Shanklin's Ferry

Spring has finally arrived and fishing is starting to heat up. Austin and I decided to take my boat and fish Shanklin's Ferry. I have wanted to fish there for a long time, but never had the opportunity. It was a day of firsts for me. It was the first time I had ever fished Shanklin's Ferry, it was the first time I had tried my new boat motor in the river, I caught my first fish on my new St. Croix Mojo Bass rod, and most importantly it was my first Smallmouth citation. I have been after one of these for a while, and while I've caught thousands of bass over the years I have yet to catch a Smallmouth that qualifies as a trophy, until now. I caught this 4lb, 20 inch stud using a skirt jig with plastic crawdad trailer. The bass was in a text book spot in a current

break on the bottom edge of an island. This gave the bass easy access to deeper water, which was converging from both sides of the island. Ausin took the role of river guide, as he had fished Shanklin's Ferry most of his life, and like any good river guide he put us on the right spots to catch fish. Austin himself ended up catching some really nice bass and we have vowed to return for a couple more trips before the end of May when the water levels drop due to Claytor Lake holding back water and before the Holiday/Summer crowds invade.