Last Saturday was a good morning for me to wake up early and head out for some prospecting. The popper action had been picking up in the recent weeks, but remained in question with the recent rains. The fishing proved good early, with my popper being hammered immediately by a juvenile largemouth. The next few casts saw many strikes, and then I brought some nice bream to hand before the bite shut off for a couple of hours.

After checking on a handful of different spots, it was time to let the poppers dry out, and target the depths with clousers and wooly buggers.  The action was very scattered, but I did hook into a nice bass right along the bank in some flooded vegetation that took part in a long-distance release. Hopefully I will be tangling with that fish soon as it put a very nice bend in the 5wt rod.

Before heading out, I figured it was time to give the popper one more shot. This time on the 3wt. This setup cast in tight to cover proved to be a wise decision, as it yielded a handful of solid bream. Even with all the strange weather and crazy amount of rain, the fish are still looking in both directions for food, so poppers and streamers will produce equally. Look for the coming weeks to provide more improved surface fishing as the cicadas make their presence known and invite the fish to an all-out protein buffet. Stock up on your best cicada imitations, pick your spot, and hang on for some crazy action. Good luck out there,

- Braton