Even more smallmouth locations

Here we have the site of an old dam that has been washed out. There are literally hundreds of these on Midwestern rivers and streams. Many powered old mills or factories around the turn of the century. Spots marked A are smaller pieces of rubble in the fast water that are only big enough to hold a single fish. In the swift water pouring thru the breach in the dam these spots can be hard to find. But potentially they hold some great fish and are worth search for. A swimbait or grub on a heavy jighead to get it down works great here. Often cast cross current and slightly upstream and letting the lure sweep down on a tight line is best. Spots marked B are bigger pieces of rubble fronm the old dam and can hold multiple fish. If they are undercut or naturally contain holes or pockets they can hold some big shovelhead as well. One thing to remember is that sometimes this is another spot where casting close to or even hitting the object with your lure can pay big dividends. Sauger sometimes also hold on this kind of place just not as closely as the smallmouth. Most old dams are undercut as at spot C if there is current flowing against the undercut it can hold nice smallies. These undercuts are also great places for a big shovelhead as well. Spot D is the bar formed by the downstream lip of the old dam when it was whole. This fishes like any other riffle but has the added benefit of being close to the deep water around the old dam. Expect some nice fish to be on this riffle at low light.

After the flood

Now our point might harbor the ultimate secret spot.  Along comes a huge event, that 100 year flood. The whole river is in a raging flood many times higher than normal floods. And the raging river knocks the end off our point. The very biggest material that isn't completely swept away is now directly downstream from the new tip of the point. So you now have a deep instead of gradual slope off the end of the point. This creates a really strong seam downstream sometimes for thirty or forty yards. And for extra good measure all kinds of really big rocks under the seam for bass to stage under and ambush stuff. (C thru D) Hole run seam point and cover rocks all together. The key is to recognize a point that doesn't seem to taper off correctly and to realize you need to fish straight downstream of the tip of the point.  Just upstream of the bar (A)  is now deeper with flow a great spot to find a big saugeye or channel cat. Now strong current flows off the end of our shortened point and a seam might set up all the way from A to D. If this seam is anywhere near a deeper wintering hole for smallmouth it might just be the best spot in the entire rivers length to catch a trophy every fall. The flood event which  knocked the end off the point has probably deepened the hole (D) even more than usual if any wood cover is present in the hole you can be sure a trophy flathead has set up housekeeping there for the summer also. Points and bars thrown out into the river by tributaries are also candidates to have this same situation occur. No matter how they are caused any seem that has a line of big boulders strung along it's length is the destination spot on any river that has one.

Lateral Sort and Point Bars

This illustration shows a point bar on the inside of a bend in a typical stream. This constriction in the rivers channel makes the current speed up as it goes around the point. As you know a spot close to the center of a wheel is turning slower than a spot on the rim of a wheel. The water curving around the point also has to do the same so the faster swifter water on the outside of the bend digs out the bottom and far bank creating a hole off the end of the point. As the hole is eroded over time there is more pressure by the faster water on the outside side of any material dislodged. Also often a secondary current right on the bottom is often set up. These result in dislodged objects being moved slightly towards the point every time they are moved by high waters. In multiple high water events the bigger material is moved closer to the point while smaller material is swept away. Over the course of many many years this can sometimes result in a lateral sort of the rocky material off the point. With the biggest stuff that has stayed on the point after repeated events being right at the tip of the point and steadily smaller and smaller stuff laid down in strips as you go farther from the point. What's this got to do with fishing? Well crayfish and darters love rocks. Stuff the size of a grapefruit especially. So somewhere along the width of our point and pool of sorted rocks is a strip of bottom that is ideally suited for them creating a mini city of smallie food. (B in our diagram) While the outside side of the hole might be swept bare of bigger rocks and is just a layer of fine gravel deposited between big events. In other words NOT crayfish and darter cover. (C)  Now sometimes shiners will use this fast water pouring over bare gravel too so you do need to throw a cast or two there too.
But what happens is a guy comes along fishing beaches his yak or canoe and walks out to the end of the point. He then makes a nice average cast to the center of the hole and fishes his lure downstream thru the hole. He reels in repeats and does this a dozen times. If he doesn't catch a fish he moves on. Well he cast over top of the sweet spot and his lure was barely in in it. Sometimes we are reeling in and catch a fish seemingly right at our feet. When this happens make sure its not a lateral sort situation. Cover the holes off the ends of points laterally with each cast following a different path that the previous. Right along the steepest banks in bend pools if there is any cover is the ideal habitat for a shovelhead to make his home. (D) Below the bar (A), if the bottom is hard enough can be spawning habitat as well as a place for fish to move up shallow at night and feed.

Some shiny lil fishes

For a complete list of all fish species in the Great and Little Miami as well as the Whitewater check out this link

 http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CD4QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Foh.water.usgs.gov%2Freports%2Ffishspecies5.pdf&ei=4Hy8VMfvBMSzggTKvISgDQ&usg=AFQjCNHaOqaX2i4xZCMotjgPvLKM83GzNQ&sig2=KfsKpRzWdz58FvGirrQRlA

Here are some highlites of some of my favorites:



Emerald Shiner

The emerald shiner, like most shiners, is laterally compressed, which means they are taller than they are wide. Their sides are a shiny silver color and can also have an emerald green hue. I like to use crystal flash when tying jigs or flies to imitate shiners because of their metallic shiney sheen. Emerald shiners are broadcast spawners which is a fancy way to say they are lousy parents and just spray out eggs willy nilly and give no care to their young. Pool dwellers, they are usually found in open water and stay near the surface.  They feed on zooplankton, insect larvae, and small flying insects such as midges.

Spotfin Shiner

Spotfin shiners are one of the two most common minnow species (second only to the bluntnose minnow) found in Ohio. They are solid silver, sometimes with a bluish cast. Spotfins also have, you guessed it, one or two elongated spots on their dorsal fins. Able to thrive in reservoirs, spotfins often inhabit the pools of our streams. They tend to eat a variety of aquatic invertebrates. These guys  spawn in crevices between rocks or in bark on limbs of submerged fallen trees.

 

 

 

Chubs


Chubs are one of the most common fish in most streams. They are even abundant in  very small trickles where they are often the top predator. They feed on a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial insect larvae and other invertebrates. Large chubs will even eat small crayfish and fish. Chubs can even be caught on a little piece of worm under a tiny float and many caught this way end up as shovelhead bait. Catching a chub or two is also a byproduct of any trip spent fishing small flies on the fly rod.