Kudos To Smalliebigs

[riverrat]

What a fish. Come on Scott, give us the story that caused that big grin!

[MOsmallies]

We're on vacation for 1 more day, so I'm sure Scott will post the story when he gets back home.... I'll tell you this... It was one of the coolest smallmouth hits we've ever seen.

[Mitch f]

That smile says " I don't follow through on deals "

He will, he's just trying to build suspense! I know he said after he caught this fish that he will always listen to Al Agnew and keep a topwater tied on at all times!!

[LarrySTL]

Wowww..... nice fish Scott !!!

[Smalliebigs]

Okay since Mitch already posted a pic on here of a nice Smallie we caught, I guess I will give a report and explanation of my dung eating grin in the image.

First off this report is from the Black River where my family has been going for several decades the same week to a Lodge that I'm sure some of you are familiar with.....Black River Lodge. The week we go down to BRL is something that is hard to explain, it's like a perfect sunset that makes you all warm and happy but, only last a little while.....the week we go down we look forward to it like nothing else and then it's gone.

I love my friends from Black River Lodge that I visit every year for a week like family.......life long friends and memories abound every year. It really is a special place for me and in the whole area I have friends from Ironton to Lesterville that all are soo inviting it makes me not want to leave.....I will probably settle down in that area in the future.

Paul or MOsmallies and I have small children and between the obligations of chasing them around and socializing with friends our fishing time there has decreased dramatically from the past. That being said we had very little fishing time at all between kids/family and the rain that was coming down.

My daughter Emily and Paul's son George became buddies this year and we are working on a future relationship very hard

So onto the fishing, one thing about BRL is that all of the people we are at the Lodge with fish with live bait....minnows and crawdad from the river. This makes it tough on Paul and I as it seems we are the only people I ever see down there using lures. We adapt and usually find a pattern that works but, it can be tough. This year with the higher water Topwater was working for me.

The pic of the Smallie Mitch posted here was taken on a custom painted Damiki Dolphin and in my opinion the pattern I had it painted in really works very good on rivers.....it's called Bleeding Bass.....so good I have already packaged up 6 more baits to be painted in BB. Here is a look at the DD in BB...hope you can see it....man it works really well

The fish pictured earlier in this post was taken on this bait.....The reason for my goofy smile is because what had just ensued to get this fish to hand. It was very narrow run of super thick and fast water where the river was laced with willows. It would not be a spot you would fish a topwater bait typically but, the day before I had been in this spot and had seen a little nook where a willow was creating a current break and it was deep as well. It looked like a spot where huge Brown or Rainbow would hide. At 5:50am I casted the DD across the fast water and just simply was reeling in my plug as fast as I could to avoid hanging a $30 lure in the Willow when this big Black fish breeched the surface and came out of the water at least two feet in the air missing my plug. It literaly looked like something from Shark Week on Discovery. Paul and I looked at each other in stunned amazement and couldn't believe what we had just witnessed.....I thought Paul would cast right back in there but, he didn't so I pitched my plug right back to the Willow and she just obliterated this bait again but, this time ate it and then the fight of a lifetime was on. This fish in that fast water put on a show of brute force I haven't seen for awhile it was sooo cool....Paul helped at the end and we snapped a few shots a let her swim.....she was quite fat as well....that fish was four pounds for sure and created a memory for Paul and I for the ages.

We caught decent numbers of fish when we had the chances to fish.....I had fun with topwater all week even caught some Green bass. I also caught a 18+ Smallie on my daughter's Princess rod, which was not the right setup for a fish like that....didn't get a pic but, that was caught on a Sinko type worm on a weighted wacky head....this worked well and I will be trying it in moving water very soon....here's some more pics....too many for this site to handle

I'm ready to go fish some topwater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and to answer CGB's query...the big Smallie had been caught not all that long ago....that's what the mark on her jaw was....no gigging signs....just good olde catch and release.....thank you to whoever caught her and let her go before me

[sms_alum]

Black River Lodge is a awesome place. I have some great memories there as a child. Might need to start heading there again when my son and (coming in Oct.) daughter get a little older. Great report on the fishing.

[ness]

Nice fish, nice write up. Sounds like a great trip. Was it your daughter fishing the princess rod?

[Greasy B]

Family, friends and fishing are the three most important things in this world and you have it it going on. Thanks for the report.

[Flysmallie]

Topwater is always a blast. Looks like a nice trip with family and friends.

[cnr]

Thanks for the report update. Looks like a great time. There's a lot to be said for those annual trips with good friends. I have floated in front of BRL many times and never realized it was so nice. It's kind of inconspicuous from the river side.