Each early January, there seems to be a brief thaw. The mercury may flirt with 60 degrees for a day or two, then reality sets back in with a harsh cold front and return to lows in the teens and ice on the river.
This year was no different. My wife's tulip bulbs poked through the mulch I spread last fall. The air was moist and smelled like March, not January. Fortunately, the timing of the three day warming trend ended on Saturday, making for an enjoyable and productive day on the river with two friends, Andrew and Paul. Each of them caught their first smallmouth of the year, and Andrew caught his personal best.
Water temps rose through the week to around 36 degrees, warm enough for several thick river smallmouth to bite. Take a moment to watch the footage from the day's action and learn what tactics worked.