4-3-2-1.
Tonight’s is a story of four different species caught, three lures lost, two separate outings, and the search for one all-purpose fishing line with superior knot strength.
Let’s start with the first outing. I often carry a rod and reel in my vehicle along with a sling that has the essentials – a box of spinners, a few x-rap hard baits, and some Joshy swims. Today was such a day. With the unbelievably mild weather I made a stop on the way home from work at a convenient pull off that I pass by on my daily commute. The spot is decent, not great, but decent. I’ve not been out on moving water for a number of weeks. When I got to the spot I noticed the water level was way down from the last time I frequented this area. It was so low I was able to tip toe out on some rocks and get a better angle to cast upstream to the riffle-run that is known to produce best. Apart from being nearly Father’s Day, I often look forward to mid-June because it seems that is about when the top water bite turns on consistently. Sure, I may occasionally hook one on a popper or walking bait retrieved slow in May or even late-April, but those instances have always proved fleeting and unpredictable. However by about the third week in June the smallmouth are reliably caught on top water presentations. Thus, in addition to the essentials noted above I also had a handful of top water lures in the pack. Being my favorite way to fish I couldn’t resist tying on a popper to see if they would comply. I should add, while I pack an alternate pair of shoes for just such an occasion, I hit the water’s edge wearing the same casual office attire I wore to work – in the summer months that’s often chinos and a polo shirt. And so it was today. Put another way, I was in no position to go bushwhacking or over extend myself on the rocks. Too bad I didn't obey my own wisdom.
Once positioned out on the rocky outcropping I began fan casting from one bank to the other. I’m bombing the popper into the riffle, bringing it with the current into the run. After a number of casts with nothing more than a single swipe from what I presume was a rock bass, I try throwing down stream and bringing it against the current. Running short on time until I need to be home I swapped out for the whopper plopper to see if they are in the mood to chase. I tied on the 90 size and cast to the “V” where the riffle dumps into the head of the pool. Nothing. A second cast. Again, nothing. I tried mid-stream when it dawned on me I’m in perfect position to bring the lure over top of submerged structure discovered years ago while wading. It’s some rocky, snaggy stuff that will steal all but the most snag-less presentations. However, it can be covered from above. Just as I am bringing the 90 over top I finally see it and hear it all at once, that signature smack of the water’s surface as a ~13” smallmouth takes the bait under and makes a beeline downstream right toward me. Thinking I’ve cracked the code I make another cast to virtually the same spot and brought the lure over the submerged structure when almost in the exact location “Smack!”, and this one feels better… A Lot Better. As she’s bulldogging for the deep pool below the riffle I’m thinking to myself I am fortunate to be downstream of her or I would have been outmatched. She keeps digging but the current is working in my favor. After a brief tug of war I have her next to my perch on the rocks and I hoist her up. A beautiful smally. And big. The first thing I notice is the gaping mouth on this thing. It looks like it could have consumed the 13-incher I just tossed back. My admiration is cut short when I realize I’m in a precarious position. My perch is narrow and I have a feisty beast of a smallmouth on the end of the line tight as a banjo string that has my rod doubled over. Before I could lip her she thrashed. Not wanting to lose her I gently lower her onto the rock steps beneath where I'm standing. I slip and my foot goes into the drink. She thrashes again. I lunge to essentially jump on the fish and briefly grab her tail with my left hand. No sooner than I reach for the lure to try and unhook her she thrashes a third time, the knot breaks, and the fish jets off in a shallow eddy surrounded by rock on three sides presumably still with the $12 lure stuck in her mouth. I can see her wake in the twelve inch deep water as she searches for an escape. I ran back to shore trying to intercept her, slipping and dunking the other foot this time, but to no avail. She evaded capture. I have never landed a confirmed 20” smallmouth so I don’t want to oversell the size of this fish. However, based on the 18s I’ve caught this bruiser had to be 19+. Line snapped, ego bruised, and with shoes and socks thoroughly soaked I headed up the embankment to my car and drove home.
The early evening is the usual dinner with the wife and kids. I find time to mow the lawn that desperately needed taming after all this rain and afterward help put the kids to bed. All the while I can't rid my thoughts of the big one that got away so as soon as the kids are down for bed I headed back out for top water action after dark.
However I was soon disappointed. At a different spot I employed what I had learned from earlier; they wanted a faster moving lure. I started with a buzz bait. Zilch. I switched to another 90 series plopper. Nada. OK, let’s try sub-surface. I tied on an X-rap and get to work. Fewer than a dozen casts in and the line goes heavy. Then it started tugging. It feels strong. Maybe too strong as I’m positioned upstream and the current is not going to aid me this time. I tried to keep the line taut while attempting to walk downstream and at least position perpendicular when the fish makes one solid run, jerking the rod tip down parallel with the ground and “pop” I’m out my second lure of the day. I never did get a look at it. It did not feel like the unrelenting diesel pull of a shovelhead. It was more fits and spurts. But when it surged there was definite power behind it.
Out of an X-rap I searched for something similar and tried again. This time with a chartreuse square bill. And rather than allow the fish to get downstream I waded to a position that allowed me to attack the hole from downstream. Skirting the lure across the bottom and careening it off of rocks when it suddenly stops. For a brief moment I think the lure might be snagged under a rock. That is until it started moving. Standing in mid-stream with moderate current coming toward me I’m well positioned to land this one. All I needed to do is keep her up in the water column to avoid getting cut off in the rock below. As I lifted the rod tip high and flicked on my headlamp I see the glowing eyes and leopard pattern of a saugeye. As I walk closer to her and reel her closer to me at the same time I realize it’s a very good sized saug fish. With her mouth lifted out of the water I reached for the lip grips and officially had my prize – a 21.5” Fish Ohio qualifier, and the third FO saug this year (odd for someone who does not target the damn things). After a few pictures she was nursed back to health and left to end up on someone else’s stringer.
Going back to work in much the same manner the action never really resumed. I decided it’s time to move on to another location. Still using the same square bill I found another promising rocky bottom section nearby. Working the lure perpendicular to the current a fat 16” bucket mouth took the bait. After a few jumps I grabbed her by the lip. A quick picture and measure revealed it was a plump 2.3 lbs. A few more casts from a different angle finally returned what I was after all along, a smallmouth. And he was an aerial acrobat jumping three times before I could secure him on shore. Another quick picture and measure suggested a 14-15” specimen. It’s getting late at this point and after a number of last casts I find a crappie of all things was fooled by the profile of hard plastic. My final cast was a lazy lob to a visible seam. I wasn’t expecting much when something swiped at it in less than a foot of water, six feet from where I was standing . At first thinking I hooked a branch a small bass or something tail walked left to right and just then the lure popped free. Problem is that wasn’t the only thing to pop. So did the knot and the lucky square bill went flying over my shoulder down current for someone else to find another day.
While it was a fun couple of outings characterized by multiple species it is getting expensive replacing all of the hard baits. My daily driver is spooled with 10 lb P-Line Flouroclear and I secure my lures with a palomar knot. After tonight I’m ready to try something else that doesn’t break as easily. Can anyone recommend an all-purpose line with better knot strength. Seeing that it is top water season it seems traditional (sinking) fluorocarbon might not be the best approach. And while I’m comfortable with a baitcaster I fish at night and therefore am not immune to the occasional backlash so I’m reluctant to go with braid. I guess that leaves mono. What’s the best mono for knot strength?