Big Water Fly Fishing

[ozark trout fisher]

If you're like me, fly fishing pretty much exclusively means small to medium sized rivers (and sometimes ponds and smaller lakes), and species like trout and smallmouth bass. But this evening I decided to try something a little different. The Wabash River runs just a few miles from my place, but I'd never given it much attention. When I was here in the spring, it was far too flooded to even think of fishing (although it demanded a different kind of attention, the kind where you are wondering what parts of town are under water) and this summer I was off working in Missouri and hitting the Current and Jacks Fork and all the old favorites in my old backyard. So despite being the closest fishable body of water, it might as well not even have existed for my purposes. 

But come late August, it's still big and a little intimidating...but also pretty clear, and I couldn't help noticing people fishing it every time I drove over/past it. I can only take so much of that before I'm bound to cave. So I put in the kayak this evening, and fished a short stretch near the closest access to me (the current is slow enough that it is very easy to paddle upstream, fish your way back down, and repeat multiple times). 

And honestly, it was a pretty satisfying experience. I tied on a white #4 clouser (about the biggest I can actually cast, as opposed to "awkwardly fling" with the set-up I have, and a decent shad imitation I thought). It worked. What got me was the sheer variety in this kind of big river setting. In one casual evening on the water I caught white bass, freshwater drum, largemouth bass...and one very aggressive and possibly confused bluegill. I'm told there are walleye, as well, but I'm still looking for one of those. None of them were very big (the largest being a white bass of about 14 inches), and I know you are supposed to use broom-stick rods and chase huge blue cats in a river like this...but again, it was a really fun evening.

The only downside was having to dodge high-powered boat after high-powered boat, none of which could have been in a bigger hurry if they'd just been told they needed to be down to the Gulf of Mexico in two hours to avoid having said boat repossessed. Oh well, when you are on a big river, you are living in their world, not the other way around. Better to just duck into shore for a second and forget about it. 

I was surprised at how much fun this was. I'm already itching to get back out there. 

[mreed81]

Great report. My wife is originally from Evansville, Indiana and we drive by over that river several times a year when visiting. I really like the old, semi collapsed railroad bridge just north of 64/40.