Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Had a solid day at one of my usual haunts on the North Fork.  I hope to get in more fishing trips (but not too many more) before I find my next job.  Got in the water just past 9AM, water was warm, probably high 60s, air-temp was in the 70s.

Started out throwing a small 2" sinking minnow plug and caught four smallmouth and a fat shellcracker within 30 minutes.  The shellcracker was probably a 1/2 lb, I've been having a weirdly good year catching big sunfish.  The biggest smallmouth was 13" and foul hooked.  While I was trying to unhook the fish, I broke a lot of rules I've learned over 30+ years and ended up with the back treble still in the fish and front treble solidly in one of my fingers.  I gathered my wits, pushed the front treble through, debarbed it, pulled it back out, unhooked the fish and apparently safely released it.

After a brief detour to the nearest gas station for neosporin, I came back and threw a mix of 3" black Case Magic Stiks and Gulp hellgramites.  Results were more modest, three dink smallmouth bass and a decent sized fallfish.  I then switched to mealworms under a bobber, just for the heck of it.  Caught two more huge shellcrackers (maybe 1/2 lb, 3/4 lb), another decent fallfish and many dink sunfish of various kinds.  Last fish of the day was a modest shellcracker caught on a crawfish pattern Tiny-Trap.

Things to note:
1. The largemouth that hang out in the slow parts of the river are getting bigger.  They also have no problems seeing me as I couldn't get them to bite.
2. The fallfish might be spawning. I saw a lot of them acting territorial, chasing my lure "away" but not biting out of curiosity or hunger.
3. Lots of baitfish and fortunately some fingerling smallmouth in the river.
4. Debarb your hooks unless you're a subsistence or commercial angler.
5. If you can't bring the first aid kit with you, at least have it in the car.
6. Don't grab a hot fish with treble hooks swinging around until you have control.
7. Consider clipping down your treble hooks to doubles or singles.

The last four are remedial lessons for me.