Downsizing for Big Fall Smallies

 

        Fall is one of the best times for people who like hucking big baits for big fish. Looking at you, big swimbait dudes. The dropping water temps mean big fish begin getting on the feed for the winter and they're looking for big meals. However, weather can vary wildly in the fall, and recently, Max, Victor, and I got stuck in a situation where small, low, and slow was needed. 

    Salmon Camp this year was futile. The lack of rain had sucked all the life out of the tribs and the hot weather made what little fish left sluggish and unwilling to bite. In an entire morning, I got one fish to move on a fly, Max got one half-hearted swipe, and we barely saw any other ones, even in gin clear water. A few hours into the day, we made a call. We were gonna ditch the salmonoids and do some walleye/smallmouth fishing at a nearby spillway. 

    I immediately began chucking the big stuff. I start throwing a Smithwick Rogue, hoping for a big smalljaw or 'eye to slam it. Worked my entire way up the bank, nothing. I do the same thing with a big swimbait. No cigar. Suddenly, Max comes tight on a 3 inch Gulp! Minnow, pulling out an incredibly lethargic 13 inch smalljaw. Soon, he missed another bite. 

    That suddenly got the wheels turning. I tied on a 3 inch keitech and started slowly crawling it off the bottom. After Max lost his jig, he started doing the same. We started getting bites almost every cast, with myself getting a mix of walleyes and smallmouth and Max putting some nice bronzebacks on the board. Within time, Max and Victor had both broken their person best smalljaws. 

    Make some lemonade out of lemons, people. Never be afraid to change spots, try new things, and switch it up. It's that constant sense of change and need to adapt that makes this sport so goddamn addicting. 

Cheers, fishy people.