Friday brought with it a rare winter 51 degree day here in Cincinnati so I took advantage of it and hit my favorite hot spot on the Little Miami River. It sure felt great getting out on the water again. Here is the view when I arrived:
What a beautiful warm, sunny day. I had forgotten that wonderful feeling I get when I first arrive on a favorite fishing spot. Hearing the water run through the rocks brought back a ton of good memories from 2011. I was glad to be there.
I brought some new toys with me for 2012. For starters, I got to use my new machete to clear out some overhanging branches that have been dinging up my line. It did a great job and was a lot of fun to play with. I can't wait until Spring when there is a lot more stuff to chop up! My second new toy was a 5.5' Ugly Stick ultralight that I rigged up with my favorite Pfleugger reel. On my first cast I threw out a small football jig that I trailed with the blue crawfish trailers that I won here from JD Baits. I really like these things and find myself reaching for them whenever I want to throw a jig. (Thanks again guys!) As with any good fishing story, I made a great cast to a nice laydown log that sits in the deepest part of my favorite hole and as I was dragging the jig on the bottom ever so slowly I felt my lure hang up. thinking I had snagged a rock I was afraid to set the hook as it didn't feel like a fish tap my lure. First mistake of 2012, fish on! The fish made a quick pull against my drag and then shot straight upward skyrocketing into the air. I watched in disbelief as a monster smallmouth jumped a foot out of the water, throwing my hook in the process. I reminded myself that "hook sets are free" and changed lures to see if I could get him to bite again.
I put on a 1/8 ounce jig from Strike King that has a minnow shaped head, and added a 3" coffee colored grub trailer. I made 3 more casts before feeling a nice thump on my line. This time I made a great hook set, landing the point of my hook right in the top lip of a nice spotted bass. While it wasn't the smallmouth, I gladly welcomed the sight. I tried ever so hard to catch his friends, but finally called it quits as the sun began to set. Here's my prize...I just hope it's enough to get me through the winter
What a beautiful warm, sunny day. I had forgotten that wonderful feeling I get when I first arrive on a favorite fishing spot. Hearing the water run through the rocks brought back a ton of good memories from 2011. I was glad to be there.
I brought some new toys with me for 2012. For starters, I got to use my new machete to clear out some overhanging branches that have been dinging up my line. It did a great job and was a lot of fun to play with. I can't wait until Spring when there is a lot more stuff to chop up! My second new toy was a 5.5' Ugly Stick ultralight that I rigged up with my favorite Pfleugger reel. On my first cast I threw out a small football jig that I trailed with the blue crawfish trailers that I won here from JD Baits. I really like these things and find myself reaching for them whenever I want to throw a jig. (Thanks again guys!) As with any good fishing story, I made a great cast to a nice laydown log that sits in the deepest part of my favorite hole and as I was dragging the jig on the bottom ever so slowly I felt my lure hang up. thinking I had snagged a rock I was afraid to set the hook as it didn't feel like a fish tap my lure. First mistake of 2012, fish on! The fish made a quick pull against my drag and then shot straight upward skyrocketing into the air. I watched in disbelief as a monster smallmouth jumped a foot out of the water, throwing my hook in the process. I reminded myself that "hook sets are free" and changed lures to see if I could get him to bite again.
I put on a 1/8 ounce jig from Strike King that has a minnow shaped head, and added a 3" coffee colored grub trailer. I made 3 more casts before feeling a nice thump on my line. This time I made a great hook set, landing the point of my hook right in the top lip of a nice spotted bass. While it wasn't the smallmouth, I gladly welcomed the sight. I tried ever so hard to catch his friends, but finally called it quits as the sun began to set. Here's my prize...I just hope it's enough to get me through the winter
