Saturday, July 16, 2011

My favorite river

I treat myself to several solo floats a year, and I treated myself to one this past week. After finishing up my thesis I was ready for some much deserved fishing time. I floated for 3.5 days putting in on a Saturday afternoon and taking out Tuesday morning. Floating solo gives me the opportunity to move at my own pace. The weekend was especially hot, and I spent quite a bit of the days snorkeling and messing around with my waterproof camera.

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Most fish were caught in places like this--shade and large chunk rock with nearby moving water. If you didn't know how to fish a spinnerbait the right way, you wouldn't have caught a fish for the trip.

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I didn't really expect to catch much the first day, as this is an especially popular river on weekends. I could barely park or put in due the amount of people swimming at the launch. It didn't seem to affect the fish at all! I actually caught a nice 17 inch smallmouth out a popular swimming hole with about 20 people swimming in it. The fish jumped like crazy and pulled my solo canoe around for several seconds. The people swimming were very impressed.


Fish on this trip were aggressive, but VERY spooky. That wasn't really a surprise because the water is almost air clear in dead low water conditions.

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It is and incredibly beautiful river.

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I don't know why, but I always take a picture of the first fish I catch.
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The fish I caught out of the swimming hole.
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Largest fish of the trip 17.5 inches.
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Early the second morning I drifted by these two snakes.

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3 comments:

  1. UnknownNovember 25, 2012 at 1:45 PM

    Hi, I just finished reading through all of your posts, great blog! I noticed you use a spinner a lot. You mention he that you have to know the right way to fish a spinner. I have never had mush luck with a spinner, perhaps I don't know how to fish it. If you don't mind me asking, what is the best way to fish one?

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    1. FishingaddictionNovember 26, 2012 at 6:49 AM

      Thanks for kind words Jacob. I fish spinnerbaits from April through October, and I make my own. I haven't found anything available from the major retailers that fits the way I fish. The number one thing to do with spinnerbaits is experiment. Try different combinations of blade sizes, head weight, and blade shapes until you find what they are looking for. Most of my spinnerbaits tend to be heavier and have slightly smaller blades than typical spinnerbaits found in stores. Also, it is critical to be reeling the spinnerbait cross current or slightly downstream. They will rarely hit one if you are reeling it upstream. Also, don't be afraid to throw them deep into rootwads and logjams. Often times, they will hit it as it is falling like a jig near wood. Good luck, and let all of those smallies go!

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    2. UnknownNovember 26, 2012 at 4:51 PM

      Thanks for the tips! I may try building some myself. Don't worry, I let them all go with the hope I'll be there to catch them when they grow.

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