Clear water + aggressive smallmouth = Triple digits!

After a significant amount of rain this spring into early summer, the rivers are finally back down to summer flows.

While some anglers find frustration with ultra clear water (like the kind of clear where the fish can see you and you can see them from 30-40 feet away), personally I like it. I feel like if you know how to fish for them the right way, it can yield incredible results. I do find it hard to target the biggest fish in a waterway during these times, but overall excellent numbers and quality can be had.

I have a handful of guys that I like to fish with, but one in particular I fish with about 90% of the time. We kind of have a kindred spirit when it comes to fishing for smallmouth, and we are both usually willing to drop whatever it is we are doing and head out on a moments notice. Unfortunately this can result in our other buddies getting the short end of the stick at times. I wanted to make it a point to go with some of my other fishing buddies and put them on smallmouth these past couple weeks. So I did just that.

Trip #1:

A former co-worker of mine has really got into fishing since we worked together, and got his first kayak a few weeks back. He had messaged me about fishing and I wanted to take him on some good smallmouth water, so I asked him about going a couple weekends ago. This guy does mainly largemouth fishing, and it's always fun to show those guys why bronzebacks are second to none.

We set out for a stretch of river that I would normally float down, but since the water has receded, a wade was the best approach. We decided to tow small kayaks behind us and float back to the car when we were done.

The morning started a little slow, but as we made our way upstream and the sun came up, the bite was on! A well placed Whopper Plopper into the head of riffles started yielding consistent bites. It turned into a great day. We ended up with around 65 fish in a half-day with the biggest being 17.5.

My friend had a great time, and I think he might have a case of bronze fever. Unfortunately for him, he did learn a couple hard lessons that day: Always tether your paddle when towing a kayak behind you, and always bring 2 Whopper Ploppers...

Trip #2:

I had the distinct privilege of taking my 6 year old daughter out for a wade before she started the 1st grade. My daughter did more "exploring" than fishing, but we had a great time together. The section we fished was okay, but ended up with about 40 on the day with the biggest being 18.5"

The biggest thing on this day was just spending some quality time with my daughter. I have 2 girls, and am trying to get them in the outdoors at a young age. Hopefully they will grow to love the sport. I know I really appreciate my Dad taking me fishing as a kid. For right now, just being out there with her is a blast.

Trip #3:

My brother-in-law was originally the one who got me to buy a kayak. He's one of my best friends and we have had more adventures than I can remember. As life usually goes, we both had kids. The weekends that we used to spend hiking in the woods and kayaking down new rivers have been traded for time with the family. We still like to get out together as often as we can, and this weekend was a good one.

I really wanted him to get the most out of this trip as I new the bite had been hot, so I picked a prime stretch that I save for those special occasions. It didn't dissappoint.

As soon as we hit the water, it was game on. The overcast sky set the stage for an all out topwater blow up fest. It was honestly one of the best overall days of fishing in recent memory. We fished for a total of 8 hours and landed 115 smallmouth! The upper end of the size in the river eluded us, but we ended up with a total of 10 fish over 17" with the biggest being 18". It was a lot of fun and a day I'll remember for quite some time.

Trip #4:

Since I was old enough to pick up a rod, my younger brother and I have gone fishing together. He doesn't get out quite as much as I do, but I always enjoy being out there with him. We set out on another really good stretch of river that has consistently produced. With being a little under a week since I went out and caught over 100 fish, I knew this day would likely be a good one.

We alternated between a fluke and topwater to produce a solid day of 80 fish. Right as we were getting ready to end the day and turnaround for the car all hell broke loose. I look over and my brother has this monster fish on. Now usually, when I'm wading and catch a big fish, I look to drag the fish up on the nearest sand bar, and that's what I was trying to tell him to do. He proceeds to work this fish in with it flopping over and over in the shallow water. He honestly should've lost it about 5 different times. It seemed like it took 10 min for him to finally get the fish under control. It was a toad. The length was only 18.5", but this fish was every bit of 4 pounds. For a small river, this was a beast! I was super excited for him to catch the fish of the day.

These past few trips were some great examples of the type of fishing that can be had in the mid-summer heat. While it was a blast, it wasn't exactly trophy hunting. As the weather starts to cool the big girls are generally more active, so the focus will start to shift. The Quest for 23 will be in full swing!