smallmouth retrospective

down the road i go

Shorter days certainly signify a change in season but it's also a harsh reminder of the empty fly boxes that need filling before fall. Gear needs to be grouped and cycled and standards must be maintaned.

My reflections on my passing smallmouth season this year have been mixed. On the positive, my first year fishing river smallies by fly has been a blast. Spring in the Rhinelander area was super productive and the upper Wisconsin River is certainly world class. Many new miles of river have been scoured and plenty of picture worthy fish have been landed. My confidence in my streamers and ability to land bass on the fly is higher then its ever been. The Fox river in both Illinois and Wisconsin really shined when other rivers barely had a flow. The Fox River also produced some big healthy river smallies.

river smallies

On another hand, I have lacked the ability to see a few of the bigger bites through to the end. Loosing the three best bites in the late summer sucks. For me, the memories of the spit flies, broken leaders, and slipped knots seem to stand out more then the countless fish that have come to hand. The upper reaches of the Milwaukee produced higher numbers of fish but the average sized seemed to suffer. Scenic as all get out, don't get me wrong, but smaller fish indeed.


As the 5wt relinquishes the passenger seat in my car to the beefier 8, I already make mental plans for 2013. New waters, different flies, and a steady diet of palomar knots all season long seem appropriate. For some reason the clinch knot doesn't seem as sturdy with flouro as with some other lines. I want to spend more time on the Kishwaukee and the Fox in hopes to understand them better. Here come the salmon, hold on tight.

Read More »

hidden gems

Illinois does have some real hidden gems. Cold water creeks with deep blue pools do exist here!

This certainly isn’t my spot. More a spot from a friend of a friend. I’m content just being allowed to capture some of it on film, but that’s all your getting from me.

If I ever go back to smallie fishing on spinning gear I’ll have to make a mental note to buy some chigger craws. Damien put on a show worthy of an T.V. advertisement with them.

Stay tuned as we wrap up our warm water wading season and stat to transition to our fall fishing haunts.

Read More »

catch photo and release

Read More »

apple river smallmouth bass

apple river dragon fly

When people even mention the driftless area, the first thing that comes to mind is the world class trout fishing found throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota. With that being said, the warm water fish of the driftless area sometimes aren’t even considered as an afterthought. But, the locals who pursue the smallies and pike in the driftless area know the potential and are maybe all too happy not to spread the word on this untapped resource.  Spend a few minutes thumbing through one of my new favorite blogs “The Young Man and the Stream” and you will see some seriously awesome driftless trout reports, but also Luke has a knack for sneaking in some total kick ass smallie fishing reports.

apple river canyon state park

Illinois also contains a tiny piece of the driftless area in its far northwest corner. Not as widely talked about or as well know, probably due to the absence of trout, but breathtaking in its own right. Running a stones throw from Galena (a popular tourist destination) flows the Apple River. The vast majority of this watershed is located in Jo Daviess County and eventually the Apple becomes a tributary of the Mississippi just south of the city of Hanford, Illinois. This little river has long time been a favorite of members of the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance and for a good reason. Not only is the some of the most breathtaking scenery in the entire state, but this river is an absolute smallmouth bass factory.

a fishy stretch on the apple river outside galena

The Apple River Canyon State Park is a real gem with nearly 2000 acres for visitors to enjoy camping, fishing, and hunting. Here you can become acquainted with some of the massive limestone cliffs that this area is known for. For anyone who is a resident of Illinois and doesn't do much traveling, this area of the state could look quite alien. Its worth a look for anyone who will be visiting the Galena area but believe me, the Apple river packs enough punch to stand on its own to feet.This should be considered as a top destination for anyone wanting to pursue smallmouth bass in the Prairie State. While a lot of the fish will be on the smallish side, there are some real pigs hidden in its deep blue water pools. The Apple River is also one of the stocking sites where the DNR will plant trout in the spring, but with temps rising well past the 70's in the summer don't expect holdovers.

the smallmouth of the apple river are plentiful

Read More »

fox river illinois smallmouth

fishing the fox river in Illinois

I remember this boy named Michael from grade school who happened to live in the next sub-divison over. He was never somebody that I was overly friendly with but never a guy who I ever had any trouble with either. To be honest, he was quite the awkward boy. A tad bit more then slightly overweight, with sweaty palms, a noticeable lisp, and a mild odd odor, one couldn’t help feeling bad for the kid. Needless to say, he wasn’t the most popular kid on the block. Quite often he was last on my list of neighborhood kids to hang with after school and it wasn’t until I exhausted the possibilities that Jimmy, Peter, Russell, and Bobby were around that I would finally pick up the phone and dial Michael’s number.

Kids are so superficial, they always want the flashy friends with the newest gear, games or whatever. Really it’s sad because what Michael had was a good natured personality, harmless as a fly, willing to bend over backwards just to have a friend.

One may wonder where exactly I’m heading with this one right now, or exactly how does this relate to fishing the Fox River. Well, for me fishing the Fox River has always been like hanging out with the fat smelly kid down the street. It’s the place or person who doesn’t fit the mold in my brain as ideal, that last resort if you will. The Fox is a tad bit bigger river then I normally like, and it sure has mild odor to say the least. It lacks any sort of clear water and where the hell are the plunge pools that I have grown to love from fishing the rivers and trout streams of Wisconsin.

my boy Matt and his first smallie ever!

Society, television, magazines and the internet are a bitch sometimes. They put these images of what perfect is or should be in your head and sometimes its super hard to look past things that aren’t perfect. The drought of 2012 has basically turned most of the rivers in our area into nothing more then a trickle. Fish are bunched up in deeper water and on these clear water rivers they have been spooky as all get out. So, as I cross out option after option I start to search for some of those last resort places.

Being a larger river with a decent base flow, mostly from treatment discharge, right now there are some excellent spots on the Fox that are producing and in a big way. The reduced visibility here has actually helped the bite in these low water conditions keeping the fish feeling secure and willing to spread out. It doesn’t take a dummy to see that our biggest smallmouth bites this summer have come from the Fox, fishing from Algonquin and south in Illinois and from Burlington and north in Wisconsin. This river has treated us well and has given a big fish opportunity every time out regardless if landed or not.

a nice Fox river smallmouth bass

My point here is, so what if wet wading here kinda creeps me out or if my sneakers smell like death the next day. The Fox River has been kind to me when no others would, so this summer I feel like I've been taken back to my youth and am hanging with Michael.

Read More »

endurance- the plight of the wade fisherman

Have you ever just looked at a spot and knew you had to fish it?

It could have been a quick glance over a shoulder driving 70 down a country road. Even sitting on your computer scouring over Google satellite images, some places you just know there are fish. More often then not, these places may not be easy for the wade fisherman to reach. A lot of the best pools in a river don’t reside in public parks or within walking distance from bridge easements. The harder it is to reach, the more I just have to fish it.

But how you might say?

Some spots are just impossible to reach, others are highly unlikely, and some just take a tad bit of finesse. Now by no means would I ever suggest anyone should trespass for a fish, I gave up sneaking into private lakes and ponds in my youth. But, answer honestly and I bet a good number of you have done it before. I focus mostly on the spots that take some "finesse" cause impossible and unlikely usually come with some sort of fines.

Rapids dropping into some nice dark water always looks so appealing. Just below that a few nice turns with some more dark water on the outside bend, even better. This stretch of the Milwaukee River was just calling my name. Unfortunately, it sat sandwiched in between an upscale residential area on one side and private agriculture area on the other. The populated side was well spread out private homes in a pretty well to do neighborhood. No street side parking here and even worse the homes back up to some thick forest before reaching the river. The agriculture side was the back of a huge farm field and the closest road wasn’t close at all. You most likely could enter from the main road but parking is non-existent with no shoulder and steep embankments on both sides.  In the more rural setting, public places don’t grow on trees. Even if you do find parking, the wade upstream is far and on private property in Wisconsin you must keep your feet wet.

The real question would be, how far are you willing to walk to get there?

I don’t know about you, because distance isn’t relative but the perception of distance is. Its all risk vs. reward, pain vs. gain, but you'll know you've bought in when the benefit outweighs cost. People all get there at different points. I’m pretty sure its not all that important how far I actually walked, or the amount of time it took. So what, I crawled through the foulest smelling waist high backwater muck in just a swimsuit. Leeches and ticks, who cares.

What does matter is that I made it!

A lot of people ask why I drive so far or go through so much effort to catch fish? Can’t you catch em' right down the road? I don’t think they understand me. Getting there has always and forever will be half the fun.

Oh yeah, as for that pool, it kicked some serious ass!

the pool in question, sexy right?

plenty of fish to share, but sadly i had to catch them all myself

Read More »

wisconsin river smallmouth bass

It started with steelhead and salmon and progressed to stream trout. Then the local pond bluegills began to fall victim to dries and now it’s the bass that are chasing down the feather and fur. It really has been a transformation ever since I first picked up a fly rod and now the pinnacle of every species is taking a respectable specimen with a self tied imitation.

flyfishing the upper wisconsin river

 Just starting to jump into the warm water fly fishing, the upper Wisconsin River could possibly be one of the best venues in the entire state. Known for the smallmouth and musky fishing, the river here is teaming with an abundance of some of the most desirable game fish in the entire state of Wisconsin. There are plenty of resident fish to keep you busy year round as well as migratory runs from the connecting flowages and lakes that will seasonally pack the river with fish. In one single morning here we caught smallmouth, largemouth, red horse, crappie, rock bass, walleye, pike, and lost a musky on the rocks. If that doesn't speak for the diversity of this fishery then I don’t know what would.

wisconsin river smallmouth bass

Read More »

the super sugar river smallmouth

This was my final attempt at river fishing for smallmouth for the rest of the year. Instead of beating up some familiar water, I decided to explore something new. The Sugar River has always been a big question mark for me. Every time I pass over, I always wonder what type of good fishing I’m missing out on.

For those who aren’t familiar, the Sugar River is born in the hills of southwest Dane County in Wisconsin. From there, it flows just better than 90 miles to reach northern Illinois where it joins the Pecatonica. Both rivers converge just before meeting the Rock River in Rockton, Illinois. While technically the Sugar River is a trib of the Pecatonica, I would consider both to be tribs to the Rock. Its most sought after game fish are the pike, walleye, catfish, and the smallmouth bass. I’ve also heard rumors of big 20 inch browns coming from under the dams in the spring. That’s one rumor I would love to prove true early next year.

My plan was to start in Green County and hit every bridge pool and dam in the entire county. My first stop was a promising looking dam. The first thought that crossed my mind was to start with a tiny panther martin trout sized spinner. First thing in the morning I just like to get a fish or two on the board and then begin to upsize my baits. Fishing to and from the dam I caught 4 small bass and 2 small walleyes. Not a bad way to start the day.

a nice start to the day, a sugar river smallmouth bass

a small sugar river walleye in sight of the dam

From there, I fished the handful of bridges on the way down to the next dam. Instead of throwing a tiny spinner on spinning gear, I upsized to my bait caster setup with a white spinner bait. Thank God I did upsize my gear because the very next bass I caught was a toad and very well might be the best bass of the year. She was sitting on the inside of the bridge piling just where you would think she should be sitting. I roll casted up and under the bridge and took 3 cranks on my handle before the bait got thumped. The fish hit so hard it caught me by surprise. I quickly reared back and set the hook and all hell just broke loose. That fish dug so hard I had to back off the drag by 3 clicks. A few last minute aerial acrobatics and I pounced on her. Hands shaking I lifted the fish up and did the best I could to fit her completely in the picture.

a big sugar river smallmouth, possibly my best one yet

 After a few more fishless bridges and I arrived at my next dam. This dam funneled a lot of flowing water into a smaller opening. The result was white water being shot out down river. This water was very turbid and appeared deep as well. I felt like a jig and twister would be a good way to pick apart the seems, eddies, and deep pools. I switched back to spinning gear and went with a 1/8th ounce jig instead of my normal 1/16th. I tipped the jig with a white 3 inch grub which is smaller than the 4 inch grubs I have been using. I hoped these changes would get me bit here. After a few minutes of casting a very nice man and his wife walked down to see how I was doing. I explained that I was from out of town and just fishing for the day. As we talked further my jig fell to the bottom and there it sat for the entire length of our conversation. He finished with asking if I had caught any nice smallies. Just as I was about to answer, my light action rod bent in half.  Deadsticked on the bottom the fish crushed that jig. The fished used the heavy current to its advantage but finally gave in to the constant heavy pressure. As I scooped my second fat smallie from the Sugar, the crowd went wild. Not only was the original couple clapping but a few construction workers had meandered down to see the battle. I of course asked for a proper photo to be taken and the gentleman obliged.

another nice sugar river smallmouth bass

That last fish left me completely satisfied. With time to kill I went further into the back country hoping to explore a few of the Sugar’s tributaries. For a parting shot ill leave you with the photo of a pool I found a few miles below some classified trout water. This creek connects to the sugar and looks like a great spot for some pig browns come spring.

a nice pool on a trib to the sugar river

Peace out Wisconsin smallmouth, I will be back next year. I have a lot more water to cover on the rivers I have fallen in love with and a few new destinations that will remain nameless until then...

Read More »

giving credit where credit is due

Being a brand new smallmouth bass fisherman and the newly appointed president of “The River Snobs” (a made up group) I would like to take a moment to say thanks. Not to a person, but to a river.

This river begins in Fon du Lac County and flows just over 100 miles before emptying into Lake Michigan. Its watershed covers a 900 square mile radius and its flow is fed by three main tributaries. It gets a dependable run of great lakes steelhead, salmon, and trout but is also home to almost every warm water species of fish imaginable. Any ideas?

The Milwaukee River is correct and it has served as my base camp for learning the ropes of river bass fishing. Its water has kept me cool on the hottest summer days and has offered me a chance at some bonus pike and musky (even if the musky wasn’t my catch). I’ve been amazed at how clear the water is and how secluded I feel when wading its banks. The Milwaukee River gives you that “up north” experience while being just a stones throw from Wisconsin’s largest city.

a scenic milwaukee river dam

A lot of people have inquired about where to fish for the bass on the Milwaukee. I’ve bounced around quite a bit fishing both the main and west branch of the river. I can honestly say that every single access I have come across has had some good water with some fish there to be caught. This is a very long river, and even though its named the Milwaukee, it doesn’t mean that the fish are found just in the city limits. To tell you the truth, I have only fished bass from Thiensville and north. I had no one there to point a spot out on a map. All I started with was the desire to catch some fish and the rest came natural. To me, exploring new areas is half the fun of fishing. Getting off the beaten path and blazing my own trail is what it’s all about.

starting the morning off right

another milwaukee river slob smallmouth bass

What are you waiting for?

These photos are from my last bass trip of the season here. I don’t think I will be back until the salmon are in, and I will miss this river. 



Read More »

milwaukee river smallmouth bass redemption

Part 1-

Persistence pays off. Three trips have been devoted to learning a two mile stretch of the mighty Milwaukee River, each one has progressively gotten better. I finally got a good smallmouth bass and rocked the house catching fifteen total bass during the morning wade. No pike today and that was just fine by me. I was content catching smallies, and to be honest, they were the reason I started fishing here all along.

a familiar stretch on the milwaukee river

Familiar Water-

I started my morning at the deep pool, on the outside of that bend, the one with all that wood. You know, the one where Damien caught that smalllie from last weekend? Well lets just say I attacked this pool a little different than last time. No jig and twister this time… Crankbait was king. More specifically the Bass Pro Shop XPS Lazer Eye Nitro Extreme. The white one with the red eye. The floating clumps of moss sure were a pain in the ass. Almost every cast you were sure to snag a piece. But, on those casts that you don’t hang up here was the pay off.

my first smallie of the day

second fish was big bass of the day!

another milwaukee river smallmouth

and another

Man, that crank paid off huge. Bouncing it off the rocks and digging it in the gravel was sure to solicit a strike. This was all from my first few hours of fishing. Stay tuned to see the second half of my trip. It should be up in the next day or two…

Read More »