scouting pays off

scouting pays off

I went out scouting local water this week with a friend and we did it the old school way…map in our lap, driving slowly and knocking on doors.  It paid off with two private access permissions!

 

We worked a set of riffles and my friend was pulling out a couple of smallies and I was just casting in the middle of some fast moving riffles while waiting for some canoes to go by and SMASH!!!!  I had a big smallie take my Bead Head Rubber Leg Black Bugger size 4.  The water didn’t look that deep, but that didn’t stop him from rocketing across the rocks to attack the fly.  I am glad I had a 12lb. Big Nasty leader on so that I could horse the fish out of the fast water and over towards the bank.  Great action on local water!

 

While fishing one stretch we had a hawk dive in the water four times going after smallies.  I forgot to mention in my report from the Elkhorn last week that we had a bald eagle dive in the water just upstream from us and pull out a smallie.  BIG splash for a BIG bird in SKINNY water.