Flysmallie

I haven't voted yet but I still have until the 31st to do so. I will be on the Current this weekend fishing for smallmouth. Unfortunately we chose one of the busiest sections on a weekend, Round Spring to Two Rivers. But we have floated this section on a weekend before and know what we are getting into. It should give me the information I need to base my decision on.

It really doesn't matter who has the right of way. If you hit a wader in a boat then you are probably in trouble. The main point is if these people would just be curtious on the river then there would be no problem. As many problems as I have had with boats on the river, I can't think of a single time it was due to a boater that was out fishing. The people that cause the problems are the ones that just like to cruise up and down the river.

It gets a lot of traffic but mostly just swimmers and apparently small children wearing diapers. It doesn't get much fishing pressure though especially if you get away from the access.

Good looking bait. You gonna tell us your favorite color and size????

Great post Al. I had never thought about actually spooking the fish by getting out and wading. I always stop when I find a good looking spot and try to wade most of it. Probably because I don't want to deal with boat control. I don't suck at it, I just find it easier to wade. Of course my "solo" canoe is also a 17ft tandem. Gonna have to try to do something different this weekend I guess. I agree with RS on agressive fish not always taking a slow moving lure. You probably do have to witness it to believe it but it does happen. I may not now 150% about catching smallmouth but I know I'm at least 150% into it.

Yeah I thought they looked more like a canoe than kayak. No matter what you call them though, it looks like a sweet boat.

of course the spawning period in the spring is always good. But I would rather fish it in the fall. It's a very good fall lake fishing spinnerbaits. When the water starts dropping into the low 70's the spinnerbait action will really pick up. My two favorite areas are the area right around the Wheatland ramp and the area between 83 Marina and Bolivar landing. Fish the channel swings and the big chunky rock banks with spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Once you get a good pattern going you will be able to catch them all over the lake fishing the same type spots.

I just love when a fish comes and attacks it when you are letting it rise.

Uh......Guilty. RS said it well. It's more about how you fish than what you fish. And I think one big thing that everyone keeps overlooking, you have to have confidence in what you are doing and the lure that you are using. Some people get way to hung up on using one lure or one style of fishing. Don't feel bad, my best fishing buddy is going to spend most of his time on the river throwing a white rooster tail. And even if he is getting outfished by another lure he continues with the rooster tail. He has confidence in that bait and usually does very well with it. He has started to fish other lures like soft plastics and is building his confidence in those. Because no matter how confident you are in one lure you also need to have the courage to change when things aren't going well and even more courage to change when they are. You need to build some confidence in some other lures so you can be versatile on the stream. Once you get there and are using the tactics that RS talks about, your quantity and most importantly your quality of fish will increase. Read Randy's articles on his website. Especially the one about crank baits. I can't believe what has been said on here recently about crank baits. Don't overlook the crank baits, some of my biggest smallmouths have came off a crank bait.

Pomme can be really tough this time of year. I have had many days just like you mentioned where you couldn't buy a keeper fish and they are almost always never where they seem they should be. I won a tournament many years ago in July on Pomme with the water temp being probably pretty close to what you stated. All of our fish that day came in less than 3 feet of water burning a spinnerbait. And it wasn't just one area of the lake either. As the day wore on and the sun got hotter the fish just got bigger. It was one of the starngest things I have ever seen. Well except for the time that me and a buddy fished up there one year on opening day of deer season. We almost turned back and went home since it was sleeting but decided to give it a shot. The water temp was 45 but we still managed over 20 keepers once again throwing a spinnerbait. All the fish were right on the bank. I think the biggest problem that most have with Pomme is that the bass just seem to act differently than on any other lake. You never know where you are going to find them. I have never targeted the muskies in the lake but I have caught them while bass fishing. Everyone that I can remember was caught during the fall. This may not be the best time to be targeting them, but like I said, I'm no muskie guy either. Other than that I hope you enjoyed the lake. I really love it up there.

I think it's a really stupid idea. Especially trying to dam up Crane. Are they serious? There are so many other lakes that they can take the water from and Springfield already has the pipeline from Stockton to Fellows. Well that is if it's working. Seems like they have had a ton of pump problems, probably just another big waste of money. We can't keep destroying the environment to make way for more people. We have already lost so much and I am not willing to give up anymore. And it's not just about the rivers and streams. This would also effect family farms that have been held by the same families for generations. I saw a portion of a program on the Science or Discovery channel over the weekend that talked about reclaiming waste water and purifying it for drinking water. I'm sure it's expensive to move to something like this but if we are already looking at 400 to 600 million dollars then how much more can it be. Yeah I know the thought of drinking your own waste is not appealing but it's something that we just need to overcome. The scientists on this program claimed that the purified waste was actually cleaner that what is coming out of most homes tap. This would also reduce the amount of waste that we dump into our lakes and streams. I know that they are a long ways from making any of this reality but we to have to make sure that our voice is heard on this one before it's too late.

Yeah I saw turd floating down there last week. Stay away from the James. Me & RSBreth will let you know when it's safe.

It's just a big vinyl decal. You have to apply it correctly or you will trap a lot of air bubbles or make wrinkles in it. It's not hard though.

I am not.

That's a dumb statement. What if I'm wading out in the middle of the river? Why do I have to be the one to get out of their way? If they would just slow the hell down when they come to people then there wouldn't be any problem.

Another nice report from you. Great job. Glad to see I'm not the only one out there throwing a 3wt for smallmouth. They always put up a great fight on the little rods.

Welcome aboard Dan. Lots of great information here from some great guys. tippett7 you and I are traveling in different directions. I'm a bass guy trying to learn everything I can about fly fishing.

I do like chilli dogs & beer

There are a lot of good fish in the James. That one is a beauty though. I've seen a couple in the four pound range. The James just doesn't get the respect that it deserves. It seems to get a little better each year or maybe I just get a little better at finding them each year.

I still like your first idea. And I think I can help. I could tie your canoe to the back of the bass boat and "gently" pull you up into the James. I promise not to go over 70!!

Great fish. I would hold that one out for the world to see too.

Actually it was me but Leonard nor Michael will ever admit to that I know the first one I saw came from Leonard and I love it. Great little fly for trout and smallmouth. I like the idea of tying it bigger with rabbit. That would be great for smallmouth. I haven't been thrown out of Backcountry Outfitters in awhile. Guess I'll have to head over and buy some supplies. Consider that your warning Michael. Now which one of you guys is going to take me night fishing at Taney?

Kev, just a thought. You do know the river flows the other direction? I don't understand why you would want to "float" upstream, but you've always done things a little different. My guess is it would take a long time. Did you get a canoe or is the 14 ft just something you are planning on borrowing for the event?

Man you are driving me crazy with these reports. I gotta get a smaller boat or at least paddle my fat butt around in the canoe. Looks like it's time to add a trolling motor. Then I'll have to get a permit! I don't mind the permit but I'm kind of scared of the marina lady!

Carolina rigged finesse worm. 27 feet of water fishing a hump. 9.9 lb largemouth, Lake Cuchillo in Mexico. My uncle caught a 10.2 the day before on the same worm in the back of a deep cove. Smallmouth? 5lb 10oz on a white spinnerbait on Table Rock.