Wednesday, July 30, 2014

20 inch Little Miami River smallmouth

So I got off work and it's raining cats and dogs. So I head home instead of to that one river where I've been catching fish lately. I get home and guess what? It hasn't rained a drop. So I head out to that other river that's closer to my house. For a week or so I've been thinking about how this place on this river has the same thing going on as this other place on this other river.
Which is to say fast relatively deep water rushing over a bunch of big rocks. My father and grandfather used to fish here years ago for channel catfish for that very same reason. Current and rocks. So I start off throwing what Ive been catching fish on. The infamous smoke metalflake grub. And I fish the heck out of it. Then thump and a pretty smallmouth jumps and spits out my grub. Ok this place has potential. And so I fish...................maybe an hour with no strikes. I begin to experiment with my favorite soft plastics. A chartreuse metalflake grub, A motoroil with red flake grub. Then a river rock swimbait, Then a curly shad. No dice. I'm feeling the curly shad is too buoyant and not getting down in the fast water even with a quarter ounce head. Rather than retie I bite about a half inch off the curly shad. Now I have no idea if that had anything to do with it or it was just in the right place at the right time but Wham! The drags purring nicely. Then the fish rolls up. It's funny but every now and again you get a glimpse of a fish and know what it is. Well it was obvious this was a fish in 20 inch class. So I'm pretty nervous. But no drama no problems I lip it and measure it. 20.25! It was skinny though, I think the smallie I caught last week weighed more even though it was at least an inch shorter. But I could care less. I've caught at least one 20 for four years in a row but every time it's been in September and October. I was pretty positive the streak was going to end this year. We are moving (closer to my favorite spot ) and it's looking like maybe that will be in September or October. In the middle of big smallmouth time. I try real hard not to be a keep score kind of fisherman. Most trips I can only give you a general number of fish caught. I lose count on purpose because it's not about how many or how big. But I've got to admit that deep down the streak means an awful lot to me. So I'm pretty thrilled with this fish..

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