8/10/15 Gaspergou and Smallmouth Too!

You know that place that you've driven past many times and always wondered whether or not it holds fish? You do? Yeah that's the place. Well, I'm here to tell you that you should get out there and give it a shot. You never know what you might find. It could be an unexpected fishing gem right in the middle of town even. Monday night I got out of work early enough to make a trip to the river with Mike. The day before, Mike had gotten out and fished this section of river with some great results. So on his recommendation, I finally took the chance to fish a spot I have looked at for years and always wondered about. The spot in question is a decent paddle from the nearest access point. The game plan was simple but extremely effective. Troll crankbaits to the spot then do some casting with the same lures. Almost immediately I hooked into my first fish. What's it going to be? The anticipation built while the fish took one more run for the bottom before coming into view. Cue the infamous Freshwater Drum. If you've never caught one of these fighters, you are missing out! They readily take lures, get pretty big, and fight pretty hard for their size. Over the course of the evening I boated 4 of these beauties, all over 16 inches! It seemed like I had the most luck when my crankbait was occasionally ticking the bottom. I also caught a few Smallmouth Bass off of rip rap banks. The biggest of which is pictured below. This fish hit right at the boat and immediately went air born! I love Smallies and love seeing them in our rivers. If you take nothing else away form this post, I guess what I'm trying to say is...GET OUT THERE!!!! That spot you've always looked at could be amazing and you will never know if you never try!