The Elm Fork and I have been close friends since the early 70's. it has produced for me over those years, hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of fish for me to seek, catch, enjoy, and even eat on occasion.
From longear sunfish, warmouth, yellow and white bass, hybrid striper, largemouth and spotted bass, black and white crappie, channel, blue and flathead cats, to carp, drum, buffalo, spotted, longnose, shortnose, and even an alligator gar!
While today was not the best numbers day, or even top quality day on the river, it was special in its own way,
The river, flowing again after about 3 days of no flow and just about going dry for a long stretch, and producing little to no fish, the current returned and so did the fish.
What made it so good, was in this searing heat, the water, flowing at a leisurely pace, brought the fish back as the water cooled significantly. The baitfish were everywhere and the fish were gorging.
The size may have not been there but there was certainly a nice variety that took a shine to my 16th oz monkey milk curly tail on 6 lb line!
Start with two brilliantly colored warmouths. Follow up with longear sunfish with a dazzling display of rainbows, virtually all the colors of the rainbow, across their bodies,
Of course the ole bonehead largemouths had do do their two bits' worth!
Then my favorite member of the bass family, the spotted bass took center stage! Hitting hard and fast in the current, they could not stay off that little grub! That river, with all the stones, blue clay, pea gravel and some limestone, gives those spots brilliant coloring, To me they are the prettiest, and most feisty, of the bass. Love catching em on light to ultralight tackle. Elm Fork is full of 'em.
Then as if on cue, the marauding white bass muscled their way in!
For over an hour, no exaggeration, I got hit or hooked a fish on EVERY cast!!
I caught at least 10 spots and largemouths, probably more, but was not counting, all dinks.
2 brilliantly colored warmouths, and 4 longears.
White bass, aka sandbass, were all over the place, I caught and released at least 20, and managed 5 pretty decent ones(dinner!).
Awesome day in my book!

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Nice post and great narrative...

Great report and fish.

Great work & beautiful write up

What species is the bottom picture ?
Sandie, or a hybrid?
The lines are beautiful

Awesome Post Sir Rudy!! You & The ELM Fork r a match made in fishing heaven. When r WE going to "The Brick Yard" again?

Yes Sir. "Life is Good"!

Nice sized keepers!

It is a sandie aka white bass. No hybrids today

Great post! And nice catch.