I took my own advice in 2017 and did some serious traveling, which included seeking out new bronzeback adventures. During August, Lyn and I headed west across the rolling Dakota prairies and into the trout country of the mountain West. But nary a trout was caught. Instead, my angling goal was Western smallmouth in various […]
It’s amazing how many more fish you catch if you have good craft control. To see the difference, let’s look at how a typical day of fishing goes, either with or without a well-rigged boat and good craft control. I’ve seen each of these scenarios many, many during my lifetime of river fishing and […]
Your New Year’s resolution for 2018 should be to fish more. I’ll tell you why, and also how to make this happen. First of all, why. That’s easy, fishing is good for you. It’s much healthier physically than many other pastimes. This is especially true for river smallmouth fishing, which requires plenty of physical effort […]
One of the most frequently asked questions I get every year is “What kind of craft should I get and How do I Rig it For Fishing?” Sadly, there is no one perfect boat for river fishing, since what to get depends on the type of waters you fish and your physical abilities. However, lots […]
March: Trout Fishing- While Minnesota’s smallmouth fishing remained closed I took advantage of the mild early spring weather to do some trout fishing. Drifting tiny size 16 nymphs is certainly different than working bigger flies for hefty smallies, but on a 4-wt even the 10 and 12 inch browns still put up a good tussle. […]
Fellas who only fish in waters without pike, muskies or pickerel don’t have to worry much about getting bit off by fish. But in many other North American rivers and lakes, the tooth laden members of the Esox family are major considerations. And in recent years, even previously Esox free waters in the mid-South and […]
Why Use the Tiny Torpedo for Smallmouth? An editor for Field & Stream magazine once asked me for information on how to catch big smallmouth, for a special “Trophy Hunters” feature story. One thing they wanted to know was what one lure I would use to catch big smallies. That was tricky. Of course, there […]
Watch for followers of a hooked fish, and have your partner cast quickly to catch these “shadow” bass. Hooked smallmouth that have been feeding heavily often have following fish. These followers “shadow” the hooked fish closely, looking to grab the hooked fish’s regurgitation. Most likely it will be just one follower of similar size, but […]
The cold water seasons of late fall and winter produce high percentages of big fish with the right techniques. Certainly big smallmouth can be caught all year long. However, if you really want to up your odds of hooking the largest specimens, fish during the late fall or winter periods. Strangely, most river anglers don’t […]
A good anchor system, that you can operate easily with one hand, is essential for river fishing. A good anchor system is essential for river fishing. Whenever a craft is not being controlled by oars, a motor, paddles or your feet, it will quickly drift out of position for effective fishing. Every time a solo […]
