In Reel Time Fishing: Smallmouth social distancing: Nobody hates rainbows

Double smallmouth, what's it mean?

Because of some virus thing, my birthday fishing trip on the Susquehanna River last month was pushed back. Karen booked a trip with Jason Shay of Susquehanna Smallmouth Solutions, and the recreational fishing restrictions were lifted in Pennsylvania last week, and we hit the river yesterday.

Jason texted me teaser pics of fish he and his client had caught the day before. Apparently, the smallmouth were hammering jerkbaits, and he said they "put on a show."

Unfortunately, the fish went on social distancing mode for us. Karen and I got to the boat ramp and hopped right in Jason's AlumaRyder boat right away. We jetted up to the same spot Jason was at yesterday, and there was another boat anchored in the area but not fishing the exact spot we wanted. We started casting Lucky Craft Pointer jerkbaits and waited for the show to start.

And waited.

And waited.

Surprise rainbow!

Jason got the first fish, and I got one a little while later. Then another boat showed up and basically parked right at the spot where we were casting. It reminded me of "Dicks in a Lund," a phrase my friend and I used fishing in Minnesota when I was 15 or so. We were using the campground's low-dollar rental boats, just a couple kids trying to catch some fish, and Dicks in a Lund would motor through like they were The Walleye Kings of the World. These Smallmouth Kings of the Susquehanna didn't seem to mind us all but bouncing our lures off the side of their boat. Even when Pete Holmes*, one of Susquehanna Smallmouth Solutions other guides, parked down river from us.

*Pete also has an AlumaRyder boat nearly identical to Jason's, but his is longer.

A little while later, I had a good hit on the Pointer jerkbait. Started reeling as Jason went for the net. I got the fish next to the boat and could tell it wasn't a smallmouth. Just before netting the fish, it took us a second to realize what kind of fish was at the other end of the line. And then when the fish was hoisted from the water, the silver and pink sparkled in the sunlight -- a rainbow trout, about 14 inches long.

That goes up there with the flathead catfish and northern map turtle as odd catches. No walleyes, no muskies, not even sunfish. Just smallmouth bass and something uncommon.

We weren't getting much action after that, and even more boats showed up or coasted through the area to hit Sherman's Creek. What works in one area one day sometimes doesn't work the very next day, and that's why they call it fishing and not catching. So we decided to move and hit some other spots.

Karen with a fish she called
Stripey McStripeface.

Alternating between spinnerbaits and River2Sea Whopper Ploppers, action was scarce. Karen had a big topwater blowup on a Whopper Plopper, and I had a fish lunge at a spinnerbait just as I pulled the lure out of the water. Both fish were easily 22 inches. Easily.

Maybe.

I think I caught one smallmouth on the spinnerbait, and Jason had a couple more. Otherwise, we would get to a "fishy" spot that had promise and not get anything. Several places looked familiar where we caught fish in the past.

Jason got a text later that Pete and his clients had found some fish near where we started, so we headed there. This area was packed! At one point, I counted 14 other boats within sight.

It was a complete change of pace from before, though. Instead of casting and reeling spinnerbaits and hardbaits, we were using Z-Man finesse lures and just dragging them slowly on the bottom. The theory was that the bass would get angry at something sliding through their beds.

Karen caught four or five fish and I caught two with three coming off right at the boat. We even had a double! A couple of the fish had awesome patterns like iconic smallmouth pictures and paintings. The bite was very subtle, almost like the fish were picking the lures up just to move them.

We booked another trip for July, and hopefully with social distancing restrictions lessening in Maryland, Karen and I can go camping along the Potomac River and catch Maryland/Virginia/West Virginia smallmouth.