D & R Greenway 2021 Alliance for Watershed Education Fellow

D & R Greenway 

South Branch Off Color

I don't get many chances to fish the river, and it does annoy me when I come and find it off color, but even so, when I went on Saturday morning, I got into it.

I had a long stretch all to myself. Calm. Sunny at seven-something. I fished about 40 minutes, working a small popper from a spinning rod. Nothing ever rose for it, but I saw a few carp furiously break water, which was exciting, and I listened rather closely to mourning doves. 

But that stain in the water. That muddy cast. If anyone else fishes the river and does OK when it's like that, please comment, I'd like to know about it. I have caught some smallmouths when it's like that. Even once in November it was a bit off color and I scored. But for the most part I go fishless.

Chatterbait Bass and Pickerel

We intended to beat the rain that never really came in any uncomfortable measure. Showers would be OK with me, but Brian's back needed some rest anyway. so we fished from about 4:45 a.m. until about 8:30. 

Brian's favorite lure this year, the Chatterbait, enabled him to catch six largemouths and two pickerel. He lost others and missed hits. The first fish he had on, while light remained very low, would have been the biggest of the day, I think. My two pickerel and one of his looked at least 24 inches long, and one of his bass 18 inches. The lost one, who knows. Since 2019, I've caught three bass of 20 inches and larger here, and I've seen Brian catch one over 20. Those fish we measured.

I began the morning throwing an old favorite, a Dalton Special topwater. I relented when it sank in that the chances of hooking anything were compromised, hooks needing the wet stone that is in the tackle box I left in Fred's truck by accident. The Dalton is a wooden plug, one of three I bought by mail order in 1992. I still have all three, and I felt impressed this morning by the action of the tailspinner. Perhaps the other two still work as well. 

Switched to a big Torpedo. I did catch a pickerel on the plug years ago, but this morning I just felt the thing was too much like a balloon. A quarter-ounce Pop-R, on which I've caught countless largemouths and smallmouths, caught me a bluegill bigger than my hand, and a crappie. Meanwhile, Brian already had some fish on his Chatterbait, and I told him I believed I forgot to bring spinnerbaits. The topwater plugs seemed the right fit in close to the bank and along whatever weeds left after recent weed harvesting, but mid-lake where fish hit the Charterbait, I would feel comfortable with the lead and blade. Brian lent me one of his Chatterbaits. 

I would finish the day having caught four bass, two pickerel, and those panfish--all besides the panfish and two bass on the Chatterbait. I had cast a Chomper's worm to the thickest patch of a small weedbed and missed the bass that picked it up. We fished mid-lake again, when I said I would feel disappointed if I didn't catch a bass on the worm. It's my favorite way to fish, and I try to cast just as I visualize before the worm sets down, feeling confident I can catch plenty of bass, but usually beginning the process tentatively, always amazing when the bass do respond. 

At least that way it never gets boring. I don't know if I fool myself or just respect reality as indifferent to me--as if it won't yield. But more often than not, it does. I have to admit, it was that recent Lake Aeroflex outing that seemed abnormal when it came to the response of fish.

It was getting on towards closing time, so I ventured that we hit another weedbed nearby, then drift towards the dock. Brian said he would be happy if we caught a couple more fish apiece. I caught on the Chompers a nice bass as large as the one I'm photographed with and set the hook on another that popped the knot, an old knot that went bad.

Then we paddled out mid lake. 

More fish on the Chatterbait. And I spotted a few little weed clumps, no more than the hint that there might be some weeds underneath, so I cast the Chompers to one of them and came up with the bass in the photo.  We had caught a couple more apiece or more than that, as Brian had hoped. 

All of our fish were nice size, except the crappie was on the small side. We caught no bass smaller than 15 inches, and Brian's little pickerel was 18 inches or more.