Hit the lower J. yesterday afternoon for some wade fishing. . .
WEATHER: Cloudy, mid 70s. Light breeze from the east.
WATER: 4.1' at Newport, 75 degrees F. according to my thermometer and clear; moderate angling pressure (a couple jet boats and some shore anglers).
HATCHES/FORAGE: Nothing of note.
I was in a fairly well known public access area but noted much less angling pressure than I have witnessed in other recent trips to the J and Susky. Fishing started off slow and I couldn't get a strike on poppers or streamers for the first couple hours, roughly 3-5pm. Another angler I chatted with had had no luck on surface lures and said fishing had been lousy lately and he was leaving. I too was ready to chalk it up to another of my bad luck smallie days I've had this year, and head to another waterway.
However, a failed effort to climb up a steep hillside - dang railroad soft dirt and poison ivy - convinced me to stick it out and attempt to wade out to some willow grass islands that I like. With the slightly high water level, it was tough wading, but a good decision. When I fished the shallow riffles and eddies behind the islands I immediately started getting bit. They didn't want poppers but streamers got chewed. When I further downsized to swinging nymphs, it was off to the races. Caught dozens of bass, including several in the mid teens as well as multiple red-breast sunfish (they were concentrated in the weedy frog water behind the islands). With only a couple exceptions, including a 17" fish at dusk, every bass I hooked was in current and less than 2' of water. Hits were subtle, mostly on the downswing, and many hookups occurred when I lifted to cast.
I have noted in the past an early autumn tendency of bass to be in shallow current areas, but yesterday's situation was interesting. There were no insects in the air, but they really wanted nymphs. I was mostly using a black marabou nymph about 1.5" in length. When I'd hop a stonecat fly through the runs, it would be ignored. As soon as I put the nymph back on, I'd catch fish. Whatever the case, if you're having a slow day this month on the rivers, you might try downsizing your flies and hitting shallow current areas -it was the ticket yesterday.
WEATHER: Cloudy, mid 70s. Light breeze from the east.
WATER: 4.1' at Newport, 75 degrees F. according to my thermometer and clear; moderate angling pressure (a couple jet boats and some shore anglers).
HATCHES/FORAGE: Nothing of note.
I was in a fairly well known public access area but noted much less angling pressure than I have witnessed in other recent trips to the J and Susky. Fishing started off slow and I couldn't get a strike on poppers or streamers for the first couple hours, roughly 3-5pm. Another angler I chatted with had had no luck on surface lures and said fishing had been lousy lately and he was leaving. I too was ready to chalk it up to another of my bad luck smallie days I've had this year, and head to another waterway.
However, a failed effort to climb up a steep hillside - dang railroad soft dirt and poison ivy - convinced me to stick it out and attempt to wade out to some willow grass islands that I like. With the slightly high water level, it was tough wading, but a good decision. When I fished the shallow riffles and eddies behind the islands I immediately started getting bit. They didn't want poppers but streamers got chewed. When I further downsized to swinging nymphs, it was off to the races. Caught dozens of bass, including several in the mid teens as well as multiple red-breast sunfish (they were concentrated in the weedy frog water behind the islands). With only a couple exceptions, including a 17" fish at dusk, every bass I hooked was in current and less than 2' of water. Hits were subtle, mostly on the downswing, and many hookups occurred when I lifted to cast.
I have noted in the past an early autumn tendency of bass to be in shallow current areas, but yesterday's situation was interesting. There were no insects in the air, but they really wanted nymphs. I was mostly using a black marabou nymph about 1.5" in length. When I'd hop a stonecat fly through the runs, it would be ignored. As soon as I put the nymph back on, I'd catch fish. Whatever the case, if you're having a slow day this month on the rivers, you might try downsizing your flies and hitting shallow current areas -it was the ticket yesterday.
