In search of the big Little Patuxent monster

Looking upriver to "The Spot."  This looks like
several sections of the river in this area, but for
some reason fish like this one more.

It's been a rough couple of years on the Little and Middle Patuxent Rivers.  I've had several trips where not only have I not caught anything, I wouldn't even get a bite.  Today was a little weird in that I caught one small sunfish but had a lot of interest and just about encountered a Little Patuxent monster.

With temps down during the week, it seemed like the dog days of summer were trying to exit.  The river was down to normal level but a bit cloudy.  Of course I felt it was ideal to try top water but instead of the usual Heddon Zara Puppy, I tied on a H.C. Baits Hub's Chub.  Why don't I link to their website?  Because the lure is no longer produced!  I have several still in their original packaging, so maybe unload them on eBay in a few years.

The Hub's Chub is similar in size to the Zara Puppy but doesn't have as much side-to-side slithering action.  It's sort of like a popper but also has a small propeller on the back. The lure doesn't churn through the water like a Whopper Plopper, though.  It seems to work best with short flicks of the rod in between pauses.

There seemed to be immediate interest in the lure but mostly what looked to be sunfish.  On the other rod, I decided on a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper.  Actually, it wasn't much of a decision -- these have become my go-to lure just about anywhere.  There are stupidly easy to use -- cast, reel in, cast again.  They have great action in the water -- kind of a wobbly motion and almost feel like a crankbait.

Anyway, went to a couple spots, had interest in both lures but mostly just soft pecks.

I moved down to The Spot.  This section has produced maybe 50 percent of the fish I've caught on the Little Patuxent.  OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it sure feels that way.  I've caught a couple 15-inch smallmouth bass here, which are huge for a trickle of water this size.

Made some long casts with the Hub's Chub with the usual nips from below the surface.  Made a short cast and when the lure was maybe 10 feet from me, a GIANT smallmouth appeared from the depths and flashed its side at the lure and disappeared.  Again, "giant" on this river is 15+ inches, and it looked like it was an easy 15 inches.  Biggest smallmouth bass I've caught on the Little Patuxent is 16 inches and ... well ... this fish was probably close.

Not a giant -- a redbreast sunfish.

I reeled in, dropped the rod and picked up the other rod with the Little Dipper swimbait and made a short cast.  Just as the lure was entering the danger zone, a tiny fish emerged from out of nowhere and thieved the swimbait!  By tiny, I mean it was maybe twice as long as the rubber lure.  And just after it hit, that big bass flashed again.  For a brief moment, I thought the bigger bass was going to gobble the little fish but that didn't happen.  The bigger fish disappeared, the little fish shook loose, and that was it.  

This encounter was almost exactly like one downriver from this spot a year ago where a big smallmouth bass emerged from the cloudy depths and attacked a Rapala floating minnow.  That fish also didn't manage to jab itself in treble hooks.

Made some more casts with both lures but the bass had decided it had enough.

Wandered down to another spot, and then another, still getting the same action from little fish but no giants in site.  Eventually a redbreast sunfish managed to actually hook itself after switching to a white Zara Puppy.

Just one fish to show for my efforts, but the encounter with a potential Little Patuxent giant still has me shaking my head.  And cussing a little bit mainly at the little fish that struck just before the bigger smallmouth bass.

Weapons of choice. Old-school Hub's Chub
and Zara Puppy with a Mitchell 300, and a Daiwa
Tatula with Reaction Innovations swimbaits.