Back in Missouri, first smallmouth fishing in more than 4 months...

[Al Agnew]

Yesterday.  Warm, cloudy, river up just a bit and very slightly murky.  I'd switched over my lure boxes to my winter fishing stuff the day before, and I was ready.  It had been more than 4 months since my last smallmouth trip, having been in Montana all that time.  I was looking forward to it.  In fact, I was so excited that I put the boat in, jumped in and took off upstream...and after I'd gone several miles up the river I realized I'd left my cell phone in the truck.  Didn't want to go back and get it.  Oh well, I just hoped I didn't catch a huge smallmouth and not be able to photograph it!

Ran into a couple friends in the pool where I had planned to start fishing.  Stopped to talk, made a few casts on the gravel bar side of the pool with a crankbait, bingo.  A 17 incher to start!  They had already fished most of the pool, so I hung around fishing the "wrong" side and caught several more.  They took off upstream to the next good pool, so I decided to keep fishing the pool I was in to see how many I could catch behind them.  Another boat came up the river and stopped in the same pool.  I caught a bunch, including an 18 incher.  They caught a few.  I heard my friends take off on upstream, so I cranked up the motor to head up and fish the pool they'd just left.  Was reeling the crankbait slowly behind a big boulder, coming up to the back side of the boulder, when I got a strike.  The fish bored deep and apparently under the boulder.  I kept a bit of pressure on, and it came out.  Big one!  It turned out to be a very thick 19 incher.  Great fish.  I caught an 18 incher just downstream.  Several more fish, both largemouth and smallmouth.  My friends came back down, started fishing the pool behind me, and caught a few; then they headed on down to fish that first pool one more time before they had to leave.  I followed them and went past them to another pool, within sight of the first one, where I occasionally find a good school of fish.  Yup, they were there...along with, of all things, a loon!  An eagle flew over and the loon made it's typical loon call; now that's something you don't hear every day in Missouri!  Caught another 18 incher.  A bunch of 14-15 inchers.  Then I headed downstream to fish one more pool.  Caught another 17 incher, several more fish.  It seemed to be getting darker.  I had no phone so no way to tell time.  Decided I'd better start back to the truck.  Got back, and looked at my phone...3 PM.  I coulda fished another hour!

Of course, no pictures, so I guess none of it happened.

[Mitch f]

I’m speculating the name of the hole and I’m also speculating who the friends were. I think I know the answer to both of those questions. 😂

* Ive been wrong before 😜

[fishinwrench]

That's a pretty solid day for a crankbait tosser.   Welcome back to the Ozarks 😊

[Brian Jones]

On 11/21/2020 at 9:03 PM, Mitch f said:

I’m speculating the name of the hole and I’m also speculating who the friends were. I think I know the answer to both of those questions. 😂

* Ive been wrong before 😜

Was hoping they were there already. But was also hoping everyone was still deer hunting........... I, too have been wrong before.......

 

[FishnDave]

Welcome back, @Al Agnew!

[thewhitesnoop]

All these 17, 18, 19 inchers..... and no measuring board 🤔  

[Al Agnew]

9 hours ago, thewhitesnoop said:

All these 17, 18, 19 inchers..... and no measuring board 🤔  

You'll be happy to know I have a good measuring system on my jetboat...ruler on the flat front end of the boat that butts up against the edge of my trolling motor bracket, just like a measuring board; I can place the nose of the fish against the raised trolling motor bracket.  I measured every fish that appeared to be over 16 inches.  But of course you can question whether I'm lying about all this, since I forgot my phone so I don't have pictures.  Don't really care.  I've caught my share of 17-19 inchers over the years.  The 19 incher was the only one I would have taken a photo of anyway.

  

[thewhitesnoop]

I don't question you caught them, I just question the length. You previously stated that you didn't carry a measuring board in your canoe because there wasn't enough room, yet you always stated particular lengths of the fish you caught while in said canoe, leaving me to wonder..... how did he know how long all these fish were, and why do measuring boards take up SO much space. Why can't they make them smaller??. I assumed the same for your jet boat. Sounds like you at least have a somewhat legit measuring system in your jet boat, although any kind of tape measure or sticker is NOT as accurate as a board. Neither is measuring fish on your rod, your feet, arm or anything else for those of you who do that.

[thewhitesnoop]

If you are going to be a stream fishing "legend", your 17, 18 and 19 inchers should at least be legit. If it's not measured on a board, I don't want to hear about it.

 

[Mitch f]

Someone is bored.