Norm M

Joe My use of a camera to take pictures of the fish I catch is against my personal religious beliefs . I do the best I can with the written word .

some off beat jug band music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCg1I84VTaU

some fine picking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm3jc7B4it4

What more can you ask for in the 3rd week of December as far as fishing conditions for river smallmouth ? Warming trend , supposed to hit 60 by Wednesday, water temps up 10 degrees in less than two days , up in the mid 40's . River rising with rains, about twice normal flow, still about 6 inches of visibility . Rising water getting fish to move more toward shore and increasing color to water, very minor bug hatch {gnats] , everything needed to get the fish on the feed . I couldn't wait to get on the water , I knew it was going to be good . I fished inflows, shoreline related slack areas and the current seams closer to shore . It was better than I expected . At the inflows I used J-9 floating rapala minnows , smallmouth and walleyes both liked a stop and go retrieve . Every hit came when I started moving the lure . On the current seams, I used the rattlebait, cast downstream and worked back up , mostly smallmouth, couple walleyes . In the slack areas I used a fat ika, rigged reverse on a weightless 5/0 ewg hook. I basically fished it with the basic plastic worm retrieve we all learned for largemouth in ponds. Sometimes I felt the bite when I started moving the Ika, sometimes it was just a mushy, not quite right feeling when I started it moving and a couple times the line twitched during the pause. Smallmouth and the lone rockie . Grand and glorious day , 23 smallmouth , 9 walleye and one 10 inch rock bass . Do yourself a favor and find some time over the next few days to get out and fish, call it a present to yourself . When was the last time you got double digit smallmouth in the third week of December, that is usually more than you would catch in the whole month of December in typical winter conditions

dunno, maybe this should be in the food forum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xj-jGAJgZY

couple years back heard some guys on the local sports talker mention it. they had googled it thinking it had something to do with he NFL Bears . the singing and dancing are so gawd awful it's funny . at least it's not that drummer boy thing, I despise it as well .

I think they both belong to the player . edit . both for player http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-fascinating-jason-heyward-contract/

I should know better

how about this then ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGwludVZ4jo

from the reports I heard the biggest difference twixt the Cubs and Cards offers was the opt out clauses .

river crested at about 7,500 cfs , no visibility, 49.5 degree water temp . not a bad day weather wise,. got a late start, fished after lunch into early evening . hit the mouth of what is prolly the best known creek on the system. fished a rouge on the slow side of the seam coming out the crick up to where it meets the river. two fairly nice walleye and three decent smallmouth working the rouge back against the current . no takers in any other current condition in the vicinity , moved on . river gods smiling on me at the next spot . small creek twixt two bluffs, sand bar up to washout hole then cobble bottom. as I got with in casting range there were minnows skittering all the way up the sandbar . used the rouge , five walleye in the 17-19 inch range on 10 casts. then it quit, dredged the entire area with everything only fish was a big sucker snagged in the back . sometimes the river gods do smile on you and you get to the right place at the right time . hit another spot by a bridge worked a rattlebait there. in two of the three spots I intended to fish got a smallmouth on the first cast. the third spot was fished from multiple angles with the rattlebait and a jig to no avail . hit a couple/three shoreline related slack spots with rattlebait, spinnerbait, swimbait and jig/ plastic, nothing worked December has been a blast fishing wise, unseasonably mild weather and the fish have been cooperating .

122 defensive runs saved since 2010, more than any other outfielder in the game in that time frame . he doesn't need to be a big power guy in that line up, just get on base consistently, steal bases and score runs . Cubs still may add a center fielder, another starter and a bull pen guy via trades. if they get a centerfielder , J hey can stay in right . Shoring up the defense , the pitching and adding speed is what was needed . Will they win it all next season , who knows . It will be fun watching three of the best teams in baseball go at it again in the NL central . Cubs- KC in the post season ???????????????????????

if there were others out I didn't see them. there were no other cars at the access areas . when the winter temps get colder "dead sticking" the spook can work . I really don't recommend topwaters in water temps in the 30's . I've caught fish doing it but it's such a low percentage deal that it's not worth it . it's tough enough just catching a smallmouth most of the time in really cold water . since I proved to my self that it can be done, I've only done it when I get a wild hair up the backside .

who wouldn't want one of the best defensive outfielders in the game . they concentrated on getting young hitting, pitching in the system is a couple years away, hence buying some experienced pitching talent . this is baseball , nothing is assured . I think the next few years is my best chance at seeing the Cubs win the series. Still carrying scars from "69 . they are finally doing it the right way, develop as much of your own talent as possible and trade or buy to fill any holes .

Al Heard it might warm up again around Christmas. If so , hopefully the river is down and you can get some bronze cheer . Fishing in the rain with a chilly wind put more ache than usual in my joints today Getting older does beat the alternative by many orders of magnitude though .

couple red birds migrated north . if you can't beat them , join them ?

river level dropping, almost to normal flow, couple ft visibility, water temps got into 50's . unseasonably warm , but enjoying it tremendously . two short trips, first trip hit big slack area, about 4 plus ft out near seam w/faster water, cobblestone bottom, algae covered, creek at upstream end intermittent ditch at downstream end . fished suspending rogues, jointed floating rapalas and rattling spook. one very nice smallmouth on the spook, couple decent smallmouth on the jointed raps. spook fished with long pauses between short pops, raps stop and go, all fish hit when lure started moving again . hit in 2-3 ft water. couple decent walleye on the rogue, slow , steady retrieve, hit in about 2-3 ft water. second trip, bit over an hour, 1 smallmouth on bandit 300 banged off boulder in slower water, cobble bottom with boulders, wintering area for bass . river level coming way up with the rain, gauges almost straight line rise, well above normal flow, getting muddier as day went on. water temps dropping back to high 40's at the end. made a run of creeks and intermittent ditches, mostly cobble bottom with algae, some had woody cover, some had water willow beds. only had success with one lure, weighted keeper hook with erie darter . it had to be sitting still for a while, pickups were extremely light, small tic to line. couple I didn't see the tick, just felt a little less pressure thru the line. 11 smallmouth, mostly 14-16 inch, couple bigger . 5 walleye 10-14 inches . was light rain until sometime in early afternoon then sun started breaking thru. when that happened the bite died. went thru a variety of more aggressive lures but it soon became apparent that low and slow was the way to go. not my favorite way to fish but it was working. you just have to go with want the fish want, not what you want. of course if I had what I really want, I'd have a 18 year old body again

river is still dropping but still above normal flow rates, just under 4,000 cfs and 2.01 on the height. water temps mid forties, visibility up to 2.5 ft . algae in river in usual places, up in urban area not so much. first spot I caught fish was a rock islet out in mid stream that has waterwillow growing on it in season. it has a large bar extending upstream and short bars on either side that angle down stream. there is a channel running on either side of it and the slack area behind it is a good place to catch gar . cobblestone covered with algae all around it . letting a rattlebait drift downstream got fish on the bar to the front and the bar on the side I could reach was the winning pattern . no fish on the sloping flats, the channel edges or in the channel . next spot I got fish was around bridge abutments surrounded by cobblestone covered in algae. once again the rattlebait caught fish but only if it made contact with the abutment. the seams and downstream slackwater and the flats produced nothing . next spot I got fish was in an area in the urban part that has cobblestone and boulders , not much algae. a bandit 300 banged against boulders caught fish . last spot I caught fish was at a creekmouth, switched to a bandit 200 , got some at the seam at the junction of creek/river. cobblestone bottom some chunks of concrete with rebar from bridge renewal project . 17 smallmouth in all , couple nice ones, most in the 14 to 16 inch range . fat well fed fish

I was out fishing today, yeah I know a complete shocker. As I was walking along the bank from one spot to another I came across a frog laying on a patch of muddy ground in the sun .I googled it to be sure, it was a pickerel frog . It wasn't so much that I saw a frog in December but that I saw a frog at all . They are getting to be quite scarce these days even in summer . I can remember the days when the fall frog migration was a very dependable pattern for big fish. I can't remember the last time I even bothered with it. Sad .

Mitch Do you need me to send some samples your way ? If so pm your address .

river dropping, still above normal flow, clearing. water temp up to 42 degrees from 41 degrees yesterday . completely over cast and fog all day . decided to do some creek hopping , looking for bass and walleye . the mouths of the creeks were all busto, the point bars and point pools were another matter . I fished with suspending rogues and jointed floating rapalas , figuring it was a good way to attract either species . I managed three smallmouth but exceeded expectations with 12 walleye the biggest three between 25 and 28 inches. early on at the first point bar I got two fish on the upstream side, there after all fish came off the downstream side. all fish were caught in less than 2 feet of water and left no mistake it was a hit. I figure the fog and the overcast cast skies had something to do with how shallow they were . the only downside was that after 4 fish and usually 2 fish caught they shut down. the upside was that I ran the spots in reverse order on the way back and they would hit again . on a couple earlier trips, at least the ones I actually caught fish it was a rattlebait on the current seam for smallmouth bass . unseasonably warm weather continuing and I continue to take advantage of not have ice clinging to my beard with screaming agony . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ZZ8QnUFVM

Mitch It doesn't look like it . I have a bait shop about 45 minutes north of me that had some the last time I was in there . not surprised every Berkley product I really like gets discontinued, the old power pulse worm is another they did away with . another lure that i'll be looking for in any bait shop I wander in to .

how about nose rigging those flukes on a circle hook ? let the hook and the fish do the work for you, just keep a tight line and reel after the slam . plan b use a bite indicator like you would when fly fishing, doesn't add weight, easy to see and rig . try something just a little different, a metal blade bait . use a spoon , change out the treble for a single siwash hook and rig a twister tail on the hook . wacky rig a Berkley heavy weight worm on a circle hook, let the hook work for you. rig a jig/plastic on a dropper line on a top water or wake bait . small split shot in front of a rapala jointed minnow swimbait or swim jig

My home river is on the shallow side and suffers from intense algae growth on the bottom in some stretches due to the influx of lawn and farm chemicals. Mostly I deal with it by fishing lures such as ratlebaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, flukes and sluggos that can be fished above bottom . I have also used an adjust a bubble with wacky or nose hooked cigar [senko type] worms However due to the uneven nature of river bottoms this rig became fouled fairly often . The one worm that fouled the least was a Berkley heavy weight nose hooked . I have been experimenting with different things and have found one that I like because it catches fish and keeps the fouling to a minimum . I use an unweighted 5/0 extra wide gap hook and rig a fat ika with the skinnier end with the skirt on the front of the hook and the fatter end on the back of the hook. I have found that pulling the eye of the hook into the ika helps reduce fouling. The thing about rigging it this way is that the heavier, fatter end of the ika on the bottom of the hook makes the rig ride tail down. When it bounces on the bottom it doesn't collect much if any algae and the top of the rig stays fairly algae free riding on a bit of an upward angle . The downside is that you have to lead your target area more than usual as it takes a bit for the rig to start hitting bottom. Well at least in my river in flows around 2,000 to 3.000 cfs . I could add pieces of nails to the bottom of the ika to get it down quicker or in heavier flows. That is more stuff to carry and rig so I don't do that unless necessary due to flow rate. In the conditions I have been using it in lately the fish show a definite preference for the rig without the added weight .

absolutely clear, no color what so ever . it will beat any color combo hands down .