Fished down in the Hammel Woods area again this morning. Got out about 6:30 and fished until around 11:30. Picked up 3 smallies and one dink largemouth. First smallie was on a strike king bleeding tube in a laydown; it nailed it as soon as it hit the water; The second smallie was with a fluke on a jig head taken off a bed and the third smallie was also tight to a laydown and taken on a watermelon flake powercraw. Water level is great right now; up just a little bit and is a little stained compared to last weekend. Stopped over at Seil rd in shorewood but only stayed a few minutes and got tired of the algea. Thinking of hitting king rd in bolingbrook for a little while but will have to see if I make it off the couch .

Nice fish but are you sight fishing Smallies off their bed?

Two came from lay downs one off a bed.

I'm always surprised when bedding fish will take artificials. I was on Rock Creek years ago and saw hundreds of bedding fish. They wouldn't look at anything. I was using live leeches and it would take minutes for one to travel the one foot to even take a look at it. Most never bothered eating.

One of the reasons I never liked spring fishing for smallies in rivers. Too damn hard to catch them once they're spawning. Largemouth on ponds are much easier. Largemouth caviar, mmmmmmmm. BLEH.