Pacemaker Fishing Forum

I decided to try the higher water after the rains.  It did not rise as much as originally predicted and was just below 4 foot at POR.  I got on the water a little after 7am and ran upriver.  The river was stained with a cloudy coffee look.  There was some greener water mixed in in spots.  I thought Goose Creek might be clearer (drove over yesterday), but it had clouded up too.  I tried my black tiny torpedo for carp eating cicadas, but they were not having it.  They were waking the surface and just slurping.  Really cool to watch.  Lots of cicadas on the water.

I caught one dink smallie (but fat) on a black Bandit 200.  Then I started floating.  I tried a tube, jig with skirted hula grub, cranks, spinnerbait, buzzbait and nothing would hit.  I got down to the island and decided to try a ned I had rigged up on a tiny child rig (weedless).  I caught a small, but healthy smallie after a couple minutes.  A little while later, I hooked another on that rig.  I only took a picture of one of the smallies.  Short, but stout.



I snagged and broke that rig off, so replaced it with another one I had tied on in a non-z-man ned in a different color.  I hooked a bigger fish as I was about to float through a rocky area.  I fought it for a minute or two and went to grab the net as the fish was next to the boat.  I saw the smallie and estimate it was between 16 and 18 inches.  It spit the bait just as I was about to net it.

I caught a catfish next, on the rig.  It was maybe 12 or 13 inches. but fat.  It thumped the rig.

I anchored and ate my lunch.  A little while later I threw the hulla jig and caught another small, but fat smallie.  I was mostly alternating between the hula jig and the ned setup after that.  No more bites for a while.  I was floating the next island and really struggled.  I tossed the hula jig behind a blowdown and got a good thump.  I fought the fish and it seemed to be fighting like a catfish.  I got the net and landed it.  I have been wrong trying to ID one before, but this looked like a flathead.  Very brownish/mottled and large head.  Tell me what you think.





Just over 21.5".  No more bites and I called it quits.  I was off by 3:00pm

Good day to be out.  Saw a fox, deer, Osprey, Eagles, Kingfisher, Herrons, Pairs and family of ducks and lots of cicadas.