The river level has finally gotten down enough to be able to put in and take out at the same launch, which allowed us to paddle a good ways down river and still be able to paddle against the current to get back to the put in.
Shortly after launching Toast drew first blood with a nice healthy smallmouth bass...
After hitting that fish we continued down river to the confluence of the river and a feeder stream. That's where I hit my first kayak fishing smallie of 2010 on a muddler style jig with a 3" pumpkinseed grub threaded on the hook.
Both Toast and I were hitting decent smallies to about 13". That's when I switched over to a larger 1/4oz hair and feather craw jig. It's basically a muddler head with long india hen feathers tied splayed at the hook bend to mimic a crayfish. It's just down right buggy looking in the water. That's what I landed my pig o' the day on...
I estimated it to be between 18"-20".
After I hit that fish I gave Toast one to use. He wasted no time at all making good with that jig...
A few casts later I hear, "Oh my God!!! This is BIG!!!". I spun my yak to see Toast battling a sizeable fish. I paddled closer, camera ready, and sure enough he hoists his pig 'o the day...
His expression in that image doesn't do justice to his exitement!!! That fish was easy 20"...
Part of the effectiveness of our approach is that we were on a mud line seam...
The river is still a bit turbid, but the feeder creek is running clear blue-ish water. So by getting the right drift and cast as well the jig down, we hit where we expected to. Toast at one point made the remark, "This is awesome. The fish are right where you'd expect them to be." They truly were today.
So we worked that water hard and decided to pull. Right before we hit the launch I took one last opportunity to turn the camera on and capture an image that brings home the real reason I kayak fish the Susquehanna river...
So the river is fishable by kayak, and we're catch'n!!!
Tight Lines and Safe Paddlin'!!!
Fish Tank
