As good as the striper fishing has been for River Run Guide Service customers on the Middle/Upper as of late, I am pleased to report a unprecedented bite developing that will be good news for my die-hard river bassers interested in only trophy specimens of smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass. Believe me folks, I completley understand. In fact, chasing trophy smallmouth on the Brazos is a specialty of mine and undoubtedly one of my favorite ways to spend a Spring day on the river over the last 20 years. Few things compare to the fight of a "hot' early season river smallie on light tackle.
Last year around this time found me kayaking to a handfull of these remote trophy smallmouth havens and found them to be as productive as ever, kicking out smallies in the 18-21" range along with some solid 20-24" largemouths and numerous chunky 13-15" spotted bass. Based on my recon and the catches we CPR'd from these areas in 2008, a few of these runs have everything needed to produce the next Texas State Record Smallmouth, IMO. Aditionally, River Run Guide Service Customers will also have a legitimate shot at a personal best or possible "Brazos Slam" where the Angler bags trophy specimens of all three species in one trip.
I've been anticipating this time of year so I can get back on my killer pattern again. My "Brownie Fever" was getting to the point of being unbearable. Finally, I was able to block off a date on my schedule to do some recon kayak work in this area.
I'll admit, I woke up feeling almost giddy, just before my alarm was set to go off at 4:00 AM, the morning of my trip. The forecast was overcast skies and highs in the 60's with wind gusts up to 30 mph. which is typical for this time of year. I was just ahead of a front and planned to get a full day of kayak fishing in before the rain hit. There were nothing but high hopes for the possibility of CPR'ing my first 18" plus smalljaws of 2009. In the back of my mind, I also knew the opportunity would present itself for a legitimate shot at a "Slam" as well.
My gameplan was for a precision kayak fishing strike targeting 2 miles of runs, deep in the heart of what I believe to be some of the most pristine and remote Trophy River Smallmouth water remaining in this half of our great State.
I arrive at the primitive launch early, unload the yak and begin to prepare for my assault. However, my arsenal will be simple, as I arm myself with only the necessities for the task at hand.
Football head finesse jigs w/grub trailers and drop/split shotted 4" Berkley hand poured finesse worms are all that would be needed to get the job done.
As I proceed down river, I am absolutely blown away by the rugged beauty and solitude of my beloved river.
Working my way down river, I start picking off some below average largemouth and spotted bass on my 8 lb spinning setup and dragging a split shot Finesse Power Worm.
Nothing impressive and the bite is overall, somewhat slow. However, it's only mid morning and the best runs are still ahead. I begin a short, brisk paddle to the next run. Easing into the area, I begin pattern casting to likely targets.
Before you know it, I'm into a wide open spotted bass bite that would eventually find me beaching my yak and wade fishing so I can take full advantage of it. As a bonus, I wound up breaking out the ultra light 9' noodle spinning rod paired with a coffee grinder and 6# braid. I have a deadly technique
with this set up coupled with a split shot, nose hooked finesse worm. It would prove to be so effective, in fact, I had to put it away due to the infestation of undersized spotties (10-13") that were mangling my 4" Power Finesse Worms with their voracious, slashing hits. It's truly amazing the damage those fish can inflict on soft plastics. Spotties sport some pretty formidable dental work that would make any Cubera Snapper slap it's Momma.
However, I do manage to CPR this beautiful 15" spotted bass on the noodle rod setup before his pesky river companions would force me to put it away for good.
Hoping to get the attention of some larger fish, I switch to my football style finesse jig and grub fished on a Abu-Garcia Pro-Maxx 1600 filled with 10# co-polymer all mounted on a sweet little 6' 6" Castaway ML rod.
Sure enough, I start picking up some better size largemouths as I continue to pattern cast with my jig and grub combo.
I move another 50 yards or so, bypassing several good looking targets in favor of hitting another run that produced several of my largest smallies in Spring of 2008. This is a narrow pinch that I like to approach from the sandbar side and cast to the submerged, rocky outcroppings on the opposite bank. This run is contained in a very small area. However, it is my belief that every mature fish
will eventually find it's way to these areas I like to refer to as "feeding stations". Multiple big fish feeding in an area this small will be spooky. They will also be feeding competitively
which can lead to a situation where even the largest, wariest fish in the run is likely to make a mistake that could lead to a shot at the fish of a lifetime.
Slowly and thoroughly, I work the 4' water, hopping, pausing and crawling my jig from one target to the next. Suddenly, I feel the tell tale take of a solid bass inhaling my jig. I immediately set up on the fish and feel super solid resistance from my oversize opponent. I keep steady pressure on the fish and gingerly attempt to work my her in and around submerged structure. In the back of my mind, I was concerned about a drawn out battle on straight 10# with a fish of this size. Fortunately, the battle starts turning my way as my fish finally comes to the surface for an eye popping display of headshakes, in a last ditch effort to throw the hook. Soon, I have my fish well under control and now have the pleasure of a CPR session with this "Lovely Lady" of just over 23" in length.
At this point, I'm pumped, to say the least. It is now abundantly apparent how close I am to a personal best "Brazos Slam". I lack only one trophy specimen smallmouth of 18" or better to round out my trifecta. This could be easier said than done, given the fact that I have yet to see a smallmouth this trip. However, with over 3 hours of daylight remaining, I stay confident in my gameplan as I continue to probe the depths in hopes of hooking up with a elusive Brazos Smallie.
Later in the run, my jig gets whacked in mid-hop by a fish that hits with such authority, even the 30 mph wind could not dampen the ferocity of the strike. At this point, I can only hope that this is the fish, but I've yet to catch a glimpse of her as she has kept her head down while bulldogging me around and through a submerged boulder patch. Just as the uncanny fighting style begins to betray the true identity of my quarry, my suspicions are confirmed as my Bronze Warrior breaks water for the first time in a awesome display of cartwheeling, flying water and other gillrattling
madness. This was a classic "Smallie Freakout" that left me weak in the knees as I continued to hang with her for the duration of our slugfest. Finally, I get a chance to put an end to the violence, as I slip my hand around the lower jaw of the most majestic smallmouth I've encountered in 2009.
Now, for a moment, I am able to behold my prize. At this point, all I can muster is a glassy eyed stare as I bask in her bronze beauty. I finally regain enough composure to put a tape to her and complete my CPR session by releasing her back into the pristine depths.
Here is 20" of "Bronze Fury"
Now, with my trophy "Brazos Slam" complete, I take a moment to enjoy my sense of accomplishment.
(Continued)
