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Hi folks. Long time no type. Been a very busy boy (thank god my busiest time has been in the winter).
Anyways, here is the long-promised 2nd part of our fishing trip down the Delaware this past September.
[#800080][url "http://www.livevideo.com/video/58EC186572CF4DAA9236601689BC1E21/fishing-the-delaware-river-pt2.aspx"]http://www.livevideo.com/...aware-river-pt2.aspx[/url][/#800080]
Enjoy!
-ABT[url "http://www.livevideo.com/video/58EC186572CF4DAA9236601689BC1E21/fishing-the-delaware-river-pt2.aspx"][/url]
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[cool][#0000ff]Once again, I applaud your conservation skills. No telling how many lovely fish you left unmarked by your nasty old hooks.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hey Trever, you really do need to learn how to fish jigs. I can't believe all of that lovely smallmouth water and the relatively few fish you got interested. In prime smallmouth water you should be able to stay in one spot and hook fish after fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Come on out to Utah this summer and we will have some "lab work"...on the water.[/#0000ff]
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Hey Pat
You ain't no kidder neither. When it comes to jigging I am terrible, having only ever caught one LMB on one. But all-in-all ... I know very little about SMB. But i think my problem was my choice of rod and line for a fast flowing river.
I was using a 3 piece 6' medium light/slow action with 8lb mono whereas Nicole was using a 7' medium heavy/fast action with 14lb floro - I chose for portability she just grabbed a rod and reel.
Seriously though, I need to learn from the JIG MASTER and hopefully when we move to UTAH in Feb '08 we will have that precise opportunity.
-ABT
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[cool][#0000ff]I made my comments based upon the lures you described and what I could see of your fising. Smallmouth feed heavily on crawdads and other bottom dwelling invertebrates...along with a few small minnows. Using jigs (properly) allows you to more closely imitate a natural food source. Throwing hardbaits and spinners will catch fish, but usually only the most active ones...and seldom the biggest.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am attaching a PDF "primer" for your light reading and entertainment during the long cold nights of winter. It is a treatise I put together a few years ago for a Utah BFTer and frequent fishing companion. He now prefers jig fishing to all other methods and is giving lessons to others.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I think that if I were to "tackle up" for that river, I would choose a medium or medium light 6 or 61/2 foot rod, with six pound line and a light reel with a good drag. I would cast behind rocks near shore, or along the edges of current breaks. I would maneuver my craft so that it was either floating in an eddy or else take it out and wade and cast, in order to maintain better feel for the jig bouncing down through the fish holding slots. In some cases I would cast into the slack water and jig and bounce the jig back upcurrent, right on the bottom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I would fish with "natural" colors...like blacks, browns, greens, etc. And, I would balance the size and weight of the jigs to match the depth and speed of the current...so that the jig just ticked the rocks on the way down current. In such cases you usually don't have to worry about feeling a delicate bite. Smallies ambush food going by their feeding stations with a smashing strike. Fun fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Slightly different presentations in the lakes, but easy to learn and master. I will put a mark on the water where I found a few fish last year so we can find them again this coming year.[/#0000ff]
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