Tough day out.

One of my toughest days out.  5 hours and not so many bass.  My favorite spots were getting hit before I even arrived where folks were loading up stringers.  At least I got to fish.  I started off with a foam hopper but there were no takers.  I moved to a deep hole with medium riffles and tied on a crawdad - still no takers.  I waded quite a ways down and tied on a chartreuse woolly bugger.  I was getting a lot of "suck and spit" and soft strikes all day, even with the chartreuse Bugger.  I finally landed a nice smallmouth and found a small pool with desperate smallies of which they were all small . . . but I counted them on the day . . . Catch and Release for all my fish.  

I headed back hitting my usual spots but with no luck at all.  There were some shallow but swift riffles at the edge of the bank with a large pool just to the right and where the stream split in two.  I chose to stand in the slow part where the bass where recharging after chasing supper in the riffles.  They kept hitting my brown Pistol Pete but just wouldn't hold it long enough for me to set the hook.  I tied on a Clouser and then casted into the head of the riffles at the most swift point and stripped it into the pool where a few decent size smallmouth were waiting.  I hope there are some bass left.  I recognized one of the other fisherman and he likes to take fish . . . which is his Right to do but where's the fun in that?  lol.

I had someone on Facebook mention that he wished he had a place close by for some good smallmouth action.  My place isn't close and it took me years not only to find good smallmouth bass fishing but also to become adept at fishing for them.  I have learned how to read a stream . . . how to find bass and especially how to spend some time out on the stream.

See, I used to go out for an hour or two.  I made weekly excursions just as I do now but the time I spent on the stream was minimal.  Now, wade about four hours on average.  The past few trips out, I spent at least five hours.  And man, was the sleep good those nights.

There are so many places on a stream where bass can hide, swim, or cruise.  They may in a spot one day and then gone the next.  Also, it may seem that you are looking at a portion of stream and see nothing.  Yet, when you cast out a Bugger, a nice smallmouth may rise up right behind it.

A stream can change a lot throughout the seasons.  If you want some good fishing, you need to spend some time out and learn the water at that location.  I may go out again this evening, or tomorrow when the kids finally go back to school.

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