The New Rod is a Virgin No More

[JohnF]

Took the new Shimano rig out this morning. Here's where I went.

 

 

The walking is treacherous. The rocks are all tippy and loose and the weed growth on shore is too dense to fight thru. I started off in a well known pool where two rivers meet but saw nary a hint of bass. After a few casts I started moving upstream over the rolling rocks. I guess I've got my river legs going again as I was actually moving quite nimbly for an old fart. This area is so bad that it's the only place I always carry my cell phone just in case. I've twisted an ankle pretty badly in there before. Normally I hike well upstream to the next pool but some spirit moved me to be stealthy where I never would be usually. It's a very shallow rocky run that's no more than 12" deep. Here's what it looks like.

 

 

I was sneaking along, hopping from dry rock to dry rock wherever possible so I didn't spook the pool. I was actually admiring the number of minnows, crayfish and baby bass I was seeing. The numbers of crayfish was particularly outstanding. The river looks the healthiest I've ever seen it with more life than I've ever seen. Here's a pic of a few crayfish. I just stopped, aimed the camera down and snapped. I can see at least two in the pic and often I'd see as many as 6 or 7 all scuttling around. See if you can find 'em. There are two pretty much in the centre of the pic.

 

 

As I was taking note of the number of baby bass I started seeing impressive numbers of dinks scooting about in the rocks so I started paying attention. Sure enough there were some bigger ones in there as well. It's not the kind of water I expect to see smallmouths in - 12" deep and exposed to the bright sun - when there are deeper pools only 100' away. I figured I might as well give it a go so I started working a lightly weighted weedless hooked white tube all over the pool trying to emulate a crab as much as possible. The weighted tube makes a pretty good bait for covering a lot of water pretty fast. With the weight I can fire it out 75' or so and get lots of bottom time on the retrieve. I'd only made a few casts when I got something on. Sure was a great fight. I wasn't too familiar with the new Stradic so I was playing with the drag a bit. What a nice smooth reel. So I got the smallmouth in and it turned out to be an 18 1/2" fish with decent size. No wonder it gave me a good tussle. Here's a bad pic but what are ya gonna do standing in the water on tippy rocks balancing a rod, a fish and a camera. My arms are only so long.

 

 

That fish must have been bellyrubbing on the bottom cruising around that shallow area. That was the only fish I caught but it was a nice one. I had a few worm pickups but they didn't take the hook.

 

I was really pleased with the Stradic/Cumara combo. Nice and lite, easy to cast without taking a big swing, sensitive. The weight is really what I was looking for. A heavy rod and reel gets really heavy after 4 or 5 hours of carrying and wading. This rig feels noticeably lighter than what I'm accustomed to. I was a little disappointed in the short crank arm on the Stradic at first (it's the 1000 series) but then I discovered the arm gives me exactly the right pace on the retrieve with all the different baits I tried. I have no complaints at all with the reel and I understand why a lot of folks cringe at the idea of paying that much for a spinning rod/reel but remember that I'm an old fart and deserve a few luxuries. I don't really splurge on much any more so once in a while is okay, isn't it?

 

As for the Cumara, if I'd had another hand or two I'd have snapped a pic of the bowed rod during the fight. It's pretty.

 

That's my fun for this Sunday morning.

 

JF

[12 Volt Man]

very nice!

[skankbutta]

That place looks familiar. Looks like a prime smallie area. Is in a town with 2 names near Stratford?

[JohnF]

That place looks familiar. Looks like a prime smallie area. Is in a town with 2 names near Stratford?

 

Sounds right. It's a popular spot for the shore fishing access. If you look very carefully in the one pic you can just see the roof of my Flex down past the bridge. For those of you worried that we're divulging some great secret here, this is about as popular a spot between Strtaford and St.Marys as there is. It's been over fished for years and I seldom bother with it. The few times I have gone there's usually some yahoos show up with a cooler and some worms and start splashing over our lines in the pool where the rivers meet. This morning was just luck and I had to get away from the shore fishing area to find the fish. It's a nasty water hike to get where I went so I don't think a lot of folks are interested.

 

I had better luck south of town just at the end of the pavement. You'll probably know that spot as well. Watch out for pike there though (use a leader).

 

JF

[splashhopper]

excellent trekking John...

 

Great looking smallie for such a shallow stretch of water

 

[JohnF]

excellent trekking John...

 

Great looking smallie for such a shallow stretch of water

 

 

It was a surprise.

 

JF

[Radnine]

I see them!!!

Do I win a prize?

Looks like a it was a lovely walk as well as a bonus bass.

Jim

[Garry2Rs]

Congratulations on a very nice river bass.

Glad to hear the new tackle was a success too...Although with a Cumara and a Stradic how could a guy go wrong?!?!

Garry

[JohnF]

Congratulations on a very nice river bass.

Glad to hear the new tackle was a success too...Although with a Cumara and a Stradic how could a guy go wrong?!?!

Garry

 

Ya mean I coulda stayed on the bank and the bass would have come looking for me?

 

JF

[JohnF]

I see them!!!

Do I win a prize?

Looks like a it was a lovely walk as well as a bonus bass.

Jim

 

I have never seen as many crayfish as I have this year. Today was probably the craziest number.

 

It's nice prowling the creek. I'm sure some folks think I'm nuts to keep going back for the occasional small bass or pike but there's always something to look at when the fish aren't playing. The other day we found a tiny little sunfish of some kind that we've never seen before in the Thames or Trout Creek and we grew up with this water as our playground. The little guy was already dead but it was the kind with a lot of green and the little black ears. Wish we'd taken a pic. I'm guessing Bluegill.

 

JF

[splashhopper]

The little guy was already dead but it was the kind with a lot of green and the little black ears. Wish we'd taken a pic. I'm guessing Bluegill.

 

JF

 

If the fish have "little black ears" up there John, you might want to put some steel toes in those waders

[skankbutta]

Sounds right. It's a popular spot for the shore fishing access. If you look very carefully in the one pic you can just see the roof of my Flex down past the bridge. For those of you worried that we're divulging some great secret here, this is about as popular a spot between Strtaford and St.Marys as there is. It's been over fished for years and I seldom bother with it. The few times I have gone there's usually some yahoos show up with a cooler and some worms and start splashing over our lines in the pool where the rivers meet. This morning was just luck and I had to get away from the shore fishing area to find the fish. It's a nasty water hike to get where I went so I don't think a lot of folks are interested.

 

I had better luck south of town just at the end of the pavement. You'll probably know that spot as well. Watch out for pike there though (use a leader).

 

JF

 

When I worked at Wildwood, I would fish the St. Marys area every now and again. If you hit it at the right time, the pike are dynamite there. Hook on a spinner and hold on. There are some slammers in there, but they get fished out real fast once the word gets out. I've seen a few nice bass caught in the "pike" pool as well. I never really walked the river much, but I bet if you did some searching you could find some real killer spots from St. Marys to Stratford on the Thames.

[JohnF]

When I worked at Wildwood, I would fish the St. Marys area every now and again. If you hit it at the right time, the pike are dynamite there. Hook on a spinner and hold on. There are some slammers in there, but they get fished out real fast once the word gets out. I've seen a few nice bass caught in the "pike" pool as well. I never really walked the river much, but I bet if you did some searching you could find some real killer spots from St. Marys to Stratford on the Thames.

 

If we're talking about the same pike pool my buddy just called last night to say he just pulled his best smallmouth so far this year out of there. I've never had much luck with bass there myself, only pike. Are you talking above St.Marys under the willow trees?

 

JF

[lunkerbasshunter]

18 inch smallie in 12" of water is a great catch!!! congrats

 

cheers!

[JohnF]

18 inch smallie in 12" of water is a great catch!!! congrats

 

cheers!

 

I hadn't even seen it when I chucked the tube out. I suspect it might have been mid-trip from one pool to the other and I just happened to put the tune in the right place at the right time.

 

JF

[skankbutta]

If we're talking about the same pike pool my buddy just called last night to say he just pulled his best smallmouth so far this year out of there. I've never had much luck with bass there myself, only pike. Are you talking above St.Marys under the willow trees?

 

JF

 

Not sure of that spot, but I think I know of it. I like to fish by the bridges, specifically the last bridge that crosses to a park (I think).

[JohnF]

Not sure of that spot, but I think I know of it. I like to fish by the bridges, specifically the last bridge that crosses to a park (I think).

 

Not sure about the park. Are you talking right in town?

 

JF

[ciceri]

Speaking of crayfish, I was driving along the fairway at the golf course I work at one morning, and see this little path in the dew, so I follow it, and it turned out to be a crayfish. I thought it was very odd, lol, he was going from one of the ponds to god knows where, wasn't headed towards water, so I picked him up and tossed him back in the water.

 

Nice smallie BTW.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Ciceri