I went out with Jeff Greene at Shallow Water Fishing Adventures on Friday. This was the third time going out with him but this was going to be a little different -- we were going to fish for smallmouth bass (as usual) for three hours but then when the sun went down fish for catfish. I figured it would be nice to try something different since I've never fished for catfish before -- caught my first three ever this year but hooked them while going for smallmouth.
We got in the water around 4 p.m. at the Edward's Ferry boat ramp and headed up river about a half-mile north of White's Ferry. Jeff had me start off with a three-inch Gary Yamamoto worm in a green/watermelon pattern on a slider jighead. We used this setup for most of our fish the last time I went out with him, and I have had luck copying the presentation when fishing the Potomac on later visits, including 19 fish over two days at the Paw Paw area of the Potomac, and 10 (including a 16-incher) upriver from Antietam Creek.
The first spot we started from was about four feet deep and very clear -- the bottom of the river was easily visible. As we were coasting to a stop, we saw schools of carp and failfish cruising the area as well as a couple catfish.
The first hour went pretty well as I landed five smallmouth with the biggest just shy of 12 inches.
More importantly, the third fish I got was the 100th smallmouth bass I've caught this year! I have been keeping track of the number of fish I catch on each trip (even the failfish and sunfish) and knew before the day started that 97 smallmouth had somehow hooked themselves and allowed me to reel them in and then let me free them (not counting all those fish that worked their way off the hooks like magic). I was hoping number 100 would have been a nice 20-incher but at least it wasn't a six-inch pest.
I'm sure there are more people who have caught more this year, even in Maryland. But I think it's a pretty significant milestone since I've caught maybe 10 smallmouth in my life before this year.
After the first hour, things really slowed down. I caught one more smallmouth but three redbreast sunfish before we switched to topwater lures. We went back downriver to a spot Jeff had noted earlier. Probably three feet of water with the tip of a rock barely protruding the surface. Jeff had handed me a rod with a three-inch popper in a bluegill pattern. He stopped the boat just upriver from the rock and he instructed me to start casting. I slinged that popper about five feet short of the rock and let it sit a second and BAM! A smallmouth jumped out of the water and slammed the popper. It looked like a nice one, too. Easily 12 inches, maybe in the 14-inch range.
With topwater lures, I've tried to not get too excited and set the hook as soon as a fish strikes the lure. Most of the time, the fish don't get it on the first try, and if you yank back to set the hook, you're pulling the lure (without a fish) out of the strike zone.
So this time I waited a second. I scanned the water, tough to see with the sun in my eyes, didn't see the popper in the boil of water and pulled back on the rod -- the fish was on!
I started reeling and there was good tension on the line. The smallmouth was angry!
And just as quickly as everything happened, the fish came off. I reeled in the line and there was no popper on the other end. The reel was spooled with a nanofilament tied onto a fluorocarbon leader, and the leader had cleanly broken or slipped off from where it was tied to the nanofilament. Similarly, this is how a couple weeks ago a Super Spook Jr. of mine went sailing through the air on a cast -- braided line on a spool tied to a monofilament leader, and the knot didn't hold up.
I was bummed. Jeff may have been more bummed because he just lost a nice lure, and I'm sure he felt bummed for me losing the fish since he said he had just tied the rig up a couple days before and hadn't even used it yet. He must have brought it up five times the rest of the night ... "Man, that fish just nailed that thing as soon as it hit the water!"
Oh well, that's fishing.
He tied on another small popper (I think a Rebel Pop-R, which I have a few of) and I had some strikes but couldn't get a fish to stay clamped onto the two trebles hooks. Well there was one that was hooked, jumped, shook its head and the lure went flying one way and he landed about three feet away.
Meanwhile Jeff caught a few smallmouth on a buzzbait and a Spook Jr.
Around 8 p.m. we headed upriver and started trying for catfish. Very simple, nothing out of the ordinary here. Big hook, chicken liver, fairly heavy weight, and throw it out and let it sit. Jeff said this section of the Potomac is where the state record channel catfish was hauled in, which was close to 30 pounds. He said his personal best was 15 pounds.
I had several bites but didn't hook anything. Mr. Whiskers would nibble-nibble-nibble on the bait, then I'd reel in after a few minutes to find an empty hook. Jeff said it was odd because the catfish usually don't mess around like that and just take the bait.
He had fish nibbling on his chicken livers but managed to reel in two channel cats, albeit small ones. We wrapped things up around 10.
Some random shots from along the river:
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| Always take a picture of the first fish. |
The first spot we started from was about four feet deep and very clear -- the bottom of the river was easily visible. As we were coasting to a stop, we saw schools of carp and failfish cruising the area as well as a couple catfish.
The first hour went pretty well as I landed five smallmouth with the biggest just shy of 12 inches.
 |
| My third smallmouth of the day but the 100th of the year! |
I'm sure there are more people who have caught more this year, even in Maryland. But I think it's a pretty significant milestone since I've caught maybe 10 smallmouth in my life before this year.
After the first hour, things really slowed down. I caught one more smallmouth but three redbreast sunfish before we switched to topwater lures. We went back downriver to a spot Jeff had noted earlier. Probably three feet of water with the tip of a rock barely protruding the surface. Jeff had handed me a rod with a three-inch popper in a bluegill pattern. He stopped the boat just upriver from the rock and he instructed me to start casting. I slinged that popper about five feet short of the rock and let it sit a second and BAM! A smallmouth jumped out of the water and slammed the popper. It looked like a nice one, too. Easily 12 inches, maybe in the 14-inch range.
With topwater lures, I've tried to not get too excited and set the hook as soon as a fish strikes the lure. Most of the time, the fish don't get it on the first try, and if you yank back to set the hook, you're pulling the lure (without a fish) out of the strike zone.
So this time I waited a second. I scanned the water, tough to see with the sun in my eyes, didn't see the popper in the boil of water and pulled back on the rod -- the fish was on!
I started reeling and there was good tension on the line. The smallmouth was angry!
And just as quickly as everything happened, the fish came off. I reeled in the line and there was no popper on the other end. The reel was spooled with a nanofilament tied onto a fluorocarbon leader, and the leader had cleanly broken or slipped off from where it was tied to the nanofilament. Similarly, this is how a couple weeks ago a Super Spook Jr. of mine went sailing through the air on a cast -- braided line on a spool tied to a monofilament leader, and the knot didn't hold up.
I was bummed. Jeff may have been more bummed because he just lost a nice lure, and I'm sure he felt bummed for me losing the fish since he said he had just tied the rig up a couple days before and hadn't even used it yet. He must have brought it up five times the rest of the night ... "Man, that fish just nailed that thing as soon as it hit the water!"
Oh well, that's fishing.
He tied on another small popper (I think a Rebel Pop-R, which I have a few of) and I had some strikes but couldn't get a fish to stay clamped onto the two trebles hooks. Well there was one that was hooked, jumped, shook its head and the lure went flying one way and he landed about three feet away.
Meanwhile Jeff caught a few smallmouth on a buzzbait and a Spook Jr.
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| Catfish rods and reels. |
I had several bites but didn't hook anything. Mr. Whiskers would nibble-nibble-nibble on the bait, then I'd reel in after a few minutes to find an empty hook. Jeff said it was odd because the catfish usually don't mess around like that and just take the bait.
He had fish nibbling on his chicken livers but managed to reel in two channel cats, albeit small ones. We wrapped things up around 10.
Some random shots from along the river:
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| Looking toward the Maryland side of the river. |
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| Cars waiting for White's Ferry on the Maryland side. |
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| The northern tip of Harrison Island. |
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