Crowded Water Lake- May 27th, 2017

Well it is Memorial day weekend and EVERYBODY wants to be on the river. Problem is we got 3" of rain this week and all of them are bombed out muddy and high. So the only clean water in the county minus farm ponds is water lake and Pipestem lake. Seeing as the state won't let you put a yak on Pipestem lake we are all here. Greg and I got here early but there were 15 or so of us on a 40 acres lake by 11am. Greg found a good school early on a square bill bite but they were all smaller size fish. I struggled all day. I hooked 3 on a hula grub and landed one about 13" fish. Not a day to remember. I have fished by fair share of lakes this spring and I am ready to spend my time on the river where I feel more at home. To make today even tougher by 9am we had a 20mph wind that showed up to kill whatever chance at a finesse bite you might could muster. It was still a good day to be outside enjoying God's creation.

Filming Hooked on Wild Waters New River Episode- May 22nd, 2017

       
It is not every day that you get the opportunity to fish and hang out with one of the founding fathers of modern kayak bass fishing. Back at the KBF National Championship last month I got to meet Drew Gregory. While talking to him Jared and I pitched the idea of doing and episode of his show Hooked on Wild Waters on the New River in Hinton. Well here he is in town to do the show. I had been talking back and forth with him over the last few weeks getting his lodging and boats for the camera men taken care of. Drew was the designer of the Jackson Coosa the first kayak specifically built for river angling. Drew is a celebrity in the kayak community. Many have imitated his design since it' s inception in 2011. My first Jackson was a Coosa from the first year they were made. It was sky blue cloud pattern. I bought from elevation it was a demo. That boat has lead to me buying two more and many of my friends buying Jacksons. Drew also designed the Coosa HD and continues to work for Jackson promoting and designing fishing kayaks.  Drew and his crew fished the Sandstone to Meadow Creek section Sunday. I had to work Sunday but was able to catch dinner in town with him and his production crew and was able to fish today on the New river to film the back half of the segment. The water as usual did not cooperate. The Corps were running 6 gates and the water was heavily stained. On Monday morning the only thing we could fish was from the dam to the first bridge. Robert Lane of Twin Rivers Guide Service was nice enough to ferry Drew's producer and camera man around.  We fished the from the dam to the first bridge stopping at any spot we could find that had semi slack water. We would lock down on a spot with power pole/river stick and work the area. The bass were feeding good but it was hard to find size. I was through a hula grub and getting bit a lot. I ended up catching 35 but sadly the biggest was only 14.5". Drew worked a spinner bait between around the island between the two rivers catching a 17.5" and two 16" fish. We finished around 1pm. Drew as satisfied we had done enough to make a good episode. It will air in February on the Hooked on Wild Waters Youtube channel. It was a fun day but it takes a lot of time to film a show and changes dramatically the way you have to fish in a premeditated manner. It was a memorable experience to get to fish andt talk to Drew who is a great guy and even better angler.


Total fish caught = 35
Time on the water = 6 hours
Miles floated = 2.0
Minutes per fish = 10.2"
Biggest five fish = 62.5"

Hula Grub Happy Hour - May 19th, 2018

  
I floated the Greenbrier at the Big Rock hole after work for a couple hours. The fish did not want to chase in light of falling water conditions. I caught one a fluke. Then I switched over to a hula grub and started getting bit quick. I landed 10 fish in about an hour and missed and or lost several more. None of my fish were of any size. 14 inches was the biggest. They were really liking a the green pumpkin with chart tipped up legs.


Total Distance Floated = 0.3 mile
Total fish Caught = 10
Minutes per Fish = 12.1
Biggest five fish = 54 inches

The Last Fishable Water- May 15th, 2017

   
I had a day off today but nobody to fish with. Pipestem's Long Branch Lake was the only remaining fishable water left in the county in light of our recent longstanding rainfall and flood waters. The fish were in a negavive mood thanks to a high pressure front. I have not fished here in years but had done well a time or two in the past. I fished shakey head and senko to no avail. I did manage to catch one on a fluke with no other hits. I worked my way all the way around the lake and then called it a day as the wind started picking up.

Dog Collar - May 13th, 2017

It happens to all anglers and today was mine. The old zero. Brad, Nahodil and myself drove over to Moncove lake today because the water in all of our rivers was at flood stage and rising. The two weeks of May rain have really taken a toll. When we got there it was quiet, but shortly there after dozens upon dozens of cars started showing up. They were having a trout kids derby day. We were relegated to fishing only the upper end of the lake. I found the fish to be in a bad mood. No surprise with it being post cold front, windy, falling water and cold. I hooked and lost two fish  but landed neither. Brad caught two on a crankbait. Greg caught two on a spinnerbait. Tough day of fishing. We had an awesome lunch at the Swinging Bridge over in Pain Bank, Virginia. The first two weeks of May are usually excellent fishing, however this year they have been awful. Cold, heavy rain, high water and not much opportunity to get after them.