Top water over 98 Degrees 7/24/16

[Johnsfolly]

Even with temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees today, I was set on getting out to my favorite smallmouth water to see if I could catch more top water fish than mid or bottom baits. I got to the access point at 9:30 this morning. Air temp was probably close to 88-90 degrees. The water seemed to be around 80-85 degrees. There is a long hole right at the access. This area gets fished a lot. I put on the Perch pattern Whopper Plopper and had two blow ups and one 10" largemouth on the line. Several more blow ups while casting toward a rock pile downstream from me. There was shade above the rocks and it extended well over the water. Caught one more largemouth a little smaller than the first one. With all of the blow ups there seemed to be fish around that pile and I switched to the 1/8 oz PBJ Ned rig and hooked up with another small largemouth on the first cast. Several cast later and nothing to show for my efforts except lots of small fish pecking at the Ned.

The river narrows above this hole and most stretches don't hold a lot of water. Cast the Ned to some deeper water behind a laydown tree and get a strike by a smallmouth that comes undone next to me. Same on the next cast a little further upstream. Both fish probably weren't much longer than 8". Next hole and still fishing the Ned I lose two more smallmouth one was over 12" in length. Catch two smallmouth, both about 9-10" in length and a 9" largemouth. The bottom is getting more large rocks and boulders, which in this system means more smallmouth and also more potential snags with the Ned. Switch back to the WP and have a couple of smallmouth hits and land a 12" fish. I am headed up to several boulder filled runs that are below a large long and deep hole. Although I haven't fished this section for a couple of years, I know this stretch well having caught a bunch of smallmouth every time I fish this section. I have twice caught my personal Missouri best smallmouth at the head of this deep hole, two fish a few years apart with both fish measuring 17.75". Headed up to this section of water and spooked a juvenile bald eagle off the bank. Fishing the WP I land two more largemouth, two really fat green sunfish, and three more smallmouth. I didn't catch any more fish on the WP, mainly because I felt that the bait might be spooking the fish when it hits the water. With too many boulders for the Ned. I put on a fluke. The first cast was just upstream of a large boulder and the fish must have been watching it, because it took the bait just as it hit the water.  A couple of cast later, I caught my largest smallmouth, a 14" fish, and that fish pushed a 10 foot wake to get the fluke. I caught a couple of more smallmouth and a couple of largemouth. I switched to a super-fluke and only got a gar interested, but could not get the gar on the line. I kept seeing a large bass swimming in the hole. I put on a Excaliber Spit'n Image WTD bait. I did not catch the big one, but caught two largemouth and two green sunfish in this hole. It was now about 1:15 pm and the temp must have been close to 98 degrees.  I fished the next hole upstream and that was about as far upstream as I got today. Just getting two hot for me. I caught another largemouth and smallmouth on the Spit'n image in that hole. Stopped in the shade above that short hole and saw a madtom go up under a rock just below me. I switched to my microfishing line and hooks. Didn't see the madtom again. Tried to catch some juvenile hog suckers, but could not do to too many mosquitofish and bleeding shiners. I did land this big female mosquitofish. Caught several shiners and a studfish.

Done microfishing and headed back down stream back to the large hole. Kept seeing two large bass, but between my offerings today and the foot prints in the gravel from a previous fisherman these bass would get to within a couple of inches and never take my baits. Did get another gar to chew on my fluke, but could not get a hook set on this fish. Ended with this 8" smallmouth.

Total tally was 12 fish with the Ned and fluke versus 15 fish on the WP and Spit'n image top water baits. So even with the heat the top water bite was not bad for nearly 100 degrees (on the way home, the local bank registered 101 degrees).

 

[Al Agnew]

You said you were afraid the WP was scaring fish when it hit the water.  When fishing low, clear water, especially in wading size streams, you must cast at least five and probably as much as ten feet away from where you think the fish are.  Something like a WP or a big WTD lure landing within a foot or two of them scares them, something landing 5-10 feet away just gets them curious. The fish are often tight against the bank in those pools, but if you land the lure 5-10 feet off the bank they'll charge it, with those big wakes that get your heart pumping and usually make me set the hook too quickly until I get a few strikes like that under my belt.

[Johnsfolly]

Al

Thanks for the advice. I have to say that I am addicted to seeing that big wake heading for my baits. It is so hard not to set the hook becore you feel the weight on the line. So I am always trying to learn to be a better top water fisherman.