I'm glad I started fishing again three years ago instead of this year. Because if I started to fish again this year, I would probably quit after today.
Karen and I went to the Monocacy/Potomac confluence today. Last year, I fished this area twice and caught 15 smallmouth. Ideal wading conditions each time. Today was my second trip to the area this year, and it was less-than-ideal. The water was too high, and the clarity looked like chocolate milk.
I tried the new Whopper Plopper 75, a spinnerbait, a Z-Man worm and a Reaction Innovations swimbait ... and had zero luck. Not even a bite or a hint of a fish below the surface.
I was about ready to call it quits and wandered upriver and found Karen in a spot just below the confluence. With a swimbait still tied on, I made a cast and had a hit but the fish didn't get hooked. I made another cast to the same spot, and this time the fish stayed on -- a smallmouth in the 12- to 13-inch range. Better than nothing, I guess.
A little later, I had another fish hooked on the swimbait, but it got off almost as fast as it got on. Just a splash on the surface, and it was gone.
Seriously, this weather has sucked BIG TIME this year. We only had one afternoon of monsoon-like thunderstorms this week, but it was enough to create havoc on the Potomac.
It was interesting to see four or five fishing boats buzzing the area. Usually I might see one or two, but it was like everyone else had the same idea and said, "Eff it! This is the best the river has been in weeks, so might as well go fishing!"
Karen and I went to the Monocacy/Potomac confluence today. Last year, I fished this area twice and caught 15 smallmouth. Ideal wading conditions each time. Today was my second trip to the area this year, and it was less-than-ideal. The water was too high, and the clarity looked like chocolate milk.
I tried the new Whopper Plopper 75, a spinnerbait, a Z-Man worm and a Reaction Innovations swimbait ... and had zero luck. Not even a bite or a hint of a fish below the surface.
I was about ready to call it quits and wandered upriver and found Karen in a spot just below the confluence. With a swimbait still tied on, I made a cast and had a hit but the fish didn't get hooked. I made another cast to the same spot, and this time the fish stayed on -- a smallmouth in the 12- to 13-inch range. Better than nothing, I guess.
A little later, I had another fish hooked on the swimbait, but it got off almost as fast as it got on. Just a splash on the surface, and it was gone.
Seriously, this weather has sucked BIG TIME this year. We only had one afternoon of monsoon-like thunderstorms this week, but it was enough to create havoc on the Potomac.
It was interesting to see four or five fishing boats buzzing the area. Usually I might see one or two, but it was like everyone else had the same idea and said, "Eff it! This is the best the river has been in weeks, so might as well go fishing!"
No comments:
Post a Comment