7-14-11

7-14-2011 Thr

7:30 PM – 11:50 PM

Weather: S 7, overcast, 76 ˚, 29.95 - steady
H2O: 76 ˚, 7.66, falling, 69.7 kcfs, dingy

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7

Caught: Bluegills and crappies (bait), 3 flat heads 2 – 6 LBS, 1 – 10 LB

Partners: none

Comments

I have wanted to flat head fish some main river spots lately, so that is what I started out fishing. The first spot I went to was Sommners, it is one of my spots where I always catch something. The flow has subsided somewhat on the river, but it still was ripping here. I set up on my favorite point that was next to a wash out that dropped down to about thirty feet. I like this spot because I can target both deep water and a shallow flat.
The current was really doing some strange things here. I had a terrible back current to contend with. I almost left with-in the first ten minutes. I did stick it out and caught an eater size flat within about twenty minutes. This spot is also home to lots of gar, and they caused me lots of problems. Gar will hit very aggressively, but they are very hard to hook. I missed lots of them. You can usually tell a gar by the way they act. They will hit the bait and run hard and fast, and then when you set the hook nothing is there. Also, the bait is usually still on but the bluegill is dead and its sides are sliced up.
The final spot I tried is a popular spot off the main channel with lots of wood and a fair amount of current. I missed about three hits on my outside pole before I finally connected. I almost learned the hard way that I can lose a pole in the rod holder if it is not attached to anything. If it would not have been for my quick action and some acrobatic maneuvering I would have lost my first cat rod to a fish.

Observations

The river slowing starting to get to its normal summer level, but we have a long way to go and I am sure we will be getting more rain shortly!