Slack Water

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Spring had brought warmer weather, but the river had been fast and cold.  For weeks it had been turbid.  The winter runoff has made fishing more difficult.  I paddle about and cast to the points and drop-offs that worked for me last summer, but I see no action.  I needed to rethink my strategy.

The water is now starting to clear, but it is still fast.

I need to find the slower moving water.  Maybe someplace where the sun can warm the water.

I head into the turtle marsh.  I slowly paddle in and watch the water.  I see schools of smaller fish scatter about.  Maybe a pike or pickerel is about.  I cautiously paddle into the marsh and cast about.  I immediately hook small fish, 4 to 6 inch bass.  I move to the end of the marsh.  I see large schools of smaller fish suspended about.  I cast right into the edge of the march, hoping to find larger fish hiding in the weeds.  I hook a few 8 and 10 inch fish.

I peer into the water as I paddle about.  I see a larger bass dart through the school of small fish.  It must have been wary of me.  I continue to cast about and land a few more small bass and a few bluegill.

I think my strategy is sound.  I need to find slow moving water that is deeper.

I paddle over to the north side of the river by the Crescent Islands.  I rarely fish this water as it gets very weed-choked in the summer.  For now, it is weed-free and slack.

I cast near the shore by a little pocket of cattails.  I catch two 10 inch bass.  There is a slight current.  It allows me to barely drift down the river.  I cast to the shore.  I hook a few more bass, a bluegill, and a white perch.  This was the first white perch I have ever caught in the river.

My lure is then slammed by a larger fish.  I was hoping for a pike, but a 20" pickerel found its way to my net.

I drift downstream a few yards and then hook into another pickerel.  This one is 24 inches and was quite a fighter.  It jumper out of the water, was stripping line, and darted under the boat.  What a good fight!

I land him and then let him go.

For now my slack water strategy seems to be working.  I catch a few more small bass as I drift back to my dock.

Maybe I will hook into a large pike. . .