May 11, 2012
Lake Fishing: Met my buddy Mike and shore- and kayak-fished a private lake for some change-of-pace largemouth fishing. Upon arrival we hit an active inflow with spinnerbaits and hula grubs. Bites were immediate as feisty largemouth in the 13" - 15" range were holding in the current and ready to pounce. When the bite slowed we launched our kayaks and explored the lake. The Eric Bait was a popular menu item as we picked off over a dozen largemouth, the largest being close to 16". It was a fun, easy outing on a low- to no-pressure local lake. Wish all fishing could be so easy! Now we just have to hunt down the big ones that are sure to lurk in the murky waters. Thanks for letting me get out on that lake Mike!
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May 10, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: Did a quick wade fishing trip at the Fox. Was in the water for about an hour. Fished the swim jig and jig and twister tight to structure. Picked up five smallmouth, largest was 15". USGS 12.20' / 2,520 CFS
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May 9, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: Solo outing from shore. Lots of anglers already fishing so had to move around a lot to find solitude. All swim jig today. Caught five smallmouth bass, largest a fat 18" that nailed the swim jig while cranking downstream tight to rock. Gorgeous fish -- not a mark on it. USGS 12.25' / 2,630 CFS
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May 8, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: A much brighter day today and the water has come up a bit more. Did a quick solo wade and stuck tight to shore in well-known areas. Blanked at my first spot. Snagged my spinnerbait and had to wade up to retrieve it. Second area was a mix of rock and shoreline eddies. Perfect. Only fished a swim jig and pulled out four smallies in the 16"-18" range. The largest is pictured along with a 17" showing the swim jig. Short-leashed 'em today. USGS 12.28' / 2,700 CFS
Don't wade high water unless you are very confident in the terrain, the flow and your abilities.
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May 7, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: Wore the slop boots and rain jacket and started off fishing through drizzle. The river topped out at around 2,500 CFS and was already falling. Bummer! I had hoped it would have gone higher for easier shore fishing. First spot, three taps on the swim jig in three different areas of mild current and cover. Couldn't get 'em to commit so returned with a pearl jig-n-twister and picked 'em off. Three little smallies that end-to-end barely equaled 16". Second spot, twister got popped twice in swift water along rock. Interest faded so I switched to the swim jig and the culprit nailed it on the first flutter. Nice fight in the current and taped at 15".
Third spot, switched back to the pearl jig-n-twister and fluttered it alongside a piling in swift water. Immediately hit and landed a 13". No more action so switched to a 3/8-ounce white spinnerbait. Tried all the shoreline structure around at various angles. Nothing. Blade fouled and on a quick reel-in through an eddy, a big fish boiled behind the lure. Tied on an XCalibur surface popper and worked upstream through the area tight to structure. Bloop! ... Bloop! ... Bloop! Big fish hit about ten feet away from me and the fight was on! A few jumps and a tailwalk through the eddy and I lipped her. Solid brute! Taped at 20" and is about the third or fourth time I've caught this fish in the past three years. I've been paying attention to what other smallmouth fishermen have been saying about their success with topwater lures and I've tried them here and there over the past few weeks. Glad to finally get some mojo going today!
Fourth spot, ran into Francisco, a fellow smallmouth angler. He had just arrived and I told him I hadn't yet hit the good spots. We tag-teamed 'em together. He connected with a decent looking smallie on his first cast with a Kalin's grub on a keeper hook. Nice fight but it jumped off as he turned it towards shore. He let me have a go at the area and I used the popper. First drift, a nice smallie took down the lure. Hadn't even given it any action yet! The fish taped at 16".
Switched to the Sammy 100 and picked up two more nice smallies in the 16"-18" range while walkin' the dog through slack water near structure. Francisco assisted and lipped the larger smallmouth one since I was in a bad spot and my line would have surely broken if I had tried to swing it up on shore. I was impressed. 9 out of 10 people would have botched the landing, as committing to a large bronzeback with a mouth full of Sammy can be very intimidating. He handled it like a pro!
Nine smallies total in a few hours but I worked for 'em! USGS 12.18' / 2,480 CFS. Photo background edited for the Internet.
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May 5, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: The calm, overcast morning was comfortable. Started out wading and picked up two smallies in short order. Caught 'em on a white spinnerbait. Both came off edges of shoreline timber in mild current. One was just over 15". After that, did a power wade to some go-to spots for nothing. Later in the AM, teamed up with Bart and spot-hopped. Bart popped a 15" on a white spinnerbait near rock in heavy current. I caught seven on the hula grub. Mostly around rock and edges. My biggest was 17". Saw quite a few groups of carp spawning along tree roots and cut banks on the edges of islands. Had to head home shortly after noon. USGS 11.72' / 1,540 CFS
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Kayak 101
It was a nice day and I felt like making a "how to" video with my Jackson Kayak Cuda and rack system. Enjoy!
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May 4, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: Got out in the Jackson Kayak Cuda for a few hours of smallmouth fishing. Ended up boating ten smallmouth in the 12" - 15" range and had one biggie that jumped off. Most fish came on a hula grub fished along the bottom in mild current near rock. The 15" nailed a crayfish crankbait brought downstream through a lift. The biggie looked to be in the 18" - 19" range and hit a white spinnerbait along a rocky shoreline. I had the entire photo composed in my mind. But the fish had other ideas as it went airborne and tossed the lure with a violent headshake. That's smallmouth fishing! Was relaxing listening to the orioles whistling in the trees along the river as well as the toads calling along the banks. With the approach of the full moon, low pressure, and warm temps, all the critters are feeling frisky! USGS 11.71' / 1,520 CFS.
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May 3, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: Got out to the river with my two sons after dinner. We were out running errands but of course I had the rod and reel to stop by and test out the bite. What I found was my shoreline spots picked over. Nobody home. Couldn't buy a hit on the spinnerbait. Switched to a pearl jig and twister and beat the skunk with two smallies around 13". USGS 11.63' / 1,350 CFS
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May 2, 2012
Fox River Fishing Report: While wade-fishing, I happened upon a log jam that was adorned with frisky northern water snakes. The biggest ones were wary of me and slithered into the water. The smaller ones were very curious and in a mating frenzy. They were either males looking for their female (who slipped into the water on my approach), or vice versa. They flicked their tongues and slithered all over the log pile looking for each other. At one point I counted six on the logs and two in the water. They came right up to me. The ones in the pics are around 2' long. The larger ones I saw were twice as thick and about 3' long. Their color intensities varied but they looked beautiful when they came out of the water and glistened in the afternoon sun. Fishing was slow. Only caught one smallmouth on the swim jig but had plenty of other chances on the hula grub that I totally blew. Off my game. USGS 11.63' 1,350 CFS
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