Bob and I rarely fish on weekends because no doubt, here in Wisconsin the waterways are for sure at their busiest. But suddenly the days of summer are passing rapidly. Too rapidly. We decided to take a long haul down numerous dusty roads to a river where the mosquitos and horseflies carry you away. There was nobody else.
Another good reason for fishing today is that the smallmouth bass fishing is presently as good as it gets. My first summer here in WI, 2022, it was decent. I was impressed. Last year, as we started going to the right places, it was excellent. This year, now that the water levels have finally come down, we actually have this stuff dialed and the smallie fishing is exceptional. Today the fish were on every grassy bank as well as some of the sand flats.
To escape society on a Saturday is an ordeal. The dusty roads and bloodsucking bugs were only part of it. We chose a river almost too small to navigate. We ran into several bad snags that completely blocked passage. We had to portage the raft twice to get around fallen trees. That’s when you truly get annihilated by bugs!
But the fishing was outstanding once again. While the size of the smallies weren’t like a few days ago, the consistent 12-14 inch bass isn’t something to snub. These are amazing hard fighters and we lost more than we caught. They wrap you in the wood and jump and shake a fly better than most.
Ok – no fishing the next two days. It will be hard to hold back but I need a couple days to rehab and rest the shoulder, complete some Cliff Fly Box art, yardwork and I need to get packed for a three day Texas saltwater adventure with friends that takes place next week. Stay tuned!
I can’t lie, you’re selling me on WI fishing! And get that shoulder rested and ready!
Yup, I should tone it down some but there’s plenty of water here. And my shoulder will be ready. I’m used to the pain these days!
Hey Jeff:
Glad to get your blogs again after a long hiatus. Hope you and Granny are well.
Are you going to be at the Onefly this year? Hope to see you there.
Judge Jimmy