Super User Spankey Posted August 4, 2023 Super User Share Posted August 4, 2023 Fished a new section of the river system I regularly fish yesterday. Was a mini road trip a few counties up river. The only reason I have not fished the section before was conditions in and around the ramp area. Thought I wouldn’t have been able to put in due to heavy silting at the ramp. Mother Nature has beat my river up over the last decade due the huge floods. Parking is great, huge paved lot. The ramp itself is fantastic, deep enough to float off the trailer without issue. But there is a huge silt hump flat there as you enter the river, making it shallow as heck. Well I didn’t have too much trouble entering the river or getting back to the ramp. I’ll make a new push pole to make that easier. Was dark when I got there but anxious to get on the water and do somewhat of a drive around to see where I wanted to start. Did a super slow drive around spotlighting the bank. Settled on fishing a few points and a stretch of bank with a heavier build up of rock. First point I fished with a Pop R. Could not get a bite on it but had a few slashes and looks at it. Felt the need to move on to the next point. Continued fishing the topwater but switched a Bullet Pop, Berkley version of a Pop R. Got two Smallies to bite there. Nice healthy 12” fish. Moved on to the rock bank. I really thought I was going to set the world on fire there. Fished my go to’s. DT’s, Shad Raps, Traps, Bombers and Bandits. Setting the world on fire didn’t happen. Managed a few runts on the Shad Rap and Trap. Time to move onto the third point. Third point has rock and wood on it. Tossed around a DT-6 and nailed a 15” Greenie. Was lean but put up a good fight. Awhile after baitfish were being pushed around in the wood laydowns. Threw into it. On about the third cast I had what I believe to be the quickest explosion I’ve ever had by a fish. All I seen was a green blob jump some limbs with my DT-6 and line shears off. Gone. Favorite DT gone. (have plenty spares of the original bluegill) I want to believe it was a bass??????? Was not a pulled knot, clear shear. Musky????? It all happened so quick. I thought the DT would surface but never did. Went back to the rock bank and fished some 4”-5” worms on a splitshot rig. Managed to get a handful of dinks and runts to bite. Did have what I perceive to be bigger heavy hits that I couldn’t get a hookset. Hope they were bigger Smallies. Gonna get back in there on Monday AM. Have a concrete project I’m finishing at home. They are saying a tropical type storm is moving in late day on Monday. Hope to pull off a few AM hours. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted August 4, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted August 4, 2023 Nice trip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Spankey Posted August 4, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted August 4, 2023 Did a drive around before I cut out. Went north upstream and hit a current. Not a huge flow. Not sure if I can get through it. Have to figure it out. Might fish that on Monday. Some people are living along there also seen a few docks. Seen docks that maybe belong to a ski club. Bridge pilings. A lot of down wood. Did not see much feeder flow coming into that area. I’ll have to check better. I think this river section gets a lot of guys fishing for catfish and carp. When I got there yesterday a guy had just trailered up at 5:00, he had leave and go to work. Was saying catties is all he fish for. His rig looked it. I think weekday mornings, mid week mornings is when I’ll hit this place. Willing to bet evenings and weekends has a lot of waterskiing and possible jet ski activity. On 5:30-6:00 am and off around 10:00 will work fine for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulVE64 Posted August 4, 2023 Share Posted August 4, 2023 The river systems your fishing might be slower than mine. I'm up near the Great Lakes and we rarely get into greenies on the river systems. Normally only find them in ponds with black crappie and pike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Spankey Posted August 4, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted August 4, 2023 3 hours ago, PaulVE64 said: The river systems your fishing might be slower than mine. I'm up near the Great Lakes and we rarely get into greenies on the river systems. Normally only find them in ponds with black crappie and pike. Over the years I’ve picked off some nice Greenies in the 15”-18” range on the river. You are correct in slower sections. But slower sections are a norm. These slower sections are home for some nice Smallies also. I’ve fished laydowns that I’ve caught both in the same piece of structure. Not a lot of Lilly pads on the river sections I fish but many big grass mats. I’ve found a few nice ones in there. I’m going out on a limb but I believe there is some in there 21” long. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susky River Rat Posted August 5, 2023 Share Posted August 5, 2023 Sounds like a great day. I am itching to get in my boat. May very well have been an Esox. Your line could have also been compromised from coming in contact with rocks and had a week spot when the next fish ate. It almost sounds like you are fishing the desilting basin. That shallow flat infront of the ramp could very well be from people powering their boats on. Most ramps in the susky and juni have it. Hopefully you get the big bronze backs you are hoping for! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulVE64 Posted August 5, 2023 Share Posted August 5, 2023 Fished the river yesterday. Caught a few dinks but the bite was inconsistent. Switched up presentations and colours but the smallies were mostly just slashing at it. The worst was walking a sammy and having it pulled under three times without feeling any weight on the line. Just wanted to ripset so bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Spankey Posted August 6, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted August 6, 2023 14 hours ago, PaulVE64 said: Fished the river yesterday. Caught a few dinks but the bite was inconsistent. Switched up presentations and colours but the smallies were mostly just slashing at it. The worst was walking a sammy and having it pulled under three times without feeling any weight on the line. Just wanted to ripset so bad. Been my whole season has sort of been like that so far. Looking for a couple of sizable smallies. I’m setting on a 16” as tops so far. Going tomorrow AM before a storm moves in. Gonna be a soft plastics day. Will force me to fish slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulVE64 Posted August 6, 2023 Share Posted August 6, 2023 Hahaha, I almost went out fishing yesterday with only soft plastics. Sometimes I only bring one type of lure though it doesnt often catch alot of fish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Spankey Posted August 7, 2023 Author Super User Share Posted August 7, 2023 Nothing wrong with that. But I take it that you’ve been at this game awhile, and not having to do the one lure outings. When I was a young guy I remember and did the one lure thing, only to force myself to use it. I had to break the live bait thing also. If you brought it along it was like a crutch. I just don’t fish with it for bass. Soft plastics were a big hump to get over. On 8/6/2023 at 11:32 AM, PaulVE64 said: Hahaha, I almost went out fishing yesterday with only soft plastics. Sometimes I only bring one type of lure though it doesnt often catch alot of fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulVE64 Posted August 7, 2023 Share Posted August 7, 2023 I'm blessed to have a decent smallie river running thru my home town and the time to go. I enjoy a very simple Huck Finn approach and it's really easy to fall into predictable patterns. Heck I went like 2 or 3 years without throwing a spinnerbait. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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