Fun creek smallmouth

[JohnF]

We headed out yesterday mid-afternoon to the creek, did a little exploring first, then headed for the confluence of the Avon & Thames. I finally got to test the fly rod and Singingdog's flies, but conditions were hardly perfect. The water was still high by at least a foot, and silty. Murky water and very fast flow, more like what I would expect for a trout or salmon hunt, not a bass foray. It was a good chance to work on my casting and mending technique though, and I was having fun. Lost one dry fly, not exactly sure how. It just wasn't there at the end of a retrieve. No noticeable strike and no sign of a slipped knot. I switched to a beadhead and tried letting it drift along the bottom. I had a strike but lost it before I could see what it was.

 

We decided to pack that location in and go on a pike hunt instead. Some of you know the spot and will recognize the pics. Some of you have caught pike there, and some of you, like me, just hear that others have caught pike there. We tossed a variety of stuff in the deep pool with no luck and finally started working our way to the downstream end of the pool. The current was fast and it was hard to find anything that would present naturally. I decided to stick with a white tube with a single split shot (with a leader because of the pike) and hope for the best.

 

A little further downstream we were sharing the shore with a herd of sheep (cuz the water was too fast and deep for us) who had made the shore trekking somewhat tricky with their mucky tracks and their little poop bombs but we made it safely, sort of. Rob fell victim to a grassed over hole and wiped out, twisting a knee. But eventually we made it down to the next pool. The water was running pretty fast there too. We each took a side and started doing our thing. Rob was tossing his faithful Rapala minnow, a larger size than usual so he could get some length to his casts. I stuck with the white weighted tube. I had the fast current side and had no idea how to present the tube so settled on just heaving it as far as possible downstream cross current and letting it find it's own way back to my shore.

 

It worked! A somewhat skinny but feisty 18 incher with a very nice attitude once lipped. He/she was great fun to play with the current and all, not that it was difficult with 14# braid on. Just after he picked up the tube he made a little cross-current run, then somersaulted out of the water right in front of Rob. I had a lot of line out (100'+) and it was all downstream in that current so it was fun bringing him home.

 

We didn't catch a lot of fish. Rob nailed one average little guy at the Avon and I got the feller in the photo below. We both had some strikes but no more hookups. The conditions were tricky and there are carp and suckers in there so you never know if it's just one of them checking out your gear.

 

Here's the pics.

 

Exploring -

 

Pike hole -

 

Moving downstream

 

Bass Pool -

 

The shoal Rob's on is normally high & dry

 

Finally - my bass. I measured him at 18"+ but my photo techniques are obviously wanting. In my defence I was standing in the water holding the fish, my rod and the camera.

 

I'm open to suggestions on in-water photography from those of you more accomplished.

 

JF

[StrealHeader]

Maybe you covered it in your report, I didn't read the entire thing but why are you using a steel leader for bass?

[JohnF]

Maybe you covered it in your report, I didn't read the entire thing but why are you using a steel leader for bass?

 

I hate steel leaders normally. I usually wait until after the first pike bites off a lure but that pool under the bridge is a common pike spot. We were only 100 yds below the bridge and with the current & high water I wasn't sure if the pike would be down there too.

 

JF

[Greencoachdog]

Holy Moley! a JohnF report with pics!!!

 

Great report and pics John!!!

 

I think you did very well on the fish pic with all things considered! Most wading pics I've seen on here are either just like yours, with the fish on the bank, or taken by the partner. I think pic taking while doing that kind of fishin' is probably the trickiest of all!

[johnnyb]

I must have drifted off slightly while reading too...I was expecting a somewhat skinny 18" pike -- but that bass is quite respectable -- way to go!

[Wild]

Great report John and the pics are not bad except for focus on a few and the date stamp.

[JohnF]

Great report John and the pics are not bad except for focus on a few and the date stamp.

 

I'm reluctant to take my good cameras on the water. That one was free with an HP printer and is small enuf to hang inside my bib. I suppose I could shut off the date thingy but I like having it there to keep the pics organized.

 

JF

[Greencoachdog]

I also post all of my pics with the date stamp on them!... it keeps you honest and from posting last years fish as caught yesterday. I'm skeptical of pics without the stamp.

[Greencoachdog]

Great report John and the pics are not bad except for focus on a few and the date stamp.

 

I've always been told to never criticize anyone unless you can do better. How many timely pics have you posted?

 

I've posted more than my share of fuzzy pics, and would rather post a slightly fuzzy pic than not post a pic at all!!!

 

I still say you did a great job John, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your reports with pics!!!

[Wild]

Yeah but we can trust you guys! There are a few picture programs where you can organize by date if you need to.

[Wild]

I've always been told to never criticize anyone unless you can do better. How many timely pics have you posted?

 

I've posted more than my share of fuzzy pics, and would rather post a slightly fuzzy pic than not post a pic at all!!!

 

I still say you did a great job John, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your reports with pics!!!

 

 

Ahem as quoted by John

 

"I'm open to suggestions on in-water photography from those of you more accomplished."

[JohnF]

Ahem as quoted by John

 

"I'm open to suggestions on in-water photography from those of you more accomplished."

 

Hey. I'm a realtor. We thrive on rejection.

 

One of the problems with shooting outdoors is bright sun. I can't even begin to see what's in the screen when I shoot on the river, let alone check the focus. With my better cams there are more focus points and better lens elements so it's hard not to get clear pics.

 

I can't help the focus part but I'm interested in hearing how the rest of you display the fishy to best advantage. If I saw that pic with no description I'd guess him to be about one foot long unless I started calculating the length of the leader at 8". Some photos make a 12 incher look about 18" because the fish is held towards the cam. Tricky to do that when standing alone without a tripod.

 

Bring on the critique, and the helpful suggestions.

 

JF

[Greencoachdog]

Like I said John, you did as well as anyone on the fish pic given the circumstances of standing out in the middle of the creek, holding your rod and reel in one arm (and camera too I reckon) and holding the fish with the other hand... just ain't no easy way to do that!!! Some folks hold the fish at arms length which is ok for a smaller fish, but I doubt you'd get the whole 18" fish in the pic doing that.

 

I've found if you'll take the pic with your back to the sun so your shadow shades the LCD makes it easier to see the screen.

[JohnF]

Like I said John, you did as well as anyone on the fish pic given the circumstances of standing out in the middle of the creek, holding your rod and reel in one arm (and camera too I reckon) and holding the fish with the other hand... just ain't no easy way to do that!!! Some folks hold the fish at arms length which is ok for a smaller fish, but I doubt you'd get the whole 18" fish in the pic doing that.

 

I've found if you'll take the pic with your back to the sun so your shadow shades the LCD makes it easier to see the screen.

 

 

Once I get my thumb in his mouth I run out some line and tuck the rod and reel up under my left armpit so my right hand is free to remove the hook(s) and take a pic. The rod goes for a swim once in a while but I haven't lost one yet.

 

JF

[profisher25]

What baits are best when fishing for bass in a creek?

[Mike Pike]

I know this is an old post but I missed it first time 'round and wanted to give you my 2-cents, John.

 

First, I loved your scenery shots. Nice composition and some nice looking water that makes me wish I was there!

 

I have the same problem you do since I do most of my river fishing alone and am limited to the type of shots I can take of my fish.

 

I do like you do; lip the fish for the "open mouth shot." What you can do too( if the fish co-operates )is to hold it in your palm and take a broad body pic before your release it. Just gives ya another 'look.'

 

The scenery shots are great because they help you remember your day and EVERYone, especially your non-fishing friends, will enjoy natural scenery.

 

I have a cheaper Canon powershot that I don't mind stuffing in my fishing vest or tackle box. If it gets a bit beat-up or slimy from my fingers after handling a fish, it's ok. Or if the unthinkable happens and it falls in the drink, I won't be TOO angry cuz it won't cost me TOO much to replace.

 

If you have a photoshop program with your camera that's good because you don't have to worry too much about framing your shot perfectly as you're taking the pic, since you can always crop it nicely later. And you can enhance some colours and the brightness, too, if you choose.

 

Anyhoo, keep at it cuz I hear they like pictures here...

 

lol

Edited December 21, 2008 by Mike Pike

[JohnF]

What baits are best when fishing for bass in a creek?

 

We don't have much deep water in our area so we have to wade a bit to try a few different pools and most of those max out at 4'. Weeds are scarce so most of our fishing is fairly open water except for the green crap that we snag off the bottom, just enough to screw up the action. We try a bit of everything. As you can see that day I was using tubes but we'd actually been after pike (hence the leader) and switched to the tubes as we passed thru a pool where pike have never swum. The water was really running fast so I was chucking the tube across the stream and letting it swing out and back across in the current.

 

If I get out early morning I try plastic worms first (caught my personal best smb on a pink worm letting it lie on the bottom), then go to topwater if the worms aren't working. Afternoons it's a crap shoot - I just run thru the entire repertoire of ammo. Evenings I usually end up with topwater. This year the water levels and rain have really been a pita in our area so we were either chocolate milk or crazy current or both. Last year we had such low water levels we had trouble finding pools to fish so bait choices were an unknown.

 

When we know there are pike about live minnows are great if we can get 'em. My faves besides the plastic worms & tubes are Rapala floating minnows, Daiwa minnows, Baby Torpedoes, and occasionally Mepps style spinners.

 

My regular fishing buddy Rob is a Rapala fan. He almost always uses an original floating grey Rap minnow (#7 I think) that he just twitches across the pool. He loses quite a few of them to pike attacks because he refuses to use a leader.

 

I had intended to get into flyfishing for bass this year but the water conditions made experimentation difficult. Many days there were so few fish about that I wouldn't have known if it was me, the presentation or the fish that was skunking me. Hopefully next year will be better. I would really like to use the flyrod on some of those smallmouths and I've got all those beautiful flies that Singingdog so kindly sent me. I took them out a few times but got nothing. Of course Rob got nothing those evenings with his tried and true Rapala so I learned nada.

 

JF

[MCTFisher9120]

Theres a small river i fish that my buddy Profisher25 knows about and i like to use green tube jig's there for bass, but i also catch lot's of rockbass and other species there. Here is a little piece of creek fishing photography for you:

Great report!

 

You got to love creek fishing