The smallies are hitting out on the Fox River right now.
It’s the last hour or so of daylight and the sun is low on the horizon directly over the river. The reflection streaks across the water like a flame. The best damn sun glasses in the world won’t help you if you look directly into the sun. You’ll be temporarily blind when you look away.
Stand on a drought stricken gravel bar in water barely ankle deep. Below you a pool, maybe calf deep. Possibly your waist. Toss something in there and let it swim around. Let it drift and float and remember one thing, nothing in the river swims in perfectly straight lines.
You’ll hear it before you feel it, that distinctive thunk. The thunk of an aggressive predator impatient to eat. There will be no sipping, no tentative takes. You’ll hear the thunk and then it will go airborne.
Or left, or right or directly at you. You’re reel will hum with the sound of your drag and if you’re lucky you’ll land it and bring it to hand.
What the fuck, ace! What the hell was that all about and you’ll toss another one out there to swim around, drift and float and you’ll repeat this endlessly and sometimes you’ll be a bit luckier.
In the next hour you’ll repeat this 20 or more times. Sometimes you’ll land them and possibly not. In that hour your wrist will start to ache and hopefully your thumb will take on the texture of sand paper. A bunch of dink smallies no more than a foot and your wrist will still ache till you hear that next thunk.
If the weather gods are kind to us this will go on through October. Each day a different spot, each with the same result.
There’s only one caveat…
In order to participate you have to do one thing…
Meet the river half way…
Try showing up.
BrookfieldAngler
16 Sep 2012Got out there yesterday. Nothing at the crap plant in the early AM. Headed to the 34 hole, and managed 1 16″ between the two of us. Finished up at the park. Nothing at the first island, switched over to a chartreuse and white clouser, and it turned on. Ended up with about a dozen behind island 2 and 3 with 18″ coming behind island 2 and a 19″ coming from island 3
Ken G
16 Sep 2012I knew sooner or later they would show up behind those islands. A little more water and the opposite shore would be good.
One of my favorite stretches is hiking between 34 and Orchard. It’s one of those areas that once you start, you’re kind of committed. If you give up half way through and want to climb up on shore, good luck. You plan it wrong and you’ll regret it. I should know.
walt franklin
16 Sep 2012Ken,
I think “meeting the river half way” is the crux of the biscuit. If you make an effort to relinquish a few comforts and get out there, the river rises up to meet you and offers its pleasures. That’s true for any serious angler.
Ken G
16 Sep 2012Walt,
That was aimed at all those that seemed to have given up on river fishing. I’ve noticed in the last 7 years that fewer are bothering. It’s rare I run into anyone out there. 15 years of giving away my spots and all the guiding and river fishing classes I’ve done, no one around.
People must be too busy to bother.
cofisher
18 Sep 2012Wow Ken great, great photos and really enjoyed the writing. I was ready to pack and meet you on the Fox.
Ken G
19 Sep 2012Howard, I’m hoping to get there. I’m a 2 minute walk down to where those sunset pictures were taken and no time to go enjoy another sunset. Hopefully things will ease off in a week. And the fish are still around.
pam
22 Sep 2012Beautiful sunset. I love catching the greenbacks, dinks or not. They always give up a fight that makes your wrist hurt.
Ken G
23 Sep 2012Was out the other evening Pam and I couldn’t keep them off the hook. The smallies were mysteriously absent. Then the crappie moved in and made for a thoroughly confusing evening on the river.
If I targeted those species on the river, I’d catch nothing bu smallies, I’m sure.