Trip Report 7/28 & 8/1

[riverrat]

Work has been getting in the way of fishing this summer, but has finally slowed down. Got out Sunday 7/28 on my favorite stretch of the 'nade. The air temp that morning was in the low 50's. Kinda foggy. Water temp I'm guessing high 70's-low 80's. I immediately noticed the water was clearer than normal for summer time on the Gasconade. Visibility was 6-7 ft instead 2-3 ft, the water didn't have that funky brownish green color normal in summer. Is this because of the lower temps or the higher water flow, or both? I know I like the change. I started out with my favorite Sammy- 'ole one eye. My buddy was throwing his usual buzzbait. Fishing was a little slow the first couple of hours, just enough strikes to make it interesting. I did catch a 16" smallie early. The water was clear enough that I got to watch it come from the bottom in 6 ft of water and blast One Eye-SWEET!! It's been my experience on a cool summer morning like this, once the fog burns off the topwater bite gets better, and it did. The only difference was it more like an early fall bite, no rhyme or reason to where the fish were. Everywhere and nowhere. Caught several nice largemouth 2-4lbs. Lots of nice 12-16 in. smallmouth. We had several bruiser smallmouth (17-20 inches) strikes just no hookups. Oh well, I live for that explosion. About 3/4 of the way through the float my arm was getting fatigued from working the Sammy. I decided to try a new to me walk the dog bait that was a little smaller. First cast was a pleasant surprise- it was very easy to walk. By the 4th cast I had decided it was easiest to walk bait I had ever used. It even does well in moderate current. By the end of the float the fish told me they liked it too. This bait is the Damiki Dolphin that Smalliebigs was ranting about . The man knows what he is talking about. Thank you Smalliebigs you have just cost me a couple hundred in resupply fees, but it's what I live for. Even though Ole One Eye has caught hundreds of fish and had his hooks changed twice, he now hangs in a place of honor in my basement. I'll keep his 2 eyed twin in my tackle box, but I think I've moved on.

Floated a different section on 8/1, the report is basically the same, with a few exceptions. This is the float that Al Agnew says has a 3 mile stretch of featureless water. He's right , but it used to be some of my favorite smallmouth water. The flood of 08 really changed this section. Filled in a lot of deep holes and destroyed several mud bank holes. In my opinion the worst change was the flood washed out all the grass beds. These beds were great smallie habitat and they have not grown back. On to the days fishing. Pretty much the same report as Sunday, with the topwater bite better once the fog burned off. Still like an early fall day with the fish everywhere and nowhere. Started off with my Dolphin and ended with it. Man I love that lure-no arm fatigue this day. Had one memorable first for me moment. I hooked about a 14" smallie on the Dolphin and I could see a larger fish with it. I stopped bringing it in, and the bigger fish was really wanting what the smaller one was eating. I saw the bruiser grab the lure and set the hook as best I could with a nice smallie already on. It was game on. They squalled drag and got out of sight. Then the pressure decreased, the big one must have got off. Nope over 19" smallie hooked and landed by deceit, but I'll take it. Man I needed these 2 days.

[mic]

Great report... thanks for posting.

[MOsmallies]

Awesome report... That Dolphin is a killer bait!

[Mitch f]

I caught a 19.5" smallmouth on the Meramec kind of the same way. A bluegill grabbed my hair jig and the bruiser came up and took the jig away from the bluegill.

[go4ducks2]

Nice report!!! So I looked up this Damiki Dolphin( kinda new to this smallmouth fishing).....holy minoly they are proud of that bait $11.99, but

I guess if it catches fish, what the heck!

[Smalliebigs]

Sweet report!!!! I know the sections you floated and the dolphin is a nice bait and well made but, they lack a good color selection....Halo-Bluegill is THE color. The Gnade is soo fun knowing that any blow up can be a 20 inch fish......very cool report.....I felt like I was there even without pics.

The KVD bait is another that is easy to walk, that has different body shape but a tad cheaper for you guys that want a better price. I just have built up a ton of confidence with the Dolphin...it's a good one, there are others that are good, I just like Dawg baits and the hits I get....it's just for two years now that Dolphin has been showing me some strikes and producing some fish....that I has always dreamed about.....I have had fish breaching it so hard and so fast they miss the bait completely and come two feet out of the water....that's not a lie.....today I fished with a buddy and he had three Orca type breaches amd missed two but, they all followed his bait all the way across the river....they were hitting with in 5 yards of him.....he only caught one of those fish and it was a tad over 18 and chunky....a perfect Bronze bruiser....but the best part were the the hits he had......they were like sharks trying to destroy his bait.....fun,fun...and I was just watching

[Smalliebigs]

Here is the dolphin and another I just started using that I like...the realis bait does all kinds of things and well made like the dolphin...I just catch big stuff on the damiki

you sound like me....lol

[riverrat]

You ever try for hybrids on topwater? My brother and I got into a school of 5-8lbers one evening this May. Non stop action for an hour and half. We could actually see their wake coming from 20 feet away. Hard not to be trigger happy, and when they they hit they mean business, like a cherry bomb going off.

[LarrySTL]

I don't know if this thread is gonna cost me money for a dolphin and a realis...or if its going to save me money because I already have exactly the Dawg bait in the same color thats hanging in the mouth of that 18 incher.

Nice fish guys !!

[Hog Wally]

You reeled me in. Guess i will buy some too. Looks like a killer hybrid bait.