Dog Day Streams

During this time of year when the plank riders and jet ski jockeys have taken over the lakes, about the only way to catch fish is at night or in a creek. While I believe these pleasure boaters have as much right to the lakes as fishermen, I still think there is a special place reserved in hell for anyone who has ever ridden a jet ski.

Anyway, back to the subject of this article: creek fishing. Wading the local streams for small mouth and large mouth bass in the heat of the summer is difficult to beat. I enjoy this fishing as much as any, mainly due to the simplicity. A cut off pair of pants, some old shoes, a spinning rod and a few baits is all it takes. Park the car, slip into the creek and start casting. No boat, no trailer, no gas expenses, ..... simple.

I prefer Elkorn creek for catching bass, redeye, and sunfish. It is a rare occasion to fish Elkorn and strike out completely. Most of my trips are what I would call successful, and some are even outstanding when I catch it right. The best time seems to be a few days after a good rain when the water is still up and has cleared enough to have just a little "color" to it. North fork and main creek are the best areas for bass. Large mouth are dominate in north fork while small mouth rule main creek. There is a 12 to 16 inch slot limit on bass in main creek, north fork still has the 12 inch minimum. Stoner creek in Bourbon and Harrison county is also very good, if not better.

Equipment. I prefer a 5 foot light action spinning rod and a matching reel spooled with 6 pound test. It is important to stay light duty. The largest lure is usually not over 1/4 ounce, which makes casting these difficult with larger tackle. I have tried ultra light, but broke off too many times resulting in lost fish.

Lures. My all time favorite bait is a buzz bait. The sight of a two pound small mouth smashing a top water bait on light tackle is something else. A three inch twister tail grub is a close second. Other top producers include a Rebel Craw, A.C. Shiner, Rooster Tail, and a variety of soft plastic baits. Of these I prefer a 4 inch finesse worm rigged Texas style. The motor oil and chartreuse "razor worm" is deadly. "Beasly" Borland, (the almost mayor of Midway) who introduced me to creek fishing, swears by live bait. He uses soft shell crawdads, and hellgrammites. This is hard to argue with if you want to go to the trouble of collecting your bait.

To wrap it up, if you are tired of lake fishing and want to try something that's almost a guarantee, give the creek a try.