Fly Fishing for Smallies After the Flood

If you were living here in the eastern half of the US early to mid-May then you know we had rain, a deluge that went on and on. Here in Indiana it was one of the worst I can remember. I know that farmers will be out repairing and replanting fields while others will have to clean up homes, etc… I hate to minimalize this series of events or bring it down to fishing…but I always wonder how the fish, in particular my smallmouth population…survive?

I watched gauges and drove to a couple of streams and it was obvious that not only would the fishing be put off for a while…at some spots it was clear that the stream itself might very well look entirely different. As the gauges began to drop and waters started to recede I once again started my pursuit of fly fishing southern Indiana streams. My first two jaunts were simply nice nature walks; the water was still too stained and we had fell under a high pressure area that certainly helped to defeat my ego; truth is I fished for about 6 hours in two trips and caught nothing, nada, zero, bubkiss…well you get the idea.
My buddy Frank and I decided to move south and east a couple of hours where we hoped they hadn’t received as much rain and give it a go…I am nothing if not passionate and stubborn! I knew it would be good as soon as I set sight on the water; it had a green shimmer to it (not the brown stain I had seen the past two trips).

I shoved off and within 5 minutes landed my first chunky smallmouth…one more casts and I caught my second one. Ah….life was back to normal and indeed the fish had somehow survived feet of gushing water loaded with debris. Over the next six hours I coasted along and landed my share of nice smallies; nothing huge…but a few in the 15 inch range. Life was good and as always it was awesome to be outdoors in nature. It is here that I am most myself…seems I relate to water and fish better than to the hustle and bustle of the world.
So, as you watch today’s video give pause and ask yourself what a great resource we have in these waterways. I hope that this vid might just motivate you to get out and get going…best of luck to you in your pursuits after the flood!