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Spirit of Moonpie and I spent Nov. 17-19 on the Nottoway below Delaware. The water was a little high, running really fast, clear and 55 degrees. It was actually 50 the first day and 60 the next, so I’m saying 55 degrees. It was really odd the water temp changed that much overnight. I think it was more due to the influx of all that new water from upriver. Air temps ranged from 41 to 72 degrees. There was more trash than normal, but it was mostly old trash washing from out of the swamps. Lots of glass bottles. I saw no water quality issues other than the leaves were quite a problem motoring. Had to stop often to clear the propeller.

I did not fish but one hour the first day. That morning while setting up my tent, I had a sciatica back attack. Happens ever so often when I’m out there, always not good. Plus, I had to travel way downriver to go to a Bronco Club membership interview meeting. I almost didn’t make that. My back was so bad by the time I got there, and then having to walk from the boat to the clubhouse ’bout finished me off. On day No. 2 I was a little bit better after taking massive amounts of ibuprofen, borderline overdosing to get some relief. Haaaaa… actually not funny… So, I was able to continue my smallmouth quest, but yet once again I came up empty. I caught a couple speckle, a shell cracker and a couple of largemouth in my attempts to catch the elusive bronze back, but I’m still batting zero. Alas, I’ll be glad when the striped bass are in the river. Raccoon perch should get going soon if the water temps start reflecting the time of year. Yeah, it seems I need easier species of fish to catch!

I didn’t see that many critters this trip. I usually start seeing lots of deer swimming the river trying to allude the hounds the first of hunting season. I did see a bevy of otters in the Narrows. They were doing their usual inquisitive checking-me-out routine. They are so funny to watch, the way they vertically bob around trying to figure out just what I am. The first night the coyotes got to going at the turf farm. Sounded like two different packs competing to see who could freak me out with the crazier sounding screams. I got to tell you, with that full Beaver Moon, it was pretty creepy, yet exciting all rolled into one. 

So now I’m home and have just got to wait till my back gets a little better… it never gets “well” these days, so I have to accept that “better” is the new “well” to be able to visit the two rivers we call the Nottoway and Blackwater.

Jeff Turner is the Blackwater Nottoway RiverGuard. To contact him about river issues, send him an email at blknotkpr@earthlink.net. He can also be followed on the Blackwater Nottoway RiverGuard Facebook page. Search for “Blackwater Nottoway RiverGuard” on Facebook.