Nice smallmouth bass caught on a tube bait
Today I headed out to one of my “high water” spots on a central PA river. I call it my high water spot because even when the river is up a little, I can safely paddle the section of river. The great thing about this spot is that it offers the opportunity to catch both largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. I landed a mixed bag of 6 bass today.The largest fish, surprisingly, were both smallmouth. One was a chunky 17 incher and the other was just shy of 17. No lunkers today but the quality was good. All the bass measured between 14 and 17 inches!
Today I was reminded about a couple of basic things that can make a day of fishing. As I often say, being a good fisherman is a combination of a lot of little things.
My first lesson of the day came in the first half hour. I had a fish swat at my top water bait two times. I maintained my composure and didn’t set the hook. When the fish returned for the third time, he finally connected then I connected! If I had set the hook based on seeing the fish hit the bait, I never would have hooked up. This was a great example of why when using a topwater bait that you should wait till you feel the fish.
The second lesson of the day was more about “being aware” I was paddling downstream and saw some small minnows breaking the surface about 30 feet ahead of me. I quickly grabbed my top water rod and tossed the Chug Bug toward the commotion. Two twitches later and I was hooked up on a nice largemouth bass!
It was a great day on the water and a nice “refresher course” in some fishing basics!
Time Fished
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Weather Conditions
In the morning it was warm with a very brief moment of sun. The remainder of the day was overcast, cooling and it rained at times. The overcast definitely helped the top water bite today.
- Cloudy with brief periods of rain
- Temperatures ran from 57 degrees in the morning to 62 mid day
Water Conditions
- 50 degree water temperature
- cloudy, visibility 3 feet
- Water levels above normal for this time of year but not much
Baits Used
- Chug Bug, blue chrome
- Tube, black red flake
Fish Caught
- 4 largemouth bass 14-15 inches
- 2 smallmouth bass 17 inches
- Lost two largemouth at the kayak
Comments on Pattern
The tube was definitely the most effective bait today. The fish were off the bank in about 4 feet of water. Surprisingly there were holding in areas with moderate current. I expected the fish to be in eddies or on distinct current breaks but this was not the case today.
I did catch two of the largemouth on the Chug Bug but those fish were holding in only 2-3 feet of water. Not surprisingly I caught the top water fish during the warmest part of the day when it was also overcast. The fish were active today but they were definitely spread out in various locations and types of water.
I don’t want you to give away your sweet spot, but where are you finding these largemouth in the Juniata?! Down here in Lewistown, the only place I could find largemouth, was in the canal at the locust campground. Do I need to move up or down river
Great point on waiting to feel the fish before trying to set the hook. My buddy and I were fishing lilly pads, we were using a moss boss top water plastic spoon and just out of reaction of seeing a bass go for your lure, you react and go for the hook set. Since then I use a count down, after a bass grabs my spoon, I start to lower my rod counting down, 3, 2, 1, and set the hook. This method has worked for me every time I use top water lures.
Joseph
Good tip! Thanks!