A Day on the Water — Topwater Pattern

The 3rd day I launched at the Pigeon River Mouth and paddled up to a backwater Channel were Smallmouth and Largemouth have taken small poppers and subtle floater divers for the previous 2 years.  The second fish was a big smallmouth that took a 1/0 White Dive banger hard.  I just about had her beat and was pulling straight up while she was boring straight down in the weeds right under the kayak.  The rod was a hybrid cobbled together from the butt of a nice 8 Weight St. Croix with a random tip half that came from a shorter...