Infected with the Fever

News Alert....Cabin Fever is nearing epidemic levels and is wide spread across the fishing world.  I knew I was infected on Monday when I started making grand plans of driving all over the Country fishing in Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana...No, not 1 state, I was planning on fishing in all of them in 3 days.  I had a major case of Cabin Fever.  I get this way every March (no matter how much I fish during the year I can't build up an immunity).  It struck me early this year, January!  Luckily, reality punched me in the face and a bad decision got a black eye.  Otherwise you'd be reading about interesting bumper stickers, funny license plates, and getting a traffic report.  **Bad decision is in training and a rematch is scheduled for March!!**  Only known therapy is to get out and wet a line!!

treatment is a nice ~20" Bown - 1st fish

The weather has been down right, spectacular!!  The lows aren't too much fun, low 30's at night, ignore the lows!!!  Focus on the highs...HIGHS were near 70F!!!  All this over a 3 day weekend meant a camping trip wasn't avoidable.  It's only 3.5 hours to Heber Springs and I knew the LRR could treat my fever.  I decided to camp 2 nights at JFK park and reap the full benefit of treatment.  (Ironic since it was MLK holiday weekend)  Relief was almost instant, as I was driving over the dam I was greeted to an amazing sunset.

Only held phone up and snapped w/o looking - got lucky and captured it

 I packed lite so setting up camp was a breeze.  In under an hour, I was sitting by a fire, checking the generation schedule, and drinking a cold one.

Remember when I said, ignore the lows...don't listen to me.  At 5am when everything had a layer of ice on it, I was very much aware of the temp.   Gearing up isn't an option in my 2 person tent and I was dressing for a 30F start, warming to 65F...That meant stripping and redressing in the cold, short sleeves on 1st followed by cold gear to be removed as needed. Coffee not required for a jolt when you have freezing body parts.  

Jumped in the truck and headed to the river.  The COE was not running any water today so I was planning to fish all day.  I would head up river throwing streamers in fast water as the sun came up and nymph my way back after lunch.  Then back to the articulated stuff as the sun left.  It's fun to make a plan...plans are what keep you from being unprepared.  Back to that in a moment.

The morning started just like I planned.  I went to a spot I knew had a deep run and pulled 2 nice Browns from that run before 9am.  My fever was diminishing with every cast and I was feeling great.  I wasn't in a hurry.  I packed up about 9:30 and started up river.  The sun was getting high and the bite was getting slower but I was suffering from streamer fever now and I couldn't put the meaty stuff away.  I knew the areas that would be best for streamer work so I paddled past a bunch of water that would be great for nymphing later.

Throwing streamers isn't the way to load the boat and today wasn't different.  Caught a few more bows but that's it...just a few fish before lunch.  They were some hard fighters and I was pumped to pull 2 nearly 20" browns.

Took a break around lunch time, grabbed come calories.  Checked in at home...just enjoying the day.  When all of the sudden, I feel something crash into my leg.  I turn and there's my kayak, guess it's ready to leave.  The island it had been resting on was an underwater island now.  Confused I grabbed my phone and called the COE...guess they didn't follow their plan and pooped on mine.  They had turned on a unit for 2 hours earlier and that water reached me just when I got to my favorite place to wade.  Thanks for the warning.  I wasn't expecting the rise in water and wasn't prepared...as such I was lucky to be standing by my kayak.

Wasn't the end of the world, some moving water increases feeding activity...at least that's what I read in my library of fishing magazines or watched or was told, can't remember where the knowledge came from.  But plan "B" was in action.  I go into fly fishing ninja mode.  I'm drifting...slinging at the bank, ripping, and stripping wait'n for that monster Brown to eat.  Hold on it's about to get real!!  Envision, full sinking line all over my feet, under the kayak, all up in my rudder...did I say "ninja" mode.  I meant "GB Packer" mode in the last 2 minutes of the NFC championship game.  It was both comic and tragic!  Full sink and kayaks don't go well together...at one point I managed to tie the Cuda in the perfect improved clinch knot.  If only I could do that with my SH's (1 hackle always finds a way into the knot)!!?

So plan "C" if you will introduce yourself...say what...this will be on the fly, fly fishing!  Put the big stuff away and drifted an indicator until I found a place to wade.  So much fun watching my kayak with 1 eye (afraid it would lift and drift).  While watching my indicator with the other eye.  I did manage a few more bows on the way out.  Eventually, plan "C" became plan "D", paddle out and wade below the dam!!

Had a good time below the dam.  Not many people fishing and found a few small bows.  The campground was pretty empty over the weekend.

Made a quick dinner and a new plan for the morning.

Dinner w/ a side of beer can corn

Plan was to head further down river and avoid the water that was projected to run for 4 hours on Monday.  That would give me about 6 hours of low flow fishing.

Started the same as Sunday throwing a streamer in fast moving water.  It wasn't long before I had a beautiful brown in HAND...I say that b/c I had a net when I started wading...it's clearly visible in my pictures...but when I went to use it, it wasn't where I left it.

Wasn't here for long and eased back into the water

Didn't go far and got another eat from this nice bow!!!

The sun got high, a few boats ran through my water, just some excuses on why I didn't pull any more from that great run.  So I opted for the 5wt and nymphed the last few hours and lost count of the stockers.  They were eager to take soft hackles, and midges.

Around noon I started heading back to the truck.  I was about 1/2 a mile away when the water started to rise.  As luck would have it, I spotted my net floating in some slack water.  Nice to have it back!!!  After this weekend I'm feeling revived, not cured!  Cabin Fever has no cure, but when the fever returns I know what I'll need to do...get some therapy!!!
  

Fast and furious - shad it's whats for dinner!!

Planned a last minute trip after realizing I wasn't going to be able to fish this weekend, bummer.  So I did my normal stay-at-home dad routine...get the kids feed, dressed, and to school on time.  Being extra careful to not suffer from a fish brain moment.  Making sure they were wearing actual jackets and not life jacket's, I dropped them off and made my way to the refuge.  It's 8:30 am and I'm ready to start paddling out.  But before I get gone, I decided to try my gear, since it had been a few weeks since my last bass trek.  Standing at the ramp I made my first cast of the morning and wouldn't you know it....fish on, 8:24 am!!

Still at the ramp - gonna be a good day!!

I'm not superstitious, not worried about the first cast/fish stuff.  Actually it was the exact opposite, on the drive I had decided to try a shad type bait (crankbait, swimbait, or spinnerbait) and this bass made the decision easy - swimbait.  

Tree lined flat was looknfishy.  Not today.  Should have taken a selfie to show where the fish were hang'n.

Around 9 am, I was trying to decide if I should fish the tree line along the edge of some flooded flats or hit the timber towards the middle.  I made a cast towards the shallow flat with no success.  When I looked behind me I saw a gleaming spiderweb, and remembered a tip I read or heard somewhere, about breaking webs.  The idea is that no one has fished that spot or the web would be broken.  So I made a cast behind me, slightly awkward in a kayak, but I managed to stay in the kayak and hooked into my 2nd fish.  Broken web = 2nd fish of the day.

Decided to stay put and work the timber harder with the swimbait.  2 minutes later and fish number 3 was smiling for my camera phone!!  He absolutely killed the swimbait, if it wasn't for my kung fu grip I may have lost a rod/reel today.  But luck was on my side today and the bite continued and even got hotter.

Not the biggest but this little guy was a good example of how the bass were responding to swimbaits.  Choked it!!

Same fish just showing the choke hold

Kept hitting the timber with success.  The strategy was to keep moving and cover water while the fish were feeding. I knew it wasn't going to last all morning.   The biggest bass of the day, a solid 4lbr was caught at 9:21 am.

But his buddy wasn't far behind at 9:33 am.

3lb, choked again

It went like this from 10 - 11 am...but the average size went way down.  A few pics to represent how the bite ended.

Had lunch at 11:30 and started my paddle back.  Off the water at 1:30 pm.

Today's fish hang out!!

From 8:30-11 am, I caught 10-12 bass.  I packed 3 rod/reels but never reached for anything else.  It's that time of year when the bass are on the feed.  Any time is my favorite time to fish....but fall fish'n is my favorite'est!!!

Beautiful day wrapped up with, Bows!

Got the word from a buddy that the Browns were moving around and some big ones had been caught on the Little Red.  Made a plan to visit family in Central AR and watch some football.  Then make my way up to the river Sunday morning.  Well, I watched way too much fish porn Friday night and couldn't make it till Sunday.  So at midnight I packed up and headed out.  I hate fish porn....but I love it too!!!  Sorry family...

Bottom of the steps, start of trail to river.  Where a cuda is wait'n for paddler

The drive was uneventful for the most part, except, 1 little speed bump.  At 4 am, I was look'n for deer, I missed that black and furry critter (sorry dude) hanging out on the yellow line...sort of...but I think he got me back.  Black truck smell'n bad...guess I'll have to name it stinky face.

I arrived 2 hours before the sun was awake.  Decided to try the Libby Shoal access...meaning I had to walk my cuda and gear to the river...about 50 yards I guess...down a steep flight of stairs, along a dirt trail...all this at 4am.  Let's just say, after 3 trips, I was ready to fish.

Think'n the big fish would be out I decided to try a big streamer on my 8wt.  I was slinging that big articulated streamer hard...I could hear it ripping past me.  It was at that moment....

Nice Bow that fell for a sowbug

I remembered I wasn't wearing eye protection.  Gotcha!!  Really the only brown that I hooked into was a stick...but it made my heart jump.  So did the almost splash down I had.  Slinging that 8wt, I had that cuda rock'n good.  You know what they say about a kayak-a-rock'n....you're about to be swim'n.  That's how the before sunrise fish'n went.  But I was set on hook'n a big brown so I kept at it after the sun was up until about 8 am.  But the water wasn't helping, almost 0 flow and very clear.  Not the best conditions for big streamers.  So I put the 8wt in the hull and pulled out the 5wt with a bugger.

Leaves are piling up on the water and in my net

Hooked up on 3 straight casts...but my set sucked.  1st fish, I strip set like I was redfishing, 2nd fish, try'n not to set like it's a red, I basically set like I was hold'n an egg.  3rd fish, more of a hybrid between the 2 others...and the fish was on for a little while.  I think I lost it more to it's impressive underwater yoga...head-to-tail touches...those bows are very flexible.

Great color and very healthy

The bows seemed to like the bugger I was throwing and I stuck with it for a couple hours.  I stripped it, swung it, and dead drifted it.  I managed about 15 bows.  The low, clear, zero flow conditions demanded an indicator and sowbug (not my favorite way to fish).   But it produced.

Get'n bent

 Didn't get as many, b/c I don't have the patience to watch a bobber (I missed several b/c I looked away), but they were bigger...cool with me.

Ended up covering about 3 miles of river and caught around 25 bows, all with great color and very healthy look'n.  Not a bad day for a guy trying his best to not snag himself.  Spoke with several people on the river, no browns caught.  I saw 2, and 1 looked like a log...they both saw me first and went real far, real fast.

Sun started to fade and I was exhausted.  I had been awake 36 straight hours, and still had to carry everything back to stinky face (I found the aroma long before I found the truck).  Which might explain why at one point, I looked down and saw a muddy cloud, and thought I had spooked a redfish.  Ended up being a sandy bottom.  Fish'n all over AR and LA maybe make'n me crazy...but I love it and fish porn!!!





 

Few hours to kill

Someday's you just got to get out.  Today was that day for me.  Lucky for me I keep my yak locked on the rack at all times...for all those last minute trips.  Didn't plan on being gone for very long so I took the 8wt and a few streamers.  But was surprised to catch a couple bass...only 1 was worth a picture...sort of.

I did notice that all kinds of creatures are on the move...some friendly some not so much.

He looks friendly ?

Not so much - unhappy cottonmouth!

There were 2 of them sitting on the log in the water.  He was just hang'n out.

One more reptile before I headed home.

Wild things are moving about...watch your step if you are on the move too!!  Another adventure is in the works, stay tuned!!

Felsenthal Water Trail

Had a few hours today, Friday, so I decided to try the water trail access at Shallow Lake.  It's about 30 additional minutes from my house and having never been I wasn't familiar with the area or specifically the fishing.  But, the only way to learn is to get out and get paddling.

Signs always help!

Found the sign but didn't really follow the suggested path.  It headed North and I followed that general direction but I was mostly lookn for fishy places to wet a line.  Found a few, and caught a few bass.

The area is changing from Summer to Fall.  Temps are lower, 65 this morning at the ramp, and leaves are beginning to change colors.

The refuges inhabitants are becoming more active...saw a few turkeys, 2 deer, and the bass are starting to school up...caught this one and had 3 follow it back to the yak.  If I had been fishing anything with more hooks I would have had a double on the same bait...haven't done that since I was a kid.

Only had a few hours to fish but I managed 3 and lost 2 so not bad for 3 hours of fishing.  I'll be back to really test the fishing shortly, it seemed to have a ton of possibilities, deep water, pads, and cypress.

Part of the water trail

Entrance to Fishtrap lake part of the water trail

Hut with a view 

When I got home I did a little more research and found this, with maps of 2 water trails:

Friends-of-Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge FB page

Looks like I have some more exploring to do....Felsenthal is a yaker's playground.