JADE GRAB THE NET!

[Jadesjigs]

My daughter, Jaiden, and I went to the river today. I was mainly expecting to go on a boat ride and enjoy the beautiful day with Jade. I didn't think the fishing would be very good with the water being high and in the middle of the day.

We jetted up river and then started to float back down. Oh yeah, Jade likes to listen to music and sing too which usually doesn't help with the fishing!! I skipped a 1/8 oz #2 sickle finesse jig paired with a 2.75" orange and green pumpkin Z-Man worm under some overhanging limbs by the bank. I watched my line as the jig drifted down river skittering on the bottom. All of a sudden my line stopped drifting so I reeled into the pressure.

My line started swimming up river and the fight was on. Then the smallmouth got in the current, headed down river, and started pulling drag on my reel. Luckily I had my fishing buddy Jade with me to grab the net, or I don't think I would have ever boated that fish. I'm sure it was less, but it felt like it took 5 minutes to get that beast in.

The fish was just shy of 17." The smallmouth seem to love that green pumpkin and orange combo around here. If you look closely in the mouth of the fish you can see a craw that she had eaten just before she took my bait. The pincers on that craw still had a orange hue to them.

This may not have been my biggest smallmouth, but it is the best one I have ever caught because I got to share it with Jaiden. After we released the fish and drifted around the next bend, I saw an eagle fly over us. I thanked God for another wonderful day that I got to spend with my daughter in his beautiful creation!

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[Johnsfolly]

Great to get out with your daughter! And you caught a nice smallie .... Bonus!

[Jadesjigs]

Thanks Johnsfolly. I always enjoy reading when you post about your fishing trips with your daughter also. I would like to try that microfishing sometime, but I wouldn't have a clue what I was catching lol. 

[Johnsfolly]

41 minutes ago, Jadesjigs said:

Thanks Johnsfolly. I always enjoy reading when you post about your fishing trips with your daughter also. I would like to try that microfishing sometime, but I wouldn't have a clue what I was catching lol. 

Thanks for the kind words. We didn't know either when we started microfishing. Go get some tiny hooks, red worms, and catch some. Lots of microfishing blogs online. The Fishes of Missouri is a great book if you can find a copy. A new revision is coming maybe the next year if I stop asking the author to help id my fish😌. Post any photos or PM me and I may be able to help. 

[JestersHK]

1 hour ago, Jadesjigs said:

Thanks Johnsfolly. I always enjoy reading when you post about your fishing trips with your daughter also. I would like to try that microfishing sometime, but I wouldn't have a clue what I was catching lol. 

John will plant a seed that's hard to come back from lol.  He is a great patient teacher.  Congrats on a nice trip and love seeing these kiddos out fishing.

[Jadesjigs]

Jesters I've got to get out with u sometime on one of those nighttime Taney trips. I'm ashamed to say I only live about an hr away and have never been out there at night. I'm a river fisherman at heart and hooking into those trout at night sounds like a blast.  I can barely catch them in the day when I can see what I'm doing!  I love reading your reports. I didn't even know you could catch trout like that at night!  

[JestersHK]

40 minutes ago, Jadesjigs said:

Jesters I've got to get out with u sometime on one of those nighttime Taney trips. I'm ashamed to say I only live about an hr away and have never been out there at night. I'm a river fisherman at heart and hooking into those trout at night sounds like a blast.  I can barely catch them in the day when I can see what I'm doing!  I love reading your reports. I didn't even know you could catch trout like that at night!  

Well shoot I'll be down there tomorrow night and Saturday night.  Don't be a stranger, meeting weird dudes off the internet becomes more normal after the first trip, just ask John lol. 

Seriously though, if you can get away for a bit just shoot me a PM and I'll send ya my cell.  I promise I'm not a vampire or anything. I've met some really awesome guys who I now call friends from this place.  Happy to show ya how we chase them at night, and I'll give ya the same 1 fish guarantee deal I give everyone else lol.

[Johnsfolly]

13 minutes ago, JestersHK said:

Don't be a stranger, meeting weird dudes off the internet becomes more normal after the first trip, just ask John lol. I've met some really awesome guys who I now call friends from this place. 

I haven't been the same since that night😌! Agree that there are a bunch of great guys on this forum! Get out and fish with a few!

[Gavin]

Good for you both. It will be a great memory!

[Johnsfolly]

14 hours ago, Jadesjigs said:

I thanked God for another wonderful day that I got to spend with my daughter in his beautiful creation!

Looking at this photo again reminded me of a family story. When we first moved to Missouri in 2000 I was trying to figure out what was going on with fishing in the state. I had bought the MO gazetter map book and would look for places to fish. My oldest daughter Jackie was 4 at the time. I found an access to the James river that I wanted to fish. The next time we headed down to Springfield. My daughter had that same hat as your daughter is wearing in your photo. I would buy her a fish pin that matched any fish that she had caught. At the time she had a bass and a bluegill pin. Neither wanted fish on this trip but she and my wife Sue were in the river while I tried to catch some fish. They were in the water on a shallow gravel bar. The gravel under my wife's feet got swept away and she fell over onto my daughter and into the water. Long story short both were fine but Jackie's hat got swept away downstream and was lost in deeper water. Hysterics followed not from the near drowning but from losing her hat😌. I have never driven as fast up Rt 65 back to Springfield. We pulled in just as BPS was closing. Sue snuck in through the exit door after a customer came out. She did replace the hat and all was mostly well. No pins😌. Made another trip down later to replace those. Never did catch a James river smallmouth until many years later.