New River Rat
Well-known member
At the suggestion of a member on another site, I went south to fish the "other" New River yesterday. Drove through what basically looked like a war zone. VDOT had cut trees out of the road and used 'dozers to remove mud. Miles of road like this. I went to the ramp and realized i would have been in 5 or 6 feet of water here. Someone in the Commonwealth of Virginia had done a heck of a job cleaning this parking lot and ramp. This had been one more flood. But I figured the smallies had gone without eating, waiting for the current to calm.
Anyway, I went to get my lucky fleece and realized it was in the recliner here at home. But I had forgotten to take a carhart jacket out of the truck, so all's well. Ran up to Allisonia shoals and while going through, realized this might not be the most intelligent thing I've ever done. The river had a very powerful current to it today.
I puttered around until I found an eddy. A MACRO-EDDY. About 40-50 feet long, maybe 10 feet wide, south facing bank and a small branch/ditch trickling into the tail end, helping raise the visibility. I was using the rod I had just recently built, with the same jig I caught my last muskie on. I was admiring how well I was feeling everything on the bottom and THWACK!!! I reeled in the slack from where the fish was swimming toward the boat and set the hook. I watched a very pale colored smallie leap from the eddy into my world. Got her in and I'm guessing 15-16". I have a February smallie, and I suck in February!
I floated down the southern exposed bank and nothing in the way of taps on my jig. So I decided to check the large trib across the river. Nothing there. I went to hit the stater button to move again.......nothing. I wiggled battery cables and conections.....nothing. I removed the cowling from the Johnson and my starter button had a wire unattached. I needed to fix this, just not now. So I yanked the second wire out, placed them where they would protrude from under the cowling and replaced the cowling. Now all I needed to do was touch the wires to get contact. Hillbilly ingenuity.
Went back to the eddy, was once again admiring how sensitive the rod's touch was, and THWACK!!!#2. I set the hook on a bulldog, nothing lethargic here. I'm guessing this one was a 17". I must say two, read that, TWO February smallies had me pretty pumped. I'm not sure I have ever caught two smallies the same day in February. If I have, I sure don't remember it.
I need to add that I had a tow rope wrap the prop on the trolling motor and that I dropped my keys in the water (shallow@ramp). One of THOSE days........
Anyway, I went to get my lucky fleece and realized it was in the recliner here at home. But I had forgotten to take a carhart jacket out of the truck, so all's well. Ran up to Allisonia shoals and while going through, realized this might not be the most intelligent thing I've ever done. The river had a very powerful current to it today.
I puttered around until I found an eddy. A MACRO-EDDY. About 40-50 feet long, maybe 10 feet wide, south facing bank and a small branch/ditch trickling into the tail end, helping raise the visibility. I was using the rod I had just recently built, with the same jig I caught my last muskie on. I was admiring how well I was feeling everything on the bottom and THWACK!!! I reeled in the slack from where the fish was swimming toward the boat and set the hook. I watched a very pale colored smallie leap from the eddy into my world. Got her in and I'm guessing 15-16". I have a February smallie, and I suck in February!
I floated down the southern exposed bank and nothing in the way of taps on my jig. So I decided to check the large trib across the river. Nothing there. I went to hit the stater button to move again.......nothing. I wiggled battery cables and conections.....nothing. I removed the cowling from the Johnson and my starter button had a wire unattached. I needed to fix this, just not now. So I yanked the second wire out, placed them where they would protrude from under the cowling and replaced the cowling. Now all I needed to do was touch the wires to get contact. Hillbilly ingenuity.
Went back to the eddy, was once again admiring how sensitive the rod's touch was, and THWACK!!!#2. I set the hook on a bulldog, nothing lethargic here. I'm guessing this one was a 17". I must say two, read that, TWO February smallies had me pretty pumped. I'm not sure I have ever caught two smallies the same day in February. If I have, I sure don't remember it.
I need to add that I had a tow rope wrap the prop on the trolling motor and that I dropped my keys in the water (shallow@ramp). One of THOSE days........
