OK,
I'm going to go out on a limb here and show you newer guys and newbies a typical area that is missed when you're not wading or thinking about where smallies are staged.
I'm showing a spot in Buffalo Park that is readily available to anyone that cares to fish there.
If you are readily PO'd about this subject....choose another thread or close your eyes!
For you old-timers out there...you can castrate me if you wish, but I believe that CLF provides a service as well...sometimes people just don't have the time to spend on the river to learn it by trial and error.
If I have given out another secret spot, I apologize, however, some people out there may be wondering just how I can post many fish when they fish the same area and come away empty-handed.
In the illustration below, I have pointed out a point on the right where I have seen MANY people fishing and catching!
Above and to the left is a real shallow riffle area. Standing by opposite bank, I will cast up into the shallows and bounce a jig right down the current into slightly deeper water. The key is to slect the proper jig to the speed of the current. Too heavy a jig, and you get hung up all the time, too light and the fish may not want it. The key is to keep FEELING it tick off the bottom.
This IS NOT where I was yesterday, just an illustration of what not to overlook when you are out there trying to read the water.
In ANY given stretch of river, you can find the EXACT same type of area.
But remember to cast all over it, because a large number of smallmouth can be concentrated in a very small area. If you miss it by a few feet, you may not get bit! Also don't assume that the fish won't be shallow. All they need is enough to cover their back.
SteveW, thanks for the initial image...
click on the image for clarity...
I'm going to go out on a limb here and show you newer guys and newbies a typical area that is missed when you're not wading or thinking about where smallies are staged.
I'm showing a spot in Buffalo Park that is readily available to anyone that cares to fish there.
If you are readily PO'd about this subject....choose another thread or close your eyes!
For you old-timers out there...you can castrate me if you wish, but I believe that CLF provides a service as well...sometimes people just don't have the time to spend on the river to learn it by trial and error.
If I have given out another secret spot, I apologize, however, some people out there may be wondering just how I can post many fish when they fish the same area and come away empty-handed.
In the illustration below, I have pointed out a point on the right where I have seen MANY people fishing and catching!
Above and to the left is a real shallow riffle area. Standing by opposite bank, I will cast up into the shallows and bounce a jig right down the current into slightly deeper water. The key is to slect the proper jig to the speed of the current. Too heavy a jig, and you get hung up all the time, too light and the fish may not want it. The key is to keep FEELING it tick off the bottom.
This IS NOT where I was yesterday, just an illustration of what not to overlook when you are out there trying to read the water.
In ANY given stretch of river, you can find the EXACT same type of area.
But remember to cast all over it, because a large number of smallmouth can be concentrated in a very small area. If you miss it by a few feet, you may not get bit! Also don't assume that the fish won't be shallow. All they need is enough to cover their back.
SteveW, thanks for the initial image...
click on the image for clarity...