Darrin Marcure hauls in a smallie from Mississippi River Pool 9. Photo by Ted Peck.

Clients sharing my boat and folks at fishing seminars often ask, “What’s your favorite fish?” My honest answer: “the critter on the other end of the line.” Yet a little voice inside my head always adds: But I hope it’s a great big smallmouth!

For my nickel, the best place to dance with this fish of dreams is somewhere along our eastern border in the Mississippi River. Sure, there’s much to be said for canoeing down the Wapsipinicon or Upper Iowa and watching a nice bronzeback garwoofle a clear Heddon Tiny Torpedo following a little rod twitch after a perfectly crafted cast.

An 18-inch smallmouth is a finned ticket to a thrill wherever you find her. A fish of these dimensions would likely be the highlight of your summer on an inland river or lake; on the Mississippi, however, the odds are high that such a fish would only make your mental-highlights reel for the day. And the chance is always there to tangle with an even bigger fish -- especially up on Pool 9.

The biggest smallmouth I’ve ever landed weighed pretty close to 8 pounds, 2 ounces. She was reverently released after photos and dimensions were noted on a dressmaker’s tape. Her weight was calculated by using the In-Fisherman formula of girth times girth times length divided by 800, which in my experience works pretty well for most game-fish species.

My 24 1/4-inch Pool 9 fish was on an extremely limited perimeter patrol in shallow water near the gnarly old roots of a fallen tree next to railbed riprap on the Wisconsin side of the channel in May 2003. After watching minnows explode out of the water in this general vicinity several times, I tossed a Chompers skirted hula grub towards this cover.

The line started to move before the spinning reel’s bail could be engaged, and a powerful whiffing hookset followed; about 10 casts later this drama was repeated. Several casts after that I was just a little quicker than she was, and she came 3 feet out of the water, probably 20 feet from the boat, to get an eyeball-to-eyeball look at the source of her torment.

My knees were knocking a few minutes later, when the fish was finally subdued enough to be coaxed towards the boat. A graphite replica now on my den wall commemorates the second-biggest smallmouth I’ve ever seen in Pool 9.

Riprapped areas upstream from islands just off the main channel are good places to look for smallmouths when the river is at lower pool levels. Current is always a factor in this type of habitat. Just a couple of inches difference in river level at low pool can change the direction of water flowing over the riprap, causing flow counter to the main force of current headed downstream. Baitfish and other forage get caught up in this counter-current, with smallmouths and other predators waiting eagerly to take advantage of the situation.

Presentation is a major key to success under virtually all circumstances when you’re fishing a river. This is especially true when probing a counter-current situation.

Herein is found one of the most exciting facets of fishing on the Mississippi: Your best species-specific efforts may not reap the desired reward -- but some piscine combatant will almost always swim forward to stretch your string.

Of course, the odds on tangling with your desired species are usually greater if you’re actually fishin’ for it. You can be a serious player for Mississippi River smallmouths with just a $25 investment in tackle.

A couple of topwater baits like a Chug Bug or Devil’s Toothpick, pre-rigged on a rod and set aside until the time is right, should be part of your armory. Topwater lures are low-percentage “locator” baits, but nothing’s more fun once you find the fish, which are quickly gone if preparedness is not ready to meet opportunity.