Finley April, 18Th

[smallmouthjoe]

Managed to escape responsibility today to get some fishing in. Started around 10:00 at Linden and finished up around 5:00 at the park. The fishing was pretty good, best fish of the day went around 15" and she was a LM, caught around 6 or 7 smallies none going over 12" and of course I caught the usual 15 or so rock bass. Most of the brown fish were caught with either a 5" grub, smoke with red flake, or a 3.5" green pumpkin tube. The rock bass were caught on anything I was throwing and the LM was caught on a booyah jig,3/16, green pumpkin with a green pumpkin chigger craw on the back. I was expecting the fish to be aggressive but all fish seemed somewhat sluggish. Struck out on the crankbait and jerkbait (except for rock bass), and found out later in the float that they seemed to prefer the jig over the tube today. I got to witness some great scenery, saw some interesting wildlife including two common snapping turtles locked in their mating ritual, a first for me. Great day to be out I think I may hit a section of The James next weekend, if I'm not totally bogged down with work and school, and see if I can get into some bigger smallies. Take care.

[RSBreth]

I would have liked to have gone down that stretch myself, but I was working.

I did swing through the park for a second on the way to work early yesterday just in time to see a local joker string up a 3-lb or so Largemouth from one of the fishing piers. I did inform him that as far as MDC regulations are concerned, the little lake is still considered the Finley River, and River regulations have no keeping of Black Bass until the fourth Saturday in May. I didn't say it nice like that though, there was some yelling and an attempt to get his picture with the camera phone, while he hurriedly put the Bass in the water. It swam away.

I think I freaked him out a little, which is fine. The second he finally gets a decent Bass I swoop in like that, he probably thinks there's a camera over there somewhere!

[smallmouthjoe]

I would have liked to have gone down that stretch myself, but I was working.

I did swing through the park for a second on the way to work early yesterday just in time to see a local joker string up a 3-lb or so Largemouth from one of the fishing piers. I did inform him that as far as MDC regulations are concerned, the little lake is still considered the Finley River, and River regulations have no keeping of Black Bass until the fourth Saturday in May. I didn't say it nice like that though, there was some yelling and an attempt to get his picture with the camera phone, while he hurriedly put the Bass in the water. It swam away.

I think I freaked him out a little, which is fine. The second he finally gets a decent Bass I swoop in like that, he probably thinks there's a camera over there somewhere!

I'm glad you were there to enlighten him to the regs. He should consider himself lucky that you didn't keep quite and call the local conservation agent to bust him.

I forgot to mention in my original post that there is a bad port about a mile or so down from Linden. When you try to port around don't use the left side of the river bank, the right is a much easier port. I realized this after I had dragged all my stuff through about 30 yards of brush and was on my way down river and saw how clear the right side was.

[Daveinozark]

I would have liked to have gone down that stretch myself, but I was working.

I did swing through the park for a second on the way to work early yesterday just in time to see a local joker string up a 3-lb or so Largemouth from one of the fishing piers. I did inform him that as far as MDC regulations are concerned, the little lake is still considered the Finley River, and River regulations have no keeping of Black Bass until the fourth Saturday in May. I didn't say it nice like that though, there was some yelling and an attempt to get his picture with the camera phone, while he hurriedly put the Bass in the water. It swam away.

I think I freaked him out a little, which is fine. The second he finally gets a decent Bass I swoop in like that, he probably thinks there's a camera over there somewhere!

good job Randy!

i went for a few hours behind the old jeep dealer from 8-10am yesterday. Bunch of small bites on the tube so i switched to a small yellow roadrunner and only caught 1 little rock bass. I was trying out different things, for me, like the wiggle wart and spinners instead of plastics. Trying to improve my game. Not much sign of life in that stretch though, only saw 1 fish jump. Seems like the fire department there likes to play with their sirens when I'm there for some reason

glad to hear Joe did well though.

[biggbear]

the reASON THERE R NO FISH BEHIND THE JEEP DEALER IS THAT A FAMILLY OF OTTERS FISH THERE EVERY NIGHT

[RSBreth]

So that's were they went. I haven't seen them in about a year, I thought they went upstream somewhere, not down. Probably why I haven't caught much there in a year or more, too.

Thanks for the heads up.