I hate the @#$% Wind, but...

[SmartWeed]

I hate the wind, but this morning (6/15) it did me a favor. It was fairly calm at my house as daylight arrived, so I decided to head to the Snake River. When I arrived it was a bit choppy, but not too bad. However, I did notice that the river was higher than it has been for quite a while (When I looked on line later the gage showed it up 1') I started up river, hitting spots that usually produce, but found nothing. Not even a tap.

After fishing several usually productive spots to no avail, I pulled in on a wind-protected sandbar to turn the dog loose, drink some coffee and then share a muffin with Fudge. As I finished my breakfast I noted a very small current break and eddy a short cast above the bar. I tossed a small watermelon creature bait to the head of the eddy and felt a bump on the first movement of the bait. I stuck the fish and it immediately jumped so I could see it was a good fish. A while later it wallowed near the boat and I knew it was a very good fish. A short while later it was in the boat and I snapped this photo:

She was a dandy 20.5" fish that probably weighed 4.5+ pounds. After a short rest I landed two other smallmouth from that small eddy.

As I drifted back downstream the whitecaps were blowing upstream as gusts went up over 25 MPH. I tried to fish a few other spots, but finally gave it up. The wind won the war, but I won one nice battle.
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[JusJoshinYa]

I'm with you on disliking the wind. Took the nephews out shooting in the desert earlier. The wind cut our trip short and blew us back in the truck. Look's like it payed you back today though! That is a beautiful smallie.

We were down there catfishing yesterday. The fish are biting, and the word is out! Lot's of people for a Thursday.
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[Huntsman]

I too disdain the darn wind!!!

However, somedays it's a blessing in disquise! I can't count the spring days I've been steelheading and the wind gets so tuff that it blows guys off the river.. Learn how to cope with it and some of your best days can be while we cuss the wind...one of my top days (30+ landed) was a windy bugger, but I had the hole to myself...
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[manudevil20]

That's a great smallmouth. I'm hoping to go do some catfishing in the next couple days. May try my luck with some smallmouth from the bank too.
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[idahoron]

Great fish Phil. The water first came up here on the 9th. It took 4 days for it to get to your neck of the woods. Ron
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[windriver]

Great write up and beautiful picture. Thanks for sharing.

WIndriver
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[Duck-Slayer]

nice fish for sure, figure being 20.5" it would be it the 5 1/2lbs range or a little bigger.....
Matt
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[forgiven]

What a great fish! You the man!
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[cpierce]

That is a fish to remember. Beautiful!

Is it just me, or are there more large bass posted in the last year than before. Maybe we just have better fishermen now!
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[Nick1983]

There should be an auto reply to anything you post that says, "Awesome job! That's a great smallie"

[cool]
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[Pharticus]

Wind creates optimum fishing. As the food chain is batted about, the larger fish grow less wary and more aggressive as they seek out the easy pickings.
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[SmartWeed]

[quote Pharticus]Wind creates optimum fishing. As the food chain is batted about, the larger fish grow less wary and more aggressive as they seek out the easy pickings.[/quote]

Maybe, but I still hate it as a fisherman. If you can't control your boat, see your line, feel the bottom, cast with precision, and many other things you need to do to be a successful fisherman, it doesn't matter if the fish are feeding more aggressively. That said, I can only remember a few times in 65 years of serious fishing, when wind helped increase my bag. Usually strong winds come in after a cold front passes through which brings the worst time for fishing. A wind as a storm blows in can often accompany good fishing - but not if it's 25 MPH
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[drowning_flys]

I agree but what a nice bass [cool]
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[redfish1]

Very nice fish. Are you using a prop or a jet in that section of the river?[reply][/reply]
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[SmartWeed]

I have an 18' G3 tunnel hull boat with a 90/60 Yahama Jet.
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