Hog Wally

The guy is dialed in. Very humbling

The smallmouth bite has been off the charts this week. I’ve been to 4 areas 45 miles total of river. It was 3.5’ high and dirty to 2’ high and 1’ visibility. Caught fish in fast shallow water to 17’ deep dead water. Kinda crazy compared to what I’m used to seeing in January. Yesterday was the absolute best for size. No walleye were caught.

I keep thinking I want to go after them Shoal bass also. And now that I think about it more, the North Branch of the Susquehanna river for Smallies.

Truman is my favorite lake in this state. I have fished there more than all other impoundments combined.

Actually, I just have to cycle through several rivers around me that I feel the constant urge but conditions on the BigRiver and Bourboese aren’t always favorable, even for my RiverPro jet boat. I hate crashing my stuff up, but I will.

Well, today wasn’t so bad

Question: Does anyone else have a checklist of fishing destinations that they try to fish every given season? Do you start freaking out if you don’t get to hit each spot? I live on the Meramec river so I really just want to fish anywhere but here. But here I am, going back on the river.

I finally figured this walleye thing out. Water is 48 degrees and the boys are stacked on the spawning riffles. Big girls are in deep hole below. I kept a couple nice eaters out of the boys that fell for my cricket.

I try really hard. Like everyday.

MDC took a DNA test today and they have the fish. Should know in a few weeks. If it’s a pure Sauger, which they think it is , it crushed the state record by a pound.

Fished a little tournament on the Osage Saturday and had this beast eat my little cricket !!

I’ve never been a huge fan and or impressed with the Smallmouth on the Nade. But, yesterday I changed my mind. I put in at a public ramp solo and ran a couple miles up before I noticed my fuel gauge was at 2.6 gallons !! Not cool. I guess I fish nearly every day and sometimes it slips my mind but I reacted instantly and decided that whatever looked good in the next mile or so I would sit on it and figure something out. I guess I’m a good judge because I set down and immediately see I am in 16’ of dead water with maybe a slight bit of back flow. That means water is literally running the wrong direction. I immediately toss a swim bait as far as I can and let it slowly fall to the bottom. As soon as I moved it a few inches that oh so familiar feel of a winter smallmouth loading up on my rod. I fished for 2 hours without moving off the same spot. 40-50 fish. 8 smallies and the rest were spots. All keepers or bigger. 4 of the smallie were big imo. I didn’t try any different baits on them because it was clear they were on bait fish and the 3.5” swimmers I throw were the ticket. Water was dirty and deep. Fish were glued to the bottom. I don’t know any other method that would’ve worked. This is strictly my opinion, but the Meramec has bigger Smallmouth, and the Nade has the numbers. Don’t attack me on this one. Just my opinion. I think I’ll go hunting tomorrow.

Deep water, or close to deep water, have been getting good. Shallow structure bite is going away quickly.

MDC doesn’t recommend crappie in ponds. I have fished this 1/2 acre pond 10 times and have mostly caught bass, some big (over 5 lbs). I’ve caught 2 crappie over 15”. The pics are of my PB crappie yesterday at 3 lbs. So who is wrong ?