Not having time to travel to the Delaware System or to chase early run kings on the Salmon River, I opted to explore local water.  A few leisurely hours chasing smallmouth or a possible pike within a 20 minute drive was a perfect  plan for Labor Day.  I grabbed my 6 wt line and started fishing Honeoye Outlet in Rush, NY.  As I walked the banks, I noticed dusty brown crayfish fleeing every few steps.  The number of crayfish, creek chubs, suckers and general baitfish surprised me.

So, I tied on a Root Beer Crystal Bugger and on my fifth cast was rewarded w/ a jumping 10″ smallmouth.  Every hole w/ decent depth held a scrappy smallmouth.  They pounced on my fly, especially in still water.  After numerous fish and more exploration of Honeoye Outlet, I decided to try my hand at topwater.  First cast, a smallie busted on my deer hair diver.  The topwater fishing was superb.  Letting it sit, twitching it, active retrieving, or any manner of presentation and any color combination caught fish.   Some holes produced 5-6 smallmouth, anywhere from 6″ to 12″.  It was a blast to watch fish attack my topwater flies, some nearly the same size as the fly.  Never would I have guessed  a mid day, local excursion to yield several dozen smallmouth.  I’ll need to keep in mind more of our local options next time I go fishing.