Mad River - Fairborn Ohio 8/28/10

What to do on a Saturday, hmmm, don't have my son, girlfriend is busy somewhere else...blue bird skies, hot, sunny....not the best fishing weather, yep gonna go hit a river....which one? I have a two hour window of opportune time to take advantage of, so it had better be close. That leaves me with two choices, one being the Mad River, the other would be the Little Miami River. Both the same distance, so it's a toss up.....let's do the "Mad".

That was my thought process last Saturday. It was about noon that day when I got in the car, by myself to find some small mouth bass action. The weather was more like beach or pool weather but I really wanted to go out and hit a few fish. So that's what I did. I wasn't out long and I did hit a few chunky little bass. I ran into a couple of older fellas on the river, catfisherman. They were good ole boys. Nice talking with em. They were the old types that like to gab a lot. Wanted to check out my gear since I was decked out in my waders and such....

Below are a couple of quick vids I shot that day. I was glad I made the choice to get out and fish. Just another Adventure, by way of fishing....

Brookville Lake

Monday June 21st, 2010 - A buddy and i went out the other day to see what was going on at the lake. We had been getting a lot of rain lately, and it has been muggy, humid, and very hot. Not the best circumstances for fishing, but the water was calling, so off we went. Barometer had been steady, and water temps had been up, so we thought the Small Mouth would be really active, but the action was kinda slow. I had a small amount of success, but nothing worth bragging about.

This lake is north of Cincinnati by about 30 miles. It gets a lot of boating traffic. Lots of recreational boaters. Also a fair amount of anglers as well. I have always found this lake a hard lake to figure out. But as with any body of water, if you spend enough time on this lake you will find out her secrets. I am still looking for those secrets. So more research on the water is needed.....

Bass On Their Beds

I hate the time of year when bass spawn. It makes the fishing lousy. Pre spawn is great, but when the males are on their beds, it really sucks. I went out and hit a great looking pit on Sat. April 24th, and although it looked great, I did not get into any big bass. I hit a couple of small ones, but that was it. I was over cast and rainy. A perfect fishing day, but the fishing Gods did not smile upon me that day...such is the life of a fisherman.

So I am gonna lay off the lakes and ponds for a bit, as far as bass are concerned. ..I am gonna focus on the Catfish and the Carp. Which is what I do this time of year. When the bass get lockjaw, I go after other game......Now I am not saying I won't try to hit one here and there....we will see.

I know that at some point this month(May) I am gonna set foot in the rivers around here....

Tight Lines.

Sweet Article.

Here is a article I found on a site called "Canoe Camp Fish". Pretty basic but great article none the less.


To Contact this author contact@canoecampfish.com



River Fishing For Smallmouth Bass


When river fishing for smallmouth bass, I have a standard approach I use for a new river.

Start Paddling Upstream.

Yes I said upstream! If you float downstream, you are likely to get very far away in a hurry, without getting a good feel for the river. After exploring upstream, you can then check downstream. Troll a small floating Rapala if possible, weighted down with a small split shot about 1.5 ft ahead. If there is too much current or if it is too shallow and rocky, you may not be able to troll. You may find some good spots on the way to your destination. If you have 2 poles, try trolling a different bait on the 2nd pole, provided it won't twist your line too much.

Identify "Likely" Spots

Likely spots include

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Any place where there is an eddy (dead spot), back current , behind large rocks, or below falls. This is the fish's perspective: They, like us, strive to do the minimum amount of work for their supper. They would rather sit in a dead spot near the edge of the current and wait for the nearby current to bring supper to them.

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A shaded spot. They also like to hide in the cool darkness provided by large rocks, weeds, or submerged trees & logs. They just sit and wait for unsuspecting prey. Since Smallmouth Bass prey upon crayfish, and crayfish like rocks, bass will also be in rocky locations.

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A spot where fish bite while you are trolling. I have found certain "unlikely looking" stretches of a river to consistently produce by trolling through them. Often times these will be quiet deep stretches of a river with possibly some underwater structure like rocks or logs.

Fishing Techniques

Here are some of my favorite methods:

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Cast small #0, or #1 Mepp's Spinners into or in front of the dead spots.

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Cast sinking 1.5 inch Rapalas and "twitch" them in, reeling in the slack. Also try a weighted down floating rapala.

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Try a jig with a twister tail. I like a chartreuse or pearl colored tail with a chartreuse jig, but in some places I have found a bright orange jig with orange tail to work well.

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Try night crawlers or leeches on a hook with split shot or with a bobber. I always try this type of live bait before leaving an area. In some cases it is the only bait that will produce.

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Try other baits like small spoons, spinner baits, etc. I fished one naturally turbid river where the best bait was a small blue and silver imitation Little Cleo made by Viking Tackle (now out of business) that I bought at a local gas station. Every river has its lure!

Keep checking up river as far as you have time or desire.

Fish Your Way Downriver to the Landing

OK, now only spend your time again stopping at places that produced fish when you fished your way up. If the current is not too extreme you can also troll your way down river.

Fish Downriver From The Landing

You will do the same thing you did as you fished upriver except you now have a feel for what is a "good" spot and you also know what is a "good" bait.

Try to avoid going to far! If you find a hot hole about 2 miles down and you fish it till dark, you may have a very interesting time paddling back home against the current! I've been there ;)

Adventure Fishing

As I go out fishing, usually in Waders, heading into a stream. I always think to myself, "What kind of adventure will this turn into?". You see, I like to fish. I like to go out and hit the rivers, and streams. I like to hit ponds, lakes, strip pits, honey holes, creeks, and if I am close, even salt water. There is no telling what stuff I can find while out walking the rivers. Some good, some not so good. But going out is always and adventure of sorts. Hence adventure fishing.

I look forward to blogging and getting others to join me in this like minded attempt to share stories, reports, and what not. As long as it is fishing related.