AS ALWAYS…..................................................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

The fly is a take-off of a friend’s fly that is sold nationally through Rainey’s flys.  His fly is called the Hairy Fodder and has been featured in Fly Tying Magazine and is a staple bottom fly for anglers across the country.  The body of his fly is made from cross-cut rabbit, while the body of my fly is made from UV Polar Chennile (hence the name “polar tube”).  The flys construction is quite easy:

Hook:  #4 streamer hook
Weight:  Medium sized red dumbell eyes
Tail:  Silicone skirt strands
Body:  Regular chenille underwrap (you cannot see this, but I wrapped the shank with ultra chennille first to give the fly a bulkier appearance) and then Rusty Copper Polar UV chenille on top.

If the body of the fly looks a little “big” or “fat” to you, keep in mind that when wet, the polar chennile does condense and will make a nice, sleek, flashy body.

If anyone is interested in a step by step recipe for this fly can simply leave a comment and I will get back to you.  Any tiers out there that have not tried the use of polar chennile should give it a look.  Very neat stuff with many uses.

I plan to use this fly all winter, spring, summer, and fall.  I will probably fish it on a sink tip line to ensure it gets to the bottom.  I will fish it with short strips to imitate the actions of a fleeing crayfish.

Looks like I will get to try it out this weekend.

AS ALWAYS…......................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE  

It is that time of year when we get fairly busy.  Believe it or not, we are not real busy during the fishing season, but get busy during the cold weather months.  I guess when anglers cannot fish, they turn to buying more and new baits for next year.  I just finished up a big order for a couple of hard-core anglers up on the Rock and Mississippi Rivers.  I have shipped jigs to anglers all over the country.  Matter of fact, my swim jig has helped an angler out in South Carolina win a little money during tournament play.

Lately, I have been pumping out swim jigs to try and build up stock so when someone orders I may already have the jigs they want and can ship right away.  If you have not tried throwing a swim jig for bass (and it also catches many other species of fish), you are really “missing the boat”.  It is a dynamite fast presentation to catch those active bass.  They strike this bait ferociously and is a terrific alternative to a crankbait or spinnerbait.  Paired with a swim bait trailer (see below), I have caught tons of smallies and largies along with walleyes, flatheads, and white bass.  I have a few guys using them on Pike up north as well.  Here are a couple of pictures of jigs I made just a few nights ago:

The above jig is called Heartland Craw.  One of my most popular dark colored swim jigs.

Another very popular color is my “Bullgill”.  This is a great match of a male Bluegill.

The above jig is called Blue Shad.  This is probably my favorite for my clear rivers and creeks.  Just flat out catches them.

Below is a picture of the trailer that I prefer for my swim jigs.  It is a 3” swim bait made by the Big Hammer company in California.  You should check out their site:  http://www.swimbait.com.  Awesome baits and color selections.  I simply thread the trailer onto the hook so the tail is pointing down.  That reminds me of another thing about our jigs, we custom mold a wire trailer-keeper into the head.  That way, when you thread the trailer onto the hook, you slide the plastic trailer over the wire hook.  This wire hook holds your trailer on much, much longer compared to a jig without a trailer keeper.

If you are interested in any more information concerning my swim jigs, or the technique in general, you can comment to this entry, or email me at grahamj@district87.org.

AS ALWAYS…..........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

While I tried a few more flies, the fish would not cooperate on the long rod.  I did have one more smallie take a swipe at a Murdich Minnow, but missed.  Then I cracked out the spinning rod.  A three inch, Hooked-UP Baits tube was the ticket.  Working the tube through the fast water produced three more smallies all measuring 14 inches.  I wish I could have stayed up until dark, but I could hear the wife calling.  Not bad though…........four bass in about 90 minutes.

With the forecast for Wednesday being as nice or nicer than the previous day, I decided to take a vacation day from work.  Got ahold of my buddy Tim and we were ready to have all day to slay some serious bronzebacks.  I was at the first spot by around 8:30.  What a beautiful day it was.  Very warm and partly cloudy.  The river was in perfect shape with around 2 feet of visibility in the water.  It was setting up to be one of those days to remember.  Unfortunately, the bass did not feel the same way.

The first area only produced one swipe at my fly.  I packed up and met Tim at the next area.  This area is a super deep area on an outside bend of the river with a riffle just downstream of the hole.  Tim and I worked it hard with both the fly rod and the spinning rod.  I lost a little one right at my feet and missed a few other good strikes on the my tube.  I was able to land one on the tube before hitting the road.

Next stop was the same area I had hit the night before.  The fish were not in the fastest water as they were the previous evening.  We finally found them in a little slack water pocket right next to the bank.  While throwing my Blue Shad swim jig with a swim bait trailer, I bumped into a small school of fiesty bronzebacks.  I think I ended up catching four within five or ten minutes.  All were around 14 inches.  I did miss a few bumps as well.  Here is a photo of my blue shad swim jig that I make and sell across the country:

After exhausting the resources in that hole, it was time for a quick lunch and a decision on where to go next.  We figured that the longer the day went on, the better the bite would get.  For some unknown reason, we were wrong.  The next spot produced nothing for Tim or I.  Tim hit the road and headed for work.  I decided I would back-track and try the very first hole I tried in the morning.  That spot produced the big zero as well.  One more spot on my way home produced the same results.

So, all in all, it was a slow day considering the perfect fall weather we had.  Still cannot figure out why the bite went south in the afternoon.  Now with all the rain, it will be awhile before I will be on the Mack again.

AS ALWAYS…...........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

But, as I expected, the water was cold and, at least a few, smallies have already made the migration into this hole.  I fished for about 45 minutes and caught two smallies.  Both on a 3 inch tube jig worked VERY SLOWLY along the bottom.  Both of the smallies were plump and healthy, which is also a sign that winter has already arrived.  They also displayed their winter colors.  I don’t know why it is, but when river smallies get down in their wintering haunts, they always display a bleached appearance.  The normal body colors are all evident, but they are slightly lighter than normal.

If we don’t get rained out, I have an after-school guide trip tomorrow.  You can bet we will be fishing wintering areas very slowly with the tube, the float n fly, and maybe a small, suspending jerkbait.  Should be exciting.  In addition, the Pike and Walleye should be making an appearance very soon.

AS ALWAYS…........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

You won’t find many, if any, places prettier in our state.  While the fishing was slow (I caught two smallies and lost one more), the scenery always makes up for tough angling.  Just making casts to all the under water rocks, ledges, riffles, etc. is very soothing.  I wish I could have spent more time, but the boss had me on a strict time limit.  I will be back in a week or so when the trees are really displaying their fall glory.

AS ALWAYS…...........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

We arrived at the dam around 4:30.  Greg’s pattern has been targeting the stripers with very small poppers (by Striper standards).  He let me know that they are keying on small baitfish and the little all white poppers we were throwing were just the ticket.  He was, as usual, right on the mark.  As soon as I began to cast into a little current cut, I began to catch fish.  White bass, Largemouth bass, bluegills, walleye, and crappie all made an appearance on the fly rod.  As time passed we kept waiting for the hybrids to make their entrance.  Greg did hook a striper on his spinning rod outfit and handed the rod to me so I could feel the power of a hybrid.  Unfortunately, after a few seconds the fish came unhooked and I was not able to land the striper.  Now, I desperately wanted to catch a striper on the fly rod.

We continued to fish on and the white bass became a little pickey, as they began to short strike my popper time and time again.  We waited…......and we waited.  Greg predicted just before dark the stripers should move into the same shallow water area that we had been catching all the other fish.  I could not wait as darkness began to fall.

Finally, with little light available, a hybrid striper busted Greg’s fly rod popper.  He immediately knew it was a striper and handed me the fly rod.  I freaked at first as I have not had a fish this powerful on the fly rod as of yet.  Immediately Greg began to coach me by telling me to let the striper run whenever he needed to.  The drag on the reel was adjusted just right.  When the fish took off you could hear the drag screaming…..........what an awesome sound!  Every time I would get the striper close to the bank, he would bolt out to the middle of the creek once again.  I thought to myself, “I could get used to this style of fishing”.  Finally the hybrid slipped into the net.  Probably around five pounds.  Not huge by hybrid standards, but huge on a six weight fly rod.  Here is the pic. of that beast:

Now, it was my turn to handle a hybrid from start to finish.  I picked up the six weight and began casting out to where Greg hooked into his “silver bullet”.  After just a few casts, the water churned and the sound of another striper whacking my popper was audible.  I set the hook and now it was my turn to reel up all my slack fly line and get the fish “on the reel”.  Once on the reel, the fish began to pull out drag.  While this fish was not as big as the first, it was my first hybrid striper that I caught start to finish.  Here is a pic. of that glorious creature:

As you can tell by the pictures, it was for all intent and purposes dark when these stripers made their appearance.  Well, they always say, good things come to those who wait.  I am glad we stuck it out and waited for the low light that spurred these silver demons to go on the prowl.  I owe Greg a debt of gratitude for taking me down there and showing me the technique needed to tangle with a true giant of freshwater.  I will definitely be back.

Dad and Ron were using spinning tackle and fishing soft plastics on or near the bottom, while I brought the six weight fly rod.  The first spot we fished is an area where dad and I have caught many large smallies over the years.  In fact, some years ago, my dad hooked and landed a 21.5 inch smallie from this very spot.  We moved into position carefully as the water was very clear.  On my second cast with a blockhead popper, the first smallie of the day made his appearance:

After that fish, I figured the morning was going to be an easy one - throw topwaters and watch the surface of the water explode.  As time passed at this hole, the topwater thing went out of fashion.  Meanwhile, Dad and Ron began to hook up with a couple of dandy river bronzebacks.  Both of their fish were right around 18 inches…........see below:

Pretty smallies eh?

After a few more minutes, I decided to approach the area from the downstream side and was able to catch one more nice smallie on a Clouser Fur Strip Clouser Minnow.  Dad hooked one more smaller fish as did Ron.  We moved on downstream to spot #2.

This spot had not really changed much from the last time I visited nearly 3 years ago.  Plenty of deep water and rocks.  The funny part was the fact that the bass were really not in the deepest spot.  We found them just upstream of the hole in along the bank where the current was faster.  On my first cast with the fur strip clouser, my dad saw two nice, big smallies follow my fly, but did not take it.  I tried and tried to get them to come back, but never saw them again.  I continued to move upstream as I spyed a perfect eddy nestled right in the the faster water.  I tied on another topwater - the Clouser E-Z Popper.  First cast into the eddy and a smallie blew up and ate the popper.  A medium sized smallie at around 13 inches.  Next cast into the same spot brought another smallie on the popper.  There really is nothing better than catching smallies on top with the fly rod.

But those two smallies would be it for that second area.  The clock said it was time to go.  A short trip timewise, but great fun nonetheless.

Now, on Sunday I headed to the Kanakakee River to fish with a guy named Al Taylor.  Al is a new member of the ISA and wanted to take me on the river in his beautiful drift boat.  You don’t see too many drift boats here in Illinois, though they might be the perfect river craft.  They are wide and stable and very sea worthy.  Heck, they can handle the fastest riffles this state has to offer.  What I like is the fact that you can stand up and fish your brains out.  Here is a picture of the Kank and Al’s drift boat:

We floated a couple of miles of river and fished both the fly rod and the spinning rod.  The bite was TERRIBLE!!!  The whole river was just dead!  Al landed two small ones and I caught one little one as well.  We fished deep water, shallow water, along the bank, in the middle, and everywhere in between.  We could not get anything going.  My guess was the high pressure cell and the lack of clouds had something to do with it.  While the fishing was poor, the time spent in the drift boat with Al was worth the trip.  Al has been fly fishing for 20 years and provided me with many tips and tricks.  We plan to fish together again very soon.

AS ALWAYS….......................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

The above fish was big fish on the day - 16 inches.  Caught on a Bart-0-Minnow.  I had the fish hooked on a popper, but lost him.  I quickly tied on a Bart-o-Minnow and hooked him again on the first cast into the hole.

The above picture is to show you how big the stream was.  Sorry I cannot be more specific where we were fishing, but I do this out of respect for Tim’s spots.

The hot flies were the Murdich Minnow (once again) and a small clouser minnow.

We fished for about 3-4 hours.  Cannot wait to get back out this weekend.

AS ALWAYS….......................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

But, last night I just had to fish.  The wife got home about 6:00 and I was in my truck and heading down the road by 6:01.  I knew I did not have much time, so I hit a little creek not far from my residence.  The creek, just like every other stream this year, has been a bust.  Sure, I have caught a few from this creek this year,  but nothing like the past years when this creek would regularly yield 5 to 10 fish per hour.

When I arrived the creek was in pretty fair shape.  It was low and clear, but still moving.  Many years, by the first of September, this creek is nothing but a trickle, and often, stops flowing alltogether.  I grabbed my six weight, Redington Predator fly rod and jumped in at the bridge.  I decided to hit three or four historically good smallmouth haunts.  I started with a surface popper - the baby Booggle Bug.  The first couple areas produced nothing but a small green sunfish.

I trudged on upstream knowing that the key spot, a very deep hole, was just ahead and I needed to reach it before nightfall.  As I waded up, I spyed and area that produces a smallie or two about 50 percent of the time.  I snuck up to the area very quietly along the bank and landed my popper in a perfect spot.  One “pop” and then I let it drift downstream.  As I was looking away, a smallie came up and slurped down my popper.  I set the hook and landed a ten inch bronzie.  Not a monster, but I was ecstatic.  That little smallie did not know how happy he made me.

Next spot, was the big hole.  We call it the swim hole as someone has a rope swing tied to a sycamore tree that hangs over the creek.  The hole itself is probably 75 yards long with rip-rap rock all along the 75 yards of bank.  I threw the Boogle Bug to no avail.  Then I had a decision to make - do I go to a streamer or a bottom fly?  I finally decided that the Murdich Minnow has treated me well this year, so I better “dance with the one that brought me”.  I began throwing the Murdich right out in the same area where I had worked the popper.  After only a few casts of stripping Murdich quickly just under the surface, I saw a smallie come up from the depths and absolutely “whack” the Murdich.  He even left an awesome swirl on the surface upon taking in the fly.  The fight was on!  I was having a tough time getting this one in.  While he did not jump, he just kept making deep runs in the hole.  Heck, at one point, I even let a little bit of fly line slip through my fingers, as I thought he might bust me off.  Finally, I got him close enough to land and realized he was a nice smallie, but nowhere near the size I imagined as a result of the fight.  As I bent over to land him, he took off again.  Once again, I had to let a little fly line slip through my fingers.  Wow - what a battle.  14.5 inches of pure bronze fury!

As the sun began to set, I knew it was time to head back downstream to the truck.  My plan was to hit a couple of areas on the way back that I had fished with the popper and came up empty.  As I got within eye distance of the truck, I threw my Murdich into an area that is almost a guarantee smallie spot.  While the popper did not turn any fish’s attention, the Murdich did.  A 12 incher just slammed the Murdich right at my feet.  A smile came over my face upon getting ahold of this bass.  Now, I am very excited, but wish darkness was not upon me.  I figured I could sneak in another 10 casts or so before darkness enveloped me totally.  My next cast a smallie came up and swirled twice at my fly, but missed it both times.

I decided to make one more move downstream and hit an area right by the bridge where I was parked at.  By now it was so dark I was not sure my fly was hitting the water or the far bank.  No takers.  I climbed up the bank and walked to the truck.  Not a bad 90 minutes - 3 smallies, a green sunfish, and a chub.

Upon arriving home, I thanked my wife for allowing me to stay out so late.  I told her that the 90 minutes I fished may have been the best thing I could have done for my psyche.  I felt like a new person, and now regained my desire to go after those river smallies again with reckless abandon.

Creek fishin’ was definitely the perfect medicine for me.

AS ALWAYS….................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

As you can see by the above pictures, big smallies have been hard to come by this year.  Here is a nice photo of two of the many nice smallies we caught up on the Menominnee River with the fly rod:

Here is another dandy from the Menominnee:

And, lastly, the biggest bass of the trip caught by my buddy Curt - 20.5 inches of pure bronze (and fat too)

And lastly, here are a few photos of some bronzies that I have tangled with recently:

Biggest smallie I have tangled with from Illinois this year - 18.5 inches from the Vermillion River.

The above is a nice smallie caught from a creek on a five weight fly rod.  I think it was around 16 inches.

Though it has been worst smallmouth season that I can remember, I still have a few vivid memories that I will treasure

AS ALWAYS…....................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

On a fishing note, the bite continues to be inconsistent.  Last guide trip on the Vermillion was with a fly fisherman.  We only mustered six smallies between the two of us…..........slow….......slow…..........slow!  I am ready for this summer to be over with.  Definitely the worst summer of smallmouth fishing I have ever experienced.  Hopefully the fall and winter bite on the river will be better.

AS ALWAYS….....................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

AS ALWAYS…......................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

I am booked up Sunday through Tuesday and plan spend a few of those days on the Mack.  I will report and let you know if the hot streak continues.  stay tuned

AS ALWAYS…........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

Here is your official stream smallmouth report:

Both the Mack and Vermillion are in excellent shape.  Low, clear water making canoeing or wading both great options.  Both rivers are producing about the same results of late.  My guiding trips are producing 10 to 20 smallies a trip.  The big bronzies have been somewhat elusive with 14 inchers being about the biggest seen of late.  A multitude of baits have been successful.  Hula grubs and tubes have covered the bottom and produced bass looking for a crayfish meal.  A few fish have taken topwaters early and late in the day.  The topwater fish have come on the fly rod using a Boogle Bug.  Speaking of the fly rod, other streamers such as the Murdich Minnow and Sparkle Minnow have caught fish in and around faster current.

The Mack of late has been producing many different species of fish.  Smallies, white bass, walleye, rock bass, and drum all seem to be active.  Small bladebaits have been stellar.  An inline spinner fished around current and depth will catch everything that swims in the Mack right now.

If you have been waiting to hit the river…...................now is the time.  With the big warm up coming, the smallies should go “gang-busters”.  If you wish to take a trip with me, give me a call or respond to this blog.  I have a few dates left for 2009, but they won’t last long.

AS ALWAYS…..........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

I still have a few prime dates left on my guiding calendar.  Many weekend dates in August and Sept. are still available.  If you are looking for a great time on the river, give me a call and book a date.  309-399-7055

AS ALWAYS…..................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

We arrived in Pembine, Wisconsin around 2:00 and checked into the Grand Motel.  Great little motel for $55 a night located right on the main north/south drag (rt. 141).  Of course, we quickly unloaded gear and got ready to catch some fish.  The first order of business was trying to catch a Brook Trout.  We got some good info about a special spot on a very small stream where we might just tangle with the beautiful brookie.  Sure enough, we arrived at the stream and it was the prettiest little brook I have ever seen.  We rigged up the five weight rods and began walking up the stream to a hidden railroad trestle about a 1/2 mile upstream.  When we arrived we knew it was a great spot.  Crystal clear water with riffles and pools everywhere.  I was using a little floating ant and Curt was using a nymph.  On my very first cast a fish rose, took the fly, and I began to strip the fish in.  Could it be…...............?.  A brook trout on the first cast?  No, it was a little creek chub.  We continued to fish for about 90 minutes and had no brookies to show for our efforts.  I saw a small school of brook trout, but got too close and spooked them.  Oh well, we were really up here to chase after some big bronzies on the long rod.

After the feable brook trout attempt. we got into the truck and began scoping out spots on the Menominne River where we could access my canoe and get into some good fishing.  Well, it was actually tough to pick a spot.  Not because of access, but because everywhere we stopped the truck looked like there would be five pounders behind every rock.  The Menominnee is something to see!  It is god’s gift to smallmouth bass.

Finally we found a secluded dirt road that ran along the river.  We did not know if the road was public or not, but we gave it a shot.  The one lane road was not only dirt, but had large boulders right in the middle of road.  It definitely made for an interesting trek.  Finally, we found an abandon campsite right along the road and the river.  The spot had perfect access for my canoe.  Within minutes we were fishing the Menominee River.  The low light of evening had set in so we knew we better get some poppers on our fly rods.  We fished until dark and caught about ten smallies with the biggest being 17 inches.  A 17 incher on the top, in deep water, and on the fly rod makes for more fun than any human should ever have.  We got off the water at dark and headed back to Pembine for a quick burger at the bar.  Our big day was yet to come…...............

The next day (Tuesday) we had a trip booked with Hunter Doran out of Tight Lines Fly Shop in Depere, WI.  This fly shop runs 5-7 guides full time throughout the summer months.  Their quarry is only smallies - what better set of guides for me.  We met Hunter around 8:30 and drove to our put-in spot.  Our plan was to do 10 miles of river in his drift boat..  I had never been in a drift boat, but always thought they were neat.  I was not wrong.  If I had the cash right now, I would be ordering a drift boat immediately!!!  Super stable, unbelievably maneuverable, and roomy.  Our boat measured 14 feet long and came complete with Hunter’s retriever, Sage.  After setting up the shuttle vehicles, we were off on the river around 10:00.  After trying a few different flies, we knew it was going to be a topwater day.  Both Curt and I caught fish on poppers throughout the day.  We had great weather to enjoy the awesome bounties of the Menominnee.  At days end (around 8:00 PM), Curt and I had landed around 20 smallies with a half dozen more that escaped capture.  All the smallies were 14 inches of better, with our biggest being between 16 and 17 inches long.  No hogs for this river, but the fight these fish gave us on our fly rods will never be forgotten.  By days end, Curt and I both were cramping in our hands, forearms, and shoulders.  What a day!

The next morning we slept in to around 9:00 AM and then decided to drive south around 20 miles to the Peshtigo River.  The Peshtigo is another real beauty.  It is about the size of the Mackinaw, but with crystal clear water (visibility down to around 5 feet!) and more current than the Mack.  The river was down quite a bit, but water had been released from the dam downstream the night before.  This release upstream seemed to have cooled the water considerably.  We noticed right away when we stepped foot into the river….................very chilly.  We launched the canoe anyway and planned to float 4 miles.  Long story short, the Pesh is a beauty, but not on this day.  While the river was gorgeous, the smallies did not cooperate.  I landed one nice smallie and missed three more.  Curt never got a sniff.

Time was running out on our trip.  We only had a few more hours of light before we would have to get sleep and leave in the morning (Thursday).  We discussed what to do and decided to head back to the “dirt road spot”.  We arrived around 6:00 PM and began casting our little poppers.  The smallies were feeding on adult damselflys.  Because of this, our poppers were small and we moved them VERY LITTLE!  Too much “pop” definitely would turn them off.  We started off slow the first 30 minutes.  Then “it” happened.  I spyed a lone tree trunk sticking out of the water and told Curt to cast toward it.  On his first cast he layed the popper right next to the log.  Within seconds the popper disappeared.  Curt set the hook and the battle was on!!  Curt, at the time, was only using his five weight fly rod.  This would be a battle for the ages.  Curt cannot see well and had no idea how big the fish was as he wrestled with the beast.  I could see almost immediately that Curt was not fooling with some youngster.  This was a pig-beast.  I picked up the video camera and began filming.  Curt had his hands full convincing this creature to come closer to our canoe.  After about three jumps, Curt was finally able to lip land him.  His first words were, “HOLY COW”.  Matter of fact, he said those same three words three more times.  I thought I was fishing with the late Harry Caray.  The smallmouth was a monster.  20.5 inches and thick from head to toe.  I called a slobasaurus rex!  Easily four to five pounds.  After some quick pictures, the fish was back in the water and swimming down to the depths.

After taming that beast, Curt said he would paddle and let me fish.  We went to the next log and I layed a popper right next to log,  Once again, within seconds, my popper dissapeared and I set the hook into a bass I could not move.  We could not believe it - two big fish in about five minutes.  I battle my beast on my six weight and finally got it to the boat.  19 inches of pure bronze muscle!  Needless to say a few whoops of glory were projected into the Northwoods.  A few quick pics and the big smallie was swimming away.  What are the chances?  Two trophy smallies in a span of five minutes?  Both on topwaters and both with the fly rod.  We were acting like young kids.  We kept fishing but were only able to raise one more smaller bass.  It did not matter.  Those two behemoths were all we needed.  We packed up the truck for good and headed back to Pembine for our last night of sleep before heading back to the ol’ Land of Lincoln.  The pictures, video, and other countless memories will never be forgotten.

AS ALWAYS…................................................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

We started with a topwater, hula grub, spinnerbait, and Rebel Craw crankbait.  While it was a beautiful, crisp morning (there was steam rising off the river as the air temp. was colder than the river), the fish did not think so.  Our first 3.5 hours of fishing yielded nothing!  Ken and I began to wonder how this four mile trip was going to turn out.

Then about 9:00 or so the clouds began to move in.  Light, puffy, white clouds at first.  We rounded a bend in the river and came upon an area I call “the humps”.  The river displays four or five awesome rock humps, just under the surface.  These rock humps run off the bank and into the middle of the river.  My clients have caught many a smallmouth here over the years.  Like turning a light switch, Ken began to catch smallies on a tube jig.  They were biting very lightly and hesitantly, but Ken was skillful enough to land his fair share.  The ones he did not land were not a result of his poor fishing skills, but a result of the smallies just not eating the tube correctly.  There are times when smallies do what I call “tasting”.  They pick up the tube, and give every indication they have it, and then upon setting the hook there is nothing there except a tube that has been pulled down the shank of the slider head.  You might think that letting them take it longer would be the answer - it is not.  You can let them take it for an hour and they still won’t have it.  The best course of action I have found is to just cast back and try for a bass who will eat it enough to provide a good hookset.  That is exactly what Ken did.  For a while, Ken was getting a bite on nearly every cast on the “humps”.  He landed probably every three or four good bites he had, including his first nice smallie measuring around 15 inches.

We took our time fishing the humps and Ken’s fish total began to rise.  I began to make a few casts and catch fish fairly consistently as well.  As we moved past the humps, the clouds began to thicken and get darker.  The wind kicked up a little and I knew it was time to try a topwater again.  I tied on a Spit n’ Image Jr. and caught a nice smallie on the first cast.  Now our spirits really began to soar.  After one more smallie on top, it was time to tie on a popper for Ken. 

As we continued the rest of our trip, Ken began to get bit on the topwater and the tube.  The fish contined to be relating to any humps or bars that extended from the bank out into the middle of the river.  The clouds stayed with us but never produced any sustained rains.  With the clear water, the clouds are definitely what spurred the bite.  I have seen it happen countless times on clear water rivers.  When the clouds move in, the action heats up immediately.  On this day it turned a horrible day into a great day.  All toll, Ken and probably boated around 30 smallies with five of them measuring over 14 inches.  I think three of the five came on topwaters - normal for this time of year.  It was a great time for Ken and I both.  It renewed my confidence in the Vermillion.  Up until this day, the fishing had been tough this year with only small fish to show for our efforts.  With the Mackinaw still slow (my last client on the Mack only landed four smallies in four miles), the Vermillion may be the answer for the rest of the year.  Only time will tell.

I am heading up to the Menominnee River in WI on Monday morning.  Taking a guided fly fishing trip for some monster bronzebacks.  I should have some good stories to tell when I return on Thursday. 

AS ALWAYS…........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

I hit the first two fish on my Mackinaw Mangy Craw fly.  Both very small around 8-10 inches.  Then my buddy Curt nailed his first smallie around 12 inches on the same fly.  We continued downstream and got out of the boat where a small rock island cut the river in half.  I decided to pick apart some wood logs with my block head popper.  As I tossed it near the brush, a HUGE explosion erupted on the surface.  The eruption was definitely not a smallie.  I set the hook and the fish just took off.  It was peeling in fly line as it headed downstream.  I began to chase after wondering what it could be.  I had a feeling what it was and when I saw the fish it was as I expected - a HUGE grass carp.  I have had the same thing happen on the Vermillion with grass crap.  These grass carp love to crush topwaters.  And I do mean CRUSH!!!  The sound when they take a topwater is amazing.
Anyway after a long fight on the six weight fly rod, my gamakatsu hook finally straightened and the fish was gone.  Speaking of gone, the muscles in my right forearm were shot.  I was exhausted in a glorious way.

We continued downstream with darkness chasing us all the way.  We stopped along a bank in the boat and Curt caught two smallies on a popper.  First topwater fish on the Mack all season.  He was thrilled.  There is no better classic way to catch smallies on the fly rod than the topwater popper.

We were able to make the take out right as darkness was upon us.  Beautiful evening.  We wish we would have caught a few more, but five smallies in four hours was not terrible.  Biggest smallie was touch over 13 inches.  Not large, but on a fly rod a 13 incher is an incredible fight.

Got a guiding client tomorrow from Lexington.  We plan to do a full day trip on the Mack.  Fingers crossed that he can tangle with some big bronzies.

AS ALWAYS…................................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

Last week the Vermillion began to pump out some bronze.  We did not set any records, but the bass were biting and a couple of them were above average size.  The best techniques included fishing a hula grub rigged on a slider head and the ol’ Rebel Crawdad crankbait.  No topwater bite as of yet.  The best bite seemed to occur after 10:30 AM.

On another note, if the rain continues to hold off, it looks like the Mackinaw should be in good shape by mid-week.  I have a client on Thursday that has heart set on fishing the Mack.

AS ALWAYS…....................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

Today I guided Dan Chambers.  Dan is new to smallie fishing on the river and came on one trip last year and did fairly well.  We floated the Vermillion, but far upstream from my normal stomping grounds.  We floated from outside of Pontiac down to around Cornell.  I have been having my best luck in this section of the river so far this year.  Our float was four to five miles long with the river being in great shape for wading or floating.  We were in the water by 7:00 and the fishing was tough the first few hours.  Then we hit a pretty good spurt where Dan caught six fish in about 90 minutes including one that actually measured around 12 inches.  Not huge, but beats a seven incher any day.  Then a light rain started and the bite began to sour.  After a few tough hours, they seem to begin to bite again.  Dan hooked into a nice fifteen incher along a real nice run of fairly swift current with boulders and water willow dotting the water.  He and I both were ecstatic.  We went to the bank, shot a few photos and then Dan caught two more of the same bank.  We ended right at 3:00 with Dan landing 11 smallies total.  The best techinque was taking a hula grub, rigged on a classic slider head, and swimming it just above the bottom.  Normally I fish a hula grub on the bottom slowly.  The fish told us that technique was not what they wanted.  A simple retrieve back to boat did pay dividends.  Got three more trips planned this week.  Hope all the rain does not screw things up too bad.

AS ALWAYS…....................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

Yesterday, I began my search for some “new”, uneducated bronzebacks.  An old buddy from high school and myself decided to do a float trip on the Vermillion.  The only difference is that we did not float my “bread and butter area” below Streator.  No, we decided to head upstream quite a ways and canoe from Humiston Woods, outside of Pontiac, down to the bridge closest to Cornell.  About a five mile float.  In the past I had fished the mile or so that is contained within Humiston Woods, but never ever any farther downstream.

The river is in great shape as we made our first cast around 8:00.  We started out fishing fast moving baits and moving quickly down the river.  This section of river has tons of habitat.  Rocks everywhere complimented by huge plots of water willow growing along the banks.  Mix in some woody debris and you have the makings of smallmouth nirvana.

It took us about two hours to catch our first smallie on a jig/plastic worked slowly on the bottom.  After that first one the fish began to come fairly regularly.  We realized the only way to get bit was to fish a plastic slowly on the bottom.  I chose my standard 3 inch tubes made “Hooked-UP Bait” company out of Tennessee.  My buddy used a four inch ribbed worm rigged weedless.  Both baits produced about the same number of bass.  I tried the fly rod off and on throughout the day with no luck.

We found the fish in two areas - deeper rocky banks and creek mouths.  The creek mouth pattern was quite successful,. but unfortunately there were only three creeks dumping into the river on this stretch.  When the day was done, we had approximately 20 smallmouths landed with a couple of Drum, Rock Bass, and one nice Catfish to add to the mix.  The smallies were not big, but it was nice to finally find some brown bombers and get them to bite.  I am looking forward to hitting the same stretch again when the fish are active enough to chase baits.  Tomorrow is a big day as I have a guided canoe trip with a fella from my old stompin’ grounds.  We will be fishing the Vermillion and I will report what we discover.

AS ALWAYS….................................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

Meanwhile, I have been doing some stream fishing here and there.  Been hitting some small creeks and catching a few with the fly rod.  Nothing great, but just enough to quench my passion.  Hopefully we will hit a dry spell soon.  Me and a buddy just booked a fly fishing trip for smallies up on the Menominnee river for the middle of July.  Should be a good time with lots of big smallies brought to the drift boat.  Of course, I will report when I return.

I hope everyone is reading about the massive fish kill on the Rock River.  The Rock is where I grew up and I hold a fond spot in my heart for this flow.  It is saddens me to see and hear about all the fish floating down the river dead.  All because of a train derailment upstream.  I understand the train derailment was an accident, but I am sure with a little more safety it could have been prevented.  It really is disheartening how our rivers are treated in this state.  Very little respect compared to the lakes of Illinois.  I wish everyone would keep in mind that the rivers were here long before lakes began showing up in this state.  The imprortance of the health of our rivers cannot be understated.  I better quit on this rant before I go off the “deep end”.

Heading out this evening to wrestle with some smallies on the five weight.  I will report back if anything great happens.

AS ALWAYS…............................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

AS ALWAYS….......................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

Just today I fished with Jim. The bite was, once again, tough. I only carried two rods and they were both fly rods. A six and an eight weight. I caught three. One on a blockhead popper (first topwater fish of the year) and two on a Bart-O-Minnow. Nothing huge but a big confidence boost for me. Jim caught two with one coming on a buzzbait. After finishing with Jim I hit another creek on the way home. The creek was a little up and slightly stained. This creek contains large Rock Bass and smallies. Started with a sparkle minnow that I made. Caught a few Rockies, but only when I let the sparkle minnow sink near the bottom before stripping. Sure wish I would have brought a stringer as I caught some dandies. I saw some fish surfacing even with the stained water. I figured what the heck. I tied on a blockhead and caught one small smallie. I only fished around an hour or so and ended up with half a dozen Rockies and that one smallie

Presently I am at the vise working on more blockhead poppers and sparkle minnows. Brad Miller from Minnessota (flybass.com) sent me some pre cut blockheads and I have been making some beautiful specimens. Unfortunately I cannot post any pics as our computer is on dial-up and does not import pics from my camera.

Hopefully the rain will subside so I can get back to my rivers. Got a few guide trips coming up.  By the way, anyone out there interested in a guided smallie trip on the Mackinaw or Vermilion rivers should give me a call.  My rates are very affordable and I offer full day or half day wading and canoe trips.  If your interested, or just want more info, give me a call at 309-399-7055.

AS ALWAYS….......................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE