The day I caught my personal best (PB) Smallie started out normal. Naw!!!! No it didn’t!
I first flew my drone up the river and over the falls which gave me a view of what the water looked like on top. I’d been up the falls before, but the river was deeper back then. I could not advance by wadding very far beyond the falls. My aerial scouting showed me this time was going to be different. The water levels were low for late spring.
What I found up the falls and beyond was beautiful, lower than normal water, and a bunch of angry and hungry fish. In fact, I caught what I believe to be my personal best smallmouth bass as the last fish of the day.
With my Beyond The Bridge adventures I aim to discover what exists deeper or further than the common access points or viewpoints that most of us know well. This personal best smallmouth was caught at the end of my day as I pushed further up the river, much further, and beyond the falls. This fish being the biggest smallie I've caught on the river (20+ inches and at least 5lbs) left me feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Equally as awesome is that I caught this personal best smallmouth pushing further into my journey and not at the beginning of my day. This somehow sweetens the accomplishment for me.
This is proof that "beyond the bridges" is a mindset that brings reward when executed properly. This outing confirms for me that when I look for places to fish that require exploring and a sense of adventure I will come away with a deep sense of accomplishment.
