Revisiting an evening’s trip this week I enjoyed using a very productive pattern of mine. Here’s the recap: A deadfall interrupts a rocky shoreline on one of my favorite streams. A 5-weight rod delivered weedless streamers to the deep edge of the extended tree branches as slow-sinking intermediate line enabled it to remain unaffected by the wind-blown surface water. The first line strip stopped abruptly. I answered with a firm strip-set that resulted in a throbbing rod tip. Three head-shaking leaps and several dogged attempts to reach the wood structure later an 11-inch bronzeback was admired and released. Two more similarly-sized smallies and 7 green sunfish came to hand before the action slowed. On the hike back to the bridge access I encountered a quiet pool and noticed several small pygmy toads hopping across the gravel bar. I quickly switched reel spools to accommodate a floating line with our Diving Frog attached to the 3X tippet and cast to an exposed rock pile. The sponge-bodied frog floated until divining with wildly kicking legs when the line was stripped. A release of the line tension allowed the frog to float back to the surface where it was often greeted by an explosive strike. Four more smallmouths were landed and released including an evening’s best of 13 inches.
On Being an Opportunist
