Here is a taste of the conditions I was out in on Saturday. Breezy

 

 

 

They say smallmouth love wind and that certainly seemed to be the case on Saturday. The wind started blowing even before sunrise and just built and built during the day. The closest weather station as reporting 29mph in the afternoon and I am sure that it is a bit higher than that in the middle of the wide open river.

 

The day did not start out as I had planned though. I started with a topwater and could not get a sniff. Then I threw the JH stealthblade but no bueno. I was just getting ready to abandon my first spot when I marked a fish in about 18' of water. I dropped a Ned rig down and landed my first fish of the day, a nice 2lb 7oz that was only 16.25" long. That fish was chonky

 

I think I then caught fish on the next 3 drops then had a couple of fishless casts then picked up another fish or two. The nice thing is that most of them were over a pound and a half and in the wind and the current they really test my light spinning rod and the drag on my Vanford spinning reel. Love that sound in the morning!

 

After that I decided to fish up shallow for a bit, even though the first spot did not produce. After my last trip I spoke with a fellow and he had fished a big glide bait all day long and done well and another youtube channel guy also had done well on some shallow spots. Usually this time of the year I resign myself to fishing deep but I think. I think there are plenty of fish deep but I think other groups of bass hang out shallow all summer long. I wanted to test that theory.

 

No shallow bass on the first spot but I did pick one up on the JH stealth blade on the second spot I fished. It came from a spot that produces well for me in the spring but at some point when the weeds thicken and the water level drops a couple of fee I quit fishing that area. The interesting thing is that now in the early fall the water level is back up a few feet and the weeds that were matting the surface are now a foot deep and the holes in the weeds are very fishable.

 

The third spot I stopped out produced my best fish  of the day, a 3lb 1oz 18.5" beauty.  Yanked off a clear spot inside the weed edge on the JH SB. It also produced a second almost 2lber. I was starting to feel good about the day and the choice to fish shallow.

 

At the next spot the old JH did not produce at first but I did get on one a green pumpkin swim jig with a craw trailer. After that fish I went back to the JH and picked up another.

 

At that point I was completely stoked and ready to slay them at one of my favorite humps. I crashed through the wind and the waves to get down to a spot I just knew was going to be fire. Well, I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I could not conjure up a bite on a variety of moving baits. At that point I had a decision to make. Either finesse fishing deep on that spot (which usually produces when the fish are not shallow) or heading to another spot in search of active fish.

 

I was having so much fun fishing moving baits that opted for the latter. This spot is another hump, with an island, and I decided to pound it with the spy bait. I will just say that the bass approved of that idea. I picked up several nice fish over or near 2lbs on the spy bait but after a bit of casting practice I decided I should probe the depths as well.

 

Once again, there were fish shallow and deep at the same time on the same spot. I am not sure if the fish move back and forth or if they are completely separate groups of fish. Anyway I started probing with the drop shot (which is easier to fish than the Ned rig in the wind and waves). I immediately started getting some bites but missed the first few. It is still tough when you are bobbing up and down and fighting the wind to feel those fish. However, knowing that there were hungry fish down there waiting to be caught helped me increase my focus.

 

The first few I landed were not very big but then I set the hook on a fish that had some shoulders to it. Once again in the wind and the waves that fish put up a great fight and I was stoked when I got my net underneath a decent 2lb 13oz 17.5" bass! After that fish I did pick up several more small fish but nothing of note.

 

When that bite died I pedaled over to another hump that has a nice long hump in front of it. I immediately caught a 2lb 14oz on a drop shot and then a few minutes later I picked up a 2lb bass on the drop shot! The wind was trying to make me leave but the bass were convincing me to  stay

 

After that I took a break to relieve myself and eat my cherries. When I came back to the spot where I caught the last two but a bass boat was fishing it so I went back to where I had done well around the island earlier. I picked up a decent one on a swimbait and then started probing deeper with the wobblehead. It was tough fishing but with my newish wobblehead rod (St Croix) I felt a solid thunk and reared back. Once again it was a great fight bouncing up and down in the waves, trying not to get tipped over by the wind and finally landing my last nice fish of the day, a 17" 2lb 8oz bass.

 

After that I picked up a handful more fish on a last spot with the drop shot and finally called it a day. When I would turn my kayak up wind the wind would blow me upriver at between 2.5 and 2.8mph! All day long I was fighting that wind but I really appreciated the wind assist on the way back to the ramp! Having the wind and waves push me to where I wanted to go instead of fighting them feels really good at the end of a long day on the water!

 

Anyway here are some pics and the full video for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You made it farther out than I didn't on Friday.   I ended up cleaning up the boat and fishing the marina because it was too much.  The water is drawn down for winter and waves were breaking left to right across most of the marina mouth.  I have a "new to me"  21' deep V multi-species with a big engine and wanted to see how it handled some bigger waves.  Not that big!!  

 

I'd misread the water.  I thought it was 2-4 and it was 3+.  Just trying to get out the channel and faced into the wind I had two waves break right into the side of the boat and in a trough I was only in 2’ of water.  I made it out far enough to get back in safely and called it.  

That beaming, fish-catching smile says it all. 

Clearly you earned every one of those sweet brown bass.

You are an inspiration.

Nicely done, sir.

A-Jay

 

 

17 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

That beaming, fish-catching smile says it all. 

Clearly you earned every one of those sweet brown bass.

You are an inspiration.

Nicely done, sir.

A-Jay

 

 

 

Thanks @MontanaBasser!

 

Thanks @A-Jay ! I definitely worked hard for those fish. I estimate i probably pedaled the equivalent of 15 to 20 miles. I pedaled fairly nonstop for 9 hours. 

Heckuva day, my friend. Quality plus quantity, which were the sweet fruit of your grit plus skill. I've paddled in similar winds and I've fished in similar winds, but I haven't paddled AND fished in similar winds. You've got true grit.

3 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Heckuva day, my friend. Quality plus quantity, which were the sweet fruit of your grit plus skill. I've paddled in similar winds and I've fished in similar winds, but I haven't paddled AND fished in similar winds. You've got true grit.

 

I don't think you could paddle and fish in those conditions. The pedal drive on the Hobie makes it feasible. It is just a constant battle of turning the rudder multiple times on each retrieve and pedaling at just the right pace.

 

Also forgot to report my totals for the day: 23 bass with the best 5 going 13lb 11oz and 87.5". So not a monster day but a good one - especially given the challenging conditions.

87.5" would win a lot of kayak tournaments. 

 

The only way I could fish in your wind would be nothing but trolling...without paddling. Then I'd be pinned on a shoreline and my fishing would be done for the day.