An Unknown Stream, A Man And His Fishing Pole

Sometimes you just have to find out. That thought had been going through my mind for a few weeks. That's because sometimes on Sunday mornings I have to take my son to meet his mother in Franklin, Ohio. I do this so I can work at my job for a few hours.....

After I drop my son off, I take Interstate 75 North back up to Beavercreek, Ohio. Now after you get on the interstate about 100 yards north on your right hand side you will see a stream. Now your going going about 70mph and this is a construction zone so there are orange barrels that you have to watch for.You only have a quick moment to notice there is a stream, a very small, slow moving pretty little stream....and it screams "small mouth bass live here"....

Now I passed this stream 4 times, before the next Sunday morning I could not take it anymore, and as I crossed the bridge I had to quickly smash my brake peddle and pull over without hitting one of those damn orange barrels. I did just that, pulled off the interstate onto the shoulder, a bit into the grass, perfect. Stepped out of the truck, and gazed at the on coming traffic wizzing by me at 70mph, grinning....I pulled out from behind the seat of my truck my fishing vest, and a bass rod.....gonna hit this unknown stream...I have one hour before I need to go to work which is only 20 minutes up the road. So thirty minutes to peek at this Unknown stream and maybe wet the line...I am like a little kid in a candy store...buzzing with excitement.

I quickly made my way down the steep embankment, heading towards the stream flowing under the bridge......First thought was how clear the water is in this stream.....The stream was about 15 yards wide and clear as a bell... the deepest this part(under the bridge) of the stream was maybe 3ft....some minnows swimming around....I need to go upstream where the bends in the stream where. The ones that I could see from the interstate. The ones that drew me to this point I am at now. So upstream I headed....have to go threw the bushes and trees...

The bend in the stream was what I think of as a normal bend for these parts....the shallow side had a small sandy area, the other side was the side with the hole and a couple of downded logs. This is where I thought I might get lucky.....Now I could see it, this area, so pretty....I need to see if there is a bass over there....I am standing at the edge of the woods, and I need to drop down the embankment where the water had once cut away the bank....maybe a 5ft drop....Now there I am, in my work clothes....black dress shoes....ready for work....sneaking thru the woods....probably tresspassing, just wanting to check out a small stream....maybe catch a smallmouth bass...the ground before me looks dry....so I jump down....and my feet shoot out from under me and my ass hits the ground....I quickly push myself up and take a step into mud, that I had thought was dry ground...I take a few steps and look down at myself...mud covers my shoes up to my shins....my left arm is a muddy mess and so is the seat of my pants...all mud...and I have to go to work......thats the bad news...good news is the stream is right in front of me and I am on the bend that i had been viewing from the road all those times....it is pretty...more shallow that I had thought it would be....but I have a small section I might as well fish...this stream might hold a few...I don't catch any in this small area, not with the jig I had brought..but I have to get back to my truck...gotta get to work and somehow get cleaned up....don't have time to get home and then to work....shit!!!


........ok so I climb out of there...make it back to my truck....guess what?....Can't find the keys to my truck....they were in my back pocket when I slipped in the mud and landed on my ass.....I know thats where they are....gotta re-trace my steps and go find my keys...gotta get to work....covered in mud....all because I had to find out about this damn stream.....

....call me crazy, stupid...whatever.....I made it to work...I found out something about that stream...I have a good story to tell....

Go Fish

Twin Creek, Gemantown Ohio

So off we went to do some shopping at traders world, down by Cincinatti. That was the start of my Saturday, May 15th, 2010. I know, your thinking, "What in the hell does that have to do with fishing?" I went down there with fishing on my mind. But I had to go down there with the girlfriend because I had told her I would spend the day doing things with here that she wanted to do. So off we went at like ten in the morning. Now I walked around this huge flea market with her, all day, had lunch, spent money, you know, shopped. Ain't that a load of crap.

At about 3pm, she was getting tired. You see I had her walking everywhere, keeping a fast pace, wearing her down. This was about the same time a front was moving in and the sky was turning gray and, yep looked like fishing weather to me.(Honestly, every day, no matter the conditions, seems like fishing weather to me). So she said she had seen enough and was ready to hit the road, and I couldn't believe my luck. So we hit 75 north....

Now this was were I need to be cool and show some tact. See that morning I had placed my fishing shit in the trunk of her car without her knowing it. Now I had to mention driving through Germantown, Ohio to check out a park I knew about. Both Germantown Metropark and Twin Creek park are up there, making one really big Park. With Twin Creek running right through them. It eventually empties into the Great Miami River, but not before twisting and turning its way through 3 or 4 Ohio Counties.

So she said she was game, which I thought was really cool. So We headed west off 75 and into Germantown. Now I am a bit off a crazy nut when I get to check out a river that I have never been to....When we got to the park, I was a bit quiet and she knew, my fishing shit was in the back. Because when we pulled up, she asked me why I was smilling so big, then she guessed it when she asked if my stuff was in her trunk. Whick I replied " Ya, I think I put it back there "...

I got out below the dam. The water was up a bit, and it looked great. Just like most small streams here in Ohio. Shallow, flat with a few holes, trees overhanging, making shade. So we hike for a while, fishing rod in hand. I made a few casts here and there, ad as I was headed bck to the car, boom, a got a hit from a nice smallmouth, taking my tube bait... That was sweet, but I couldn't press my luck with my girl because she was being cool. So knowing they were hitting, I walked back with her to the car. Put my stuff away, and ended up driving around the park, and the surrounding area. Now this served to purposes. One, I was just taking a nice country cruise with here making her happy. Two, I was scouting, checking out the river as we kept crossing it on our drive. This way I had a chance to come back and would know where I wanted to hit em at....

Adventure Fishing all the way, no doubt.

Little Miami River Canoe Trip April 18th, 2010

Yesterday was awesome. We got an early start about 8am and decided to take a canoe trip down the little Miami River. It was a bit chilly, not cold but a bit of bite to the wind. Just enough to let you know that it was spring and the smallmouth bass should be active. Now as it turns out we were right, the bass were on that day. I had originally thought that it was gonna be a bit over cast, but there were not to many clouds in site. Once again those weather guys got it wrong here in Ohio. We had mostly blue bird skies, which usually isn't any good for them bass. But, we got into them anyway.

We drove on down 42 and stopped in to see Rhett at RiversEdge Outfitters. Now this is a top notch Canoe and Yak rental place, Located in Waynesville Ohio, 3928 U.S. 42. Rhett was there to meet us and got us in a great canoe, right away. Give them a call (937) 862-4540.

We did a 9 mile trip down river. Water was about 60 degrees F. Which was perfect, ten wind not bother us at all. Great day to get out....

Upon arrival at the launch site, we ran into two other anglers(steelheaders). These guys were launching a Yak and a Pontoon style float. Which was a awesome contraption for a float trip. They were in their waders and ready, as we were. Once in a while we run into other anglers who are rigged and ready to burn up the the river in pursuit of these Ohio fish....I got some pics and a few videos as well. We floated with these guys for a bit and watched them nail a few good fish.....

Get out on the water. Go, now, get up and take a hike. Find a sweet place, enjoy the out doors.

Tight Lines.