Todays fishing pics

[Fat Boy]

Slim pickens but good fish:

27" Walleye:


Smallie that thought he was a walleye:


My Buddy Thump-U (Bob):

[wny angler]

thats a real nice walleye    at least ya got a big one to make up for the slow day, beats gettin skunked.
 

[camo_fish]

Great pictures    what river were you on

[Scott]

Lookin good! Nice in-fisherman walleye holding technique there Kevin. 



-Scott

[perchfisher]

nice fish!

[Fat Boy]

Great pictures what river were you on

Camo, Potomac River in Maryland.

[camo_fish]

Great pictures what river were you on

Camo, Potomac River in Maryland.

Cool, I've fished the Potomac River down in Quantico, VA. Caught some nice cats, stripers, and crappie, and 1 gar from various place on the Marine base, while I was there. Awesome catches, can't wait to see more. 

[Mikepike]

nice fish

[TroutFishingBear]

Jeez fatboy, that smallmouth is a really good one and that walleye is better than any walleye I have ever landed. Maybe I should start using spinnerbaits seriously fatboy, if I ever come over your way, I am using a big spinnerbait, you definitely have me beat as a bass angler. When do you start getting smallies on the river, march or april?

[mongo]

Great looking fish. Keep the pic's coming.

[UPSTATE]

 Nice pics guys wtg cant wait to get on the open water 

[Fat Boy]

Jeez fatboy, that smallmouth is a really good one and that walleye is better than any walleye I have ever landed. Maybe I should start using spinnerbaits seriously fatboy, if I ever come over your way, I am using a big spinnerbait, you definitely have me beat as a bass angler. When do you start getting smallies on the river, march or april?

Thanks TFB but this smallie here is pretty much and average size fish, but there are bigger ones that hammer spinnerbaits.  The latest Bassmaster magazine has a nice article on fishing for river smallies using spinnerbaits in some of the rivers that I fish (Susquehanna and the James).  In fact, the guide, Jeff Kelble is past president of one of our local smallmouth organizations, is featured in the article.

Smallmouth bass fishing in our rivers is year round as long as it doesn't ice up.  The coldest months are the best ones for big fish particularly.  During winter months and colder water temps, black, brown or green hair jigs with or without pork trailers and tube jigs are top lures worked tightly to the bottom in deep river bank eddies (grubs and small plastic worms also work well).  As temps reach about 50 degrees, a spinnerbait works very well as does a hard jerk bait.  During pre spawn the spinnerbait rules.  After the spawn until pretty much late fall, the typical river baits work very well and just about anything can take them.  My favorites are 1/4 oz. buzzers, tiny torpedos, small crankbaits, 4" plastic worms, grubs and tubes, the infamous super flukes, and pop-rs.  During these periods large spinnerbaits won't get you numbers but if you get hits you can count on a 3 to 5 pound smallie on the other end or perhaps a nice muskie or largemouth.  Then, it's back to the bottom bouncing again.  My most consistent lures throughout the year are by far tube jigs for both size and numbers, but the other lures can have their day too.

You can catch them all year