u/TWags1515

Man, you gotta go really far down to find the Drum flair. Thought for a good minute I enticed the coveted 5-lb. smallie from the Montgomery surf only to see the hump-back break the surface. First-ever drum weighed 5.5-lbs. and measured 24 inches. Is that good? I’m still big bait/big fish mentality and this one clobbered a 3 1/2-inch, multi-jointed bluegill. Apologies for the garbage vid. Pics are even worse; I’ll put one in the comments. Now thankful it wasn’t the smallie til I get the after-dark snaps figured out.

With absolutely zilch to support it, conditions “just felt right” to connect with a really big smallie tonight. No dice there but not without an adrenaline rush when two juvenile flatheads ambushed a jointed swim bait (blue gill) on back-to-back casts. Adrenalin burst because these things put the hammer down and you think “nice smallie!” before things start to get suspicious. Wouldn’t mind wrestling one of those 30/40-pounders someday. Anybody ever tussled with the kind that requires two hands in the mouth to hoist it up for a snap?

Got back last night from a whirlwind baseball trip through Nashville > Atlanta with the kid and have all sortsa graduation responsibilities with the girl this weekend. But after getting teased by the Cumberland and Chattahoochee rivers snaking below my hotel window for 3 days, I needed a quick fix this morning. Found a hungry 17-incher hanging in a couple feet of water alongside heavy current. Big shoulders but another one still working on that belly. Her heart was in the right place when I threw a 3 1/2” jointed swim bait on the other side of the rapids and was planning to flick it through but she gobbled just after splashdown. A 45-minute sesh was the perfect recharge. Tight lines this weekend — I gotta go help find the tassel 🎣 👩‍🎓

Who pulled the plug in the Fox? Was able to venture out at lunch and we’re back to dry rock bed where it was 4 feet deep (and deadly) three weeks ago. Twitched a jointed swim bait through the roils and whirlpools where an 18-incher was lurking. Insane markings and great length, but still working on that belly. Tight lines this week 🎣

A big muskie a couple weeks ago (and me posting about it) outed one of my favorite spots on the Fox, so I’ve returned sparingly the last several days, mainly at odd hours. Such was the case this morning at sunrise when a hungry 38” grabbed a multi-jointed swim bait (crappie pattern). Same story: 10-lb. mono tied directly to the bait. She ripped drag and fought powerfully throughout. The release was quick and stress-free. This is crazy. Not loudly, but I got accused of doctoring the last pic on another platform that starts with Tik. So here’s some vid from the shores of a noticeably receding Fox. Tight lines this weekend!

A section of the Fox River Trail is just steps from my office, and I often make a few lunchtime casts. Today I wanted to check how gnarly things are in Montgomery (very is the answer) and with just a couple guys throwing, I grabbed a rod from the back and walked about 200 yards south of the dam on the east bank. Just a few casts in and this younger 36” musk started swimming away with my … swim bait. She put up a massive fight on 10-pound mono before a new friend named Kevin came to my rescue with a net. Beautiful fish, almost iridescent in color. Thanks also to Kevin (decked in waders) for taking a few snaps and handling the release.

Here’s a 3.77-lb. (18.5”) tub this morning from the Fox. Was flicking a jointed swimmer (sunfish) along and through seams of raging current/slack water. They’re hanging shallow and ambushing baitfish as they get swept past. At least that’s my very non-scientific assessment. Fun tussle. Tight lines this weekend and stay cautious around the rivers!