After a lot of rain last week, the Little Patuxent River was down to normal levels. I actually fished the river last Friday -- with water flowing about a foot higher -- but didn't catch a thing ... only one nibble the whole time.
Hitting the water today in the Savage Mill area, I wasn't having any luck for about an hour. Several bites from what I suspected were nibblers, but nothing could get hooked. Rock-hopping between pools, I couldn't get anything. Even the area where I caught a 13-inch smallmouth and a 12-inch smallmouth didn't produce a bite.
Finally I moved to a large pool just above the mill. I'm not giving away any secrets here because EVERY TIME I've been here, people are tossing lines. Every. Time. Weak sauce Zebco 33s with bobbers. Truly amateur hour.
Except today. Nobody was fishing, so I had the entire shimmering pool to myself.
Using a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, a fish hit after a few casts, maybe five feet in front of me. It was hooked and started fighting. It wasn't a smallmouth bass or catfish or failfish or even a sunfish. I could easily make out the distinctive jagged green line running horizontally the length of the fish's body -- a largemouth bass!
River fishing for two years now, I had yet to land a largemouth. I've seen a few small ones on the Upper Potomac but otherwise that has been it for the smallmouth's cousin.
Well that largemouth shook itself free just as I was pulling it out of the water. It wasn't big -- maybe 10 inches -- but I was disappointed not to get a picture as proof.
The next cast -- THE VERY NEXT CAST -- I caught a cookie-cutter smallmouth bass. A little bit later using a Z-Man TRD Finesse worm, another smallmouth that wasn't even cookie cutter size.
Moving downriver in the pool, I began peppering the opposite shore with the swimbait. The river is very narrow, and you can usually land lures on the bank if you're not careful.
After several casts, I fired the swimbait at a field of rocks on the opposite side of the bank. As soon as the lure splashed the water, something grabbed it. Set the hook and started reeling. It wasn't a big fish but as it got closer, that distinctive green lateral line was clearly visible -- another largemouth! This one must have wanted his picture taken because he obliged to be hoisted out of the water.
Then the next cast another fish hit the swimbait and jumped -- a smallmouth bass. But he managed to free himself. That would have been too funny to catch a largemouth and a smallmouth on consecutive casts.
Fishing this pool for about 45 minutes, I landed two more small largemouth -- one on the swimbait and another on a Z-Man TRD Finesse worm.
I tried a Whopper Plopper for a little bit seeing if there was something big lurking below, but nothing even swiped at the topwater lure.
It was interesting standing on the bank at one point. Right in front of me I could clearly see fish just chillin' in the water. Largemouth, smallmouth, sunfish, all holding station in a small confined area. Even a small carp cruised by.
Fishing is one of those hobbies where you want to catch a lunker, but a day catching small fish is still rewarding when getting something out of the ordinary.
Hitting the water today in the Savage Mill area, I wasn't having any luck for about an hour. Several bites from what I suspected were nibblers, but nothing could get hooked. Rock-hopping between pools, I couldn't get anything. Even the area where I caught a 13-inch smallmouth and a 12-inch smallmouth didn't produce a bite.
 |
| The common Little Patuxent smallmouth bass. |
Except today. Nobody was fishing, so I had the entire shimmering pool to myself.
Using a Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper, a fish hit after a few casts, maybe five feet in front of me. It was hooked and started fighting. It wasn't a smallmouth bass or catfish or failfish or even a sunfish. I could easily make out the distinctive jagged green line running horizontally the length of the fish's body -- a largemouth bass!
River fishing for two years now, I had yet to land a largemouth. I've seen a few small ones on the Upper Potomac but otherwise that has been it for the smallmouth's cousin.
Well that largemouth shook itself free just as I was pulling it out of the water. It wasn't big -- maybe 10 inches -- but I was disappointed not to get a picture as proof.
The next cast -- THE VERY NEXT CAST -- I caught a cookie-cutter smallmouth bass. A little bit later using a Z-Man TRD Finesse worm, another smallmouth that wasn't even cookie cutter size.
Moving downriver in the pool, I began peppering the opposite shore with the swimbait. The river is very narrow, and you can usually land lures on the bank if you're not careful.
 |
| The not-so-common Little Patuxent largemouth bass. |
Then the next cast another fish hit the swimbait and jumped -- a smallmouth bass. But he managed to free himself. That would have been too funny to catch a largemouth and a smallmouth on consecutive casts.
Fishing this pool for about 45 minutes, I landed two more small largemouth -- one on the swimbait and another on a Z-Man TRD Finesse worm.
I tried a Whopper Plopper for a little bit seeing if there was something big lurking below, but nothing even swiped at the topwater lure.
It was interesting standing on the bank at one point. Right in front of me I could clearly see fish just chillin' in the water. Largemouth, smallmouth, sunfish, all holding station in a small confined area. Even a small carp cruised by.
Fishing is one of those hobbies where you want to catch a lunker, but a day catching small fish is still rewarding when getting something out of the ordinary.
 |
| An opening in the ruins of a wall. |
No comments:
Post a Comment