Jackson: Mostly solitary success on a newly discovered stream

It was another one of those days of aimless wandering equipped with daydreams and fishing gear along with my trusty chest waders.

I suspected this little treasure that I "discovered" some 40 miles west of Milwaukee possibly held the promise of smallmouth bass.

I sat in my truck, scanning the water and banks in all directions. I was using my father's field glasses, the set he'd used in the jungles of the South Pacific.

I watched and waited while sipping the remnants of hot coffee from my well-worn Thermos. There wasn't a soul in range of my search. That's exactly what I expected and that's what I got - a major dose of solitude.

I went to the back of the truck and slid my chunky body into my new Orvis, waterproof, zippered-front waders. No more wader battles for me. I slid them on, adjusted the fit and zip it up. One doesn't need to muscle up in a gym to get these things on and properly fitted to one's body.

Out came a light, 6½-foot Grandt spinning rod along with my 4-piece, 6-weight fly rod. I couldn't decide which rod to take with me, so I transported both of them down to the water. I stuck the fly rod in to a Velcro cloth rod holder affixed to the back of my vest and proceeded to get to work. I know I looked like a tall porcupine with brown curly hair, but I didn't care.

I extended my collapsible wading staff to its full length, allowing me to gingerly move along the stream.

There were some big boulders on the opposite side of the stream that looked interesting. I tossed a 1/32-ounce Mini-Mite jig to the upside of one boulder and allowed the jig / tail to settle to the bottom.

It never got there. To the bottom, that is. My line went taut and started going in an upstream direction.

Seconds later I slipped my small net under a 10-inch catfish.

Cast number six brought the proverbial "electric shock" all the way up my rod and into the handle. It was a smallmouth, of course, and that fish was doing its best to head for Northern Wisconsin.

My 4-pound mono was stretched to its limit, but after a few give-and-take moments, the netted fish and digital scale revealed a 2½-pound smallie.

I headed for the bank to sit down and relish the moment and also tie on a fly to a leader so I could battle another smallmouth, but now on the fly rod.

I heard a rustle in the bushes behind me. I thought it was either a critter or a game warden. Wrong on both counts.

With his hand out in front in a move to shake, he said, "I'm Walt, and I've been watching you for a while."

He explained he too comes to this spot for the exact same reason as me, strictly relaxation. He added that he also carries two rods into the stream and laughed to himself when he observed my fly rod sticking out of the back of my vest.

Walt shared with me that he used to be an autoworker in Kenosha until the plant became "unnecessary" in the overall scheme of things.

I invited him to join me in the water.

"I'd like to try out that good looking fly rod," he blurted out as I got up and got ready to re-enter the stream.

He took the 6-weight and proceeded to make a very long cast upstream. The fly sailed a good 65 feet before landing close to the opposite bank. He took the slack out of the line (it's called line mending) just to make sure there wasn't any current drag which sometimes has a tendency to make a fly swim in an unnatural motion.

A couple seconds went by and he suddenly lifted the rod for a very gentle hook set. Two pounds of smallmouth took to the air as if it was the star of an acrobatic troupe. I netted, weighed and then released it.

He climbed up on to the bank, saying thanks as he exited the scene, and also told me my rod was a tremendous casting tool. And just like that he was gone.

Another happenstance meeting on a stream. What could be better?

Adjust your set:

Starting Sunday, Nov. 2, the Mike Jackson Outdoors Radio program begins a two-hour shift, 7-9 a.m., on a new venue, WCGO 1590-AM.

This station is transitioning to an all-talk format. The full station power (10,000 watts) kicks in at 7:15 a.m. Live stream broadcast of the program can be heard on www.1590WCGO.com.

Fishing report:

Different angling sources reported to me this week that the crappie fishing on the Fox Chain continues to be one of the better fall bites in recent years.

Channel Lake is one example, with large schools of black crappie eating minnows like ravenous sharks. Bluff Lake has a mixed bag of white bass and crappie competing for forage.

The smallmouth bass action continues to get better every week, especially at the south end of Pistakee Lake near the Fox River. And to the very end of the Chain, where the river meets Grass Lake, walleye action is hot. The bite centers on minnows tipped on small jigs.

At Lake Michigan, brown trout along with fresh steelhead are available just outside the Waukegan Harbor.

• Mike Jackson can be reached via email at angler88@comcast.net, and visit his new Web page at mikejacksonoutdoors.com.