March 14. The River is quite large
and tranquil in some spots. Snow lingers on this spot in late March.
I caught my first smallmouth on March 14 this year. The best one was
17". However, the fishing was so good on the lake this spring that I
didn't return to the river until May.
May 12. This was a banner day with
two 18" and the 20" fish shown here boated. I also caught quite a few
other fish up to 17". It was a beautiful warm day and the fish moved
shallow to feed before starting to spawn. All these fish were caught on
plastic worms of one variety or another. It didn't seen to matter.
These fish started a great summer of very good smallmouth fishing. I
ended the year with 3 20" fish; 3 19" fish; and 10 18" fish.
August 20. This chunky 18" fish hit
the toad up against the bank along a fast run. It made for a really good
fight. The rod is a Kistler Helium, the reel a JDM Shimano Conquest 50
(a really great reel). The fish was returned and I believe I caught him
again a few weeks later.
September 6. We rarely have fog on
the river, but this morning it was was so foggy that it required my GPS
unit to be able to find my way upriver. This photo was taken after the
fog lifted a bit and the sun was burning it off.
I had a great day with an 18" fish and several 16-17" fish - all on
topwater.
October 4. This heavyweight carp
took a 3" chartreuse grub and put up a dandy fight. The custom 6'2"
light action rod I made was strained to the limit. The reel is a Daiwa
Pixy.
