Post by Woody Williams on Jun 24, 2007 13:14:39 GMT -5
River smallmouths not just a fish story
By Steve Ford
Sunday, June 24, 2007
"What's this stuff about bass in the Ohio River?" the caller blurted. "I never heard such a thing until I saw that there fishin' report of yours."
"Bubba," I said, "is that you?"
Sure 'nuff. Tell me about bass fishin' in the Ohio River. I'm tired of fighting that traffic on the Them Bridges on my way to the lake (Kentucky)."
"That's Twin Bridges, Bubba, as in two."
"Ya' don't say," he laughed. "So tell me you were just funnin' about somebody catchin' a smallie in the river. Can't be no such thing."
"Think about it Bubba," I said. "You've caught a smallie in Kentucky Lake, right?"
"Yea," he said.
"And the Ohio River and the Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake's source) do connect downstream from here, don't they?
"
"Yea," he said.
"So wouldn't it make sense that there are smallmouth bass in the Ohio River, too?"
"I guess it would."
From there I told him more about how streams like the Blue River in Indiana, tributaries of the Ohio, hold native smallmouth bass. I told him that smallies were even more common the farther you went upstream.
"You know, Bubba," I said, "I had it on good authority from a conservation officer who saw a 5-pound smallmouth that was landed below Newburgh Dam by a guy who was trolling a crankbait. That's a good fish."
"Yea, Steve, it is," he said. "Now how does ol' Bubba latch onto one of them."
"That's just luck, Bubba," I said. "Smallmouth tend to be incidentals around here, but largemouth and spotted or Kentucky bass are quite common. I once saw a 5-pound spot come from the river."
"Now you're pullin' ol' Bubba's leg, Steve," he laughed. "Ain't no such thing as a 5-pound spot."
"I saw that one with my own eyes, Bubba," I said. "An old friend of mine named Ralph Lowe caught it down around Hovey Lake. I've even got a picture somewhere."
"Let me know the next time you see that picture, Steve," he said. "I want to see it, too. Now tell me where to fish the river."
That took a while. There were places to go through like the riverfront downstream from Mount Vernon and the heads of islands just about wherever you find them.
It changed a little when you got behind dams like at Cannelton and Smithland where a bunch of different creeks had water back in and flood timber along the creek channel. Fishing there's more like fishing Kentucky Lake.
"That sounds good, Steve," he said. "So what about tournaments? Are there any tournaments on the river?"
"There's one out of Dogtown Ramp on Tuesday evenings every week," I said. "You want to get there before 5:30 and sign up and then you fish till dark. Call Fred Santiago (812-430-2521)."
"Smallmouth and tournaments, too. I'm gonna give it a shot."
By Steve Ford
Sunday, June 24, 2007
"What's this stuff about bass in the Ohio River?" the caller blurted. "I never heard such a thing until I saw that there fishin' report of yours."
"Bubba," I said, "is that you?"
Sure 'nuff. Tell me about bass fishin' in the Ohio River. I'm tired of fighting that traffic on the Them Bridges on my way to the lake (Kentucky)."
"That's Twin Bridges, Bubba, as in two."
"Ya' don't say," he laughed. "So tell me you were just funnin' about somebody catchin' a smallie in the river. Can't be no such thing."
"Think about it Bubba," I said. "You've caught a smallie in Kentucky Lake, right?"
"Yea," he said.
"And the Ohio River and the Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake's source) do connect downstream from here, don't they?
"
"Yea," he said.
"So wouldn't it make sense that there are smallmouth bass in the Ohio River, too?"
"I guess it would."
From there I told him more about how streams like the Blue River in Indiana, tributaries of the Ohio, hold native smallmouth bass. I told him that smallies were even more common the farther you went upstream.
"You know, Bubba," I said, "I had it on good authority from a conservation officer who saw a 5-pound smallmouth that was landed below Newburgh Dam by a guy who was trolling a crankbait. That's a good fish."
"Yea, Steve, it is," he said. "Now how does ol' Bubba latch onto one of them."
"That's just luck, Bubba," I said. "Smallmouth tend to be incidentals around here, but largemouth and spotted or Kentucky bass are quite common. I once saw a 5-pound spot come from the river."
"Now you're pullin' ol' Bubba's leg, Steve," he laughed. "Ain't no such thing as a 5-pound spot."
"I saw that one with my own eyes, Bubba," I said. "An old friend of mine named Ralph Lowe caught it down around Hovey Lake. I've even got a picture somewhere."
"Let me know the next time you see that picture, Steve," he said. "I want to see it, too. Now tell me where to fish the river."
That took a while. There were places to go through like the riverfront downstream from Mount Vernon and the heads of islands just about wherever you find them.
It changed a little when you got behind dams like at Cannelton and Smithland where a bunch of different creeks had water back in and flood timber along the creek channel. Fishing there's more like fishing Kentucky Lake.
"That sounds good, Steve," he said. "So what about tournaments? Are there any tournaments on the river?"
"There's one out of Dogtown Ramp on Tuesday evenings every week," I said. "You want to get there before 5:30 and sign up and then you fish till dark. Call Fred Santiago (812-430-2521)."
"Smallmouth and tournaments, too. I'm gonna give it a shot."