Hello and welcome to Kentucky Afield.

I'm your host, Chad Miles.

Join us as we journey the Commonwealth in search of outdoor adventure.

This week we're going to be deer hunting and floating the green River.

But first, we're headed down to the falls of the Ohio to target maybe the hardest fighting fish you can find here in the state of Kentucky.

I'm out here today with my ole buddy, the river rat, Jarrod Swift.

What are you doing, buddy?

Having fun.

You know, me and you were raised on a river.

But it's a little different sized river that we're on today.

A little bit bigger today.

Today we're out here right outside of Louisville on the Ohio River.

And interestingly enough, you and I were talking last week.

We fish a lot together.

We have fished a river together, but for catfish, we've never done this, have we?

It's a different ballgame.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

You've told me about it over the years, and I'm excited to experience it.

We're going to ease up, get up here close to some of the hydros.

We're going to hopefully catch some white bass and hybrids.

And if we're lucky, it's a little early.

Usually in about September the top water bite starts.

Oh yeah, that'd be fun.

Get a spook or a popper or something going.

There█s nothing like catching them on top water.

Nothing.

Let's make it happen.

Sounds fun.

We'll ease on up there using a trolling motor.

From here, you can cast both left and right seam.

And the back boil.

Oh, I just hit something.

You missed one?

Something hit me.

I hate having to get real close, but your best cast is like this angle.

Oh, really?

Well, because you're pulling against the current.

Gotcha.

We're just going to work our way up there until we find them.

Where you at, fish?

Oh.

Just got hammered.

I've had one bite.

You've had one bite.

Yeah.

Give this about another five minutes.

And we're going to run over there and check the other spot.

You're the captain.

Now, you would think ain't no fish in there.

Too rough.

Hey, this is what I wanted it to look like.

Let's hope the fish are here and feeding.

Man, I keep thinking it's just going to happen any second.

Yeah.

Chad, you want to try another side, another spot?

We are going to ease right around the other side and see if they ain't over there.

The work is always finding them, dude.

The payoff is well worth it.

We█re going to keep working.

When this is good.

We keep fan casting and we find this pod a feeding fish.

Every third or fourth chance you'll get a bite.

Just got to find them.

Let█s run back over to the hydros.

See if we can't find some fish over there.

Let█s do it.

Yeah, we got a few bites earlier.

Oh, here we go.

Got him?

That was a topwater bite.

Doesn't seem very big, but he sure mauled it.

He might not know he's hooked yet.

Here we go.

We're doubled.

There we go.

Who█s getting the net?

Yeah, flip a coin.

There█s an eater.

I think I got one about the same size.

Yes, sir.

Here we go.

Now we're fishing.

I tell you what.

I'm going to go to the back of the boat.

Get out everybody's way.

I got mine.

You got him on a spinning rod.

Yeah.

There you go.

Now, you caught one on the exact same time you caught one down in the water column.

And I caught one up on surface.

Nice job.

Yes, sir.

Let█s get another one.

About that time.

Dinner bell is ringing.

There they are.

There they are see them slapping.

There we go.

Got him hooked up?

Yes.

So much current.

These fish are strong.

I'm going to run to the back of the boat, guys.

See you.

There he is.

Coming up top of the water right there.

Oh, that's a good one.

They just open that mouth and sit in the current.

Can't hardly move them.

Like reeling in a anchor.

Hey, we got him.

All right.

Nice job bud.

Thank you.

Nice fish.

I'll tell you what, Jarrod, you've been thought a bait caster all day.

You picked up the spinning reel at the perfect time.

Yeah.

There's nothing better than fighting these things in that current with the spinning rod Oh make a man out of you.

Got him.

I love a topwater strike.

We're cheating a little bit.

This is really not the exact time of year for this yet.

It's usually more in that September-October time frame.

But anytime I can get one to fool and hit a topwater bait, I'm going to take full advantage.

There we go.

All right.

This pound for pound in this river is about as good as it gets when it comes to hard fighting fish.

Oh, did you see him destroy it?

Oh, got him!

Oh, my gosh.

I'll tell you what.

As far as you can cast.

Put the heaviest lure you got, man.

They will not bite close to the boat.

I'm trying to burn this fish in.

It's like, how fast can I get this thing in and get it off and catch another one?

Big old bruising fish.

There we go.

Hooked up.

Fish on.

There you go.

A little topwater action there for you.

Got in the game.

That thing swam right at you, didn't he?

Yeah.

There you go.

Fish on, fish off.

Oh, here we go.

Yeah, yeah.

This feels like Christmas.

I mean, I'm telling you, all the fishing I'm fortunate enough to get to do, top water hybrid fish is about as good as it gets.

What do you think about this?

Doesn't get much better.

Let█s get it in and get another one.

We are in the right spot.

Oh, man, that was your bait!

Yeah, he still look at that!

He wants it.

He wants it.

There's oxygen.

But the number one thing is, is that the bait is all disoriented in there.

I mean, the bait is getting just picked up and just taken wherever it may.

And those fish know it.

Boom!

Look at that.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

That ain't no fun.

It might be a little bigger one here.

There you go.

All right.

This█ll almost wear you out.

These things will wear you out.

These conditions out here.

You got to do everything fast and deliberate because you're trying to keep the trolling motor where you want to be.

You're waiting for the jumps.

There's a lot going on.

That's what makes it so exciting.

Oh, did you see that?

Ohhh.

Oh my gosh, that fish came off.

I just got absolutely blasted.

I made a cast out there and was talking to Jarrod.

We got down to throwing this one bait that is big enough that we can make that long cast.

So we've been taking turns back and forth casting it.

I told Jarrod, I said I got one more in there.

And while he was asking me where that lure was at, I just had a fish take this rod almost out of my hand.

Oh, fish on.

Yeah.

This is an absolute, absolute blast.

Don't let me get you.

Oh my.

Knocked at six feet out of the air!

Still going!

Still going?

He came back and got it right there.

If I thought they would sit out here and do this all night.

I just know better.

I know we got about ten minutes left and this is over.

I would have brought a sleeping bag.

It's a little one here.

Oh, here.

Oh.

What a blast.

Hey, we are right here in Jefferson County, right at the Falls of the Ohio.

If this building wasn't here, you'd be able to see the Gault House and the Yum Center.

There's two boats out here, and we're wearing them out.

We're catching 3 to 6 pounders.

Right now it's three casts in a row.

Got to try for a fourth.

Boom.

Absolute hammered it.

Oh, here we go.

We got Jarrod in the back of the boat.

I got one wrapped up.

Look at this fish.

That's a good one.

That's a real good one.

I got him.

Oh yeah.

I don't know if we want two of these in the boat at one time, Chad.

Well, Jarrod, coming back?

We█ll do it.

Yes.

One call.

I'm here.

What do you think about this?

What about this experience?

I mean, I told you about this a couple times.

I mean it█s special.

No matter where you go, catch fish like this.

You can bring a fiberglass boat, if you know the river extremely well, you know what you're doing.

I probably don't advise it.

Yeah.

This is a situation that certain times of the year, you got to know how to read the water gauges.

Come up here and be careful.

It doesn't get any more fun.

We got lucky tonight to be able to catch these fish on topwater.

This was a blast.

And I know one thing.

We're coming back.

Come on, let's do it.

Go ahead.

Are you looking for a new, healthy source of protein for the table?

Well, good news.

Deer archery season is in.

And if prepared properly, venison is excellent.

Early archery season.

I've got an east wind which is putting me in this stand.

It's the only stand i█ve hunted this year.

We've had this consistent east wind.

I've been seeing some deer, had a couple of pretty close encounters, and I have seen a small eight point buck.

So I know there's some bucks running around in here.

So conditions are just about perfect.

Light breeze temperature in about 60 degrees.

Let's hope something comes out here today to try out these beans.

What a crazy morning hunting the beans You know, I got to be honest, I wasn't excited about hunting this stand this morning because this is not my favorite morning spot.

I've had a lot of luck in the evenings, but the wind put me in this situation where this is the stand I need to be in.

thought for sure that deer is going to bust me.

That deer walked right in that trail, the same trail I walked in on, finally presenting itself a shot.

Felt like it was a pretty good shot.

I'll wait it out about 30 40 minutes, see if I can't pick up a good blood trail.

And hopefully I've got some fresh venison in the freezer.

Oh, yeah.

Here we go.

Here's blood.

And here's my arrow.

Definitely blood soaked.

Alright, I always like to take my arrow where it's found.

I've got a lot of blood right here.

This is where my trail starts.

So if I ever need to come back and repick it up, it gives me a good spot right there.

You know, it's going to get really warm today, like almost 90.

So, I would█ve liked to have stayed up there and hung it a little bit longer.

But due to the fact that I'm pretty sure this deer is down, I waited about 30 minutes.

It's time to go see if I can't locate it.

I have a very, very solid blood trail right here.

Right here is where she entered the woods here.

There she lays right there.

Probably ran 120 yards or so.

So.

Looks like she's down.

Let's go check.

Well, I'm super, super excited to have my first year on the ground of the year.

It was a great hunt.

You know, I didn't see any bucks, but I saw quite a few does and they were literally surrounding me.

I didn't expect a deer to come from the exact path, which was straight downwind from where I was at, but it sure did.

I tell you what, there's not a better way to bring fresh venison home to the table than getting out early with a bow and arrow or a crossbow, and putting the venison in the freezer.

It's a great start to the season.

Late summer and early fall may be the most beautiful time to float a stream here in Kentucky.

And the fishing can be excellent as well.

Today I'm at the historic green River right outside of Greensburg, and you probably tell by the way, the trees look.

It is fall.

It's actually late October.

And this is the time of year that I usually spend in a deer stand.

But the last few days it seems like the deer movement has gotten a little bit slow.

And I can't think of a better time of year to be on one of the river systems here in Kentucky and doing a float, checking out all the beauty and hopefully catching some smallmouth.

Green River is a great place for it, but there are rivers all across the state of Kentucky that are absolutely perfect.

For whatever reason, people are getting really excited to get on the rivers in the spring and the summertime because they're cool and refreshing.

But the fall, this right now is the time of year where these bass, muskie and all other fish species, they know the temperatures are going down.

They feel the water getting cooler.

They know it's time to fatten up for winter.

So this could be a really good time to catch fish.

I'm super excited.

You know, I've been quiet, I've been worried about my sent control.

I've been fully camo█d up, sitting in a deer stand, and today I can't think of a better getaway to spend an afternoon out trying to catch a couple smallmouth fishing from a kayak.

Here we go.

What do we got here?

A rock bass!

Not exactly what I was expecting to catch.

But you know what?

Happy to have it.

Nice little rock bass.

Man, these creeks and streams.

We got a lot of these rock bass in them.

All around this area of Chaplin River, Salt River, Green River, rock bass and man, they are very quick to hit a jig.

Now, today it's been a little slow, but this little guy, not a smallmouth, but a rock bass.

Yeah, now we got us a smallmouth.

Seems like a today, I threw my swim bait for a while, which usually produces some fish.

And had to go to this jig, and it's all about getting a jig that is the right weight that you can just get it on there as slow as you possibly can, and let it just tumble down with the current.

And, this is a three 16 ounce and, you know, it's a fun way to catch fish.

It takes a lot of patience.

It's got to stay contacted to the bottom and really, really slow.

But it is a way you can catch some fish.

This is your, you know, 13 inch small mouth bunch of them in Green River.

And, you know, this tree lay down here.

I haven't been seeing any fish, like I've been floating through normally in the summertime and spring, you'll see them.

So I'm going to spend the rest of my float focusing on some of this lay down structure and see if these fish aren't sitting in their nice little fish.

What do we got here?

Looks like it might be another rock bass.

Sure is.

Ole rock bass.

These things are aggressive.

They love a jig.

They're fun to catch though, especially on a spinning rod.

Dragging that jig right on the bottom.

Every fish that I've had bite today.

Now, normally I like the swim bait.

Every single fish I've had bite today, the bait has been in contact with the bottom, moving slow, and most of it has been out of timber just like this.

Here we go.

Oh, a smallie.

Barley got him hooked Again, it's been a broken, broken record.

I was wearing these polarized lenses floating down this river.

A lot of it is four feet and shallow.

I can see the bottom.

I'm not seeing any fish whatsoever.

Zero.

They are up on in this cover, in these deeper pockets.

I wish I'd have known that earlier.

I spent way too much time throwing a swim bait up in the water column.

Every fish on the bottom, in the timber.

Deeper pockets, near current.

Not a big smallmouth, but a lot of fun on this beautiful fall day on the Green River.

Well, today has been an extremely relaxing, beautiful trip down the Green River.

I didn't catch much fish, but I caught enough to keep me interested and I learned a little bit about fishing in the fall.

I do a ton of smallmouth fishing on on big reservoirs throughout the winter.

And it seems like you always catch fish if, in all those points where current comes in close to deep water.

Well, this float that I chose today, didn't have a lot of deep water.

It was mainly shallow.

But, if I come back and do this again in the fall.

First off, it's stunningly beautiful.

Secondly, I will choose a spot that has deeper pockets.

And, I'll tell you what.

The fall color here in Kentucky.

Floating down a tributary or a river like the green River.

Absolutely, a beautiful way to spend an October day and throwing a fishing pole, catching a few fish.

Well, that's just icing on the cake.

Now let's check in and see who else has been out having fun in this week's ones that didn't get away.

Here we have eight year old Lucas Hall from Lawrence County.

He got out on the opening day of squirrel season and bagged these two squirrels with a 410 shotgun.

Nice job.

Here we have 13 year old Sullivan Peters from Fayette County.

He set the hook on this big striped bass on Lake Cumberland.

Nice job.

Jordan Knotts got out on Nolan Lake and did a little crappie fishing.

Check out this nice 15 inch black crappie.

Congratulations.

I love this photo.

This here is the Turner family, who has a tradition of getting out and hunting on the opening day of squirrel season.

Great job.

Check out this beautiful red ear sunfish that was caught by Troy Dorman.

This fish was caught on Barkley Lake.

Nice job.

This time of year is a great time to be outdoors here in the state of Kentucky.

Make sure you're being safe and abiding by all the rules and regulations.

And remember, hunting and fishing on private property is a privilege.

Always ask permission and thank the landowner.

Until next week, I'm your host, Chad Miles, and I hope to see you in the woods or on the water.

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Your license isn't just a ticket to adventure, it's an investment in Kentucky's future.

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