Yesterday I had 2 hours free door to door so I grabbed a pole and a small bag of tackle and hit the local.
It took 10 minutes to load the 'yak and, due to traffic and construction, the normally 7 minute drive took over
20 minutes leaving me with little more than an hour's worth of fishing time. I tried topwater for about a
half hour but only got a rise out of dink panfish. I went to my standard twisty tail and lead head as I paddled
back to the ramp. I made a cast into a deep hole and laid the rod down to adjust for the current. When I
picked up the pole the jig was hung up. I lifted and it gave way. It felt like a chunk of wood, then it swam upstream...
heavy.... big cat or carp. We had a pretty good tug-o-war going when it surfaced and jumped. It was a large,old smallie. -
Like other really big old smallies I have encountered its colors tended toward deep olive/gray-brown with little marking on
the sides. I'd describe it as so ugly it was beautiful. I coaxed her along side and slipped out the barbless hook and sent
her on her way. I paddled back, loaded and made it home just in time for that, oh so important, ho hum zoom...
fish on,
rivereddy
