4 wheeler fishing

Since I have lived on the river and owned an ATV I have enjoyed something we call 4 wheeler fishing. During late july and through august the water level of the river goes way down, so much so that a canoe trip is more like a hike over slippery rocks while dragging your canoe for exercise. Even the tubbers wind up with a sore ass from rocks just below the surface. During this phase of the river I have proved that large numbers of game fish and bait congregate in the few deep pools of water just below or above the most turbulent water you can find [no spreadsheeting neccessary] I think it may be the oxygen level in that water but whatever it is they find one of those spots and stay in it till the water comes up or till you pull them out. The best way to access those spots and move around the river to other spots is with an ATV. It may seem a little strange as you prepare by securing your rod, tackle box, bait tray, minnow bucket, and 12 beers on ice to your 4 wheeler but thats only the 1st challenge. Negotiating the flood plain with the gear is a little tricky, once my line must have got caught on some brush and I arrived at my destination only to find an empty reel. I can usualy pull it off with no problem. We have some fairly well established trails so getting in the river is pretty simple also. The fun continues by catching bait in the shallow water near some rapids. With a hommade box that has a screened bottom you disturb the rocks upstream and let the water wash through the box usualy with a few tries I can catch a dozen helgramites and some occasional crayfish and madtoms. Its fairly easy to manuever your 4 wheeler to casting distance of some of those deep pools I refered to earliar. If you don't catch anything right away move to another pool sooner or later you find the right one and get ready for action every cast will produce at least a hit and usualy a fish. Large catfish and as well as large and smallmouth bass are usualy plentifull. It is not all glory though manuvering the 4 wheeler around those deep pools can be tricky and the rocks are slippery as well as hard. Its easy to get off course a little and wind up in the drink with the machine. The good news is the 4 wheeler will actualy float because of the air in the tires it will stay just visible in deep water. The bad news is when introduced to deep water on the slightes incline it prefers to float upside down. A few of our excursions have ended in wrestling the machine to the bank and pushing or towing it home for the 27 point water removal procedure. Fishing this year has been pretty slow I have caught some nice ones but nothing to brag about... now getting there is more worthy of a story.