One of the most satisfying moments from fishing comes from identifying an isolated spot that holds fish -- "I know there's one there." A small opening in a weedbed, a small eddy behind a rock -- something that's hiding in plain site, but it would take a pinpoint cast to reach that spot. Then you fire the lure, and it lands exactly where you wanted it and ... wouldn't you know it, there's a hungry fish there.
Yesterday I had one of those rare moments.
I woke up early to beat the heat and was fishing a river about 15 minutes away by 7:15 a.m. I tried a couple sections that only yielded a few follows on a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper. Nothing on the trusty Heddon Zara Puppy.
Moving upriver to one of my honey holes that always seems to yield a fish or a few strikes, I started casting just past the middle of the river and reeling in. Usually, the fish like to hang out in the middle where it's deepest. I assume that's why they prefer that area -- they have never actually told me. I had a few sunfish -- maybe one or two were a little smallmouth -- that followed the lure. Trying the Zara Puppy didn't even get a chasing fish.
Just a few feet in the water on the opposite bank was a large log mostly submerged next to a bunch of large rocks. The downstream end of the log was protruding from the water and had been torn/eroded/ripped away so it looked like a large dagger. There was a two-foot pocket of calm water underneath the exposed wood.
"I know there's one there."
I let the Little Dipper fly on a low trajectory, and, wouldn't you know it, it didn't land on the log. It didn't land a foot short of the log. It didn't land on the other side. The lure splashed down right under the log.
A smallmouth bass pummeled the lure after one rotation on the spinning reel's handle. The fish took off downriver, made a couple jumps and was causing a ruckus on the surface. Luckily, the hook stayed embedded in the corner of the fish's jaw. Hoisting the bass out of the water, it looked easily 12 inches, maybe 13, a really nice size for this river (personal best here is 16). I was going to take a "hero" shot of the fish on the grass next to my fishing rod for size comparison, and it flopped a couple times, somehow got unhooked and looked like a kid on a Slip N Slide as it effortlessly coasted down the bank into the water. Oh well, no picture for you.
A few minutes later, I caught another smallmouth but this one of the dink variety.
Since I wasn't getting any action on the Zara Puppy but I still wanted to keep trying topwater, I switched to a H.C. Baits Hubs Chub. Although it has a little propeller on the tail, I use it kind of as a popper. I pop it once or twice and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. You know what? The smallmouth bass pictured above didn't care what the lure did because it smashed it as soon as it hit the water. Like the fish was waiting there for something to fall out of the sky. Probably could have had a piece of a hot dog hooked on the line and still caught the fish.
The was the same size as my first one of the day, in the 12- to 13-inch range. Although his one stuck around for a picture.
Moving down to another spot, I had some more nibbles on the Hubs Chub, but just little fish. A green sunfish did manage to slurp it down, so that was four fish total for the day.
One final spot before finishing up, I pushed my way through foliage to end up at a small pool in between two large riffles. After a few casts, I felt something itchy on my left arm. I looked down, and there was a small green splotch that looked like moss or something. Thinking that what was causing the irritation, I rolled my sleeve up. A couple casts later, the irritation got slightly worse. I looked down on my arm and didn't see anything. But then I noticed a small green caterpillar on the top pocket on my vest sitting on the zipper. WTF? I flicked that thing in the water. A few more casts, and small bumps appeared on my left forearm. Double WTF? That's it for fishing!
I took off back to the car, and the area around the red bumps turned red. The swelling didn't increase, though, so I figured I wasn't going to die.
Back at the Subaru, I looked up "caterpillar bites" on my phone. Apparently it's common -- not to have them bite -- for their tiny hairs or spines to cause allergic reactions. Great! Now in addition to ticks, snapping turtles, copperheads, bees, thorny bushes, angry otters and all the other stuff, I have to look out for caterpillars.
Yesterday I had one of those rare moments.
I woke up early to beat the heat and was fishing a river about 15 minutes away by 7:15 a.m. I tried a couple sections that only yielded a few follows on a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper. Nothing on the trusty Heddon Zara Puppy.
Moving upriver to one of my honey holes that always seems to yield a fish or a few strikes, I started casting just past the middle of the river and reeling in. Usually, the fish like to hang out in the middle where it's deepest. I assume that's why they prefer that area -- they have never actually told me. I had a few sunfish -- maybe one or two were a little smallmouth -- that followed the lure. Trying the Zara Puppy didn't even get a chasing fish.
 |
| This fish decided to eat the next thing that landed in the water -- a Hubs Chub topwater lure. |
"I know there's one there."
I let the Little Dipper fly on a low trajectory, and, wouldn't you know it, it didn't land on the log. It didn't land a foot short of the log. It didn't land on the other side. The lure splashed down right under the log.
A smallmouth bass pummeled the lure after one rotation on the spinning reel's handle. The fish took off downriver, made a couple jumps and was causing a ruckus on the surface. Luckily, the hook stayed embedded in the corner of the fish's jaw. Hoisting the bass out of the water, it looked easily 12 inches, maybe 13, a really nice size for this river (personal best here is 16). I was going to take a "hero" shot of the fish on the grass next to my fishing rod for size comparison, and it flopped a couple times, somehow got unhooked and looked like a kid on a Slip N Slide as it effortlessly coasted down the bank into the water. Oh well, no picture for you.
A few minutes later, I caught another smallmouth but this one of the dink variety.
 |
| Rain came through later in the day and kicked the river up a notch. |
The was the same size as my first one of the day, in the 12- to 13-inch range. Although his one stuck around for a picture.
Moving down to another spot, I had some more nibbles on the Hubs Chub, but just little fish. A green sunfish did manage to slurp it down, so that was four fish total for the day.
One final spot before finishing up, I pushed my way through foliage to end up at a small pool in between two large riffles. After a few casts, I felt something itchy on my left arm. I looked down, and there was a small green splotch that looked like moss or something. Thinking that what was causing the irritation, I rolled my sleeve up. A couple casts later, the irritation got slightly worse. I looked down on my arm and didn't see anything. But then I noticed a small green caterpillar on the top pocket on my vest sitting on the zipper. WTF? I flicked that thing in the water. A few more casts, and small bumps appeared on my left forearm. Double WTF? That's it for fishing!
I took off back to the car, and the area around the red bumps turned red. The swelling didn't increase, though, so I figured I wasn't going to die.
Back at the Subaru, I looked up "caterpillar bites" on my phone. Apparently it's common -- not to have them bite -- for their tiny hairs or spines to cause allergic reactions. Great! Now in addition to ticks, snapping turtles, copperheads, bees, thorny bushes, angry otters and all the other stuff, I have to look out for caterpillars.
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