Another fun day but water's looooowwwwww

[hookup]

Got a call to fish Labor Day with a buddy from KBF. Since thunderstorms were in the forecast early afternoon so we met at o'dark thirty

Started the float with some drizzle but stopped soon. Drizzled off and on all day. When the rain came, the fish got active. Rain stopped, fish stopped biting.

Stuck to a fluke most of the day and had some fantastic blow ups but no luck hooking the big ones. I got a nasty wind knot in the braid so switched spools. Mono. I blame the lack of hooking the big ones on the mono. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Fish were actively hunting. Buddy hooked one and it easily cleared 3' of water. It was awesome.

Towards the end of the day went with a silicone/bucktail jig with a craw trailer and started hooking up deep. Lot's of dinks and tail biters which shows the health of the river

Buddy ended up with the biggest fish of the day



And we both had nice action on the fat averages all day long



Lost an anchor in one of the rapids. Water was moving pretty good. Tried to paddle above the anchor but the current was to strong. Then when I reeled in the anchor line to about a couple feet the kayak almost turtled. Cut the line only to bang off the rock hard behind me again almost turtling the kayak. Good thing my leg was out to offset the flip. Was going to go buy & build another anchor system, but luckily had a 3# barbell and 100' of 1/4" rope in stock.

Yeah, I know the dangers of anchoring in current. NRS provides a good knife that's always within reach.

Couple of the rapids were rock beds. Fun stuff dragging a kayak through LOL

Pray for rain!

 

[Bigjim]

Many years ago SE Ohio, we had superb smallmouth fishing .Captina, Sunfish and McMahons Creek. All three would keep you busy. Black, purple and white rooster tails and rapalas with softcraw crayfish and hellgrmite livebait. Early 80's coal companies for the love of $$$ ruined all three for coal. No other fish loves to tail walk and fight like they do!!

 

[Hawnjigs]

Man if a yak is bumping bottom that certainly is LOW water. Would outriggers help stability?

BJ, nowdays no need to bait smallies, you must pretty dang old. Jigger John posted I was older than dirt, and him 3 yrs my senior haha.

 

[Bigjim]

Old, I quess?? Class of 77. Throw jigs at them now. But farming limits fishing time,

 

[hookup]

Would outriggers help stability?

Yep, but not on this river. Outriggers would seriously affect mobility and get tore up in the rapids. At my age I'm still running class II's and the occasional class III rapids. Keeps my svelte physic LOL

Class of 77.

Class of 74 - yeah, I'm old but still haven't grown up

Prayers worked. Rain the past two days. Grounds soaking most of it up but we'll take it

 

[Bigjim]

YES, never grew up. Today is 43 yrs. with my Mrs. , she tells me all the time to grew up but then whispers please don't. Keep up the outdoor stuff, it looks like it is a beautiful area. I saw alot of VA from the seat of my semi. Attended their state trapping conventions for a while 20 yrs ago. Prayers do work, cancer treatment for Mrs. again today and the future looks bright!!!

 

[Hawnjigs]

I'm guessing rapids would keep out boaters, and land lubbers like myself would'nt run thru the briars & brambles where a rabbit wouldn't go.

Enjoying the great outdoors is expressing our inner child. Get stuck indoors and you grow up a grouchy old fart.

 

[hookup]

Today is 43 yrs. with my Mrs. , Prayers do work, cancer treatment for Mrs. again today and the future looks bright!!!

Congratulations. I married late and we're on 36 years.

You got some knee time from NoVA Bigjim. Glad to hear the future looks bright and you're positive. Prayers worked!

 

[hookup]

I'm guessing rapids would keep out boaters, and land lubbers like myself would'nt run thru the briars & brambles where a rabbit wouldn't go.

Enjoying the great outdoors is expressing our inner child. Get stuck indoors and you grow up a grouchy old fart.

Only the die hard jet boaters are out there - and they are few and far between. I go through a kayak about every 5 years. As soon as they spring a leak, I'm in the market for another.

Plastic weld the old ones and usually sell them to a kid cheap. Like $25 cheap. They get years of use still out of them. I could run them another couple years, but I normally buy ones not set up to fish and they are allot cheaper.

I turn real grouchy when I'm indoors. Even during covid I was out fishing whenever I could. Not a quarantine type.

Another example of prayers working is I went out yesterday.

Started the day with the river bumped a bit. And muddy. And it was drizzling for a couple hours. To warm to put on a rain jacket so just got moist and enjoyed the wind when it blew.

Couple bucks on the drive down, a bunch of possums - both dead and alive everywhere. Saw a few green herons, some big blue herons, and a few juvenile bald eagles. Nice to see wild life.

Started throwing top water and flukes and nothing. Then spinnerbaits and crank baits and again, nothing.

Couple hours later asked my buddy catch anything? He said Yeah, 11. I'm like WTF? He downsized and was harassing the dinks and catfish.

I stuck with bigger baits, started polishing the rocks with my home made jigs & finally hook up. Keep up the pattern all day and did OK. Broke double digits but just barely.

Had a pig of a 16"ish fish on that was almost as wide as it was long. Man was she fat. Held it up to show off and a kick of the tail the fish slipped out of my fingers and into the water for freedom. No pix

Buddy kept harassing the dinks, got another cat and then in one cast the top part of his rod went flying. The line must have broke because next time I saw his he only had 1/2 a rod.

Ran a pretty good rapid going strong with the extra water, then picked up a few more fish and it was time to call it a day. The wave trains at the bottom of the rapid soaked me - which was welcome!

We both really enjoyed not sweating our butts off and the cool day.

Fall's coming and the fish definitely moved since earlier in the week but glad to finally find them

Also saw cops everywhere on the way home. Watch you're speed - they're out in my neck of the woods now that school started.

 

[Hawnjigs]

You need God's help to catch fish?

Fishing here continues to suck in the hot weather, but what helps me is that if others also believe the fishing sux and don't bother to show up that improves my situation. Cupla nites ago got 5 wallys incl 4 keeper size up to 19" all released of course. Skipping a few nites to let the spot recover.

No need to get dunked to cool off fishing at nite. Wally fight mojp is kinda pathetic tho, the 19" about equal to a 12" smallie.

 

[Bigjim]

THX for Knee Time, I know it works/helps.

 

[hookup]

You need God's help to catch fish?

For the rain, yes