Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Life's been a little crazy lately so I haven't had a chance to get out, but I finished up a work meeting at 3:00 and had my stuff loaded up so headed out to the river for a few hours with the kayak.  I had picked up a few poppers at Wally world the other day, including one of the keeper Ozark trail quarter ounce in bone white.  I need to get out of the only throw the choppo mindset, so this is my first Branch out 🤣

I went to a spot that in the afternoon has a decent amount of shade along one, which I was hoping made up for the fact there wasn't a lot of shallow faster water in that area. 3rd or 4th cast in at the adage of the shade, got to blow up on the off-brand popper. Tightened up and the fish was on and got about a 13 or 14 in smallmouth and a kayak.

Kept working along the bank and got another hit that I missed. You can got a shallow Rocky flat next to a dock. Has held fish in the past. Before I even had a chance to move it, you look like somebody threw a little rock in the water. He missed it. Came back for it right away and missed it again and that was it. Followed up with a fluke and a swim bait but no go

Ended up with a couple more small blow-ups on the popper. I didn't get skunked and at least with top water fishing. It's always fine when you don't land them
Going to have to adjust my mindset that it's not like a Chapo or buzz bait where they can hook themselves, you have to treat it like a fluke and wait till you feel the fish on before you try to set the hook