I had a great Thurs. Aug. 14,  despite very low water on a nearby VA river, not the New.   I
"followed the bubbles", oxgenated water, not necessarily fast moving, and got one 17" smallie near a fallen tree right after a rapid on a weightless tube.    Further down, with crystal clear water,  saw a school of smallies in the bubbles towards the bank.  They saw me and still I got another 17" on a sammy.   Topwater is always fun!    After catching quite a few 10 and 12" smallies on the sammy and tube, just after the last rapid I threw a weighted tube into the air bubbles slowly moving through a very deep hole.   The line got tight and I thought I was on a log, but no, it was a 19.5 huge smallmouth stubbornly pulling, but very slowly.    It wasn't hard getting it to the boat, it got tired very fast, the 17" fish fought twice as hard.   My best day yet this year for smallie fishing, I'm getting psyched for the fall.