Fly fishing for smallmouth takes me to places that are special… are unlike other spots here in Indiana; Sugar Creek in North Central Indiana is just one of those places, in fact, it is THE place if you are looking for a beautiful place to find nice smallies. Such was the case just recently as my friend Frank and I journeyed a couple hours north to Crawfordsville to float the waters of Sugar Creek.
After unloading my camper at Shades State Park and stowing away some gear we moved upstream and started floating back down stream. Here is the part where I make a couple of excuses; anytime it is June and the weather is perfect, 72’ with no humidity…the weather is a factor. We were experiencing some awesome weather, a Canadian High pressure had moved in and frankly had put the fish down on the streambeds, on their bellies. If you combine that with the most crystal clear water we had ever experienced…you have the potential for tough fishing. Such was indeed the case. As you watch you will see that I do catch lots of fish the first morning out, but not any big fish, those big-shouldered bruisers in the 16-20 inch range that make the rod bend so nicely.
It is however hard to fish SC and not enjoy the time out in one of, if not the most gorgeous place in Indiana. I caught myself casting and watching the cliffs up ahead of me for eagles, etc… Once again I get a lot of questions on where to put in on the creek, if you have your own water mode of transportation, then there are any number of access points. If you need a ride or a rental, then contact the good folks at Clements Canoes and they can hook you up. Clements is located on the eastern edge of Shades State Park. And one quick word about Shades…it is a great place to stay. No electricity, but a nice shower facility. If you camp, be prepared for the marauding creatures at night…specifically, the raccoons. They climbed all over my vehicle and even were up in our boats on top of the rig! They are truly a nuisance.
So, hope you like this video and “Part 2″, a shorter version that will soon follow. If you have any questions you can contact me at flyfishingwithjeff@gmail.com; I will be happy to answer as many questions as I can.
Share This Post with Your Friends ...
Fly Fishing For Smallmouth Bass On The River
Greetings from Fly Fishing with Jeff; once again I have found my way back out on another of the three local rivers that are all within 4 miles of our cabin here in NW Wisconsin. In today’s video, I land several big smallmouth bass on the river, lose one angry musky and catch a couple […]
Four Species of Big Fish On The Fly
Let me start off by telling you that within this video is the best 30 minute section of fly fishing that I have ever experienced in my 45 plus year career. On that note I will apologize for the video going so long but it was difficult and almost impossible for me to cut too […]
A Great Way To Spend Memorial Day
Greetings from Fly Fishing with Jeff with another adventure here in NW Wisconsin as we float 4 miles of one of the most beautiful rivers in America, the St Croix … located just a few miles down the road from our cabin. It was Memorial Day and the start of summer; temps in the 80’s […]
NW Wisconsin’s Big Smallmouth On The Fly
Welcome back folks to another video on Fly Fishing with Jeff as me and my buddy Duane drift about 4 miles of a beautiful river here in NW Wisconsin. My goal on the day was to catch any and everything I could on the fly … as it turns out, it was indeed a great […]