Badger, thank you again for the invite for round 2...I needed redemption for that first time skunk. Nothing gnaws at my psyche like a complete whiff but I had never seen nor fished in current anywhere close to what's there. Think Snake River in the canyons at full flood stage and you'd only be half right.
I came equipped this time with smaller lures and 90% soft plastics & jig heads. I think Keith was predominantly throwing a mimic minnow, not sure what else. I found a stretch where the drum were stacked up and initially caught 3 or 4 decent ones on a Megabass Dark Sleeper(s) I lost 4 four of them in the rocks, ugh. The next catch, also on the Sleeper, off that stretch had me completely baffled as to what species it was. Both Keith and I were thinking invasive species because of the small needle sharp teeth. I'm sure a lot of you would have picked up on it and I eventually sent pics to Woo Hoo for identification...being a fresh water aquarium guy. He got back to me that it was a Goldeye. Heard of them but have never encountered one. So that was my first, first of the day. Second first was, I finally caught a smallie here! Small one about 14" but it was progress, caught on a 1/4oz swim jig and a 3.8" rage tail shad.
I went back over to Drum alley and landed a bruiser drum that had to be close to double digits. That was a blast with a light action spinning rod. While I was over playing with drum Keith got his first nice smallie of the day and one of his friends caught a really nice 19" 3-1/4lb smallie on a tube. That same friend later hooks into something monstrous right off the main flow...I'm naming that area "Portals of hell" he must have fought what we thought had to be a big cat for 20 minutes before I got a wee bored and started casting the swim jig in a semi-slack water area and got thumped. Not mega-thumped, just a nice bass jig hit and then I set the hook. This t'wernt no bass. It kinda rolled to the surface and flashed a little and I thought big drum. I was kinda "ehh" about another drum so I tightened my drag and just cranked the fish in...whoops, it was a really big flathead and ended up being my new personal best catfish. I think if I'd known it was a big flattie, I might not have been so rash about hauling her in. 60lb braid has a way of instilling confidence lol So after weighing and measuring my cat at 37-1/2" and 23.9lbs, Keith's friend is still battling his fish. Now we're probably at the half hour mark. Luckily he got a look at it and it was a flat head before she broke him off. Heart break city there lads
After that we made a few more casts and then called it a day. Redemption felt really good
I came equipped this time with smaller lures and 90% soft plastics & jig heads. I think Keith was predominantly throwing a mimic minnow, not sure what else. I found a stretch where the drum were stacked up and initially caught 3 or 4 decent ones on a Megabass Dark Sleeper(s) I lost 4 four of them in the rocks, ugh. The next catch, also on the Sleeper, off that stretch had me completely baffled as to what species it was. Both Keith and I were thinking invasive species because of the small needle sharp teeth. I'm sure a lot of you would have picked up on it and I eventually sent pics to Woo Hoo for identification...being a fresh water aquarium guy. He got back to me that it was a Goldeye. Heard of them but have never encountered one. So that was my first, first of the day. Second first was, I finally caught a smallie here! Small one about 14" but it was progress, caught on a 1/4oz swim jig and a 3.8" rage tail shad.
I went back over to Drum alley and landed a bruiser drum that had to be close to double digits. That was a blast with a light action spinning rod. While I was over playing with drum Keith got his first nice smallie of the day and one of his friends caught a really nice 19" 3-1/4lb smallie on a tube. That same friend later hooks into something monstrous right off the main flow...I'm naming that area "Portals of hell" he must have fought what we thought had to be a big cat for 20 minutes before I got a wee bored and started casting the swim jig in a semi-slack water area and got thumped. Not mega-thumped, just a nice bass jig hit and then I set the hook. This t'wernt no bass. It kinda rolled to the surface and flashed a little and I thought big drum. I was kinda "ehh" about another drum so I tightened my drag and just cranked the fish in...whoops, it was a really big flathead and ended up being my new personal best catfish. I think if I'd known it was a big flattie, I might not have been so rash about hauling her in. 60lb braid has a way of instilling confidence lol So after weighing and measuring my cat at 37-1/2" and 23.9lbs, Keith's friend is still battling his fish. Now we're probably at the half hour mark. Luckily he got a look at it and it was a flat head before she broke him off. Heart break city there lads
After that we made a few more casts and then called it a day. Redemption felt really good
