Cold, Muddy, and High Water Still Caught some

[David Goddard]

I headed out to one of my favorite kayaking spots yesterday with my girlfriend and my cat. I was hoping that the water wouldn't be high and muddy but unfortunately it was. I fished the first 2 or 3 hours without a bite and finally figured a little something out slow rolling a war eagle finesse spinnerbait. It was my cat's first time on the kayaks and he loved it so that was cool. Usually when I fish at this place I catch about 40% smallmouth and 60% largemouth with a random spotted bass sprinkled in but for whatever reason I didn't catch a single smallie. I caught 4 largemouth in the 3-4 pound range which are very good fish but I would trade all 4 of those nice largemouth for an 18"+ smallmouth. I was wondering if any of you all had some advice for chasing river smallmouth when the water gets muddy. I don't have a ton of experience fishing river smallmouth and I would love to learn some more. Thanks guys tight lines.

[Terrierman]

The most amazing part of this post is how you have a cat that is leash trained.  I don't have heavy enough or long enough gloves to try and put a collar on our cat.

[snagged in outlet 3]

15 minutes ago, Terrierman said:

The most amazing part of this post is how you have a cat that is leash trained.  I don't have heavy enough or long enough gloves to try and put a collar on our cat.

Rookie!!

[Terrierman]

19 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Rookie!!

Me or your cat?  Ours is a killing machine.  I tried to put her in a crate once and lived to regret it.  She's not all that big, but like some of the toughest people I know, she's wiry.  And ain't scared.

[David Goddard]

His momma is like that. Just kills everything from birds to snakes to squirrels. I started him at like 5 or 6 weeks on the leash and harness and he loves it. Tugs at the leash just like a puppy. His favorite things to do is be outside chasing everything that moves

[MOsmallies]

As you know, cold muddy water is not ideal and can be downright brutal to fish. You figured them out and I'm sure you were around the smallies too. Typically they will move from the hole they were holding in to the nearest spot out of the heavy current. Behind big rock outcroppings, big logs. Basically anything that creates an eddy. They won't move far, and the high water can really stack them up. If you catch one, there should be a bunch.

[snagged in outlet 3]

1 hour ago, Terrierman said:

Me or your cat?  Ours is a killing machine.  I tried to put her in a crate once and lived to regret it.  She's not all that big, but like some of the toughest people I know, she's wiry.  And ain't scared.

Mine is a stray that lives in the culvert out back.  Don’t know how it lives there when it gets blown out with rain water regularly.   Don’t know where it came from but it’s been back there for three years.  

[David Goddard]

34 minutes ago, MOsmallies said:

As you know, cold muddy water is not ideal and can be downright brutal to fish. You figured them out and I'm sure you were around the smallies too. Typically they will move from the hole they were holding in to the nearest spot out of the heavy current. Behind big rock outcroppings, big logs. Basically anything that creates an eddy. They won't move far, and the high water can really stack them up. If you catch one, there should be a bunch.

Thank you. I'll definitely try that next time!

[Hog Wally]

If I’m catching largemouth I usually fish up or down from them a ways.  Or right on the bank   This year the Smallies have been coocoo.   I can’t find the mother lode either.  Just an occasional good one.  But this flood will change that. It’s gonna get really good. I fished Saturday and it came up 2 feet while I was on the river.  I lost a giant and caught 2 spots. The Smallie I lost was directly across the river from the spots.  I took a random cast to a dirt bank that I’ve never caught a Smallie on and he was there 

[Terrierman]

59 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Mine is a stray that lives in the culvert out back.  Don’t know how it lives there when it gets blown out with rain water regularly.   Don’t know where it came from but it’s been back there for three years.  

Just a guess but maybe the cat goes somewhere else when the culvert is full of water.