Nice day on the water

[hookup]

Did a 6 mile kayak float last weekend. Started out hot and stayed that way the whole day.

Morning started out hot and the day got hotter

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Started out hot when my buddy make his first cast and the rod bent in half. Fish hit his fluke like a freight train but sadly heartbreak. This wasn't the first time this would happen.

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Scenery was beautiful, but it got hotter as the day went on. So did the fish'n.

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Here's some of the scenery

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It was a big fish day - no dinks at all but the big fish dominated. Days like this you pay attention to everything to try to pattern.

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Camera was in the back of the yak most of the time so the "dink's' of the day in the 16-17" range never got on film

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We figured out the pattern and stuck with it

Lost the biggest one. Played it right to the boat, we both saw color, then when I got the net in the hand, the fish looked at me and spit my fluke right at me.

Heart break city

Buddy lost another big one right by the boat too

That's why they call it fish'n and not catch'n

 

[Hawnjigs]

Wow, epic day, congrats !

How deep were the fish holding & how heavy / size hook jig head ?

What kind of current or bottom structure do the fish hold in ?

 

[Microbaits]

Great report! And nice fish. I'm glad to see someone having a good time !

 

[eddieb]

Those are nice fish , thanks for showing

 

[hookup]

How deep were the fish holding & how heavy / size hook jig head ?

What kind of current or bottom structure do the fish hold in ?

River is low. On this stretch, deepest hole is probably 6' but fish were aggressively chasing minnow baits. I was throwing a 4.5" Winco fluke-like bait he calls a darter - which I asked for him to shoot me a special order with extra salt. Glad I did because he sold his biz and is up fishing the heavens now for bass. The darter fishes the top part of the water column between 0-2 ish feet. I would twitch it a couple times they stop. As the darter dropped it would get hit aggressively.

Fish were in oxygenated water downstream of rock ledges

Hook was a 2/0 Gamakatzu worm hook

Buddy was catching them on a drop shot with a Superfluke Jr. with light weights and the bait tied about 12" above the weight.

Went out Tuesday in the same area and it was HOT! Managed a handful of smallies in the 10-14" range. Still fun but like the big girls. I was getting hit by smaller fish sucking on the tail, but decided to chase the larger ones and not down size the bait for the fish. Buddy downsized and started catching panfish or blue gill. Did catch a big catfish. When that fish hit I though I had a monster smallie until the death roll. Slimed everything.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Wow, river fishing drastically down shifted in only a week? Well, same here, finally got skunked off the Mac dam so thats it for the year. Previous night 5 cats and 2 wipers. Wondering if just slightly too warm water is the deal killer?

2/0 Gami EWG worm hook is my choice too tho needed to upgrade to the Superline version to avoid breaks.

For a salted twitch bait with natural baitfish color I like cut in half Yum Dinger 5" silver pearl.

Wondering if the salt is a bite attractant or mostly providing sink weight?

 

[hookup]

Wow, river fishing drastically down shifted in only a week?

3 days. Actually river fishing changes daily

Wondering if just slightly too warm water is the deal killer?

That's been my deal killer

For a salted twitch bait with natural baitfish color I like cut in half Yum Dinger 5" silver pearl.

I'm still a big bait big fish person. Sometimes the smaller ones work when it's tough fish'n, but the little ones seem to beat the big ones to the bait.

Wondering if the salt is a bite attractant or mostly providing sink weight?

For me - sink weight.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Right, forgot about avoiding dinks with larger baits. Not much of a problem here with separate big & small fish places & times with the latter being a bettern n nuthin resort. 3" baits get bit by everything from palm size to bumping state records.

You have a pedal yak, yes? Can you hover in place to access productive holds, like your ledge drop pools?

You ever consider targeting big catfish?

 

[hookup]

Right, forgot about avoiding dinks with larger baits. Not much of a problem here with separate big & small fish places & times with the latter being a bettern n nuthin resort. 3" baits get bit by everything from palm size to bumping state records.

You have a pedal yak, yes? Can you hover in place to access productive holds, like your ledge drop pools?

You ever consider targeting big catfish?

No pedal yak. No torquedo. My "motor" is a Werner graphite paddle made for white water. I've been using it for years - started in a white water play boat then as I got old, now use it in a sit on top

Catfish are bonus fish. Don't target them. If I was to target big fish in my area they would be carp.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Gulp baits really opened a door for targeting catfish here. Your rivers ecosystems must be healthy to sustain the smallmouth fishery, and big cats are likely for the same reason. Imagine a 30# on your smallmouth gear.

The big girls come out to play at night here.

 

[hookup]

We got big cats. And carp

I was fishing a brackish area of the river and got a huge catfish - didn't weigh, but when I can barely pick it up it was big. Fun on light weight bass gear.