06-04-2012, 09:35 PM
Everything aligned properly this morning on the Snake River. The day of the full moon; cloudy skies; low CFS and little wind to make drifting a pleasure; water a bit mirky - maybe 3' visibility; and no one else on the river.
I launched at 6:30 and caught a few decent smallmouth near the ramp. I then ran upriver to a shallow flat and got out my fluke rod and never put it down. The flow slowly moved me downstream from one grassy flat to the next. There were fish everywhere on those flats. I could see wakes as bigger fish were feeding on bait. A cast to one of those bulges almost always brought a strike. At 9:00 I had boated 20 smallies. By 11:00 the counter showed 35. When I reached the ramp again it was 12 noon and I had bagged 41 smallmouth. Many were in the 11-14" age group, quite a few in the 15-17" range, and then there was this one...
![[Image: 20120604-21inSM-1PB.jpg]](http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k526/PCW77/The%20River%202011/20120604-21inSM-1PB.jpg)
She was 21" long, jumped twice and fought a terrific battle. Note her beautiful spotted color pattern as well. It had been 2 years since I had last caught a 21" fish from the river. This one was much lighter than the last, because the 2010 fish was pre-spawn and full of eggs. I think she deserves another view:
![[Image: 20120604-21inSM-2PB.jpg]](http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k526/PCW77/The%20River%202011/20120604-21inSM-2PB.jpg)
I also lost many fish, including two very heavy fish. It is very hard to hold a big, hard charging smallie from digging into the grass beds with medium weight tackle, and who wants to fish for them with heavy rods? Not me; I'd rather have them get off - after all, I'm going to put them back anyway.
All fish were caught on nose hooked Zoom Super Flukes or my own poured plastic flukes, a customized GLoomis IMX 782, Daiwa TDZ casting reel, and 20 pound yellow braid with no leader.
It was a morning I won't soon forget.
[signature]
I launched at 6:30 and caught a few decent smallmouth near the ramp. I then ran upriver to a shallow flat and got out my fluke rod and never put it down. The flow slowly moved me downstream from one grassy flat to the next. There were fish everywhere on those flats. I could see wakes as bigger fish were feeding on bait. A cast to one of those bulges almost always brought a strike. At 9:00 I had boated 20 smallies. By 11:00 the counter showed 35. When I reached the ramp again it was 12 noon and I had bagged 41 smallmouth. Many were in the 11-14" age group, quite a few in the 15-17" range, and then there was this one...
She was 21" long, jumped twice and fought a terrific battle. Note her beautiful spotted color pattern as well. It had been 2 years since I had last caught a 21" fish from the river. This one was much lighter than the last, because the 2010 fish was pre-spawn and full of eggs. I think she deserves another view:
I also lost many fish, including two very heavy fish. It is very hard to hold a big, hard charging smallie from digging into the grass beds with medium weight tackle, and who wants to fish for them with heavy rods? Not me; I'd rather have them get off - after all, I'm going to put them back anyway.
All fish were caught on nose hooked Zoom Super Flukes or my own poured plastic flukes, a customized GLoomis IMX 782, Daiwa TDZ casting reel, and 20 pound yellow braid with no leader.
It was a morning I won't soon forget.
[signature]