Dam fish, saving a turtle and a summary of a transition day before my next job

No fish pictures.  Just trees.

Yesterday was my last day at my current job and planned to take today off before starting the new job on Monday.  What I didn't realize is that since the new job is working as a contractor for the government (U.S. Air Force) that I couldn't start on Monday because it's a federal holiday.  Should have said I would start today and then gotten paid for the holiday.  I opted to just make it a four-day weekend.

The background picture of this blog,
this is the tree that has the 
overhanging branches.  Definitely has
some stories to tell.  Probably laughs
at the smallmouth I lost eight years ago.
Shut up, tree.

Tried to get on a boat with Susquehanna Smallmouth Solutions, but since it was last minute (gave two week's notice last Monday), there weren't any openings.  So I decided to just hit a few spots on the Potomac River.

First stop was McCoy's Ferry.  Ah, McCoy's Ferry.  Where I will never forget the fish I lost ... geez ... eight years ago?!  Basically a smallmouth bass ANNIHALATED a Heddon Zara Puppy, charged right at me standing on shore.  Let me say that again, the fish charged at me while I was standing on shore!  It jumped a few times, and the line broke.  Probably at least a 16-inch smallmouth.  

Anyway, I think of that every time I'm here.  I think about that every time I tie on a Zara Puppy.  So what did I try today, eight years later?  A Zara Puppy.  And a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper.

This section of the river, because of Dam 5 just downstream, has almost a lake-like quality.  There's some flow, but it's really slow.  Which is why I like using topwater lures here because they don't hit the current and float away.

There were a couple guys fishing in a boat just off shore when I got there.  By the time I tied on my lures and everything, they had shifted more toward the middle river and eventually floated away.

Lots of fish were roaming near the bank, but they were small.  Some sunfish, a few smallmouth and even largemouth bass.

Other than a tiny sunfish trying to slurp the Zara Puppy, the lure had zero strikes.  Caught one smallmouth on the Little Dipper, but it released itself after I was about to grab it when I pulled it out of the water.  While I couldn't get a picture, those are probably the best.  Don't have to perform surgery to remove a hook.  The fish doesn't try to impale you with spiked dorsal fins or the hook in its mouth.

I eventually switched from the swimbait to a Z-Man Finesse TRD worm, AKA, the Ned Rig.  I don't know who Ned is, but he probably stole the presentation from somebody else and just slapped his name on it.  

Searching for some dam fish.

The Ned caught one fish that looked like ... yes ... I thought it was a largemouth?  But it also wriggled free just as I was about to grab it.  No surgery.  No stabbings.

Headed back to the car and drove down to Dam 5.  I used the roads -- the Subaru Crosstrek isn't an amphibious vehicle.  Stopped and helped a box turtle complete it's journey across the road.

The river at Dam 5 was really shallow.  We had heavy rains for brief periods the past few days, and I was expecting high water, but the level seemed like ideal summer flow.  Other than right at the overflowing waters at the face of the dam (which is hard to get to), it was ankle deep for a long stretch.  I finally found a nice, small pool just off current.  

Let's try that Heddon Zara Puppy again.

First cast, a smallmouth ICMB'ed out of the water.  I try to refrain from my excitement of a topwater strike and pause before setting the hook until I don't see the lure anymore.  The fish jumped again, and I wasn't sure if the lure was still floating, so I set the hook, and the fish was on!  It jumped a couple times, and it looked like it was barely keeper size (12 inches ... but I've never kept a smallmouth anyway).  Got it to shore, pulled it out of the water, and it also wriggled free before I could grab it.

No surgery.  No stabbings.

The next cast, another fish went after the Zara Puppy but didn't get hooked.

Reaction Innovations swimbait and Heddon
Zara Puppy with the 1960s Garcia Mitchell reels.

Eventually I caught one more fish on the Little Dipper.  It was really funny, just as I was pulling the swimbait out of the water, this fish zipped in from out of nowhere and grabbed the rubbery bait.  Basically exactly the length of my rod to my left where the water met the shore.  I pulled the rod up, and the fish was on, but I wasn't sure if it was actually hooked or it was like a terrier not wanting to release a squeaker toy.  The fish wriggled free and splashed down into the water.  An easy release with no surgery or stabbings.

I thought today was supposed to be nicer but it was 95 degrees at this point, so I called it quits.  Hopefully there will be another entry on Monday because Karen and I are going camping Sunday night.