Nauticman
Well-known member
Nauticman, Upper Nickajack, TARP Shellcracker, Smallie Fishery - Several Pics, 2/1/14 and Last Few W
Haven't posted any reports from the river lately because smallmouth fishing, for us, has not been very good lately. Posting a report about getting your butt kicked is not fun nor very interesting. Don't know what's wrong with the smallmouth fishery:
Too much fishing pressure?
Illegal commercial fishing?
Bad spawns due to too much current from lots of rain in recent years?
Drum crowding out the smallies and beating them to the food supply?
Live bait bank and boat fishermen keeping everything irregardless of size and numbers?
Smallies have seen every artificial bait and probably been hooked on them and wised up?
Our lures and patterns don't work any more?
I am not making accusations! This is just some of the talk I have heard!
Anyway, Pete Jr. and I went out of Riverpark Sat. and again experienced the difficulty trying to catch a smallie. It's gotten to the poit that when we catch one keeper smallie between us, we consider it a successful trip. We got one smallie between us on a jig/pig and it was just short of a keeper at 17.75 in. Pete got a largemouth just short ok keeper size on a jerk bait and hooked a monster fish that buried up and couldn't be puled out. He had a funny experience: 2 shellcrackers struck his 3 treble hook jerk bait at the same time, one of them came off, but he landed the other one, A TARP, 11.75 incher.
The flow went from 27K to 14K cfs while we were there. The surface temp was 39-40. The parking lot at RP was almost full, very unusual for this time of year and such a low watr temp. Maybe they couldn't use the ramps in the Chick due to low water, so they came to RP.
I am posting a a few smallie pics from the last few weeks as a sight for sore eyes. LOL
Haven't posted any reports from the river lately because smallmouth fishing, for us, has not been very good lately. Posting a report about getting your butt kicked is not fun nor very interesting. Don't know what's wrong with the smallmouth fishery:
Too much fishing pressure?
Illegal commercial fishing?
Bad spawns due to too much current from lots of rain in recent years?
Drum crowding out the smallies and beating them to the food supply?
Live bait bank and boat fishermen keeping everything irregardless of size and numbers?
Smallies have seen every artificial bait and probably been hooked on them and wised up?
Our lures and patterns don't work any more?
I am not making accusations! This is just some of the talk I have heard!
Anyway, Pete Jr. and I went out of Riverpark Sat. and again experienced the difficulty trying to catch a smallie. It's gotten to the poit that when we catch one keeper smallie between us, we consider it a successful trip. We got one smallie between us on a jig/pig and it was just short of a keeper at 17.75 in. Pete got a largemouth just short ok keeper size on a jerk bait and hooked a monster fish that buried up and couldn't be puled out. He had a funny experience: 2 shellcrackers struck his 3 treble hook jerk bait at the same time, one of them came off, but he landed the other one, A TARP, 11.75 incher.
The flow went from 27K to 14K cfs while we were there. The surface temp was 39-40. The parking lot at RP was almost full, very unusual for this time of year and such a low watr temp. Maybe they couldn't use the ramps in the Chick due to low water, so they came to RP.
I am posting a a few smallie pics from the last few weeks as a sight for sore eyes. LOL
