Went to Blue River, located north of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, for what was just my second warm water foray of the 2010 season. Overcast most of the afternoon, about 80 degrees, southerly winds with late thunderstorms forecast...conditions just to my liking.
After a ten minute bike ride into the Catch & Release area, I walked to the river's edge performing recon while joining and threading my fly rod. Visibility at 2-3 feet, no fish. Nothing rising, nothing holding around visible cover, nothing making any kind of flash in feeding lanes...nothing, but I have faith.
After hearing reports of some late season trout being caught, I decide a rust colored #6 bead head woolly bugger might be something that would entice both smallmouth and holdover rainbows. I was not disappointed. Today turned out to be one of those days when you remember what it was like to be a kid fishing a favorite piece of water. Heck, today I became a kid again.
Drifting the bugger along a seam in the deepest water in the area, I managed the first bite of the day. A hard take, I immediately thought I had a nice smallmouth. After two pretty strong runs and a lot of violent head shaking, the fish came close enough to the surface for a broadside view. Still too deep for me to be absolutely certain, it appeared too large to be a smallmouth putting up this fight. Making another hard run into deeper water, the fish quickly changed directions and vaulted from the water with a vibrant flash of pink and silver. Uh-huh, like I thought. After releasing the 16" bow, I had another hard hit in the same spot, but no hook-up.
The next hook-up was a feisty 10" smallmouth that cartwheeled until wearing itself out, followed by a Kentucky with eyes bigger than it's stomach. Another nice smallie was brought to hand just before having a nice rainbow sluggishly roll on the bugger without connecting.
Before heading downstream I returned to the scene of the first fish with a silver bead head bugger in black with silver wrap and strands of crystal flash...same result. A carbon copy of the first bow quickly accepted my offering.
New spot, similar results...another voracious smallmouth. Plucking vegetation from the leader-tippet connection with the black bugger dangling over the small falls a chunky bluegill took advantage.
Change of location...last stop, an area that has produced nice bows as well as frisky smallies during their respective seasons. Fishing time's running out, but I continue to drift the black bugger through riffles letting it swing in front of and just beyond some promising underwater rocks. The bugger stops...I lift the rod...the fish is there! Fish of the day! Several moments of strong runs, fighting the fish and the current, identity revealed as it rolls on the surface...and rolls, and rolls, and rolls! A 20" channel cat is my final reward.
There've been days when I've caught more fish, but rarely have I been so unsure of what'll bite next. Today took me back to a time when I marveled at what "might" be lurking beneath the surface. Perspective...it's all about perspective.
If you haven't been fishing lately...it's time. Time to grab your rod and search for your fountain of youth.
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