Norm M Posted March 8, 2016 Posted March 8, 2016 About 6400 CFS and 2.57 height which are about normal for this time of year. Water temps 44 degrees , not much visibility . weather was nicer when I was able to get out, missed the crappy weather with some sort of bug . I guess if you have to be sick might as well be when the weather is crap . First trip , fished a couple slack spots from shore , cobble/chunk rock, softer bottom . short trip couple smallmouth on suspending jerk with longish pauses, couple smallmouth on rattlebaits slowly just above bottom . decent size , couple sporting red hook marks so someone else had some success previously . Second trip , much longer, fished slack spots with cobble, chunk rock, soft bottom combos, couple inflows, couple riffles . Waded carefully and only as needed in spots I know very well , mostly just for casting angles or getting closer to the fast water current seam . Eight smallmouth , largest on a Rapala Tail Dancer while catching walleye , brute was a shade over 22inches . The other seven were decent fish, one on suspending jerk. the rest on rattlebaits . Thirteen walleye, biggest 28.5 inches on 6 inch swimbait.1/2 oz jig. That setup also got another walleye at 25 inches, both of them fat with tight full egg sacs. Got one walleye on a rattlebait while catching smallmouth, the rest of the walleye on Rapala Tail Dancers . Four channel cats at the downstream side of riffles, on the big swimbaits . All four cats in the mid twenty inch range. One northern pike about 34 inches in a slack area with foam/debris overhead cover on the big swimbait. One gar about 25 inches on a fluke in a slack spot that has produced many a gar over the years . I carry the tape measure hoping to get some legal walleye to eat in the14-18 inch slot, of course no walleye in that size range . Oh well , 5 species, 27 fish , some with size to them , best outing of the year . what a long strange trip it's been , put a dip in your hip, a glide in your stride and come on to the mother ship , the learning never ends
Al Agnew Posted March 8, 2016 Posted March 8, 2016 Little bit of understatement there, Norm...22 inches??
Norm M Posted March 9, 2016 Author Posted March 9, 2016 Just a bit , shoot I'm still grinning like a kid after his first real kiss . The biggest smallmouth I got from that river or in my life was 23.5 inches .The PB was from the glory days of the river in my lifetime , 3 great spawns in a row all came together with great conditions to grow them big . The giant smallmouth will be even more rare down the line. Increased sedimentation destroying spawning/nursery areas and increased flooding is really hurting the river. The pool above the biggest dam has already lost about 70 % of it's carrying capacity due to the increased sediment load . what a long strange trip it's been , put a dip in your hip, a glide in your stride and come on to the mother ship , the learning never ends
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now