The bite was on ...

[Kicknbass]

Saturday, April 29, 2006 - Middle Current River in Shannon County.

Saturday was a rain out for turkey hunting, so it put us fishing much earlier than expected. My Cousin and I got on the river about 9:00 am and started fishing. It had been raining for some time this morning, and continued a steady rain the entire time that we fished. Thank goodness we each had decent rain gear to allow us to tolerate the conditions. But Saturday, it was easy to stay warm reeling in feisty bronze backs. The river conditions were lower than normal, but the river was clear and had plenty of water to run a boat.

We left the launch and motored up river to the first hole above and started fishing. The bite was on, we immediately started catching fish. We caught fish on crank baits, jerk baits, and grubs. The color of choice seamed to be white this weekend. The river was clear enough to watch the white grub work across the bottom and watch the fish smack the bait. We caught about 10 - 15 fish a piece in about 3 hours before we pulled out to met up w/ a buddy for lunch.

It was a great day. The fish always seem to turn on in a steady rain. None of the fish were huge, but the average size was good. Most fish caught were 12-13" in length. The best fish catch was a 16 1/2" toad. The smallies can really fight, and know how to turn their body and use the current to gain power. The 16 1/2" fish took several runs and fought hard for several minutes. We mostly caught smallies w/ an occasional goggleye.

If you like to catch bronze backs, now is the time to be on the water. Don't wait for the aluminum hatch.