Smallmouth Creekin'

[matt johnson]

I finally got around to a little smallmouth fishing this summer today. I explored a new beat on a Sacramento River tributary. Fished mid day. It was hot. Results were good. Most reliable approach was carefully presenting a wooley bugger to spotted fish. Had some luck casting to shade pockets with a #10 swimming frog as well. Caught a whole mess o' fish. Just about every creek that flows into the Sacramento that I have explored has this fishing. Yee Haw!

Typical creek smallie:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/smallmouth.jpg

fishin' hole:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/fishinhole.jpg

hungry Green Sunnie

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/sunfish.jpg

Meet Mr. Hardhead, a California native:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/hardhead.jpg

Big Dog!:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/bigdog.jpg

Topwater smallie:

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee281/ozziebooboo/topwater.jpg

I went home smelling like moss, 80 degree water, and bass. I had a great day! Matt.

[Ed Wahl]

Beautiful pics Matt. Nice size smallies you've got going there. Looks like the hardhead took it deep, the ones I've caught always nipped at the tail fibers and just barely got hooked. Love your topwater Smallie. Looks like we share the same favorite fly. Watch out though, they will inhale that baby deep too.

Now you've got to watch out, the internet is full of nefarious types who will try anything to get the location of your streams out of you.

So ah Matt, do you gamble? Play the horses? Need someone offt? Need embarrassing pics on someone? Maybe a guy at work needs to be roughed up a bit? Someone hitting on your girl? We can talk buddy, that's what I'm here for. Gimme a call, we can work something out. I'll break legs, arms, thumbs, you just name it. Ed

[Adam Grace]

Good for you buddy, if it weren't for the bass in the hand instead of Yuba river trout I'd swear that those were pics from MSP! :lol:

That was a big hardhead, and some darn nice smallies!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Matt....................we love those photos.

Matt lives in Los Molinos so he is way up north (2hrs) on the Sacramento River. Far from us here in Sacramento. Way less pressure up that way because of the lack of human population.

In mid-summer, even though the flows are way down and some creeks dry up, the warm water species in them are hungry as hell.

Matt's home is on Mill Creek and a few weeks ago we watched those bass feeding agressively in the pool right below/behind his home.

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In many of our big reservoirs the Spotted Bass have displaced the Smallmouth a lot.

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Andy Guibord has a fast action 7'6" #3 line rod with a WF5F on it for his small creek bassing. It is easy to carry in a canoe too.

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I think we have some of the most diverse fishing anywhere here in Nor Cal? We are lucky..........

[Charlie Gonzales]

Nice Matt, good to see your finding time to fish.

[Hairstacker]

Matt, that is awesome finding a sweet little creek that will produce smallies of that size. Looks like too much fun! 8) 8) 8)

[matt johnson]

Ed,

That Hardhead was hooked under the chin. I guess he just swipped at the fly or I struck late? Either way, they seem to react kind of funny to the bass flies...mostly following or nipping like you have experienced. I have watched them methodically working hatches and spinner falls just like trout. Pretty cool.

It is a wild world in those isolated creek pools in the summer! Everything is eating anything it can fit into its mouth. Nobody can escape! Must be nerve wracking for the smaller fish.

Nor Cal is an incredible place for diverse flyfishing. Much of it is only lightly fished. I can get into all kinds of stuff within an hours drive. I am very fortunate. Matt.

[Ed Wahl]

Best I ever did on Hardheads was on Cache Creek up by the county park. I used a #18 Spotlight Emerger. They were as picky as any trout, wouldn't touch it if there was any drag. Ed

[dtp916]

HAHAHA! :D

Very nice, dude! 8)