I went out for a few hours on the Potomac near Antietam Creek Campground. Karen and I camped there near the end of May, and I remember catching a few smallmouth on topwaters near dusk, but nothing else on anything. After the success with the wacky worms last week on Paw Paw, I was pretty confident on catching fish.
During the week, I ordered chest waders on Amazon. I've had a pair of chest waders I got from Bass Pro Shops five or six years ago, but they were a one-piece design and (most importantly) the boots had felt soles, which could no longer be used in Maryland. Parasites and transporting invasive microscopic things. The new waders were the "sock" style with the boots separate, and, wow, they are a whole lot lighter than the one-piece waders with the integrated boots. They were also more breathable than the hip waders I had been using.
Anyway, about the fishing. It was a good day. I caught smallmouths on my first two casts. They were both in the "8-10" window like last week. But, hey, I had chest waders now and I could wander out further from shore.
I waded out a little further, caught another small smallmouth. The water was extremely clear, more clear than when I was here the end of May. I was hesitant to venture far from shore then because I couldn't see how deep it was. Now I could see it wasn't very deep at all, although there were a few pockets where the water was up to my waist.
I caught a third fish, another little one. Then I hooked a 12-inch fish that freed itself just a few feet from me. I was disappointed at losing a decent-sized fish. But about four casts later, I forgot about that 12-incher that got away.
Most of the fish today hit differently than last week for whatever reason. Last week, it was "poke-poke-poke" at the worm and eventually they took it. This week, they all hit the lure hard. And this fish to the right hit the lure HARD! I thought I was snagged for a second, but there was something pulling back! Started reeling, had to adjust the drag, fish pulled and I knew it was something bigger than what I had been catching. I just hoped it wasn't a catfish!
Finally got a glimpse, and it was a NICE smallmouth. It was real. And it was spectacular.
I was about 40 or 50 feet from shore, so I was wondering how to land it. No net. I didn't want to just lift it out of the water by the fishing rod figuring the line would break. But I reeled the fish alongside me after a couple minutes and just grabbed it by the lower jaw with no fuss. I unhooked it, took the picture (with my hand shaking, so I'm surprised it was in focus), measured it just over 16 inches and let it go.
I ended up with 10 fish total on the day fishing for about three hours. The next best size I landed was 11 inches. But that 16-inch fish was my best smallmouth of the year and my first fish over 12 inches on the Potomac this year. Previous bests was a 14-incher on the Antietam (maybe a three-fourths of a mile from this spot) and two 15-inchers on the Little Patuxent. What's amazing is how this 16-inch smallmouth was in a total different class than the 15-inch smallmouth. He didn't fight hard with amazing runs and jumps ... he was just a toad of a fish to reel in. I think what helped me was that he ran into a small rock right by me, so he may have been dazed for a few seconds.
One fish I didn't land was a typical "8-10" smallmouth. I saw three of them about 10 feet upriver from me. One stopped behind a rock, and I threw the wacky worm up past him. Started working the worm down, and that smallmouth that was just sitting there took off after the worm and picked it up. It took a second for me to process what I just saw. I set the hook, had the fish and started reeling him in, but the fish worked his way free after a few seconds.
So how about this, seven smallmouth two weeks ago, 19 smallmouth last weekend, and 10 today. That's .... [counts fingers and toes] ... A LOT of fish. Now this hobby is really making me forget that other hobby I'm taking a break from.
During the week, I ordered chest waders on Amazon. I've had a pair of chest waders I got from Bass Pro Shops five or six years ago, but they were a one-piece design and (most importantly) the boots had felt soles, which could no longer be used in Maryland. Parasites and transporting invasive microscopic things. The new waders were the "sock" style with the boots separate, and, wow, they are a whole lot lighter than the one-piece waders with the integrated boots. They were also more breathable than the hip waders I had been using.
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| GoPro screenshot of a breaching smallmouth. |
I waded out a little further, caught another small smallmouth. The water was extremely clear, more clear than when I was here the end of May. I was hesitant to venture far from shore then because I couldn't see how deep it was. Now I could see it wasn't very deep at all, although there were a few pockets where the water was up to my waist.
I caught a third fish, another little one. Then I hooked a 12-inch fish that freed itself just a few feet from me. I was disappointed at losing a decent-sized fish. But about four casts later, I forgot about that 12-incher that got away.
 |
| A 16-inch Potomac smallmouth! |
Finally got a glimpse, and it was a NICE smallmouth. It was real. And it was spectacular.
I was about 40 or 50 feet from shore, so I was wondering how to land it. No net. I didn't want to just lift it out of the water by the fishing rod figuring the line would break. But I reeled the fish alongside me after a couple minutes and just grabbed it by the lower jaw with no fuss. I unhooked it, took the picture (with my hand shaking, so I'm surprised it was in focus), measured it just over 16 inches and let it go.
I ended up with 10 fish total on the day fishing for about three hours. The next best size I landed was 11 inches. But that 16-inch fish was my best smallmouth of the year and my first fish over 12 inches on the Potomac this year. Previous bests was a 14-incher on the Antietam (maybe a three-fourths of a mile from this spot) and two 15-inchers on the Little Patuxent. What's amazing is how this 16-inch smallmouth was in a total different class than the 15-inch smallmouth. He didn't fight hard with amazing runs and jumps ... he was just a toad of a fish to reel in. I think what helped me was that he ran into a small rock right by me, so he may have been dazed for a few seconds.
 |
| GoPro screen grab. |
So how about this, seven smallmouth two weeks ago, 19 smallmouth last weekend, and 10 today. That's .... [counts fingers and toes] ... A LOT of fish. Now this hobby is really making me forget that other hobby I'm taking a break from.
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