Memorable day...good and bad

[Al Agnew]

Well, the smallmouth are officially in their winter holes--many of them, anyway.

The river was about as low as I've ever run it, and it was tricky in several spots running up to the wintering hole that I wanted to fish the most.  I clipped a couple of logs in smooth, slow water, but the boat performed very well over several very shallow gravelly riffles, and I avoided a few rocks in a couple of more dangerous riffles.  Passing a dead deer up in the bankside brush, I ran off six eagles and chased them upstream.  I got to the wintering hole about 9:45 AM, and started out fishing a jerkbait on the side opposite the bluff, hooking one fish briefly.  Then I went to the other side above the bluff, where it was somewhat shallower, about 3-5 feet deep, with scattered logs.  The water was clear, but not quite as clear as I'd feared; visibility was about 4-5 feet.  I could see several decent smallies coming up to investigate the jerkbait, and half-heartedly nipping at it.  I was using a Pointer.  I switched to another jerkbait that had three very sharp hooks instead of the two hook Pointer, and caught one 12 incher, as I drifted down to where I knew the really good water began.

Given that the fish didn't seem to be all that interested in the jerkbaits, I grabbed a rod with a hair jig and on the second cast caught a 15 incher.  There were several sunken logs, barely visible, and I fished them carefully with the hair jig.  The fish were there.  I began to count fish caught,  

The wind was blowing downstream, and making it difficult to control the boat as well as I'd like, so I decided to scoot down to the tail of the pool and start upstream, working my way against the wind and fishing the hair jig with quartering upstream casts.  That worked far better.

After catching a dozen or so, including a 17 incher and several in the 15-16 inch class in just the first 40 feet or so, I decided to experiment with Mitch's craw.  Sure enough, they were eating it at least as well as the hair jig.  After a half dozen fish or so I'd switch color patterns.  It didn't matter what color I was throwing.  

I spent about 4.5 hours in that one pool, and ended up with 41 smallmouth and a largemouth from it, including two 18 inchers besides the 17 incher.  I'd guess at least half the fish I caught were over 14 inches.  

I was amazed at how far advanced the afternoon was by the time I was ready to quit that pool and fish some others.  Heck, I'd only have time to fish a couple more pools.  I got ready to start the motor and suddenly remembered that I'd failed to fill the gas tank for once.  I hefted it...not a whole lot of gas left, and I had quite a distance to go back downstream.  Oh well, if I ran out, I could make it back on the trolling motor, probably.

The first pool I stopped at on the way back down is not a terrific wintering pool.  It's long and rocky but not particularly deep.  Here also the water was much clearer, probably 6 or 7 feet of visibility.  I decided to just skim it with the jerkbait, and in the very clear water, the jerkbait worked.  I caught several decent smallies, and two largemouth.

I knew I had time to fish one more pool, and I knew the pool I wanted to fish.  Sure enough, it produced another good mess of smallies on both the craw and the jerkbait, bringing the day's total up to 59 bass.  Then it was past 4 PM and I still had several miles to run.  The gas tank was feeling pretty light.

The spot had been no problem running upstream, a narrow chute with rocks on one side, making a sharp turn into a wider, but very shallow gravelly riffle.  Making the turn into the wider gravel channel was fine.  But coming back down, I had a bit of brain fade, not realizing that making the right angle turn into that very narrow chute was a different proposition.  I made the turn, but the boat skidded sideways, and the very back corner of the boat clipped a rock that was an inch under the surface...hard.  It didn't stop the boat but it slewed the front end into the bank.  It stopped then, but I wasn't concerned, I had everything under control...until I looked right behind me at the bilge at the rear of the boat and saw water spewing upward!  I'd opened up the weld in that back corner, and water was coming in at about the rate it would be coming in if I'd taken out the plug.

So I DID take out the plug and gave it the gas.  The way the tear was, while running full speed water was spraying up a foot and a half in that corner of the boat, still coming in, but not as quickly as the opened drain was letting it out as I ran.  But now I was really worried about being low on gas.  If I ran out before I got to the ramp, my only choice was to head to a gravel bar and find something to stuff into the hole to slow the leak so that I could hopefully limp on in with the trolling motor.  I hefted the gas tank again as I ran; it felt like I'd probably have enough to make it.

A hundred yards above the access, I shoved the plug back in, and ran up to the ramp and onto a little sandbar at the edge of it.  I jumped out, ran up to the truck, and backed it down as quickly as possible, knowing the back end of the boat was filling up with water.  I shoved it off, started the motor, and quickly ran it up onto the trailer.  It already had six inches of water in the rear as it was tilted on the ramp, but I'd made it.

Now I gotta find somebody who welds aluminum...in a hurry.

[fishinwrench]

Alot of guys weld aluminum, but only a few do it well.   Outback welding in Sunrise beach is quite a drive for you, but they are the only ones I trust to weld on any hull of mine.

[Hog Wally]

I can hook u up with a guy in stclair.  He will do it fast

[Hog Wally]

I filled my gas tank up today Al.  I'm ready for some long runs to specific holes ?

[Brian Jones]

3 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Now I gotta find somebody who welds aluminum...in a hurry.

Al:  Jon Jones, Jay Edgar and Jim Conway are all aluminum welders here in the Leadbelt and have all done work for me at various time.  I would recommend any of them.  Jon did all the fab work on our current boat. 

[Mitch f]

Being by yourself, cold weather, not being a spring chicken anymore ?, low on gas, major hole in the hull....you did a good job keeping your head together!!

[Old plug]

12 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

Alot of guys weld aluminum, but only a few do it well.   Outback welding in Sunrise beach is quite a drive for you, but they are the only ones I trust to weld on any hull of mine.

I second that 100% I had mine in there last year. REason was( and pay attention to this pro bass targa owners) when a bought my 181/2 targa from Pro bass used cheap frame type battery trays in the front batery hold.  over the period of  years those battery boxes leaked droplets of water from vibrations , bouncing etc that gathers in a hidden corner then ate thru the battey hold and down into the hull. Last year it developed so many  leaks the boat would take on serious water in just a couple hundred yards of running. I could see not damage and took it to Outback. They inspected it visually and could find nothing. They took the floor out and filled the boat with a mix of water and backing soda. Then all the pressure cracks were revealed. There were far to many to fix so they took two large peaces of 90ga alaum and welded them over my 100ga bottom of my boat. so I now have 190ga bottom on the boat. They arethe best aroundhere by far. They have aweb site where they display a lot of there work

[carptracker]

Thanks for the report Al and glad you made it back in good shape.  Week before last we had 6 eagles hanging out on our gravel bar, taking advantage of the left over sucker carcasses.  The dog thought they were good to roll in and made my wife extremely happy.  There were 4 mature birds and 2 still working on their white feathers.  Wondering if it was the same group.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone on OA.