Summer

Summer is here. Low water, temperatures reaching the 90’s and bluebird skies means hitting the rivers early. Forget the waders, it’s time to get wet. And, if you are targeting bass, load up on topwater poppers.

Since the weather turned hot in late June I haven’t had a subsurface bite. It doesn’t matter the size or color of the streamer, the bass don’t want it. But, the topwater action is making up for it. Tossing a popper up against the bank or next to a rock has produced some explosive takes. Not much beats having a smallie hammer a popper. I believe that the smaller sized bass think they’re two pounders, they fight that hard. Even the rock bass are getting into the action.

My last outing was unusual. Every one of the six takes I had was immediately after the popper hit the water. One was so fast it took me by surprise and I whiffed the hookset. Next time I’ll be ready.

Go out and fool a fish!

Even the small ones fight as though they are a 2 pounder.

Rock bass want their meal too.

Every once in awhile you rewarded with a prize. This 3 pounder smashed a popper.

The Perfect Morning

Driving to the river early yesterday morning I witnessed a fantastic sunrise. The combination of high cloud cover and the rising sun turned the sky to various shades of pink and blue that stretched for miles. It was one of those times where a photo could never capture what the eye is seeing. Maybe this perfect sunrise would carry over to a perfect morning on the water. For a couple of hours, it did.

Early mornings in the summer is a favorite time of mine to hit the water. Add warm, humid conditions along with some cloud cover and I can’t wait to throw a popper. I seem to have my best days under these conditions. With all this going for me I walked into the river with confidence. The third cast of the day reinforced that confidence. A smallie hit the popper, and little did I know but this first fish would the smallest of the day.

I only fished about a 150 yard stretch of river. Fishing the main flow I couldn’t buy a bite. But just off the current in slower water the fish were aggressive. Each hookup produced a bigger smallie than the previous catch. I laughingly thought that if I caught 10 the last one would be a state record. But then I hooked one that made we wonder if I was on to something.

There is a section of the river that is about 30 yards wide. I can wade down the middle and hit both banks. One side has a fast flow, the other side is very slow. Starting out, I did pick up a smallie on the bank on the faster side. Moving downstream, I placed the popper right against the bank on the slow side. I could see the bottom of the river and it was maybe 6” deep. A couple of strips moved it away from the bank into slightly deeper water. I saw a flash and then it was like a toilet flushed. A smallie inhaled the popper and about a gallon of water. I set the hook and the fish wasted no time going airborne. To be brutally honest, when it did jump, I had a holy $&#t moment. It was a tank. This fish ended up being the hardest fighting smallie I had ever hooked, and had to be one my top three smallies in terms of size. After landing it, taking a quick photo, and then releasing it I took a minute to smile. Every fisherman that has had a similar experience knows that feeling just doesn’t get any better.

Hardest fighting smallmouth I've caught.

Unfortunately, the sun broke through the clouds, and just that fast, the bite was over. But it was a perfect morning.

Go out and fool a fish!

The Hotter The Better

Almost 80° at 6:00AM, cloudy skies, and over 2’ visibility on the water. I knew the topwater bite was going to be on. It has been my experience that the hotter the temperature, the more willing the bass are to attack a topwater popper. And attack it they did.

My go-to popper has been a black, Boogle Popper, with a size 10 hook. For the rivers in northeast Ohio I don’t think you need anything larger. Once the smallmouth lake run is over, and the residents settle into their territory, a downsized topwater offering does the job.

The black, Boogle Popper, laying by the tail, has been my go-to popper.

 

My goal is to cast the popper within a foot of a bank, wood structure, or a rock. It seems the closer the better. One thing I do is change up the retrieve. Sometimes I immediately pop it. Other times I’ll let it sit and drift before popping it. I’d have to say that both methods work equally well. At least they both produced yesterday.

It didn’t take long for the fun to begin. The first pool with some wood structure produced a couple of nice sized smallies. One hit the popper immediately after it landed. I must have put the popper right on the smallie’s head.

This smallie hit the popper immediately after it landed on the water. Had to have hit him on the head.

(Click on image for larger view.)

The largest fish of the day was taken from this pool. The smallie swallowed the popper, and gave a great fight. The bloodied warrior came to the net, was revived, and swam away strongly.

This bloodied warrior gave a great fight before coming to the net. He swam away strongly when released.

I like the spot pattern on this smallie. Click on the image for a larger view.

The rest of the day was spent catching, and occasionally missing a lot of fish. Let’s hope the hot weather continues.

Go out and fool a fish!