# smallie on the lmr today.



## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

with the warmer weather today i decided to go out this afternoon and see what i could pull out. still in search of my first bass of the year, i went to the lmr and i ended up only catching one. 17.5 inches long weighed 2 and a half pounds. so, even though i only caught one, that's still a heck of a way to start the new year.


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## leftfordead88 (Oct 22, 2007)

nice bass matt ..lets get together this week for some more smallmouth action or maybe some trout


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## pendog66 (Mar 23, 2005)

congrats on the nice fish


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## LMRcatman (May 30, 2006)

what did you get him on?


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

dragging and hopping a tube jig across the bottom.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Very nice fish. I'm always impressed by the photos of smallies people post out of the LMR. I'm quite sure I havn't fished it as much as most of you, but I've never even came close to landing a smallie that size out of the little miami. 

I probably adverage 10 inches a fish... with the biggest MAYBE being 13 or 14 inches. I hope to catch a larger one this year, but am very intersted in how you guys go about catching these "quality" smallies. I almost exclusivly use 2 2 3/4 inch tubes - generally catch a good hand full of spots and smallies, but again rarely any size to'em. I fish the Milford area mostly.


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## Sleprock (Dec 16, 2005)

fishman you wadeing or fishing out of boat canoe?

my ? is anyone canoeing down these rivers right now?

i never had much luck fishing rivers before floating them 

no i would say you find the right spot in the lmr and you will pull big ones?

these areas seem to hold bigger fish.

not gonna say what kinda spot i talking about.

floated gmr 1 from dam below dpl to middletown once and all i cought where 

big cats and small smallmouth


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

throw a 4" tube, it might seem big but you will still catch an ok number of fish with the bigger ones mixed in.


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

Slep....you know me and rblake are still floating in the Yak....have only missed a few weekends since last spring....even throughout this winter we go if it is fishable. I have been doing the fishing...Rob is doing the catching!


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

Nice EARLY season smallie!


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Generally speaking I float it on a canoe from on of the local liverys. None are open that I know of this time of year, so I can honestly say I've never fished it this time of year.


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

thanks... i was real excited to pull that one out of there today.


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

i'm heading back out there today with a friend. hopefully we will have some pictures when we return.


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## oufisherman (Apr 10, 2004)

very nice. congrats


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## bassattacker (Mar 14, 2007)

id make some calls before heading out, the LMR here in beavercreek is well over the banks and i know Valley and Trebein Road are closed right now cause of the high water. congrats on the earlie smallie.


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

yeah it was rediculous out there today. up real high. we decided to stay and just throw a couple anyway. no luck, but, it was better than just sitting inside today in my opinion.


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## BigSmallieMike (Oct 20, 2005)

I know I'm late to the party, but wanted to add my congratulations - that's a really nice early-season smallie!


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

thanks man.


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

[QUOTE=Sleprock

"i never had much luck fishing rivers before floating them "

Slep,are you saying you don't catch much when you float a river? Hmmm. my favorite way to cherry pick all the sweet spots as well as an excellent way to scout new or long stretches of river.
It can be diffcult in a yak or canoe as they move so fast and don't anchor well. I use a drift boat as you can get up and walk around the boat,hitting all the good spots on the river. It moves slower than the curent the way it's designed and can be oared to a dead stop in fast current by one guy while the other fishes, taking turns on oars/rod.
You know,its cuz of some of you guys I took to fishing the lower river(grew up fishing Clifton to Xenia) on the LMR and I gotta say there's a ton of fish in there.I suspect a lot of those are migrants from the OR but a decent # of residents.BTW,I read a rpt on saugers in the OR by the dnr doing telemetry(radio tagging) studies) and they found sauger can migrate 25-30 mi in one wk. Anyway,LMR,a good place to put some serious #'s on the bank.But, I will say,my homewater GMR smallies still avg bigger(15-17") although the variety of gamefish are not as numerous as it's mostly smallies w/ some minor players thrown in,ie,saugeyes,rockbass,LMB,crappie and the rare pike.
I really like the LMR for those stripers and hybrids that run up it,those are the most fun of all,IMHO,TC1


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

"It can be diffcult in a yak or canoe as they move so fast and don't anchor well."


I have heard this same remark numerous times from MANY folks on this site and I still don't understand where folks feel that way. I was predominately a bank and wade angler for 7 yrs and then started throwing in a few canoe trips, which made a world of difference as I could now cover MILES of water instead of 1/2 mile or so I would wade. In the canoe I would mainly use it for transportation from A-B stopping to get out and wade. This was great....and then I discovered the Kayak! I cannot understand how people have trouble fishing out of the YAK. It has now become the ONLY way I want to fish. Extremely stable and maneuverable along with the fact it is as comfortable as sitting on my couch. Heck, now take an 8 mile or so trip and I rarely even get out as it is so maneuverable and quiet that I can fish better out of it than on the bank. I am sure a drift boat is a nice option too, but it sure is nice being able to transport a couple of yak's in the back of a truck, I can carry it in 1 hand and it is so easy to get in and out of (I use a SOT model). I haven't found much use for an anchor so I dont use one, it is really easy to paddle 1 handed and unless the current is really flowing I can stop and hover even in current. If the current is too strong to paddle backwards to hover, I would not want to use an anchor anyway as that is dangerous in current. For all around versatility and ease of use, I cant see beating a YAK. IMHO of course!

I believe Slep was saying he has much better luck now that he is floating instead of stuck on the bank or wading, which I totally agree with.


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## Sleprock (Dec 16, 2005)

yep float + fish

stop my boat with 2 5 pound plates i can hold where i want

float my canoe like a big skateboard w a trolling motor

lmr you ever catch that fish i was yelling about last turney

he was below the rocks by the fly fisherman

i think by reading the reports the upper and lower lmr are two different rivers

never cought any saugeye in lmr before cc

so i don't know but i think above cc smallmouth are top preditor with lille compition for food so the fish i catch and get happy about are atleast 13" and fat.

south of cc and i imagine south of east fork have more comp for food and may grow different]


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## chrsvic (Apr 20, 2005)

The yak approach sounds interesting. I've fished out of a canoe 20+ years, the only drawback being finding a partner to go with. With two guys in a canoe, one can help control the boat while the other casts. You can use an anchor at each end if it swivels too much, or tie it to brush on the bank, get out and cast at riffles, etc. Seems like I have done better midway between bridges, which gets little fishing pressure.

If you float downstream by yourself, you still need a plan to get back to your vehicle. (It would be great to live on the bank of the river, and just canoe down to your house!)


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

.....or you can have your best fishing buddy live on the banks of the river and float downstream to his house.... 
Or you can start at his house and float downstream to the vehicle.
OK....so everyone doesn't have it as easy as us...lol
But from April to OCT, you can use the liveries to transport you for 10 bucks...that is what I used to do!


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## fishinjim (Aug 9, 2006)

I'm a bit of a slow thinker.....anyways, I bought a kayak on clearance last fall and have been thinking about how to get back upstream.
The loveland livery, imho, doesn't take you far enough upstream as I have waded from Rahe Park to their livery multiple times.

I would think I could paddle upstream in the slow stretches and carry/pull in the rapids.

Am I wrong in my thinking?


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

C.Rahne to Loveland Canoe is almost 5 miles, it would be 8 if you went to lake Isabella. In my opionion, 5-8 miles is a perfect distance to float if you are fishing. I did fosters (C Rahne) to Lake Isabella last yr a couple times and that was plenty long of a float. To answer your question, yes, you can paddle upstream but after about 4-5 sets of rapids you will wish you just floated downstream. I suggest a 5-8 mile trip, lots of public launching areas on the LMR.....take a look at the following, may help

www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/hfs/tmartin/LittleMiami/LittleMiamiRiver.htm 

click on Little Miami River Map


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

First off XMatt, nice fish!:B 

Next, LMR and you floating guys;
I read on ODNR's website that fishing is allowed at all public launches, but does anyone know how far up and down stream from the launch people are allowed to fish? (dealing with the LMR)
It's seems confusing to me, with the Little Miami State Park designation, combined with private property. I live about 20 mins from the CC-LMR confluence, but am not sure where I'm allowed to bank and wade fish.
Any help is appreciated.


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

Cantsleep....
If you float, you have nothing to worry about...this is the main reason I took up the Yak. As a wade fisherman, I was restricted to 4 or 5 LEGAL holes, and alot of them are well known and therefore well fished. There is alot of private property along the river so be aware of trespassing or get permission.


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

LMRsmallmouth said:


> Cantsleep....
> If you float, you have nothing to worry about...this is the main reason I took up the Yak. As a wade fisherman, I was restricted to 4 or 5 LEGAL holes, and alot of them are well known and therefore well fished. There is alot of private property along the river so be aware of trespassing or get permission.


That's what I was afraid of.
You know I've done some recreational canoeing, but never even considered trying a yak until I started coming to this site. You and some of the other yak devotees are really changing my mind.
Thanks for the reply.


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

Yeah,LMR,I gotta hand it to ya on the portability factor as I have to trailer and have a 2nd person to spot. I still like being able to stand and cast as I float along. The lmr has poor accesses and we've had some mighty struggles getting the boat up some steep banks...try dragging up the hill @ bass is. But if it's after a day of making your arm sore from so many fish it's a small price to pay ;-)
The drifter anchors and hold well even in heavy flows which comes in handy on steelhead streams,not so much on the warmwaters I fish.
I'm sure ea unit has it's own set of advantages as well as issues depending upon ones needs. I can say for sure that I don't like fishing from a canoe,way too awkward and "tippy" compared to the drifter. TC1


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

TC1....let me know when you are looking for a 2nd body with the drifter....I would be up to trying that out, never been in one. Going to try the GMR alittle this year, maybe you can guide me 
tight lines!


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

Sure,be glad to! I bring it down your way regularly but I think I'm probably fishing lower on the river than where you fish. I'd like to learn the river up your way. We hit it one day on a mega run n' gun for stripes but I have'nt put any time up there.
Ever fish steelhead? Been doin well this winter on them,TC1


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## Trophy Hunter (Dec 7, 2007)

I am thinking about expanding my range this season with a portable boat. The pontoon seems to be the way to go. You can stand and fish, transport and launch in remote locations, anchor, and even utilize a small motor via a transom. Water Skeeter has some nice models I have seen that seem ideal for small sream applications. Has anyone in the forum used these types of boats to fish on small streams such as LMR and GMR? Anything you can tell me would help. I like to make an informed purchase when over $1000.00 is considered!!!


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

Trophy hunter....I belive Bluewater has an inflatable pontoon and could give you the ins and outs of them, you may want to talk to him before you make the purchase...

TC1,
I think you do fish alot farther south than I do in the LMR, I know you like to fish for stripes/wipes which are much farther south than I fish. We pretty much fish the "Central" section of the LMR which I personally believe to be the best water for smallies in the LMR. You are more than welcome to tag along with us sometime, I hit it well over 100+ days a year, 3-4 times a week in the spring-fall. Me and my buddy are definately looking foward to hitting the GMR this year to try and locate some of them "larger average" smallies you refer to from the GMR. I actually am looking foward to fishing 6 or7 different flows this year even though the LMR is so convient to me and so well known. I did have a great time this past summer on the whitewater river in IN and I am looking foward to getting out there again this year. The fish I caught were smaller than LMR on the average but the scenery and the float was the best of any river I have fished around here. I even brought the wife on a camping/float trip there which she truely loved. We need to make it a point to hook up this year, I want to tap into that GMR knowledge you have and maybe we can help you out on the LMR which I am sure will hook you as well. I have had some UNBELIEVABLE days (like Feb 15th last year) that would make any angler jealous. I will PM you soon to try and set something up. If you bring the drift down to our stretch of the river we can make transporting easier as my fishing partner lives on the LMR....very convient.
Cabin Fever is killing me!


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

That'll be cool getting to know a new section of river. That's always fun!
Some of the best fishing on the GMR is very close to Dayton and can be hit easily in an evening wknt after dinner,1 1/2-2 hrs,8-10 smallies from 15-17" and a sugeye or two.Actually,those size #'s should probably be upscaled this year as I'm sure they put on some weight. The river seems to be easily dominated by a strong year class. 
Whtwater,canoed it once long ago and we saw the same:awesome scenery and smaller fish. Nice float though.
I w/ ya on the cabin fever...I build custom rods and tie flies to kill time till I get my next fix.I got a coupla places we can fish in winter,I'll pm ya,TC1


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## BlueWater (Feb 13, 2005)

I would be more than happy to help you with info about pontoon boats. I love mine. Post some questions or I will send you a longer post over the weekend. A small pic of my boat is to the left of this post.

BlueWater


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## xmatthewx (Jul 29, 2007)

i went out for a couple hours again today on the lmr, ended up with one. not as big as the other i caught earlier this month, but still worth it.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Congrats again, with the shape that rivers in can't beat that!


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