never had the time. After packing up, the drive, putting on gear and walking to a suitable entry point I was in the water by 6 AM. Quickly found myself staring at a pool worthy of exploring and began tossing the Yozuri jerk bait into the riffle and bringing it into the head of the pool with a quick twitch and pause retrieve. Not more than twenty minutes at this location I felt I had thoroughly exhausted all the 12" smallmouth in the area and began to move upstream. 

This particular stretch, while looking great on satellite, is unfriendly terrain; well off the beaten path there is little bank access and I was forced to mostly cover ground in the water which is hardly a stealthy approach. With skinny water in front of me and eager to get to the next pool I lazily cast the jerk bait from side to side along the grass lines as I worked upstream through the riffle. A small break in the grass, no more than ten feet wide, with an overhanging limb presented a challenge of my casting accuracy I couldn't resist. I thread the needle into the shaded calm and began the quick paced pop-pop-pause retrieve with the current and wasn't expecting much when I was shocked to see what appeared to be jaws following my 5" lure. The predator was pacing less than a foot behind my lure to within a body length of where I was standing and then darted off in the direction of the pool once catching sight of my profile. At the time I was blown away by the size of the marauder and would have put it at two feet in length, with good girth. I have since come home and laid a tape measure on the ground next to the lure and 20” is probably more accurate, but boy did it get the heart racing. I was not expecting to see such a large specimen emerge from so small a space. Would love to hear thoughts on what kind of fish it could have been. Seemed too thick for a smallmouth. Perhaps a saugeye? 

Following a dozen fruitless fan casts back toward the pool in hopes of landing the mystery fish I turned my attention back to finding another honey hole. Not more than a few hundred feet upstream I found a hole that fit the bill – softball size cobble with intermittent basketball size rocks and a few wheel barrow sized boulders, nice transition from a meandering riffle into a chest deep hole. I worked this hole for thirty minutes and only had one follow from what looked like a 14” smallmouth. In hind sight I probably should have tried a different presentation but was reluctant to swap lures because of the success I had earlier. I will have to revisit this spot with a different presentation. Moving on…

Eventually found a very promising hole with several laydowns about a quarter mile or so upstream. Too snaggy for a jerk bait, I tied on a swim bait and got to work. Was quickly rewarded with the first image below, a nicely colored 16” smallmouth that I feared was at risk of getting off the hook when it ran for the timber. A few casts later and I hooked up with a dark brown 15” beauty. Neither are record setting but given the conditions they presented a spirited challenge to land. Both were released unharmed though it’s painfully obvious I need to work on my release-pick game. Not sure how the Southwest forum guys do it (SMBHooker, ML1187, I’m looking at you). 

Ran out of time and had to turn back. Tossed the swim indiscriminately heading back to the vehicle and landed a couple dink smallmouth and a rock bass. All in all a good morning. Wish they were all like this.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Nice looking fish man! Always fun when you explore new water and have success right away. So on the release pic ... SMB is the master on that and I'm the student. Now 90% of our catches are directly from the kayak and we only take bank pics when it's a really good specimen. But I like to cup the fish in my hand with a bend in its body to highlight the thickness. Two examples from winter come to mind ... try it out man !


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Thanks, ML. Hope your spring has been productive. Only a couple more weeks until it's officially summer, though I hear top water is already turning on down your way. Next week's 90 degree temps should go along way toward accelerating that aggressive bite.


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## Lannom22 (Mar 27, 2013)

RiparianRanger said:


> Tossed and turned last night with bronze on the mind. Finally gave in to my obsession shortly after 5:00 AM and decided to hit a new stretch I have wanted to check out for months but never had the time. After packing up, the drive, putting on gear and walking to a suitable entry point I was in the water by 6 AM. Quickly found myself staring at a pool worthy of exploring and began tossing the Yozuri jerk bait into the riffle and bringing it into the head of the pool with a quick twitch and pause retrieve. Not more than twenty minutes at this location I felt I had thoroughly exhausted all the 12" smallmouth in the area and began to move upstream.
> 
> This particular stretch, while looking great on satellite, is unfriendly terrain; well off the beaten path there is little bank access and I was forced to mostly cover ground in the water which is hardly a stealthy approach. With skinny water in front of me and eager to get to the next pool I lazily cast the jerk bait from side to side along the grass lines as I worked upstream through the riffle. A small break in the grass, no more than ten feet wide, with an overhanging limb presented a challenge of my casting accuracy I couldn't resist. I thread the needle into the shaded calm and began the quick paced pop-pop-pause retrieve with the current and wasn't expecting much when I was shocked to see what appeared to be jaws following my 5" lure. The predator was pacing less than a foot behind my lure to within a body length of where I was standing and then darted off in the direction of the pool once catching sight of my profile. At the time I was blown away by the size of the marauder and would have put it at two feet in length, with good girth. I have since come home and laid a tape measure on the ground next to the lure and 20” is probably more accurate, but boy did it get the heart racing. I was not expecting to see such a large specimen emerge from so small a space. Would love to hear thoughts on what kind of fish it could have been. Seemed too thick for a smallmouth. Perhaps a saugeye?
> 
> ...


Way to get after it Ranger! Reading posts like that is what made me set some goals this year like catch a smallie from a river/creek. Bought waders early spring and haven't had the chance to get out but a few times so far on unfamiliar stretches of water with no luck. Had an hour or so to get out this morning on another unfamiliar stretch of water. Hit the olentangy with being limited on time and that being the closest stream to me. Chose to stick to the bank and about 10 min before having to head back I landed my first smallie! Was tough to get an accurate measurement but was somewhere between 10-11". I am now hooked and hope to have some more time to get out and chase them next week!


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

What were you throwing, Lan? Numbers and size are way down for me this year vs. last. Not sure if it is a prolonged post-spawn funk or what, but I can't seem to zero in on them. I feel like top water bite was on by the first week in June last year whereas this year my top water hookups are all sub-15" examples of the bronze species (hence the dearth of posts). 

I've not seen any craws roming the river bed yet and even my go-to senko is not yielding the results I'm accustomed to. Hooked into a few on a square bill in the preceding weeks and as mentioned above, I got a few small ones and a heart racing follow on a 5" stick bait. The best results came on classic Joshy swims yesterday. What's working in your outings?


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## Lannom22 (Mar 27, 2013)

I actually went back down for about an hour and a half a bit ago. Walked down stream and only managed two real small dinks on a white rooster tail. Maybe 4-5". The one I caught earlier this morning was on a 3.5" gold flake Vic coomer swim bait. I didn't break out any Joshys today. What works for you as far as top water goes? I've yet to try that approach. Also flipped some rocks today to look for craws and couldn't find any over the size of a dime. As far as numbers go this is my first year really fishing any rivers/creeks and haven had much success yet but I've read a lot on here and it's starting to pay off.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Prop bait has been the most successful top water presentation thus far this year. Others report poppers are working but I haven't the patience to try it the last few outings


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Tough going lately but picked up this chubby smallie on a swim bait earlier. Still trying to perfect the release pic.

Less than a week until summer at which point hopefully the bite heats up.


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## cane pole (Nov 27, 2011)

RiparianRanger said:


> Tough going lately but picked up this chubby smallie on a swim bait earlier. Still trying to perfect the release pic.
> 
> Less than a week until summer at which point hopefully the bite heats up.


Nice catch. Good pictures. Thanks for posting.


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## Lannom22 (Mar 27, 2013)

Was able to get out for about an hour and a half this morning. Had quite a few go after the buzz bait with only two hook ups. Was able to land a nice 13" smallie, other was a dink. They would only hit if it was on top of the water and really moving fast. Tried different retrieves that's what worked best this morning.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

^which retrieve direction did they hit - with the current, perpendicular, or against the current?


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## Lannom22 (Mar 27, 2013)

RiparianRanger said:


> ^which retrieve direction did they hit - with the current, perpendicular, or against the current?


Good question I forgot to add that haha. Both caught were perpendicular. Had a few misses in all directions tho.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Hit a familiar hole this afternoon during the peak sun. I prefer to fish during low light hours but this was the only window of opportunity I had today and I took it. Saw a fair amount of craws as I waded to this spot therefore I tried presenting an imitation craw. Got a few nibbles from smaller fish but nothing big enough to swallow the jig. Others have reported finesse is in vogue at this point in the season so I went through the gauntlet - swims, senko, fluke, ribbon worm - and apart from some tugs I was blanked. It was not until I tied on a top water lure that the bite picked up. Hooked a handful of small LMB and one smallmouth which was the largest of the day. Nothing to write home about but sufficient to evade the skunk.


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## Baloogala (Jul 29, 2016)

I saw a huge amount of craws today on a short wade, too. There are a couple of different colors, too. My son caught a dink on a clearwater shad Joshy, but I was blanked today (we went from 6 to 8, water was warm, decent current, standing in 3 feet of water, fishing a bit of a ledge to what I think was 5 feet or so).

More often than not, though, when I go I see seemingly millions of minnows, but with the water being high, it seems the fish aren't always in the holes I expect.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Went out for a brief wade this evening primarily to try out my new Korker K5 Bomber boots. The stretch I waded is a sub-optimal stretch. To be sure, I've landed fish there but nothing spectacular and have been skunked many times in this location. In fact, I haven't fished it in probably a year for this reason. Pitching the prop bait I was surprised when this 16.5" brown bass blew up on the lure on the swing. The hookup occurred less than 20 feet from where I was standing so despite the respectable size and working against the current the battle was underwhelming. Still, a nice fish and pleased to learn they can be found in this hole.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Had half an hour after work and hit a flow I pass by on the way home. Employed my favorite finesse rig for the first time in a couple months. Started with an imitation craw dragged on the bottom and not even a bump. Swapped it out for a search bait to cover more area and got into a single small bronzeback on a swim bait on the swing coming out of the tail of a pool.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

RiparianRanger said:


> Hit a familiar hole this afternoon during the peak sun. I prefer to fish during low light hours but this was the only window of opportunity I had today and I took it. Saw a fair amount of craws as I waded to this spot therefore I tried presenting an imitation craw. Got a few nibbles from smaller fish but nothing big enough to swallow the jig. Others have reported finesse is in vogue at this point in the season so I went through the gauntlet - swims, senko, fluke, ribbon worm - and apart from some tugs I was blanked. It was not until I tied on a top water lure that the bite picked up. Hooked a handful of small LMB and one smallmouth which was the largest of the day. Nothing to write home about but sufficient to evade the skunk.


... nice rod n reel setup!


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

9Left said:


> ... nice rod n reel setup!


Thanks. Parts are becoming scarce so I don't use it as much as I would like. The rod is amazingly sensitive. For example, I'm sure most of those on OGF have tossed a Joshy swim. With braided line I can feel the paddle tail through the rod on a 2.75" minnow.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Felt compelled to get out again tonight with the impending rain sure to make for some swift current the next couple days. Found two things working this evening - ultra finesse and top water. Hooked into more than a half dozen smaller, aggressive smallmouth with the one below representative of the largest two or three. Two juvenile largemouth and a handful of rock bass completed the outing's haul. It was a night of polar opposites. I either caught them on what I would consider ultra finesse (trick worm bounced down the current) or a buzzbait with a clacker, for the most part nothing in between.


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## reyangelo (May 28, 2014)

RiparianRanger said:


> Felt compelled to get out again tonight with the impending rain sure to make for some swift current the next couple days. Found two things working this evening - ultra finesse and top water. Hooked into more than a half dozen smaller, aggressive smallmouth with the one below representative of the largest two or three. Two juvenile largemouth and a handful of rock bass completed the outing's haul. It was a night of polar opposites. I either caught them on what I would consider ultra finesse (trick worm bounced down the current) or a buzzbait with a clacker, for the most part nothing in between.


Nice catches Mike. If you keep up this trend, you'll have to revert back to BBF tag soon!


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Ha, thanks Rey.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Nothing remarkable about this little guy other than he coughed up the craw shown in the photo below. It should be abundantly clear the summer pattern of low and slow, and throwing craw imitations is working.


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## odell daniel (Nov 5, 2015)

RiparianRanger said:


> Had half an hour after work and hit a flow I pass by on the way home. Employed my favorite finesse rig for the first time in a couple months. Started with an imitation craw dragged on the bottom and not even a bump. Swapped it out for a search bait to cover more area and got into a single small bronzeback on a swim bait on the swing coming out of the tail of a pool.


buzzbait, never go to the river without a buzzbait


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Got out in the AM and tried a spot that always looked promising but the handful of times I've fished it the results have been far from spectacular. That promise paid off today. She's no 20 incher but a Fish Ohio qualifier nonetheless thanks to ODNR lowering the bar in January. The first FO for me this year and first ever FO smallie, though it feels a bit like cheating. However, I have no shame and will still apply for the pin. Officially checked in at 18.25" and 2.8lbs. Tossing a Rapala hard bait to the headwaters of a pool she hit after a few cranks of the reel. Aided by standing downstream I worked quick to horse her out of the rocky snag infested pool and not a moment too soon. The knot at the duo lock snap broke off just as I lifted her up on the bank. Got a few quick measurements and some photos and released her to be caught another day. The release pick below shows improvement, right SMBHooker? ML?


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Congrats. Nice pictures.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Looking good man !!! Real nice fish and pic. Now you gotta up your game some more and start using a tripod to take selfies


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

ML1187 said:


> Looking good man !!! Real nice fish and pic. Now you gotta up your game some more and start using a tripod to take selfies


Need a bigger pack


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## Lannom22 (Mar 27, 2013)

Nice fish! I was really really lucky to get my first fish Ohio smallie also last weekend. Being my first year targeting them I was very surprised. Congrats!


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Had an active multi-species evening outing with several smallmouth, crappies, a saugeye, and a feisty largemouth (the biggest of the night though not shown as all the photos were blurry due to flopping around too much). Most were caught on dead sticking super flukes and letting the current do the work. Seems they turned on once the sun went down. Air temps were in the upper 60s. Could feel the warmth coming off the water in places.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Had a rather productive outing though if it was characterized by a majority of dinky fish. Tossed everything from classic Rapala and Joshy's to top water and flukes. The latter was tied on my line when the wind picked up and the sky flashed. I promptly made my way toward the bank and packed up and began my walk back to the truck. Along the way I lazily cast the fluke rather indiscriminately. The last cast of the day was to a small eddy, maybe the size of a bathtub when the line went heavy... surprisingly heavy relative to the numerous 10-12 inchers hooked throughout the night. A brief battle ensued with the current working to my advantage and I successfully hoisted this thick girl on the bank. There was just as lengthy of a battle out of the water as there was in the water as I had packed up my boga clips and the line got tangled around my rod thanks in part to my haste trying to beat the rapidly approaching storm front. I unhooked my wade belt and reach into my pocket for the phone, dropping the rod in the process and scratching up the Lew's Tourney MB. I simultaneously tried to unsheathe my new field ruler to get a quick measurement. The scale read 2.7lbs though she felt heavier than the fish ohio qualifier from a week or so back. Maybe it was all the dinks that skewed my perception. Sorry for the crummy photo. The screen on my phone was wet from the rain and I had a heck of a time taking the photo with wet hands/phone and a flopping fish as the storm blew in. The machete is 18.25" in total length with the last line on the blade marking 18", or fish ohio for inland smallmouths. What do you guys think? The knife is tilted a little. Fish Ohio or no? Maybe, with a tail pinch?


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Got out for about a half hour mid day after the morning rains. Water was stained and air was heavy with humidity. Had my preferred finesse rig setup for drop shot following a trip to a deep central ohio lake earlier this week. Rather than change out the rig I gave it a go and within the first three casts to the tail of a pool in what some would call "push water" this aggressive little creek smallie thumped it. The beautiful thing about drop shot is the perfect hook placement that can be seen in the photo below. It pays to experiment with different techniques. In this case drop shot is proving to be more versatile than just an ultra deep water presentation.


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## PapaMike (Jul 12, 2017)

RiparianRanger said:


> The screen on my phone was wet from the rain and I had a heck of a time taking the photo with wet hands/phone and a flopping fish as the storm blew in.


Been there!


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Got out the other night before the rains were forecast to hit the region. Started out a little later than I would have liked. Was dealing with gusty winds of 10-15 mph which made throwing light lures on a bait caster a bit of a chore. Water temps read ~68 degrees at 10 PM suggesting flows are still hitting 70s with help from the suns warming rays. Tossed swims, tubes, and flukes and no luck. Wasn't until I tied on top water that the action Hit on the black buzz bait worked perpendicular to a run. Landed a handful like the 14 incher below. But went home heartbroken when a big one smacked the top water presentation. From the moment I set the hook I knew it was a good fish. After a few turns of the handle I recognized I wasn't gaining ground on this fish and the drag was slipping (I wish bait casters had the same audible clicker drag found on spinning reels). I put my thumb on the spool to keep tension and began wading back to dry land while simultaneously tightening the star drag. I resumed cranking and had the fish within ten feet of me when the popper shot out of the water like a champagne cork. I never did get a look at it. It didn't jump or otherwise show itself. Have to think it was a big bass even though the diesel-like pull on this thing felt like a shovelhead.

Which reminds me, how do you all set the drag on your bait casters? I've read the best method is to use a hand scale and set it to 25-30% of the line strength on a flat rod. For example, have someone hold the rod at the 9 o'clock position and then hook the line to something like the bogo grips scale. If you were using ten pound test you'd tighten the drag until it stops at ~3 lbs of pull.


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## PapaMike (Jul 12, 2017)

I caught a handful on a 7" worm Friday. A handful for him.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Did a little midnight bassin' last night. Things started out slow. The last time fished at night all they wanted was top water therefore I started there and ran through the entire surface assortment in my tackle collection with ne'er a bump. It wasn't until I tied on the fluke that things picked up. In the last hour of the evening I was rewarded with four smallmouth and a largemouth ranging from 13" to 18". They seemed to prefer the deadstick presentation on semi slack line. Water was 68 degrees with air temps around 60 making for a nice fog in the air. 

The 18 incher (2.6lbs) shown below was the last one on the night and it put up a great fight. It always amazes me the power of these fish. Even when on the lip grips you can feel the strength of these brutes as they thrash around in an effort to free themselves. The bummer of the night is on the second cast after releasing the 18" I got another take in the same hole and it felt about equal in size but shook the hook in about 6 inches of water just feet from the bank. Neither of these ~18s felt as strong as the bruiser I lost the other night.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Set out on an early morning wade at about 6 AM with Rey. Each of us tried a different presentation. - one top water, the other subsurface - with neither approach clearly outperforming the other. Explored a couple new stretches of creek. First one revealed dense undergrowth with limited shoreline access and a steep bank for several hundred yards. Would be better accessed with a watercraft of some sort. Shortly moved to a new stretch and found several series of classic riffle-run-pool transitions. Pushed upstream about a half mile and discovered a relatively deep (~4') pool with a slate bottom containing interspersed cobble and boulders. Best of the day was taken on a prop bait at the head of this pool. Ran approximately 16" though fought bigger than the official measurement. Broke off two of three shanks on the treble while removing the hook. Was able to extract them by pulling them out with the direction of the barb. 

Stained water. Less than two foot visibility. 
Air Temp: 55 
Water temp: 64


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Had a free moment to hit a local flow in the late morning. The gray, overcast skies warranted starting out with top water. Targeted a wide slack water pool downstream of a long run. Tossing to a large timber laydown on the opposite steep bank the first cast yielded a 12" largemouth. A half a dozen casts later turned up this 17" bronzeback. Hit the prop bait midway between near side bank and main channel. Nose turned away and bringing him slightly upstream resulted in a spirited fight. All fish came on a perpendicular to slightly against the current retrieve. Short on time I moved up stream and targeted the run with no takers. 

Stained water. Less than two foot vibility.
Air temp: 73 degrees
Overcast with showers on the way. Rain the night before.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Hit a small creek for about an hour. Began tossing top water at a spot that offered mixed promise. On one side were large timber lay downs and a steep bank. On the other hand the area was extremely calm and had a mud bottom. I've found bass difficult to pattern this month and the deciding factor to give this area a few casts were copious numbers of baitfish visible. The baitfish were concentrated in an extremely shallow flat - maybe 30' wide at is maximum point but less than a foot deep. Despite a slight stain to the water the flat was so shallow I could see bottom at my rig's max casting distance providing the all clear there were no snags lurking just below the surface. Standing on a point I gave a quick cast downstream parallel with the current, what little there was of it. I made sure to cast beyond the baitfish school and bring the lure back along the perimeter of the school near where the flat drops off into the deeper main stream channel. The idea here is like the lion chasing a herd of zebra, the prey on the edge are most vulnerable. First cast resulted in fish on. Small, but off to a fast start nonetheless. Second cast in much the same manner, and another fish on. Not huge but better. Ultimately three of the first four casts to this area resulted in fish, one coming from the timber. The baitfish seemed to disperse shortly thereafter and so did the action. I headed upstream to a shaded stretch about knee deep with good rocky bottom - ideal smallmouth habitat I thought. Tossing to the steep bank side and shallow side and all manner of cover such a grass and downed trees yielded nothing more than a few head butts from small fish. The action did not pick up again until I encountered a small swift riffle where the stream narrowed so tightly you could pee across it. Normally I'd not waist time on such an area (instead working push water fore and tail aft) but a large rock smack in the middle begged for a cast. First cast to the rock eddy saw a smallmouth launch for the lure and miss. Second cast and he connected. Upstream a couple dozen feet revealed another bottleneck with a wing dam creating a nice seam. Within a few casts another little smallmouth attacked the lure. Time ran up and I had to head home. No size this outing but catch rate was great for the limited amount of time available. The biggest takeaway is that the smallmouth are just about everywhere. And, find the baitfish and you'll likely find the bass. 

Air temp: mid 80s

PS: top water season is approaching its practical limit. Encountered difficulty keeping the presentation out of the leaves floating on the water's surface. Luckily it was somewhat navigable. It won't be once the sycamore trees begin dropping their leaves.


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## reyangelo (May 28, 2014)

Very nice Mike, those flat rocks look familiar. Good to hear your finding them.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

reyangelo said:


> Very nice Mike, those flat rocks look familiar. Good to hear your finding them.


You see nothing, Rey


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## PapaMike (Jul 12, 2017)

Nice work! Thanks for keeping us informed.

I attended my grandson's baseball game after dinner and stopped by the pond on my way home, around 7:45 PM. I cast to the opposite shore with a Pop R and an immediate strike and hook up with a 12" LMB. It shocked me! Darkness arrived along with the mosquitoes so I went home.
I may return tomorrow around 9:30 AM to test the top water again.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Found these guys, a 16" and 14", in a rock eddy. Tried a familiar stretch and my second cast got the bigger one a soft plastic jerk bait. Made my way upstream and got into 3 more SMB and 1 LMB in the 10-12" range. On my way back to the truck I hooked the 14" in the same rock eddy on a big spinner. The 16" fish had a skin blemish visible in the release picture. Will try and make note of it in case I come across him again. They were aggressive today. Many fish smacked the lure before I even began the retrieve. Others within one or two turns of the reel. The bigger ones were in prime foraging locations in moderate current. Smaller fish were in lesser current tight to the bank. 

Air temp ~68 and overcast. Felt like pre-frontal conditions with wind gusts whipping around though radar shows no rain.
Water temp 63 degrees.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Got out for a brief wade this AM from 7:30-9:30. Overcast skies. Water was 63 degrees. Numbers were good but size was lacking. Hooked several 12" LMB and SMB on back-to-back casts throughout the morning. Largest fish of the day was a 14" that came from a rock eddy in moderate current. Soft plastic jerk baits were the top producer. Even got one on a WP in a new-to-me stretch where I discovered an old car sunk down in river sediment. Has to be one of the oddest things I've stumbled upon wading flows.


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## Deazl666 (Mar 30, 2012)

RiparianRanger said:


> Got out for a brief wade this AM from 7:30-9:30. Overcast skies. Water was 63 degrees. Numbers were good but size was lacking. Hooked several 12" LMB and SMB on back-to-back casts throughout the morning. Largest fish of the day was a 14" that came from a rock eddy in moderate current. Soft plastic jerk baits were the top producer. Even got one on a WP in a new-to-me stretch where I discovered an old car sunk down in river sediment. Has to be one of the oddest things I've stumbled upon wading flows.


You did a lot better than me; I only managed one. Leaves drove me nuts.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Deazl666 said:


> You did a lot better than me; I only managed one. Leaves drove me nuts.


Yea they are becoming a pain. Effectively putting an end to top water season, particularly in slack water areas, even if bass will still hit it.


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## n-strut (Apr 14, 2010)

RiparianRanger said:


> Yea they are becoming a pain. Effectively putting an end to top water season, particularly in slack water areas, even if bass will still hit it.


Pop-r’s work surprisingly well in a lot of leaves. Pop it under them and work it thru them. I did pretty good Saturday morning with one.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Awesome job on the small mouth - Sounds like a lot of fun. Congrats


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## reyangelo (May 28, 2014)

Congrats on the "new" stretch. Nice catches.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

Smallmouth season evidently isn't over quite yet. 

Got out for about an hour mid-day and hit a familiar hole on a small flow. Slow rolled a Joshy in the tail of a riffle / head of a pool and hooked the little largemouth on the first cast. After fan casting the area without a follow up hit I moved downstream to a 5' deep hole with deep structure/cover. Trying my best to avoid hanging up in the snag riddled area I was rewarded with a feisty little bronzeback. 

Found the fish did not quite have the gusto they possessed just a few weeks prior. Hits were initially confusing feeling akin to snagging a plastic bag at first. It is clear the cold water is taking its toll on their metabolism. Regardless it felt good to land a few in what is historically a challenging transition month.

Air temps: upper 40s and sun.
Water temps: Guessing ~50 based on readings earlier in the week.


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## Rick L Roop (Nov 15, 2017)

RiparianRanger said:


> Embarked on an early morning wade. Started with a few search baits with no luck. Seems it might still be too early for them to chase faster moving presentations. Switched to a tube and quickly found them in the head of a pool. Once the activity subsided I switched to a senko. First cast yieled a respectable bucketmouth on the fall that checked in at the upper end of the size range for LMBs in this waterway.
> 
> All in all it seems they are back in their usual haunts. The bite seemed to turn on when the cloud cover cleared. If my schedule permitted I'd go back out in the afternoon after a day of warming sunshine.


Interesting


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## Rick L Roop (Nov 15, 2017)

Interesting


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