Joined
·
11,722 Posts
I don't know who is here that may remember when in '97 I first started talking about high water dabbling for smallies on the Fox River.
This could be a great year.
what happens is the smallies start to wake up and are hungry but don't have the strength they do in warmer water.
Their muscle tissue gets like our hands do in the cold, somewhat stiff.
They just can't handle the strong current of the high water.
So they move right to the shoreline and anything that breaks the current.
Bridge pilings, rocks, tree in the water, anything.
They'll be right next to it and I mean you can catch the huge smallies that are so rare other times of year and they may be 6 inches away from shore.
Many years we have high water but it's later in the spring when they have more strength and can handle the current.
Well it's April first and the river is supposed to crest Thursday.
That is unless we get more rain which would make the smallies have to hang out right by shore for longer.
I'm not sure when I'm going to get out but I would sure give it a try if you have a chance, you wouldn't believe what is literally a couple inches from shore.
Plain hook with a split shot up about 6 inches with a minnow or a jig and a minnow.
Find a good looking spot by watching water rush by but there's a dead spot.
It doesn't take long for them to hit, a couple seconds if there's one there.
If nothing hits in that dead spot within 20-30 seconds move on to the next one.
For instance there's a rock wall in St. Charles, both sides of the river.
I've caught 18.5 inch smallies that were hugging that wall trying to stay out of the heavy current.
I gotta get to work so I can get out and give it a try tomorrow.
This could be a great year.
what happens is the smallies start to wake up and are hungry but don't have the strength they do in warmer water.
Their muscle tissue gets like our hands do in the cold, somewhat stiff.
They just can't handle the strong current of the high water.
So they move right to the shoreline and anything that breaks the current.
Bridge pilings, rocks, tree in the water, anything.
They'll be right next to it and I mean you can catch the huge smallies that are so rare other times of year and they may be 6 inches away from shore.
Many years we have high water but it's later in the spring when they have more strength and can handle the current.
Well it's April first and the river is supposed to crest Thursday.
That is unless we get more rain which would make the smallies have to hang out right by shore for longer.
I'm not sure when I'm going to get out but I would sure give it a try if you have a chance, you wouldn't believe what is literally a couple inches from shore.
Plain hook with a split shot up about 6 inches with a minnow or a jig and a minnow.
Find a good looking spot by watching water rush by but there's a dead spot.
It doesn't take long for them to hit, a couple seconds if there's one there.
If nothing hits in that dead spot within 20-30 seconds move on to the next one.
For instance there's a rock wall in St. Charles, both sides of the river.
I've caught 18.5 inch smallies that were hugging that wall trying to stay out of the heavy current.
I gotta get to work so I can get out and give it a try tomorrow.
