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last trip of the year?
I think I had my last trip to the river for smallmouth this year. As the weather becomes colder, and the leaves begin to change, the bass stop biting and I had to get out one more time. I fished the rocky river today, with a 4 weight (even though there was a chance of steelhead in the river at that time) I had a blast again, and near the end of the season finally got the hang of catching smallies on the fly! In my last trip, I had many bites, and I landed 7 fish in total the biggest being about 12 inches. Great fun on a 4 weight in some current. Now with golf districts coming up for me, I have limited time, and by the next time I am out on the water, I am sure I will be in the neoprene waders with a 7 weight rod with large arbor reel chuckin egg flies with small nymph droppers for steelhead in the same river that gave me the enjoyment of discovering fly fishing. My next goal, land a few steelhead on a fly rod this year. Who thinks I can do it?
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I find October to be the best month of the year for river smallies.
I don't think they'll stop biting this early.
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"The trout were laughing so hard at us that they considered evolving legs so they could crawl on to land and catch their breath"
Dave Barry
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Minnesotans please correct me, but I believe smallies are now out of season for us. LMB are hitting like crazy, though and are like butterballs. I hope we're a ways from having our last trip of the year. Sunday morning I "discovered" a small lake that delivers an "inlet" to a lake I normally use to shore fish. I had my canoe along, but the wind was gusting. No sane person would have launched into that. Although I have passed this little uplands lake for about 15 years, catching glimpses of water "ghosts" through the soldiers of trees protecting it, this is a lake I've never fished nor set foot on. Another fly fisher told me a few years ago that it is shallow and prone to freezeouts, but that in cycles it's a great bluegill lake. I walked about 300 meters through the woods to the lake outlet and noticed some LMB pointing up stream. Threw a small Clouser up into the current and caught three or four right away. Went back for the canoe, put in, and paddled into the quiet, protected waters. With the little nearby traffic muffled by the trees, this was a haven of unexpected solitude. A perfect misty, cloudy Sunday morning. I didn't catch many, but they were all very nice fish. Bluegill and bass. I did very well with a Jitterbee until something with some heft snagged me on some underwater vegetation. Once in the canoe, though, this became more than fishing. I simply couldn't believe my good fortune. JGW
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Regs for inland waters MN:
LARGEMOUTH and SMALLMOUTH BASS
May 28, 2005 - Feb. 26, 2006
Catch and release only for smallmouth bass from Sept. 12 through the end of the season.
Right now is one of the best times to fish the St. Croix river as the "Big Boats" are diminishing on the weekends. It's always good above Taylors Falls though.
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I'm glad that I live in Tennessee. The bass never quit biting for long and there are very few closed seasons. It seems like everything in the water has been hungry these last few weeks. Good luck to all.
Ed
