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Caught this girl flipping a missle D bomb into some thick cover, yelled so loud a kayaker came thinking I was hurt/drowning... Thanks for all the help bass resource community y'all are the best! My old PB was 5lb flat but this fished weighed 5lb 14oz! I'm still fishing but I had to post this real quick...

I got out Saturday for a day of smallmouth fishing which was also the MI opener for pike & walleye. This lake has a little of everything so I expected to have company. Upon my arrival, I was pleasantly surprise to find that I had the place to myself. Both air & water temps maxed out in the low to mid 40’s with a stiff east wind, but the sun was shining so I was going to make the best of it. The morning started off with a bang as an excellent bass came with in the first few casts. While working a wind-blown point, a real brute of a pre-spawn smallmouth completely choked my squarebill. I mean the bait was Gone. She was cold & super plump, and after a brief fight that was more like a wallowing, she was in the net. This is the kind of bass I came here for, five pounds of Bronze fatness. Sweet. As the day went on, the wind came on stronger but I caught 3 more smallmouth along with a couple of walleye. The Squarebill, a lipless bait & a jerk bait took fish; all of which came off main lake points – in the wind – had to be in the wind. Seems it’s always that way. I rarely get bit on the leeward side, so I don’t even bother fishing it anymore. Forecast is not looking fisherman friendly at all the next several days, but after today I’ll be looking to get back at it ASAP. Here’s a video of the first fish. https://youtu.be/vVZtF8W23s8 Here the rest of the day ~ including a little by catch https://youtu.be/FrkyH8wt8G4 A-Jay

Back in September of 1997, I was on a fishing trip and we stopped at Rainy Lake outside of International Falls, MN. The guy I was with wanted to do some walleye fishing and because I know next to nothing about walleyes, we hired a guide to take us out for the day. We got back to the dock at Rainy Lake Houseboats where we met the guide and there was some talk that Al Lindner was around filming a show. My friend Frank and I paid our guide and were getting ready to go for a beer when a boat with Al Lindner was coming to the dock. We walked over and was waiting for them to tie up when a voice in Al's boat says "Hi ya Scott!" I could not imagine who in Al Lindner's boat knew who I was. Turns out, it was Billy Dougherty the owner of Rainy Lake Houseboats. I knew Billy because I'd rented houseboats there. So Al gets off the boat and we start chatting about what the walleyes were doing. I'd gottten an education from just getting off the water with a guide so I could carry on a conversation without looking completely clueless. Al was very friendly and genuinely interested in hearing about our day. After he posed for a picture we let him get back to his business. My friend Frank and I were walking near the boat ramp a few minutes later when a truck was pulling a boat up the ramp. We stopped to let him by, and he stopped, rolled down the window to speak with us. It was Al asking US more about walleye fishing! I was shocked and amused that one of the best fishermen on the planet was asking ME, about walleyes. I was very impressed by his down to earth and friendly attitude. I ran into Al again at an outdoor show and he stopped by the booth I was working for the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance and he again posed for pictures. I told him the story about meeting him before and how surprised I was he was asking me about walleye fishing. He said you can never tell when someone is going to give you a tip on a pattern. That was my brush with greatness. Me and Al at the outdoor show

Fishing the Classic in March is always fun.

Thanks, guys! Your prayers and well wishes are much appreciated. I'm back home today. The surgery went well, and I'm already feeling better than I have in months. I can stand up straight without pain for the first time since last August. The doc says I should be able to get back to some light fishing in about a week! Again, thanks so much! Tom

So what fishing personality have you met in person, when was it and what was your reaction. My story I was ay the BPS spring classic sale I couple months back and knew KVD was there and planed it so we would see him. So I was looking for my freind who I was there with and was in the main isle of the fishing world part (mmy local bps is the mother ship) and im looking both ways into the isles and I get to the strike king isle and he was standing there talking to 2 or 3 guys, im was like oh look KVD walk a couple feet then realized that I just laid eyes on the man himself. I dint get that excited unless im going fishing or to bass pro, and in my head i was like OMG OMG OMG I JUST SAW KVD MY HERO!!!And no kidding got light headed and sweaty and almost fainted i was so excited. I almost ran to see and hoped I didnt knock anyone over but I might have. So I get to the isle he was in I dint think about it until right then that I was going to meet KVD, he was talking to somone and there was somone in front of me so it gave me time to get my question together, the guy that was in front of me slowly backed behind me I guess he got to nervous. Then right then he looks me straight in the eye and says "Hi bud can I help you?" Then I said "uh uh yeah w-ww-what do you think of the gizard shad colored red eye shad for clear lakes like norfork lake?" Then he goes "well thats my favorite bait bait for the fall and that color really does good in claer water and a great crank bait for the spring would be a chrome sexy shad pattern." And me and him procead to sift through all 40 some odd colors of red eye shads together to find that one. It was just a really cool experience then later I got him to sign my hat and every time pick it up I say to myself thats its really cool that KVD touched my dirty opd hat. That my story so what your guys story

I think Roger means what he said. Your fish is a female so that would make her a matriarch.

Years in the aquarium business, here's a fact......Moss/algae grows in absence of plants. I have heavy planted fish tanks which have ZERO algae/moss issues as the plants use up the resources and starve out the algae/moss. The stringy green moss is an algae and not a plant, slimmy algae, well that's a bacteria. Removing the plants out of the system opens it up to these problems which then get worse as they try to figure out how to control it when it was naturally being controlled by the very plants they removed. Yep some are book smart, but dumb as a brick when it comes to real world experience. When I was small, ponds had weeds in them, they were a pain to fish because I knew nothing about it. But the waters were clean, the fish stock healthy, and there was no green stringy algae and a resident duck population. 30+ years later, concrete around the pond, maybe a dozen ducks call it home year round, issues with algae although they didn't treat it last year and the grass came cleaning the water and so far this year the algae is not an issue. The ponds where they try to control plant growth with copper sulfate, hairy green algae, fish die offs, off colored water instead of healthy plant growth, clean water, and hence a healthy system. Bottom line, if you remove the plant growth you open the door for more issues which then cause more problems. I can understand trying to control/trim sections and keep it in check, but trying to remove ALL of it is costly and just causes more issues which then are even harder to control when nature does it all by itself.

Congrats man! Hootin and hollerin is mandatory.

Wait, is this A-Jay incognito?

Got out today fishing from kayak for the first time (in freshwater) Got 6 fish total, ranging from 12 to 14 inches long, caught one on a jig and the rest on a lipless crankbait

That is a bait originally made by the Clark Co. called a "water scout". Later they were just made by the water scout bait company. The newer version is called the Spence Scout and is or was manufactured by Strike King. Originals were produced in the mid 30's and had no eyes. Most you find today were made much later probably in the 80's & 90's.

The best bass fishing places I fish have nice weed beds. Once I learned to fish the grass it made for a much higher catch/size difference. I think they do more damage trying to manually and cemically reduce it causing worse issues such as green hair algae which is worse then the grass or weeds that were there to start with. Some people seem to have a bigger issue with it not looking "pretty" and clean because they think aquatic growth is ugly.

I'll answer with an example. Last summer, my girlfriend and I were out fishing. She was throwing a lite Carolina rig, I was throwing a jig. I don't tournament fish but was on a point that is very popular with those guys. We had caught several nice fish and decided it was time to stop and eat some lunch. Some tourney guys pulled up while we were eating sandwiches and asked if they could fish. I said go ahead as we kind of drifted off the point. They caught two nice keepers and left to go weigh in. We finished eating, trolled back over to the point and started catching them again. Some point are really that good. This one..drops right into the main river channel. The key is finding the depth they are at on the point...

Nope - Why get in line to make a futile attempt to convince the bass that your offering is somehow different & better on a spot that gets Hammered ? Instead, I'd spend whatever time it took to hunt down & locate something else. It's there, somewhere on the lake. A spot that is probably smaller, much less obvious and wasn't on TV. The bass know where it is and I'd make it my mission to find it; and there's probably more than one. I'd be glad to have those not willing to look for the real gems to stay over on the community holes. It leaves all the hidden treasure to me. Oh, and once I find them, I might only fish them at night. A-Jay

I'm usually all over the place to start until I see a pattern form. Then I narrow it down. If that bite stops, I'll switch things up after about 15 minutes. Every day is a puzzle.

I met KVD at the Oakley Big Bass Tour at Table Rock a few years ago. Talked to him for awhile and he signed an Oakley hat and gave it to me. Working at Cabela's I got to meet Jay Yelas, Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, and my favorite of all Denny Brauer.

Sorry for the long winters, A-Jay! Jeff

Congrats. If I were you I would just catch dinks for the first few weeks. Leave the big fish for us healthy people.

Do You Like Fluorocarbon Line ? Nope. Especially as a Leader - Mono works perfectly. A-Jay

A picture is worth 1,000 words? I'd rather read your excitement than look at 1,000 pictures! Congratulations!

Just a tip with the money minnow peel the clear coat layer off of the bait and it will have an even more lively action tight lines Andrew

I met Tom Mann. He was emcee of a tournament I won . Bad part is I was and still am a die hard Jelly worm fisherman but in that tourney, I fished a Lizard from another manufacturer. I should have fished a jelly worm, as I won by a large margin . I was actually embarrassed that I didnt fish my favorite bait and the manufacturer was asking me what lure was used .

I'll answer your last question first. YES! The fish have no idea who previously fished it and you have little knowledge of the skills of the anglers that pound it. It is a major piece of structure and will hold fish, or at the very least be used by them in their movements. Fish it as you would any other point. The fish are pressured, so I would approach it the same way I would under cold front conditions.

I can see some of these swimbaits costing quite a bit more to manufacture, but not so much when it comes a fairly standard jerkbait. I've had plenty of inexpensive lures that move great and caught lots of fish, granted the hooks and split rings aren't the best quality. My "better" lures get hook and split ring placement too. Some of my banged up, chipped and cracked lures are just as productive as NIB. From the manufacturing standpoint parts bought in volume from inexpensive to expensive lures isn't that great. I hope no one thinks a $15 lure costs 5 times as much to make as a $3.00 lure, but the fishing public seems to think the more spent the better the catch. I don't catch too many 10# bass, but I catch a ton of fish way larger than that. Most of them are caught on a $5.00 spoon, $3.00 bucktail or jerkshad (fluke) on a jig head. I happen to be one of those retired guys that can spend pretty much what I ever I want my equipment. Would I spend $20 or more to catch sub 10# fish, do I appear to be out of mind?

"If you insist on being the one to paddle, then stop running over my line" "We might catch more fish if we actually put the boat in the water" "I can't figure out why my guides keep freezing up" "I thought using a white lizard made bed fishing easier, I can't see a thing!!"

I want to get ceramics and a shallow spool. But I think I'm going to get an all new reel for it since most of mine are already set up. I want to order the Aldebaran 50. Japan tackle has them for 286 opposed to 419 at TW

Not trying to be a smarty pants, but maybe it's you and not the reel. BTW, I can't skip either but I ain't blaming my reels. I blame myself for not putting in the necessary practice time that is required to become proficient.

Didn't kill it today - and it was howling - kind froze my Arse off. But still managed a nice bag of smallies including a sweet 5 lb fatty. A-Jay

No drain plug on a 2 stroke. It burns the oil with the fuel. 4 strokes have drain plugs

"I think I just got a frostbite!"

Sometimes it does. I've caught 2 of my PB smallies on an east wind tho.

I've been fishing this "rig" since before there were senkos to cut in half. We used to be creative about plastics to use to get the proper action (yes there is a science), my friends and I all own jig molds that were liberally modified with a dremel tool. That said, I have caught fish and seen fish caught in water with 30' visibility and 3" visibility and everywhere in between. In the grass, rocks, wood, sand, mud, moss and so on. It works. Props to Z man for making it easier to acquire the pieces and with the Elaztech stuff, the plastics last forever.

Eat the fish !

What did I go to school for? Uhh...they made me. What am I doing now? Not going to school. Hootie

He will likely be fine. Fish are pretty tough, and they're more likely to die from stress than most peripheral trauma like that. In the future, push the hook through if you can, crush the barb with pliers and then try to back it out. Otherwise, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Do you keep a log of conditions for your trips? Water temps, fish depths, locations? Fish are creatures of habit. They do the same thing. Bass fishing isn't complicated, it just isn't always easy and that's the challenge of it. Observations are key. Today went fishing, found the place I fished this week with a good frog bite totally changed in a day. Higher water, 6 degrees cooler, and off color. Went expecting topwater, and as soon as I had an accurate temp new the fish weren't going to be on top....6 degree water temp is a lot even if it's only 70 down to 64. But the fish pulled tight to cover and knowing where to look made the difference. Your fish may be up on beds, or may be pulling back off. Step back, look at what gave you success before. Where were you fishing? What structure and cover is around that area....is there a break close by? they aren't going to move far. Look into the details of each trip. You will get there. If it were easy then we'd all be professionals instead of watching them on tv making it look easy but they struggle just as much at times too.

Senko seems to work when nothing else will. Although today I didnt get anything on a senko but hooked up on a mini brush hog and a 6in kietech swing impact in a small pond both small bass haha. You just never know.

This Came in today

So do I get a frog?

This afternoon I snuck away for 3 hours of fishing. It was a balmy 43 degrees when I arrived at the launch at 4 pm. The wind was blowing out of the northwest sustained at 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph according to noaa. It was gusting frequently and the constant 15 mph wind made fishing a challenge. I had just got a new fish finder and was determined to check it out and catch some bass while doing so. It was very cold out. My hands were not the warmest as I was casting my baitcasters. The water temperature was 46 degrees. The new trolling motor and fish finder worked well. It was a challenge to fish with the wind as brutal as it was. I am glad that I had a 55 lb thrust trolling motor, I am not sure I could have dealt with the wind and waves other wise. My first couple of spots were in the wind and almost impossible to fish with out anchoring. After a couple of minutes attempting to fish in the gusting wind I decided to make a big move to the northwest corner of the pond. With the wind gusting out of the north west the northwest corner of the pond was the most protected from the wind. I was able to almost effectively fish my jig. It was a constant battle with the wind but it was worth it. In 3 hours I had 6 bites landing 5 largemouth. All of the bass were caught on jigs. The fish were decent in size. The biggest two bass were 4 lbs 2 oz and 3 lbs 9 oz. Other then the jig I attempted to fish a chatterbait, spinnerbait, a crankbait and tube.

Mann's Augertail in electric grape or Mann's Jelly Worm in blackberry or grape. Fish may still not bite, but these worms take me back to younger days and give me a good feeling.

New alde hg, hedgehog airs, zpi offset handle, thats it. Love it as is. Might pair it with the Ultima if yumeya makes a finesse spool for it...

i got her - the subject of this post. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/152591-have-you-ever-obsessed-over-a-particular-bass/page-2#entry1727336 i waited a whole year for this fish and catching her today was kinda bittersweet. when i caught her last spring she weighed 10-2 which is pretty nice for a regular old northern strain bass. this year i was hoping she would be over 11. it was not to be. last year was obviously her prime year. now, on her first spawn of the year, her weight is down a little and she appears to be on her way out. just goes to show you can't count your trophies before you're holding them. so i donated her to some friends who are trying to get some good bass in their new pond. though she's seen better days, she still has great genes and probably has another spawn or two left in her. so hopefully her progeny will put a smile on someone else's face a few years from now. on another note, it is quite interesting that this fish spawned in the same location for the least 3 years. not the same general area, but the same EXACT spot. i have noted this trend with other big fish i have been fortunate enough to catch off beds over the past few years. now granted, we are talking small lakes and ponds here, but it makes me wonder if this phenomenon also occurs on bigger bodies of water. she fell for a homemade jig 'n rage bug but she really made me work for her. conditions were anything but ideal for bed fishing - stained, choppy water, late in the day with the sun going down. the only angle i could see her from was still a bad angle that kept me far enough away that i couldn't read her body language, which is the key component of bed fishing. i never even saw the male at all, probably because she dwarfed him. and i never felt him nip or bite the lure either which is pretty unusual since it is often difficult to get a big female to commit without engaging the male first. i had to dig pretty deep into my bag of tricks to close the deal with her. and it had to have taken nearly an hour to get the bite. but when it came and i dropped the hammer, the war was on. even with a 7' 11" rod and 50 lb. braid, she gave a stellar account of herself - one last time. so long big girl. it was nice knowin' ya.

BTDT I have a few spots so secret that I blindfold myself before I go there.

Shooting them is a waste of time. They are too stupid to notice that their buddies are dead, and will keep coming. Been there, done that.

Either a 5' wacky rigged Senko or a KVD sexy shad

Unless you're wanting to fish a very finesse A-rig or a very light single jighead, I'd go with the 5".

It is because people are willing to spend that much money. Just in my opinion its kind of like cigarettes no matter how much they cost people are still going to find a way to buy it.