The Toad Float.

My fishing heroes have always been a lit bit different than everyone else. Instead of Kevin Van Dam or Ike or Roland my heroes have a lot less flash. . Billy Westmorland, Dan Gapen, Al Linder, and of course Toad Smith. Toad who? The late Otis "Toad" Smith, the world class hunter and fisherman who put fishing for big flatheads on the map. Toad once had an operation where the doctor was going to have to remove part of Toad's heart. So what did Toad do? Of course he had the doc save the piece and when he was better Toad caught a six pound channel on it.
Toad was also a proponent of fishing small to medium sized rivers for channels. Not parking at the nearest bridge and throwing out some stinky concoction, but doing it right. Toad would float a river, fishing each likely bend or piece of cover a bit, catching a few, then going on the next. More like the typical itinerary of a smallmouth float. By days end Toad would have scouted miles of river for flathead holes and caught dozens of quality channels by fishing off the beaten path.
Ever since getting a stable sit on top yak I've been wanting to do a Toad Float in it.
The other day was my chance. In one rod holder I had a typical river spinning outfit. A fast action spinning rod and alure in one rod holder in the other a heavier rod with braid. This outfit I fished two ways. One was a floater about two feet up from a regular 1/0 baitholder. The other was a Santee Cooper rig with a circle hook. The Santee rig I would pitch out then put in the rod holder and either drift or slowly paddle along. Then when I'd find a likely looking pile of wood I'd work right against the edges of it with the float rig. These proved to be a winning combination. I probably caught more on the drift rig but I think a little better fish on average on the float rig fished around cover. For bait I used cut bait and crawlers. No monsters but by days end I'd caught 10 or 20 plus a couple bonus smallies that hit a grub fished around a riffle. Swell day on the water.