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So a couple months ago while fishing at La Cygne, which is about a 2,500 acre Reservoir, my son Lake decided to see if this net my parents gave him would float in the 15' deep murky water, it did not, sank pretty fast actually much to the dismay of the misty eyed 4 year old as he stood in the back of my boat. Well Friday I was fishing close to the same area with a 6XD bumping along the bottom when it caught something but didn't feel like a fish. Could not believe when I saw his net rise from the depths, still in good shape even minus needing wiped down. Never would have guessed in a million years I'd ever be able to do that.

I got out on my favorite lake this past week-end and was reminded why I prefer fishing during the week. Every 50yrds. there was a boat working the weed line. Reminded me of some of the tourneys I used to fish. Every other angler was throwing either a buzzer, or a Whopper Plopper. Top water was working, but the fish were seeing a lot of those two baits, so I dug out a Crazy Crawler https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/heddon-crazy-crawler-lures got in line and proceeded to pick off six bass on my first pass. The last one put a hook in my hand as I landed it and I headed to the nearest dock to get it out. Two boats followed me in and offered assistance. I had the hook out in no time and was getting ready to head back out. 'What the f kind of lure is that?' one guy asked when he spotted what I had tied on. I explained what and how long that lure has been around and these guys had never heard of it, or seen one before. Jitter Bugs and Crazy Crawlers produce fish as well as some of today's high-end baits and offer the fish something they don't see very often. Give some 'old school' baits a try. Your pocket book will thank you and you may 'discover' a hot 'new' bait.

Fresh water wasn't in the cards this weekend so tried salt from the yak at around high tide, and for the first time landed a salt water species, first striper. These guys fight hard. Landed 3 more before going home.

Hit the water from 10 am thru 2:30 pm today. Managed to boat 7 bass with a few pickerel thrown in. Big bass coming on a 4” pit boss from lily pads in about 5/6 fow. 6lb 12oz fatty.

Bump!

@Bluebasser86, I still have my GoPro and tripod in the lake since last year, would you be kind enough to come and fish it for me? Lol

A new addition to the family today. Chloe is 10 weeks old, full of playful energy, and really sad that she ate all of her food already.

Hunting, bowfishing, and bait making are my main hobbies outside of fishing. I also enjoy cooking, mostly simple comfort foods, like bacon cheeseburger meatloaf.

Just now seeing this thread. I've wondering if there was a place to post catches on this forum. Love seeing others' catches! Here's a mid-summer frog fish. Missed the frog 2 times. Keeps the frog in the strike zone and nailed it on it's 3rd attempt.

What I find incredible is you using a crankbait .

I throw my favorite top water in the nearest tree I can find. Then I show off my skills of climbing said tree as the boat drifts gently and I step on as if practiced.

My best encounter like this happened at a park I fish at a lot. It’s got a decent pond and an enormous playground, so it’s full of kids all the time. I was fishing the bank between the parking lot and the playground when a group of about fifteen kids all around 4-5 walk by with their daycare providers. One of the kids shouts “When are you going to catch a fish?” I reply “Soon I hope!” and then a split second later I get a hit. It was a nice 3lb class LMB. It was a super active bass, jumping and running. The kids all went insane. The daycare workers tried to control them, but three adults vs fifteen exicted kids is no contest. The kids swarm me and it’s all I can do to land and unhook it while keeping them from stepping on my combo. Once I got it unhooked and all the kids who want to got to touch it, I release it and start to get my gear sorted out when one of the kids runs back over to me and says that I had caugh “a very important fish” and that he “was very proud of me” and then sticks his litte hand out for me to shake. So I shook his hand and when back to fishing.

I've seen the spawn on the north end of Toledo Bend as early as the 3rd week of February. I've seen the spawn on the south end of Toledo Bend in late April to early May. Many think the spawn would start on the south end first. The north end is shallower off colored water warns up faster, the south end is deeper crystal clear water stay cold longer. When the spawn takes place is dependent first on type of body of water, size, & geographic location. Next comes length of daylight, water temperatures, & so on. That's just a dumb Cajun's observations ?

All the time. I'm usually the guy getting waved at.

Went first thing this morning for some largemouths, but with the super dry summer we’ve had here, the lake has dropped over a foot since the last time I was there so the largemouths all pulled out of the shallow pads/eelgrass where I caught em last time. So I went out to the main lake and salvaged the morning with brown ones instead. Drop shot Berkley Gulp minnow took them all on the deep edge of shallow flats, best fish was right at 3lbs.

What a crazy night, guys. South East Wisconsin lake, absolute pigs. Both completely blew my old PB of 5.5lb out of the fricking water! Sadly I didn't have a scale on the boat. First one was 22" and the second was almost 24". Extremely old fish for Wisconsin. Still can't believe this happened. I apologize in advanced for jacking the fish's jaws. I was on autopilot and in shock and wasn't as gentle with the holding as I'd normally be. Both were out of the water for less than one minute. (Straight to the live well, then taken out for picture, then released) They swam away strong and unharmed.

Do you agree with Hank?

dibs

I think this is a good time to say that a lot is going to depend upon where you fish and what kind of conditions. Catt is on weedy lakes, swamps, tidal nasty stuff a lot of the time. If I were down that way, I'd load up on MH and H rods. If I'm covering lots of water with a jig or C-Rig, I probably want something 7'6"+ to maximize casting distance and cover water more efficiently. If I'm skipping under weedy docks or pockets, I might want something more in the 4 power MH range and definitely under 7'. The type of boat I'm fishing from would also be a consideration. I'm also 5'11. Someone who's shorter may also prefer shorter rods. It's all conditions and preference.

In Wisconsin I fished a drizzly day down a long stretch of docks and was catching a fair number of bass both largemouth and smallmouth. On this particular lake there is always 2 weedlines and if you can pattern them, you can catch them at will. As I fished I saw a Bassboat tied up to a dock and about 5 guys sitting in an outdoor screened in porch. They watched me catch 2 fish as I got closer to their dock. A couple of them walked out and asked me how the fishing was and before I could answer they said they had been there a week and caught 4 bass (with a proud tone) and I told them that I caught 4 bass on the last 2 docks alone (smiling). I told them I was a guide back in Virginia and how I enjoyed fishing that particular lake. One of them piped up and said that if I was that good, I should be able to be able to catch one while they watched (good natured talk) as their other buddies walked out on the dock. I said no problem and proceeded to yank one out from in front of the dock they were standing on. Everybody laughed. Then the same guy said that if I was any kind of good guide, I should be able to call my next fish. I told him no problem and that there was a fish 6 feet out from in front of the next dock. His response......prove it. So.....I did. After that catch I asked them if they wanted to know how to catch them and by this time they were all ears!! I trolled over to their dock and gave them a few packs of 5" Senkos, some EWG hooks and showed them how to rig them. I happened to be going past that dock later in the week and they waved me in to show me the 20 packs of Senkos they cleaned out of the little tackle store on the lake and to thank me for turning them on to a bait they had never fished. That is the power of the Senko.

The bass haven't changed and the old school lures that catch them still work but the lure makers have got to keep us fishermen buying baits. There are some worthwhile updates and innovations but for the most part it's marketing pure and simple.

I caught my largest bass in Kansas out of a brush pile right behind another boat that had just fished the same pile. The language being shouted across the lake as my BIL netted it for me could have made a sailor blush.

I work third shift, so naturally I am a night owl. I fish Monday - Wednesday during the day, but come Thursday I become a creature of the night. I've put in hundreds of days night fishing in the past years and it's easily my favorite time to fish. Give it a shot and see how you like it. Here is some things I figured out night fishing and they might be helpful to you. Quite a few things are different at night. Safety becomes an increased concern, as it should be. I am always on the look out for drunk boaters. Usually it's residents of the lakes I fish that go party at a neighbors then boat home drunk as hell. Most forget to turn their lights on and go plowing across the lake breaking the no-wake rules. It doesn't happened often, but it's something I am always on the look out for. I have an extremely bright headlamp with a strobe feature to alert boats of where I am because sometimes the anchor light looks like a dock light. Casting. You may think you're accurate, but nothing ever has proved me more wrong than fishing at night. I lost a lot of lures when I first started and I still lose a few a year. After a while your eyes get adjusted to the dark and it's easier, but depth perception is still really whack. I find myself pitchin and flippin baits a lot more than I would during the day. It's easy to rocket a jig up to the shoreline during the day, at night not so much. The bass are lot less spooked at night so I can get close enough to just pitch most of the time. I caught my PB best bass two nights ago pitching a spinner at docks. Bugs get nasty at night, like extremely bad. Especially if there is no wind or very little. I use high deet bug spray and wear long sleeve shirts / pants. It may be hot, but I won't get eaten alive. Having more lights on than necessary attracts many more bugs. Having a red light on your headlamp helps. I always use redlight unless I need to navigate. Then I turn on the beam or break out the flashlight. And last but not least, obviously less people or no people are going to be around. If crap hits the fan, you're pretty much on your own. I always have my cellphone charged 100% and bring a flair gun / air horn in case I need to attempt to signal for help. I always tell a family member where I'm launching and when I expect to be back. I also carry a gun because I feel extremely vulnerable at the ramp when it's pitch black and 3am. I don't fish in any ghetto area's, but it's good peace of mind. Go out and have some fun! You won't regret it.

Just wanted to say thank you for giving me the idea of canvas prints instead of mounts. It's way cheaper and is still a great way to remember the catch.

United States Navy, thanks for your service to all my brothers and sisters in all services!

that guy who said he didn't catch anything might have been me. Because no matter if Ive caught zero bass or fifty bass, my answer is always the same when someone asks me if I caught any. Nope!

Tail damage doesn't indicate a bed bass it indicates a bass with damaged tail from bacteria or parasites. Bass Can regenerate fin and tail growth, severe damage is permanent. Bass often lay eggs more then once during the spawning cycle but they only spawn 1 time each year, not all of the bass population is on the same spawn timing cycle. Tom

Nah! ?

it's happened to me before, but not for a looooong time. today i walked up to the bank at one of my fishing holes. there was a guy there, i said "catchin any?" he says no, he's about to pack it in. i walk over a little ways to give some polite distance. 2 casts later, a 3lb largemouth. it was a feisty one, it fought hard, jumping and everything. i put it back in the water, waved to the guy and moved on. luck, i know. but i love it, cause it makes it appear as if i know what i'm doing. hahahaha! the last time this happened to me, i had taken my son (then about 7 or 8 ) camping. it was raining when we got up but was still pretty hot. same thing, i walked up to the lake, some guy was there, he said he wasn't catchin any. first cast, a nice 2 lb bass. very next cast, a bigger one. 2 or 3 casts after that, a nice 5 lb bass. in about 100' of bank i bet i caught 2 dozen bass, all nice ones. every single one of them hit a white spinnerbait the second it hit the water. the guy was watching, and was visibly a little ticked off at our amazing luck. my son was reeling in a few big ones too. stuff like this happen to you guys too?

Still picking up deep water smallies. Nothing huge but the largest was 2.8. Boy do they fight!!!!

I'm trying, I use to catch a majority of my fish with them but it's like the fish have just stopped eating them around here, and it's not just me. I did catch a fish on it too.

They all come from China anyways so why not save the money. Yes they work great and those complaining need to compare apples to apples. What I am saying is the small bobber stops from Amazon will not hold a 2oz weight neither will the expensive ones of the same size. Make sure you are using the correct on or just do like I have been and put 2 of them on. Allen

Spot-on call from DogBone_384 ... partly sunny, light wind & 80 w/ a full moon in play... I was on Long Pond (Brewster) yesterday, and the spook bite was pretty solid from 6-9am. Fishing it in 4-8ft of water over grass and rockpiles I got 4-5 smallie blow-ups and connected on 3 of them. Super aggressive strikes, even the little ones. Rest of the morning was mostly spent drop-shotting in 15-25ft so nice change of pace for sure. Also got my first fish ever on a spybait (Japanese-style technique: details here http://spybaiting.com/).

Everybody and their brother will have one of those baits by this coming weekend now?

Bass fishing at night? 42 yrs of night fishing from April through October I use to head out a couple hours before dark & stay out until after daylight. With the aches & pains of old age those marathon days are over. Other than an occasional night tournament not many people night fish. I have a light that attaches to the bill of my cap for tying lures & unhooking fish, a q-beam for running. I fish the same structure with the same lures I do in the daytime.

Good news folks. I found the secret to power fish for eight hours at my age. I'm not talking fishing a wacky worm or some other presentation that doesn't require a lot of energy output. I'm talking standing on the front deck, chucking and winding, fighting the wind with the sun beating down, the way I like to fish. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out. The secret is to split up the eight hours into two four hour sessions with a two hour power nap in between. I even add a protein packed lunch and on rare occasions, a 5hr. Energy Drink.

Really don't think the OP was trying to put the razz on anybody. I'm always tempted to show off when people are around but then I think "Do I really want to be tipping my hand?

I started following the UFC when it first came out on VHS (yea I'm old). The early years of UFC were quite different than it is now. They fought 3 times in one night. It wasn't uncommon for one of the final competitors to be unable to compete do to injuries suffered in a previous match. I was a huge boxing fan back in the late 70's/early 80's. In the days of "Sugar" Ray Leonard, Tommy "Hitman" Hearns, and "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler. My father took me to see Muhammad Ali's training camp in Deer Lake, PA. I even remember a young Mike Tyson fighting on ESPN.

You are very Welcome and Congrats again on a great catch ! A-Jay

If you all remember 2018 was a cold year in the 1st 4 months through April, the spawn not getting underway until May in several states. The LMB major spawn tends to start when the weather is stable, water temps in the low 60's up to around low 70's and can last 2 months in larger size lakes. So we talking mid June. If the waterway is further north that can easily extend into July. Further south you go the earlier the spawn starts do to warmer water temps year around. Tom

I love catching bass. I don't like being the jerk that makes someone feel bad, however. The little wave was an unnecessary insult to a guy who wasn't even rude to you.

Keep in mind it takes a percentage of the bass population to be in the spawn cycle at the same time to spawn, males making nest and females looking for nest. This isn't a single fish behavior. Tom

Chunky 3.28 lber that smashed my kvd 1.5 square bill yesterday.

Got crappie?? We do

Storms have had the fish all fired up here. The fishing has been red hot this past week as a major storm system swirls around the northeast. Like usual, they really wanted the popper today. Megabass Pop Max landed this 4-2 right off the bat, followed quickly by several more good sized fish. Sun came up, topwater bite went dead, but that didn’t stop them from slamming other baits all day long. Frog in the lilies, senkos skipped under docks, and spinnerbait in the weeds. Biggest fish came on a spinner bait, around mid-day, a 4-4: Also got a bunch of hammerhandle pike and pickerel, but did have one decent pike crash a spinnerbait right next to the boat:

Didn’t think I was gonna get to get any fishing in today because it was raining pretty hard when I was supposed to leave and my little plastic boat doesn’t have a bulge. The rain broke a little and I caught a lot of fish before starting my study session. Couldn’t break 4 lbs but got really close with this one which was 3.96. Caught a lot of 3+ lbers.

One year ago today my wife gave birth to a tiny 3lb 7oz dark haired little boy. He went from having tubes, and needles in his arm and a ventilator hooked up to him, to now weighing 27lbs and he ate a whole chocolate donut for breakfast for his birthday. Being a father is one amazing feeling.

Thanks, @Tracker22. I won't be using the chute for now, either. It won't work with my tracks or trolley. I am going to try using a rod holder to stow the anchor and see how it goes. Using a carabiner to run line through the trolley. Will update after I test drive it.

Hit the stream early yesterday morning for some Independence Day brookies. The area I was fishing was mustly just mud and clay with hardly any riffles so was surprised to do quite well. Panther martin struck gold at one spot with a nice 12.5 incher coming from this open muddy stretch.