river bass

Hi Folks, Guided last night on the lower Lamoille for smallmouth bass.  Nice evening with perfect air temperatures and cloud cover.  The river temperature was 75 degrees.  There were craw fish all over the shallows and you could watch them dart everywhere as you waded around the stream.  Crawfish might be one the number one forage items for a smallmouth bass.  Still, we fished poppers with the fly and did not have to use any sub surface patterns to trick he smallmouth.  You always like as a fishing guide when your guest catches a fish on their first cast.  First cast of the afternoon produced a nice 1.5lb smallmouth.  We landed a dozen smallies last night with a couple fish pressing 2.5lbs to 3lbs.  Really strong fish that jumped and did not give up easily.  Really put a bend in a 6wt. outfit.  We focused on big eddies that adjoined large pools and any spot that appeared to be dead water off the main current.  River fish are energy efficient and smallmouths will hold in the slower water of the main current.  Lots of big rocks where we fished which provides excellent cover.  We had some really explosive strikes on the popper.  The fly of the night was a #8  chartreuse popper with rubber legs.  Never changed flies.  Off to run the boat with guests to chase smallmouth in a lake.  Happy 4th of July.  Remember to clean your gear and keep the non-native species at home.  Have Fun, Willy