Heartbreak

Well it should have been a swell trip for this early. Four decent smallmouth and a channel on a clear with gold flake grub. But I texted my friend Rob right in the middle of the trip and said I felt like crying. I lost the fish... THE FISH. I had it on for a while. Heck I thought It was just about whipped. I'd climbed over a big rock and found a great spot to land it. It's like a foot off the bank and runs under this tiny little piece of concrete. The line rubs and the rest is history. I'm positive I had the fish on in the exact same spot late last fall. It was an absolute giant. A lake ST Clair, boundary waters, Dale Hollow sized fish.... I'm sure I'll get over it in a couple years...

deathbed bassin

The rivers finally getting fishable and what did I do? Get sick. Yesterday was torture knowing that for the first time in eleventy years the river was down but I was too sick to go. But 13 hours worth of sleep and I felt 100 percent better today. Well almost, I'd have felt just as bad at home on the couch anyways. I headed to a 45 degree bank that was covered in big concrete rubble and found me a little cubby hole out of the wind to hide in and fished a clear with gold glitter grub just as slow as I could manage. The only real thump of the day was when a four pound carp just hammered the grub. I guess its because food is a bit harder to come by but I seem to get a lot of carp that eat a grub in cold water. The crappie came next, no bite at all just a slightly heavy feeling on the line. Then four smallies, two little guys and two dandies. Like the crappie they were more just a slightly heavy feeling on the line instead of a strong thump. I was glad I was using a sensitive rod, I felt today it made a real difference.
It sure was nice to do some catching instead of just fishing. Hopefully the river will stay fishable for a while now.

micro mania

Well the rivers are still a mess around here but the creeks are starting to clear. Time to do a little micro fishing. In an old tin I threw a small box of assorted tiny hooks I stole from the fly tying bench plus a spool of lead wire. Out of my vest I took a package of stick on bite indicators for a float and some tiny tiny shot. Out of the bluegill box some bigger shot and some pliers.  A tea pot for some hot chocolate on a cold day, some redworms for bait. No casting this rig, just sneaking along the creek, leaning out and dunking it in likely looking holes or under tree roots. What an awesome change of pace. I guess I caught 75 fish that might have added up to a pound. But I enjoyed the whole thing immensely, got to see those tiny little fish you normally never see and spent an afternoon totally alone on a tiny creek. The problem with getting old is you forget how much fun it is being a kid.

The past few days outside...

its cold out there...

Not very big but a couple small smallies  felt pretty good when the car thermometer read 21 and there's snow on the ground. On a light jighead and Vic's clear with gold flake 3 inch grub.