This Smallmouth won the prize for the nices markings!
Today I decided to hit my “big bass” spot for a shot at a citation class smallmouth bass. Sorry folks, every fisherman needs to have a least one secret spot so I’m not tell’n you where I was. I saw a number or really big smallmouth bass today but non on the end of my line! The biggest fish I could muster was a couple 15 inchers. The good new is that I did more “catching” today than fishing! I landed 34 smallies total. There were quite a few “dinks” in the mix but regardless, catching that many smallies is a ton of fun AND a nice way to wrap up Fishapalooza 2009!
The section of stream I fished today is very tough to get into without being detected by the fish. I guess that’s why the spot usually has a good number of big smallmouth (over 18 inches). I felt like a did a pretty good job of slipping into the area undetected today. My kayak made it simple. Typically, I’d be fishing the spot in my river jon boat. Typically, I do not try to site fish for big smallies. I believe that in most cases if you see the fish, the fish knows you are there. As I passed through areas I had already fished thoroughly, I did see a couple big smallies . The bigger smallmouth just didn’t seem to be on the feed. Even the smaller fish I caught were not feeding aggressively.
Water conditions were favorable today. The flow was within normal limits for this time of year and there was very good water clarity at about 4+ feet. The water temperature was around 70 degrees give or take a couple. The only factor I felt was working against me was the stability of the weather. Temperatures and water levels have been up and down. The fish just don’t seem like they’ve settled into their predictable summer time behaviors and locations.
I enjoyed a short lived and sporadic top water bite for about the first hour on the water. I had a lot of fish short striking my Tiny Torpedo. When I fish out of my kayak, I ALWAY have at least one rod directly in front of me in the cockpit so I can quickly follow up with a different bait in any situation. Today when the fish short struck the Torpedo, I followed up immediately with a 3 inch stickworm. I was able to convert a number of missed topwater attacks into successful catches with my follow up bait.
The mood of the fish was very similar to what I had experienced on the Juniata River earlier this week. The fish were in a very negative mood. They would feed but you had to throw the right bait at them. I tried a number of my usual baits today but once again had to fall back to the 3 inch stick worm to get bit. I periodically tried other baits. I had a few pick ups and bumps but they were few and far between. I ended up fishing exclusively with the 3 inch stick worm for most of the day. Even with that I had many more pickups than the number of smallmouth I actually landed.
At the end of the day, I was happy to have boated 34 smallmouth bass under less then idea fishing conditions. Make no mistake…It was tough out there today. That being said, it was a great day on the water and a great end to my vacation! I fished two lakes, 15+ miles of the Juniata River, and of course the “secret spot”. I’m already thinking about what I’ll do next year.
You had me thinking about fishing all week. Went to the Juniata near the Watts exit Friday night and caught 10 fish in about three hours. Can you tell me any spots you might have fished around that area that might be good. I just started fishing the Juniata the past two summers and I’m trying to find some new spots can you help a wade fisherman out. Also keep up the good work on this page, its the best local fishing report around.
Kevin, Glad to hear you got out fishing! I’m not vary familiar with the lower end of the Juniata in the vicinity you’ve indicated. That being said, I can definitely give you some pointers on identifying productive water. I wade fish the upper Juniata a lot. Even when I’m fishing from my kayak, I get out in the low spots so I can fish the water more thoroughly.
First and foremost wading the lower Juniata under certain water conditions is just darn right unsafe so always be aware of that.
Typically if you pick a good spot you don’t have to wade a million miles to catch fish. Most of my wading locations on the Juniata are only 100 yards or less stretches of water. When picking a location, I look for a spot that has a wide diversity of topography and structure that will hold fish. Medium current, deep runs skirted by shallow feeding areas, weed beds, boulders, submerged ledges, downed wood, etc. are all things that I look for. The more of these elements you can find in a spot..the “fishier” the spot will be in most cases.
How do you find these spots..well that’s the fun part. I really like exploring for new water. One of the best resources you will find for the Juniata is the river maps provided on line by the pa fish commission. just search google under “juniata water trail” you will find links to both the lower river maps and upper. This map will help you find public access points to the river.
The last thing that is important when wade fishing is getting the most out of the water in front of you. A lot of what I talk about on this site is geared toward this goal. For example, if your catching fish on a spot using crankbaits and the bite slows down or stops don’t assume you’ve caught all the fish. Throw them a soft plastic lure and you’ll probably pick up more fish. Just this past weekend I caught over 20 fish out of a 4 foot deep pocket in a weed bed that was only about 10 yards long and 5 yards wide. Change up baits to keep the bite going is a powerful strategy. Hope this helps. Let me know how you do.
Very cool!
Kayaks are definately the best way to get to the fish in most applications.
Great job!
Do you have any idea what the conditon of the lower juniata is like? I’m thinking of taking the kayak out on Saturday.
Thanks
S Brill, Not sure what the lower Juniata Looks like now. I’m too far away from that section of the river. You might try calling one of the outfitters on the lower Juniata to get a report. Upper Juniata looks good but not sure about the lower? There is so much spotty and heavy rain out there that one section could be good and another could be “blown out”