Scouting the river (U.S.)

http://home.comcast.net/~thuxton/bankside.jpg
I lost a good stretch of river this year to a construction project.Access to
the paved bicycle path is blocked by a fence as they landscape for the new
hi-rise apartment building. It isn't a big problem, as the river winds for
miles through the center of town; I am just unfamiliar with most of it.
The river is historically prone to flooding, so it remains undeveloped,
except for parks and trails. The part that I explored today is wild and
overgrown. Hundred year old sycamores stand half in the water, with thick
exposed roots twisted high into the bank. There is a mere hint of a path
along the bank, what we might call a "game trail" in the northern woods. It
was hard to wind my way down the trail with my 6 foot rod; branches have
grown across the track. It will be hard travel once the leaves grow out. I
suppose I will need to cut my way through next time to make summer fishing
easier. I can tell the area is little used by the lack of trash and litter.
There were 5 beer bottles beside the railway bridge on the way in, then
nothing. I'll go in by another route next time. I'm looking for a sandy
bottomed run, today's stretch was fist sized gravel; fine for smallmouth but
not ideal for the carping. I saw one large swirl today, so the carp are in
the river, but probably not in their full numbers. When the weather warms,
they come out of the large impoundment a mile to the south.

A hundred yards along the river, and I was in thick bush. Finger-thick
saplings are most common; the taller old trees probably prevent a great
deal of light penetration in summer. There are plenty of places to tie up a
rope or pole to hang my tarp for a rain shelter. There is not a house in
sight., a chain link fence is on the high bank on the other side of the
river, there won't be much traffic over there. Moss is deep and unworn on
the roots and bank. I saw raccoon and skunk tracks in the mud, and a
woodpecker tap-tap-tapping in the top of a tall dead snag. Three ten inch
suckers lay in the sandy shallows under the railway bridge. To the south,
beyond the bridge is the soccer field, but passage under the bridge is not
possible, so the hikers won't be up this way.

The bus line runs for about 15 miles along the river, with service every 20
or 30 minutes in both directions. I can fish the best water in the county
with a back pack and a pocket full of bus tokens. Most of it (except for
parks and bike paths) is unused and undeveloped. Many years ago, the fish
hatchery upstream flooded and all their stock was released into the river.
Many species did not reproduce, but some species not normally stocked here
took up permanent residence. We have striped bass hybrids, channel cat
(which averaged 32 inches last year for me), muskies, pike, walleye, superb
smallmouth, and white bass. Sections of the river are divided by dams and
some sections are designated trout water (salmon) and others are
catch-and-release. This part of the river connects to a 2000+ acre lake
which produces huge seasonal runs of spawning fish. Channel cats sweep the
entire section each night. Walleye are the main prize in the lake, but they
hang in the river section, too. Huge muskie and pike live off the walleyes
and smallmouth.

I'm just lucky, I guess. I live 3 blocks from a great unused fishery. I'll
post some pictures when things get going. The carp will follow the suckers
up the river in about 3 weeks. The water temp is about 42 degrees, but it
won't take long. Soon the carp will be rolling and splashing around. In
summer they hang in the current in packs of about a dozen. Baiting is
rare here. There is no need. River carp stay lean and strong. When you
toss a tasty bait, you can see them searching. When a carp misses your bait
and loses the scent, you can see him going downstream to pick up the scent
again. I had a 25 pounder make three round trips before he found my bait. I
mostly use frozen corn for carp bait, but they often take a crawler when I
am looking for walleye or smallmouth. (what a thrill--- biggest bass in the
lake ??). I use hot dog slices for the channel cats, but that bait draws
soft shelled turtles like a magnet. I usually switch to hot dog at dark,
but carp will take those too.

Take care, have a good season.


Pepperoni