One topwater smallmouth is better than none caught on the bottom

Hitting the water for the first time in 2021.

If the first trip of 2021 is an indication of how the rest of the year is going to be, it will be awesome!

Or it will suck.

Maybe it will be awesome?

Karen and I camped overnight along C&O Canal Trail like we've done so many times to start fishing season (she calls it camping season, but whatevs).  Rain hit the area in the middle of the week and I expected a high Potomac River.  But monitoring the gauges throughout the week, it seemed like the water level would be OK.

Arriving at the camp site, the water was a bit higher than Thanksgiving Football Weekend, but not much.  It sure seemed safe for wading.  And I would strap on my new L.L. Bean wading boots purchased in part with a Christmas gift certificate.  These are really trick -- instead of traditional laces that are tied by hand, they are tightened with a "Boa closure" system that is snugged down by twisting a knob on the boots.  Tighten down, then pull the knob to loosen.  

New shoes and a new reel!

And also purchased in part with a Christmas gift certificate and using for the first time was my new Daiwa Tatula LT spinning reel.  As it turned out, the new reel caught no fish while a Mitchell 300 reel from the 1960s caught the only fish of the day!

The river was slightly higher than Thanksgiving Football Weekend and fairly clear.  The skies were partly cloudy, temps in the mid-60s, and the water temp was around 55 degrees.  It seemed like conditions were perfect.  Except the fish didn't cooperate.

I started behind the camp site and waded upriver.  Z-Man Finesse TRD worms, Reaction Innovations Little Dipper swimbaits and, because the water was high enough they shouldn't get snagged, Rapala Shadow Rap jerkbaits.  These are basically my go-to lures.  After two hours of fishing, they were no-go lures.  Not even a single bite.  I made the walk of shame back to the camp site.

Kind of regrouping with the sun sinking low, it seemed like a good time to try a topwater lure.  Actually, this time of year isn't ideal for topwater fishing.  But in my opinion, there is never a bad time  to try enticing a topwater smallmouth strike. If it's the middle of summer or the dead of winter, might as well try because anything can happen.

I lumbered down the bank behind the campsite and tossed a Heddon Zara Puppy in a bullfrog pattern.  This is my go-to topwater lure.  Even though it's a smaller version of the famous Zara Spook, it fires like a bullet and is easy to work in a "walk the dog" pattern.

After a few uneventful casts, I made a cast hoping to let the current steer the lure underneath some overhanging trees protruding from the shore.

Cast.

Plop.

First smallmouth bass and first
fish of 2021 ... on a Heddon Zara
Puppy ... in March.

Five seconds later, without even twitching the Zara Puppy, a fish smashed the lure like it was The Fourth of July when The Topwater Bite is on.  Not like late March when smallmouth bass are between winter slumber and spawning mode.

There was immediate tension on the other end, and the fight was on.  The fish thrashed on the surface, and I yelled for Karen, who I could see up the bank at our campsite.  It wasn't a huge smallmouth, but it was a good size by Potomac standards.

I had a blowup a couple casts later but that was it for the rest of the night, and I got skunked the next morning.  Still, getting the first catch of the year on a topwater lure is still pretty cool, especially considering it didn't seem -- by a long shot -- conditions were ideal.

Also kind of funny, I stopped by a flea market last week and stumped across a guy selling a new Zara Puppy, unopened, exactly like the one I used, for $5 in a bundle deal with a Rebel Wee Craw.  He also had a classic Mitchell 300 reel but it was basically just usable for parts, so I passed on that.