2025 Smallie Thread

[Nymph-wristed]

What tells you they are post spawn fish? Just curious.

Fat bellies from eating but skinny privates and a lot of worn fins and battle scars. Plus, they were out in the current eating in the main current once the flows dropped.

Nothing on the banks, I mean nada! We did not fish spawning areas if some were still at it.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Sounds like a job for a size 2 Murdich minnow!

Maybe! That was my thinking with a jerkbait (the day after, of course).

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Still haven't gotten out with the fly rod, but I pulled my son out of school on Friday, 5/30/25 for our version of senior cut day.

Susquehanna was falling, but still dirty and high. Threw gear, and plastic swimbaits were king with chatterbait and cranks coming up the rear. Pitch counter on captain's boat said 88, so they were chewing at times. Foggy to start at 6 AM, but burned off about 10:30 AM.

 

[Terry Murphy]

Lots of popper eats yesterday .
Fun day fishing and rowing in Minnesota.

 

[Striperbobby]

Got a Brandywine trophy smallie yesterday!

 

[Terry Murphy]

Got a Brandywine trophy smallie yesterday!

Dandy .

 

[JMow]

Surprise (but welcome) catch on a size 14 rubber leg nymph when searching for bluegills in a susq tributary. Heck of a fight!

 

[bdhoover77]

I really want to go smallmouth fishing.

 

[JackNiem]

Fished the skook yesterday for the first time around the Birdsboro area. My buddy got one and I got nothing. River seemed to be silty and sandy for the most part with pretty limited broken water. Sounds like I may have to head further upriver to run into better numbers of smallmouth. From reading a few threads on here it sounds like the smallmouth numbers are low down that far

 

[hooker-of-men]

Canoe fishing on stillwater

Caught this one a couple casts in on the foam dragonfly pattern I posted in the tying thread somewhat recently. A bigger fish smashed the fly a couple minutes later, and I thought I was on my way to pound town.

My clinch was bad, and the fly popped. Game over: I had only tied one of the dragonflies as a test, and I couldn't get a look at any other foam besides from little tail tappers.

I had seen the knot didn't cinch, but I tried to force it down with my thumbnail anyway.

Heed my tale of woe! Beware the rushed knot of doom!

 

[poopdeck]

The rushed knot of doom will get you every time.

 

[Striperbobby]

With most creeks and rivers running higher than normal with faster flow rates I’ve been having some good success with a size 4 medium dumbbell eyes clawdads in chartreuse and also in black with blue claws. I would normally be throwing poppers but flow has been too fast most of this summer. Most of my clawdad success seems to be on the dead drift and swing. Such a great pattern that looks like a gimmick in the vise but comes to life in the water.

 

[hooker-of-men]

Testing out a buddy's badass new boat way up in ADK on the Saranac lakes.

 

[Fredrick]

Tell him to shoot me a text I want to take him out on my boat . Allot more room then the towee