Been fishing around CR for the last week or so. Mostly chasing smallies on the main river above the 5 in 1. Fishing has been ok, with a few brown bass and a greenie or two mixed in on every trip.
Rock and current, same formula as always for da smallies. At least once every trip my crankbait has just gotten trucked by a big catfish, so I’d leave the 6 lb test at home and go beefier.
Hey Johnny!
Glad to hear you’re still fishing!
Quote:
Hey Johnny!
Glad to hear you’re still fishing!
OMG!!! Been so long I had to look at the join date. One in the same??? Hope all is well…
Mark
Good to hear from you all as well. Been fishing whenever work lets me stay around, but lots going on right now.
Most fishing has been 3-4 hour trips to Macbride and Kent park, since they’re both so close to home. Tons of largemouth in both lakes right now. Once summer hit, the fish at kent went deep along the dam, and I forced a few baits into my hands that I hadn’t used a lot. Funny how it works that now they are my main go-to baits now, where the traditional favorites have been resting in the tackle box.
Hit the cedar a few times after smallies, trying to practice up a little. Seems to be working.
Headed on a 3 day trip starting tues after labor day. Not even sure where I’m headed yet, but hoping to whack some smallies. Was thinking green bay, but the guy going with would rather drive less and fish more, so if anyone’s got good advice on a smallie hotspot, please share (Lacrosse?)
Has anyone been on the river in the CR area lately? I got a boat recently and want to get out…just wondering if there’s enough water anywhere around here to get out.
How big of boat, flatbottom or V? Flatbottom should be ok below the roller dam, a bigger V and you’d have to be careful there but watch for rocks for the first couple blocks down river, below the island and it gets deeper, watch for sand bars. Above the downtown dam is good up to Seminole valley but alot of boat traffic.
My boat takes 2-3 feet to float it, and I will put in at mowhawk and fish fromthe quaker railroad bridge to the edgewood bridge no problem. North of the edgewood bridge i put down the electric motor and tilt the prop out of the water.
It is overly paranoid, there is water up there, just not much in places and I don’t want to shell out 400 bucks for a new prop. The cedar just isnt that good of a fishery for me to take big risks.
Still lots of fish to be had in that stretch. If you’ve got a flatbottom, you can go about anywhere.
Thanks for the info. I have a flat bottom. I tried putting in north of CR a couple weeks ago and it was really low. I’ll have to check it out closer to the city
Even during normal years with my old boat – 15 foot fish and ski – I cojld never make it more than a half mile or so above the turn at Seminole valley before running out of water. This year, in this boat, I just can’t see wrecking my prop trying. I have gone almost up to the turn with the electric flipping a jig on the west/south bank, which also has a couple of riprap points with current that you should stop and throw a crankbait at.
I went over the bridge that’s between Palo and Center Point a few days ago and the water there looks deeper and better then where were talking about, If I would have had the boat on the back I would have put in and they get some nice catfish and big crappies up there in the back waters. Also there’s another ramp north of there up by Urbana, wildcat den area. Just watch for sandbars and logs sticking out of and just under the surface, alot of trees came down river the last few years. Also theres a ramp by Palo on the Cedar, the chain lakes area, Alot of big catfish have been caught around the chain lakes area over the years. Also If you know how to fish walleyes the bridge and ramp by Urbana is a good place to put in and fish, on the Cedar River. Let us know how you do.
Fished the cedar again yesterday. Since I haven’t been up there since the flood I focused North of the edgewood bridge. Based on where the waterskiiers kept running, I had a fair idea there was enough water to float through. That got me about another mile upriver where I put the trolling motor down, flipped the knob to high, and kept heading upriver.
I was alternating throwing a crankbait along rocky shorelines and pitching a jig, the latter whenever I saw a likely looking break that failed to yield a crankbait fish. I caught a handful of smallies in the current, along with two flatheads, one of which I thought was a rock for almost a full 3 minutes, trying to pop the crankbait free. It wasn’t until I got the boat over top of it that the rock started swimming away in that slow, wallowing, “this is my river, stop bothering me” sort of way. Luckily, the crankbait popped free before I had to figure out how to land him, since I was not equipped to handle what I am guessing was a 30+ pound fish. Two carp on the crank, one snagged, the other with the back hook in his mouth, and a funny looking fish also – round head vs a common carp. Not sure what he was (though undoubtedly a junk fish).
Farther upriver I found the entrance to a backwater that held some good largemouth bass in the 2-3 pound range. That was the only flurry of big fish in about 2 miles of banging the shore. Not sure where the big smallies are, but the best ones I found werent much biggere than 12 or 13 inches.
Since the flood, the channel has shifted quite a bit, but once you find it, there is enough depth to run quite a ways, at least up to seminole valley. It’s an awesome time to be out, and some fish are always biting something, somewhere. Get out and enjoy.
Got out again yesterday for a few hours. Water temp dropped 10+ degrees into the 60’s. I explored some new areas and hit a few old ones. Cold front and high skies made fishing tough. A few smallies and a green bass or two was it for the day.
If the weather steadies, I would expect things to pick up a little. Of course, then it will be time to hit coralville for some crappies.
I was out for a couple hours yesterday afternoon in the Edgewood area. Didn’t have any luck besides snagging a carp.
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