Float trip on the Wabash

[bigr]

Weather for Sunday looked perfect for a float and river was in good shape so I decided late Saturday to load the boat and get an early start. My wife was kind enough to drive me to the start location seven miles upstream in Lagro. Kissed the wife and said alittle prayer as i pushed off. I was only a few hundred yards downstream when I noticed a pair of majestic Bald eagle standing guard over the river. The first two of many that I encountered along with several other river birds like Baltimore orioles and king fishers. The river was quiet and flowing easily over the shallows. This Sunday church service was just what I needed and I thanked God for letting me attend. The drive from my home to the Lagro ramp is seven miles by car but from boat I think it may be alittle further. A small cooler packed with a lite lunch, water and snacks is all I would need for the eight hour trip in the plastic bass boat power by my small trolling motor, used only to readjust position in river when the current and I didn't agree. The first fish came only a few minutes after settling in the swivel seat. Almost immediately after setting the hook an explosion from the three foot water confirmed my first of fifteen smallies I would lip. This fish was a nice 2 1/2lb perfect example of a river smallmouth. Green with bold markings on its side. Fat from shinners and craws. Further down the river my biggest bass of 4lb plus would take up atleast five minutes of my trip. That fish was in the air as much  in the water. It only took a couple ripple areas to know where I could expect the bass. The faster moving current also attracted the Hickory shad/Skipjack. I think of them as fresh water Tarpon. The flat silver fish hit hard and love to jump. Their lower jaw over laps the top similar to a tarpon. Small teeth will sometimes cut your line. Those brite yellow eyes with the coal black pupil make them one of the prettiest fish we have. I haven't said much about the Walleye/Sauger I caught but there were a few, in fact an even limit. Kept a couple small channel cat that offered themselves up. Only the cats and legal size eyes were kept. This trip will end tonight with a very nice fish dinner.  Love the river.          

[libo]

great post, nicely done. bigr

[tater140]

Sounds like an awesome trip to me.

[bherr24]

Great report big r.   A guy i know from town here caught a mess of big walleye Saturday night wading the wabash.  He had a 28/27/25 and 24 inch walleye with pics on facebook. I didn't have the nerve to ask him where he was at   but it was along the wabash somewhere either cass or miami county.  Over the last week or so i managed 3 walleyes from the eel in Logansport, 2 shorts and one keeper.  Have been doing a lot of catfishing lately but am about to start back on the walleye and smallies, especially as we inch closer to the fall months.

[Boomer]

Great trip report BigR. You probably had the river to yourself for a nice, quiet trip. 

[Walleyechaser96]

Great report big r.   A guy i know from town here caught a mess of big walleye Saturday night wading the wabash.  He had a 28/27/25 and 24 inch walleye with pics on facebook. I didn't have the nerve to ask him where he was at   but it was along the wabash somewhere either cass or miami county.  Over the last week or so i managed 3 walleyes from the eel in Logansport, 2 shorts and one keeper.  Have been doing a lot of catfishing lately but am about to start back on the walleye and smallies, especially as we inch closer to the fall months.

Now those are some pigs!

[bigr]

Those size of fish are not uncommon especially down stream during Aug and Sept when water level is normally low and very warm. I hooked a big eye for only a few seconds. All that I caught were 17 or less. A mistake I make is not changing jig heads. The hook I'm sure gets dull in a hurry bouncing bottom. I only lost one jig and the one I replaced it with had been used before. I lost a lot more fish than I caught. Hoping for another trip in mid Sept but will make it an over night. There's a nice sandbar as nice as any beach at one of the better holes. I'll plan more for that adventure and take the time to change hooks when needed.

[Walleyechaser96]

So is the salimonie junction a good spot for a trophy walleye? I'm new to the wabash and biggest one so far is a 17. Took my little sister with me and I think she had a big eye hooked but it popped the hook.

[bigr]

The junction is a very good location for trophy fish especially April thru June. As mentioned before when water drops and stay low for extended time period and water gets at it's warmest the bigger fish move down river to deeper holes and night fishing the ripples is your best chance. 

[bherr24]

Now those are some pigs!

Yes they were and him and his buddy even had a few get off the hook that were just as big. I have caught some 25 and 26 inchers here around Logansport. Got 2 that were 25 inches in 2 days this past May. Usually it's just one that size if your lucky i have never caught multiples like that in one trip.  It seems down here the water levels really have to be perfect to get the fish in here and have them bite. I like to fish where the eel runs into the wabash and it's very shallow there unless the wabash is running high and then it spills over to the eel. When both rivers are running near normal flow like now it's about pointless to walleye fish that spot. So i actually prefer higher water levels around here. But if you know where the holes are in the wabash you can do pretty good on them when the water is at normal levels, i just havent fished enough of the wabash to know exactly where they are at yet.

[Walleyechaser96]

Where would be the best place to put in if you wanted to float down the wabash and fish?

[bigr]

Depends on what your fishing out of and how long you want to be on the river. Not a lot of options for put ins. If your thinking up stream from Wabash the long trip would be Lagro to Wabash. Eight hrs of float time approx. Hanging Rock up stream from Lagro to largo is another much shorter trip. Two hrs approx. You could start as far upstream as Below the dam at Roush lake. As far as down stream from Wabash ,Richvalley, peru and then several other take outs or put ins along the way. You could take a drive and also google map and check things out.

[Boomer]

BigR: have you ever thought of using a hook sharpener? I find that hooks that I use for a lot of fishing need just a couple of passes on my stone and they are very sharp.  My circle hooks I use on the pier almost always get the stone. Keep in a pocket, doesn't take much space.

[Walleyechaser96]

Buddy and I fished the wabash lastnight he was looking to catch his first walleye in Indiana. We got to the river around 10 pm what would you know his first couple cast he lands a 23 inch walleye that weighed 5.7 pounds. That's a pretty good eye for your first one!

[bigr]

Good job. What did you get her on. Did you get any others. Normally if there's fish around they hit quick. That's why I like to keep moving around. When you hit one you normally get other usually on next cast or two.