This week's summary

[Ken G]

Dale should run the bulk of it on his Stray Casts.
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I got out on Thursday after work and it had to happen sooner or later. Started at the creek that has not turned on for me at all this year and only caught five smallies. Cut it short and headed off to the creek where I've been cleaning up and caught seven. One of the seven was a two foot catfish. The gar were all over this creek. I Tried to pick up a gar that didn't see me coming, but they're fast little buggers.

This was the slowest fishing I've had all month.

While there I noticed that the creek was now flowing like a normal creek again. The bypass culvert was completely removed. This meant the coffer dam was gone and the work in the creek itself was coming to an end. I didn't bother to go look till Saturday. I haven't bothered fishing upstream of where the dam was yet. I've been waiting for this day when the creek was pretty much free and clear.

Below the dam so far this spring, and that's a very short stretch, I'm somewhere over 200 caught and another 200 or so missed. That's mainly where I've been fishing and it's only been about a month. Amazing how one creek can be loaded with fish while another is practically barren.

Went out Saturday morning for barely an hour and fished for the first time the brand spankin' new 500 yard stretch above the Blackberry now gone dam. The coffer dam was gone and shore work was being done. The whole area looks pretty well destroyed, but I bet by fall you won't even be able to tell.

Wound up with 12 caught and 17 missed, all smallies. Not bad for just a few hundred yards of fishing in a stretch that hasn't seen a smallie migration in 175 years. Saw a quillback carpsucker cruising by too. I don't know if they were in the creek before the dam removal, but at least one is now.

Went back to the creek again on Saturday at 4 PM and fished for two hours. I started at the head of the construction and went upstream for three quarters of a mile. Last time I fished this stretch was a few years ago and I got two largemouth bass for my troubles. Never went back there or anywhere upstream on this creek again.  This time I wound up with 23 smallies, 1 largemouth and 1 bluegill caught and another 22 missed fish. The water was so clear that I know they were all smallies. Got to see two huge ones before they spit the hook.

Over the years I've done my own little stocking program on Blackberry Creek. Now and then I would fish below the dam and every smallie caught would be tossed over the dam. A couple of years ago I heard reports of a few being caught upstream.

Also over the years I've explored quite a bit of the creek, but never bothered fishing it. I have spots all planned out up to and just beyond Jericho Road. Not sure how many miles that is, but it's a few. Now I have a reason to fish and explore.

Will be interesting to see how far up the smallies go this year. It's also interesting to see how quickly fish take advantage of a now dam free creek.

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Got out after work today (Tuesday) to THE CREEK for a couple of hours. Went upstream of the construction. Caught 16, which includes two largemouth and a crappie. Missed 28. Couldn't set a hook to save my life today. It's really beautiful up in there and if anyone tries it I have some advice, don't take a shortcut through the woods. Did that years ago. It will be one of the most miserable experiences of your life.

The smell of spawning fish, based on memory a combination of carp and suckers, was very strong on the creek. I love that smell.

[heysambennett]

I read that on Dale's site this morning. Good report, man.

I too missed a lot of fish yesterday. Not sure what it was, but plenty of short strikes and jumping hook spitters.

The carp have invaded the spots I prefer this time of year. On to the next spots, I suppose.

I only do well every-other-day it seems. Even if I switch up my plan, one day is good and the next... not so much.

The dam is almost wadeable now. I like it at 1,000 and below and we're at 1,400. Haven't made it up there yet this year. Despite the fact that it's a tourist spot, it's one of my favorite lunch trips. The fish are generally not where most guys fish and all last year I had the prime spots to myself. I also go during the week, no point on the weekends.

Some of the classic riffles are setting up nicely downriver. There's one spot that I hit as soon as the whirlpool behind the little island in St. Chuck stops swirling. I figure another few days and it'll be on. They're probably already there but it's an uncomfortable wade until the whirlpool vanishes. Funny how you pick up on stuff like that year-to-year. The last two in a row they sit in a deeper trench upstream of that general area right after it stops.

I know your work schedule is set and home stuff must be hectic... but I do want to come down and see ya. Let me know if you have any spare time to play guide to a lower river neophyte.

-SB