I really do need to try fishing the river. So far this year I've only spent an hour and a half on it. Maybe this weekend...
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Got out three times over the past week to two different creeks. First one was a short sunset cruise. Barely an hour and a half and 300 yards and on my catch/miss scale I went 16/10.

Sunday was a relatively short morning. A couple of hours and about 400 yards of a different creek got me 12/7. On the hike back to the car there's a pond nearby that I have permission to fish. Figured I may as well try for those sluggish pond bass. Went 5/2 on largemouth. After catching smallies out of a creek, catching largemouth out of a pond is like tying into water soaked WalMart bags. Not much of a fight.

At one point I had to walk on the shore of the creek, which put me a good 6-8 feet up at the top of a steep embankment. Came across a coupled of redds with smallies on them. One big smallie nearly 20 inches was going through the courting/mating ritual with a male that was much smaller, maybe 13 inches. It was interesting to watch the mating dance. The female would try to wander off and the male would herd it back. A sucker came close and the male bolted after it and chased it far upstream. Another male tried to take it's place, but that didn't go well. These fish can be vicious.

At one point the male tipped the female over on her side then went the whole length of it nipping at it with it's mouth. Standing there watching all this for a good five minutes is the true definition of fish porn.

I need a life.

Saturday was a four hour journey down a good mile of Blackberry Creek. I'm slowly going further upstream to see if the smallies are up there along with any other kind of fish I could find. Since I don't like wading up creeks and prefer the down stream approach, first I had to hike up and find a way in. A definite challenge. This little creek valley is wild, thick and swampy. I'm glad the mosquitoes aren't around yet, this could have been much worse.

The wade itself was one of the hardest I've done and definitely the hardest wading I've done on any of the other Fox Creeks I've fished. I think I know why, but I haven't had the chance to study my topo maps yet. I think the creek bed is dropping toward the river much steeper than many of the other creeks. There were a few fast moving chutes that I had to think twice about going near, but I had no choice. You can't walk on shore and walking back up would have sucked. One chute in particular was some of the fastest, longest running water I've ever run into on water this small. While standing in the middle of it trying to get across I figured I may as well fish it. The fish were all over it and it was worth almost getting knocked down for the opportunity.

Went 21/24 for my four hour venture.

In the last stretch I ran into two anglers heading upstream. Eric, who along with his wife Jen I had out guiding a couple of years ago and his friend Drew. Between the two of them they said they only got one fish in the nearly 100 yards of creek. We parted ways and they continued upstream. Of course, even though they had just fished it, I had to keep fishing my way back. Went 5/2 in that stretch. Sometimes you just gotta have the touch.

Been doing a lot of short jaunts like this and so far this year I've only been out on the river twice for maybe a total of an hour and a half. I'm getting what I want with what I've been doing. Catching fish, much needed solitude in beautiful places and the need to continue to live between my ears. It's a nice place.

Not much rain in the forecast for the next 10 days. The river is down to 1400 cfs as I write this on Monday. At 1000 cfs or less you can wander the river with abandon and not be concerned. At 1400 I can go anywhere I want. I may have to bite the bullet and give the river a try. Might be time.

Ken

I had one come unbuttoned up that crick, 17 to 18 inches, big shoulders. Wading and casting downstream on the way out in the long pool. Way cool to see a fish that size up there after what over a hundred years ?

175 years Norm. I caught a few that size up there this spring with a couple even bigger coming off at my feet.

I'm waiting to see if we get some rain the next few days then I'm going to go further up. Maybe the rain would make them go exploring too.

Dale's pretty proud of himself to keep neck and neck with you catching fish. Doesn't take much to get him all excited.

Nice article that Dale wrote up in todays paper. Nice report too, Ken. Were you blushing or turned on watching those fish get randy? Hhhhmmmm.....

Nice picture in the Times Ken...nice to see someone who cares to share their water with a good heart. I'm moving to Nashville next month and will keep tabs of your exploits on the site!

Already found some nice, vodka clear water with smallies and buckets down there. I have a good frind that was a guide there for 30 years that will help. They have some issues about legal water and that will be new to me...but hopefully friendliness will help.

The Fox has been good to me over the years and have been doing well on streamers and caddis in the evening.

A heads up on Little Rock...have you seen the giant log jam up a quarter mile from where it joins Big Rock before dumping into the Fox? Saw it earlier this year and then had the best smallie day of my LIFE on Big Rock...because tthat log jam...is a dam! Get your dynamite and get in there please for the future of Little Rock!

Be well and thanks for the guidance over the years...never did find my way to Blackberry!

Good luck in Nashville. Check out the Duck River and all points south of Nashville to the Alabama line.

-SB

Thanks GD.
I should start up an Out of State category for you, keep us posted on what you're up to down there.

I heard about that log jam on Little Rock, but haven't made it up there. My timing has been all off on those two creeks this year. At least near the mouth. Barely ever see or catch a fish, but everyone keeps telling me of their best days. I will go check it out, maybe if I bitch at the IDNR a bit they might do something about it. It's rare, but you never know.

Some day I'll be heading south, can't take the winters up here anymore. My wife and I have drawn a line on a map from the southern edge of Missouri east through North Carolina. It will be somewhere near that line. Milder winters, hills and little mountains and plenty of small flowing water to play in.

Ken, I was thinking of the migration myself somewhere down the line. I have noticed a lot more severe weather lately(last couple of years) and I don't want to deal with that... Up of Michigan 22 feet of snow last winter...Pass. So we will research for now and dream of retirement, which may be all I can afford to do anyway.. I have been popping a few post spawn smallmouth late evenings and they are all gorging and recovering from the spawn by eating the hatches which have been huge. Not getting out as much but enjoying what I have when I do... Peace.

I have to head South and be off the Fox for a month. Great time to go, middle of summer. Maybe not.

I'll be fishing stripers and hybrids up in the creeks if you need me.

BTW - south of Nashville in the Duck River Scenic Area looks great to me long-term. Still have smallies but bunches of other stuff too.

-SB