More smallmouth bass. Popping bugs, crawdads and buggers.

https://joshs-flies.myshopify.com/

Here an email I wrote to my dad this morning.  I went out and caught more smallmouth bass Monday morning.

Hey dad, 

Sorry to hear about Papaw.  I'll be thinking of him.  I'm sure there's something that can be done.  Perhaps, he can go to therapy and exercise to make his heart stronger.  Walk a bit or something.  

I went fishing again yesterday.  I've been trying to hit the stream a lot before the kids are out for summer.  I updated some pics on Facebook.  Nothing fancy.  Week before last, I tried to dig out my camera and lost a big smallmouth.  It was at least 3 and probably bordered on 4 lbs.  I had that fish in my hands three times.  One of those times, I let him loose on a leash.  The last time I held him, I lost my grip and grabbed the leader and the fly broke off before I got a picture.  One of my largest bass.  I thought I got hung up when I hooked him on a 4 weight rod.

Most of what I've been catching lately are what I consider average smallmouth.  I caught 21 smallies on Friday last week.  Most being about 8 - 12 inches.  Same as yesterday.  They seem pretty picky and are holding to brush pretty tightly.  I've been drifting crawdads and wooly buggers.  Yesterday, I had some take poppers.  Lost a good fish too.  That thing fought hard and I've never had one fight like this one - then he jumped off the hook.

I've been hitting the same four spots on the $#%& River.  Water is going down and the riffles are fading.  The bass are moving deeper and have been tougher to find over the past few weeks.  One sweet spot had a fallen tree last year that I caught tons of smallmouth off of with poppers.  That tree was swept away.  Once it rains and the riffles pick back up, smallmouth action will pick up. I'll have to fish some backwater and slews for spotted bass . . . . . . . . . .