The river and the rain, An epic adventure

I pushed the kayak away from the bank at my friends house leaving the baggage of regular life on the bank for a couple days. Little did I know what a trip I was going to end up having. I lazily traveled downstream drifting as much as paddling. The little kayak was loaded like Fred Sanford's pickup truck anyways, it was probably best to take it slow the few miles down to my camping spot for the night. I stopped a few times to halfheartedly fish but only had a six inch smallmouth to show for it by the time I made camp. Camp was a big rock bar facing a couple hundred yards of some of the best fishing I know. Having all day, I decided to put off making camp and headed straight for the water. On my second cast I caught another six inch fish and was wondering if it was going to be one of those kinds of trips. About a minute later something thumped my swimbait and bore deep pulling line off the reel. A big channelcat I was sure. It got out into a swift run of water and used the current also putting up a great fight. Finally I got it into the eddy and it rolled up giving me a good look. It was a big smallmouth. It didn't jump at all though most fish this trip did. It just made great runs each a bit shorter than the next till I closed my hand on the lip of a 19.25 inch smallie. What a start!



I fished the rest of the day catching five more. Plus two small channel catfish. But one more fish was a hefty 18 inch fish that fought even bigger.




With evening fast approaching I headed back to make camp. While I tinkered around putting up the tent I threw out some doughball on a heavier rod equipped with a baitrunner. With rain due I'd brought along a small backpacking tent.



As I began to gather driftwood for the nights fire the baitrunner began to purr. I set the hook into what seemed like a compact car. The fish just slowly and steadily began to cross the river. I began to wade after, the rod bent into a D shape. For some reason the fish swam across and into a spot of slack water and just sort of drug me up and down the bank for quite a while. Finally I was able to beach it on a gravel bank.



Finishing camp I sat by the fire enjoying the night and catching a few smaller carp.



After a wonderful night spent mostly by the fire. It began to rain at daylight. As I gathered my things for another day smallmouth fishing the baitrunner sang again.



Setting out I walked ten minutes downstream to a deep run that had rock and boulders all along one side. As I lifted the rod after the first cast a small bass swiped at my swimbait. I just dropped in down and jigged it up and down and blam A ten inch smallie smacked it. In steady rain over the course of a long soggy morning I caught a couple largemouth, a spotted bass, a white bass and ten or twelve smallmouth. The rain quit and I headed back to camp for lunch. After lunch I waded back into the river in front of camp. In the good water. Over the next couple hours the river raised a few inches and colored up slightly and the fishing took off like a rocket. Unbelievable Canadian shield lake quality fishing. I remember catching an 18 inch fish on one cast and a 17 inch fish on the next. Then a 7 or 8 inch fish and in a few casts another 17 inch fish. All on a three inch swimbait. What River Rock's website calls green pumpkin with pearl. I'd waded across a run and realized the river was coming up. I found a stick and waded back. With heavy weather in the last forecast I'd heard a few days back and a ways to go in the yak before getting out I reluctantly headed back. I think every inch of my body was wrinkled from the rain and river. It was the kind of trip dreams are made of...