Autumn Kayak Fishing on the Great Miami River

By Dan Schlegel, Great Miami Outfitters

We usually paddle this 5.5 mile stretch of the Great Miami River from West Carrollton to downtown Miamisburg, but usually don't have the time (or take the time) to fish that section from our kayaks. Last Friday, October 22 we decided to change that. So we packed up some lunches and our fishing gear and Andrew and I headed out in the early afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature hovering right at about 60 degrees. We planned to take our time, and try to locate some smallmouth bass hanging out in deep pools or moving water.

We left the fly rods at home. Our goal on this outing was just to stalk and find areas that held fish. We used light tackle with a variety of artificial lures including tube baits, rooster tails, and crankbaits.

We put in below the low dam in West Carrollton. I was paddling a Wenonah Fusion 13ft solo canoe and Andrew was paddling the Native Watercraft Ultimate 12. The water was clear and cold, just the way our prey liked it. Leaves were in full autumn color and fluttering down to add to the picture-perfect day. It was so beautiful and relaxing that we told ourselves it didn't matter if we caught any fish. In fact, earlier in the summer we fly-fished on Utah's Provo River, and believe it or not, many qualities of this stretch of the Great Miami River reminded us of that western trip. It was just nice to be out - father and son.

For the first hour we fished hard, changing lures and tactics often. Slow retrieve, fast retrieve, bouncing off the bottom, top crankbaits, deep pools, and shallow water. Nothing seemed to work until we switched to rooster tails and fished along the seams of fast moving water. It's where we suspected the bronzebacks would be lying in wait for their next meal. We were right. Well, at least Andrew was right. He caught several smallmouth bass in the 10-12 inch range. I on the other hand got skunked. Same lure, same technique, no fish.

Usually this stretch can be paddled in 1-1/2 to 2 hours. We took our sweet time, averaging only one river mile per hour. So after nearly 5 hours on the water it was time to get out as dark was closing in quickly. We both said that it still wasn't enough time to thoroughly explore that stretch. Next time maybe we'll only average half mile per hour. I guess we better get up and on the water early in the morning.