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I was most fortunate to spend 6 ½ days fishing with my good friend and truly a great stick, Jeff Howell. This was my 7th trip to this special lake and once again Lake Baccarac showed out ~ Big Time. Both Jeff & I are not ‘numbers’ guys – meaning we generally do not count how many bass we catch. Instead we choose to fish for the biggest bass; an approach that may not always result is high numbers but hopefully bigger fish. However as this special week in Mexico continued and the numbers of true giants began to and continued to go in the net – we had no choice but to keep track. In an attempt to simplify things, we decided that in order to be a “score-able bass’ the fish would need to be at least 7 pounds. These would be the ones we ‘count’. Before we get to what we caught, here’s what we used, tackle & baits. We both fish heavy action travel casting rods (Fenwick & G.Loomis), Shimano & Quantum 200 & 300 size casting reels, and 20-25 lb Seaguar InvizX & Tatsu Fluorocarbon line. Big Gear is a MUST here. Early morning & near sunset, fish can be shallow in the bushes. We used 7 inch stickbaits & mag flukes weightless on a 7/0 EWG hook. Caught several score-able bass this way. Later in the morning , mid-day and through much of the afternoons we fished deeper on mid-lake humps, off long points, steeper drop offs and deep flats in 10 – 30 feet. We took fish on 6 & 7 inch Swimbaits, ½ & ¾ oz underspins with 5-6 inch hollow belly & solid swimbait trailers, ¾ oz shakey & football heads with 10 inch worms, 7 inch stickbaits and mag fluke trailers. During the afternoon of the first full day of fishing, we started finding the bigger fish suspended in 10-20 feet over 40-60 feet of water over main lake humps and in front of major points. The underspins and the swimbaits were getting choked – the likes of which I have not ever experienced. This bite lasted pretty much the rest of the trip and these suspended fish accounted for at least 75 % of the score-able bass we caught. It got completely nuts. How Nuts you might ask ? Well the best example I can offer is….. the first three casts my friend Jeff took after lunch of the second day, produced a 12-4 Beast of a New personal best bass which was followed up two casts later with a 10-8 tank ! So you can decide for yourself. Btw – It’s all on video . . . . I ran a GoPro the entire trip. Got some insane video which I pulled several big bass pics from. It’s a little tricky getting footage as the boats we fish from, although perfect for the fishing, only offer 1 or 2 secure mounting points for the camera. We made the best of it and I think you’ll be able to see, hear & sense what was going on fairly well. There was a TON of footage to go through and quite a bit of it didn’t make the final edit. Guess that’s not exactly a bad problem to have and I must admit that going through it all was almost as much fun as living it – almost. In an effort to keep the videos a reasonable watching length, I’m breaking them up. First one is the first day & a half and the rest are each day individually. There’s just so many giants . . . . . . More Pics & Video will start showing up in this thread in a day or so. OK so here’s the final count for our 6 ½ days (approx. 65 hours) for two guys fishing on Lake Baccarac: Over 7lbs ~ 20 Over 8lbs ~ 16 Over 9lbs ~ 11 Over 10 lbs ~ 4 Over 11 lbs ~ 1 Over 12 lbs ~ 1 So that’s 53 bass over 7 and of those, when we figured in all the exact pounds & ounces, the average fish was right at 8 ½ pounds. It’s also one score-able bass every 73 and a half minutes. Jeff's biggest 5 of the trip were: 12.23(a PB), 10.58, 10.22, 9.96, 9.61 = 52 lbs 9.6 ounces My biggest 5 of the trip were: 11.30, 10.22, 10.14, 9.83, 9.28 = 50 lbs 12.3 ounces. Told you it was insane. A-Jay

Got out for about 4.5 hrs today. After no bites the 1st 2 hrs found a few. Got 9 on a spinnerbait and 2 on a chatterbait with this one weighing in at 5-1.

Jerkbaits, and then more jerkbaits. I'll try and figure out where the biggest depth changes/contours are if possible, and start with gentle single rips and long pauses. I tend to still catch a fish on drop shot as well in those temps if I know where the fish are.

More for me then!

Daiwa Fuego CT available on Ebay from several reputable sellers for $65. Unless you stumble upon a great deal on a used or closeout reel you won't find a better baitcaster for a better price IMHO.

Boo! (Source: Orvis)

Essentially: Extra Heavy, Heavy, Medium Heavy, Medium, Medium Light, Light, Ultra Light are the terms used to describe the power of the rod. Extra Fast, Fast, Moderate Fast, Moderate are terms used to describe the action of the rod, or where the rod blank begins to get into backbone. Some companies will use medium to describe the action of the rod, but normally that is used as a term for describing power. So you end up rods that are labeled Medium Heavy Fast or Medium Moderate.

although a little unorthodox I will put a 2 or 3 inch white or black Mister twister curl tail on a mushroom jig head and just hop it on the bottom and slowly drag. If the bottom of said water has grass or other debris i would reel it s l o w l y just let that grubs tail do the action. I've caught them like this even when the water was in between 37-40 degrees.

Was beautiful yesterday, so went out from from 2 til 5:30, bumbling around in my hybrid canoe. Initially things were slow, caught one in the first hour. Went to the other side of the lake where the wind was coming from and it was much calmer. Caught at least 2 dozen LMB over the course of the next 2 hours and 3 SMB. Most were small, from 1 -2#s and all were super shallow, in 5-10' of water. Took pictures of the biggest LMB & SMB, was unable to get weights as my cheap scale was not working (at least I knew the air temp was 13 Celsius LOL) I estimate they were over 3#. A great day, saw only 2 others out on the lake, one of the guys was coming in from bowhunting from further down the lake.

Those of us who also flyfish get a little insight to this problem. When flyfishing your line is almost always heavier than your lure and you learn how to cast the line and not the lure. In a baitcaster when a light lure is traveling slower than the spool feeding line to it, you either get a backlash or what you are experiencing which is what I call spool puff. There's a number of ways to eliminate it. Tighten your spool control a little which will decrease your casting distance, downsize your line so there is less resistance when casting or change your arm motion when casting. Any wrong motion in your wrist or forearm when casting with a lighter lure will send a "hump" or bulge for lack of a better term down your line towards your lure. When it reaches your lure it reverses and heads back towards your reel. If your lure makes contact with the water before it gets all the way back, you get line puff on your reel, if it doesn't, you get a backlash. If you have an educated thumb you can cast through the puff and get to the tight line on your reel. When you then reel in everything is back to snug for the next cast. I have taught a lot of people how to use a baitcaster when guiding and throwing light lures on a baitcaster is one of the tougher things to master.

Here's a video I made that should help.

Scale, no scale, guesstimated, or expertly estimated matters not. That's an awesome fish and you should definitely be proud.

I went to the lake that produced a couple PBs lately. I managed three very small dinks before the notherly wind blew me right off the lake. Not wanting to waste a day off, I went to my friends' small pond because it's in a low-lying area. It's my go-to when it's windy. The water was muddy and colder from day-long rain and temps in the 40's. But it warmed into the 60's the last couple days. I caught a 5.5 lb, two 3 lb. (I weighed them all), (3) in the 1-2 lb range and lost one bigger than the 5.5 pounder. This is a place that used to only have dinks. I don't know what has changed, but the average has really taken off the last couple years. If i didn't know better I'd think they're being fed. Here's a pic of the 5.5 lb. The owner was walking up when i caught it so i got him to take a pic. He was about as excited as me. They didn't know until this summer they were growing some future trophies. Of course, I never take any out. This pace will be a great winter alternative because it's sheltered. The bait was, once again, @cadman's custom black/blue ultimate grass jig with Chigger Craw trailer. This bait has been absolutely killing it for me lately. I'm well on my way to becoming a jig fanatic!

Please don't tell me you only fish retention ponds...

I'm confused by the OP's wording that the knot if falling apart before he pulls the loop tight. I'm thinking that he is letting go of the tag end and it's pulling through the loop before it's cinched. If that's the case, it's the technique he is using, not he knot. I use the palomar for all three line types with no issues.

Just got the call last night so am picking up the ol girl (TR20...2002) (700 plus hours I'm told on engine) this morning. It's been almost two weeks so am anxious to say the least. Had a major oil leak and the starter went out and a couple other little things. Now....I'm going to reorganize a bit for fall/winter so that it's quicker to clean out after fishing in heavy rain and such. Soooooo excited to get back on the water.....look out Hill.

It definetly shows! That fish is my "official" pb at 4.7 lb 21 inches. I've been bass fishing for most my life but I've only gotten serious about it in the last 2 years. BR has definetly been a giant help to me.

I could be wrong, but I think Mike was referring to the OP's post. "Fast" as in action. "Medium" as in power. The only time I have seen Medium referring to action is in some rods rated as Med-Fast. I have never seen a rod listed as having a Medium action. Hopefully I am not misinterpreting Mike.

My top 3 would be jerkbaits, jerkbaits, and jerkbaits, but if those don't work, T-rig.

That’s entirely too good a week for your fishing and sports teams. I hope Tom Brady comes down with a season-ending case of jock itch ?

Is that right after you said, "We're going fishing this afternoon" ?

I have one spinning rod with a hook keeper I removed as it was on top of the blank. When reeling in a fish aggressively the line would get stuck in it at times. I would place the hook on the bottom guide on that pole. the bottom guide on spinning rod is very large and doesn't come close to the blank. If I was worried about the barb touching the guide insert and scratching it I would stick the hook point into a piece of cork left over from a wine bottle.

When you get older you will wish you had installed a comfort hight. Looks like you spilled your Mountain Dew.

Top Picture: Estimated 9 lb. Smallmouth Bottom Picture: Weighed (on calibrated scale) 7 lb. 2 oz. Smallmouth I Caught This Year I would say his fish is a good two pounds heavier than the one I caught.

Soft swimbaits; 3:16 9" Mission Fish Basstrix 8" paddle tail Little Crippers 8" Trash Fish 68 and 8" Huddleston Delux Wake baits; Mike Shaw MS Slammer Srpo BBZ-1 50 Rat Glide baits; R2C S-Waver 168 & 200 Hard multi jointed: Matt lures 5" Gil slow sink* Black Dog 5" slow sink wooden Shell Cracker* 22nd Century 9" Triple Trout BBZ 8" Trout. Should get you started M but you will need a XHeavy swimbait rod. Tom *hard to find check Swimbait City

I’m surprised no one posted this. It’s the former Michigan state record that was 24.5” and 9.33lbs. The one that beat this one was 9.99 but this guy obviously knew how to take photos of his record catch. The guy who caught the current record only had remarkably bad photos but was only a recreational fisherman..and caught it on a dew worm ??‍♂️ The luck some people have. This is a true true giant

Whenever I pull in a 4 pounder I still think, "ITS A 7 POUNDER!!!!!"

The only problem I have with that is I use rod socks on every rod and that is an invitation to problems with hooks in socks.

Sunset over Lake Baccarac in Mexico last week ~ A-Jay

Two small zip ties. One around the rod, the other through the other.

I don't catch any really big smb these days because my shoulders are so bad that I can't hold the fish out that far any more.

If that bothers you you are a tiny bit sensitive, if it bothers you enough to rant in a forum about it, yes you are way too sensitive. LOL

The photo of this Smallmouth is good and the anglers hand holding the fish can be used to estimate the length. If the anglers fingers measure 4.5" spread, the bass is near 5 hands long or 24". Using LXLXG/1200, where the girth is 75% of the length or 18", this bass weighs approximately 8.6 lbs. or 70% girth @ 17" = 8.2 lbs. without knowing the length all anyone can do is estimate. Tom

A quick photo analysis suggests the fish is right around the 25" mark as stated, and New York DEC charts would put the weight at just over 7.5 lbs (for regional comparison), though several others, including In-Fish suggest 9 lbs. This is likely why the 9lb. suggested weight in the story. I personally don't see enough signs in the pic of the fish being overly fat and robust, instead more long, so I would lean toward the NY scale or lighter. That said, I, too, tire of these near record stories, and wish the persons would either be prepared and have some defined metrics captured, length/girth or weight, or simply keep the fish and get them correctly certified if truly record class.

Its spelled Jim and he cooks my cheeseburgers and fries at the local diner.

I know this is a dead thread but you guys are overthinking it. The strange Gantarel colors like wounded shiner are just as productive and if you burn or twitch it, it’s more like a jerkbait thing, they don’t inspect it, they just crush it. Fishing it finesse during the spawn, you may want to get a realistic color and action but the Gantarels are produce best as a power presentation. It’s how strangely and erratically that the lure behaves that draws them in. Think of it as a giant jerkbait. Just wanted to add this for anyone googling or whatever and then browsing the thread to see. thanks!

PM me the address and are you close to a BPS or Cabellas?

Pm me an address too please

OK I bit. I had to order something from TW anyway so I threw a few packs of these on. I’ll have them for spring. I have the SK Dream Shot OPT’s 4.25” coming. * Sexy Shad * Prizm Shad * Bold Bluegill Should have waited for Black Friday but it’s ok. These patterns are very similar to RoboWorm. These colors will not be new but that odd shape will be. They’ll work. I’m looking forward to having the SK rigged on one rod and a RoboWorm 4.5 the same color on another and fish them at the same time. Be tough to do at the same time, you get what I’m saying.

Turns out I only fished the North and Middle sections, probably should’ve headed to the south. A number of guys did fish the south section in full sized bass rigs so it’s doable despite the tournament director warning that it may not be acessible due to high water levels- it was. No ramp construction yet, I guess it was postponed yet again but I have no idea when it will actually get underway. Facility was nice if you ask me other than the very steep ramp... I guess that’s one of the things they’ll be fixing.

They have this thing when other humans have boats and fishing poles too and they have a competition to see who catches the most weight. It’s called a tournament. You should look into it.

Why don't you look at a Dobyns Champion XP they are excellent rods & if you wait until Black Friday you will probley find them for few bucks over $ 200. Most likely less than $10.

? Haha.....Don’t knock the bait, knock the fisherman. Anybody who talks trash out of line deserves to get called out. But I do have a problem calling the Senko an idiot bait that anyone can catch fish on. I have always said that there are days the senko bite just isn’t there. I went an entire week on St Clair last May and never threw it. Could I have forced a few senko fish? Sure but they were wanting the Ned rig with a Yamamoto Cali-Roll more so that’s what I threw. No one can be a single bait or lure fisherman and be consistent. But why the hate for a bait that is so successful? Isn’t it all of our goal to catch the most or biggest fish? The senko does that better than a lot of other baits. If the truth be told, how much skill does it take to throw a crank or a spinner Bait? Aside from color and size or depth considerations are they not just chuck and wind baits. Throw it out, reel it back maybe with a pause or speed change?. I posted about 3 of us in 2 boats all throwing senko, all the same color and I was the only one catching. The other 2 sure didn’t think it was an idiot bait.? I just happened to take the senko to a different level by fishing it in a lot of situations where most wouldn't or couldn’t. If you think another version of the senko works as good, buy it and throw it. ? It’s your hard earned money. I just happen to believe it is often imitated but never duplicated and I’m always willing to share what I have learned in my years upon years of fishing it.

I feel so bad for y’all norfers every time I see these. At least ya DO have the salmonids n other cold water fish to hold ya over?

You want some cheese with that whine? lol I don't care what baits people throw or how good they think they are because it has zero impact on my skill or fish i catch.

He's from Philly and has been fishing since June...

Some new pics after a few upgrades. *Minn Kota Fortrex 24V/80lb *Humminbird Helix 9 Mega SI on console (I use the small indash Lowrance while running, Helix 9 SI when idling/searching area) *dual Humminbird Helix 7's up front (one for graph, one for GPS) *Millennium palma seat up front (THE MOST COMFORTABLE SEAT I EVER HAD!!!) *Upgraded steering wheel (adds a little "bling") *Fulton F2 2000lb winch *Stoltz bow roller 2017 Polar Kraft TX195 Pro/Suzuki 140 four stroke.

Well, it's a debate for sure. I'm sure if you filleted some LMB you would find Snakehead fry in their bellies as well. That's nature. Big fish eat smaller fish. Here in Virginia there has been a lot of studying since Snakeheads were inadvertently introduced to our waterways. So far the impact has been minimal. They have shown that the Snakeheads "prefer" other species of baitfish to LMB fry. They are an excellent food fish and are being regularly harvested from our waters for table fare. They have also been "introduced" by bucket biologists to closed bodies of water here also. That, I am 100% opposed to and there have been arrests and prosecution.

Got my first boat (not counting old jon boat). '18 Crestliner VT 17. Lots to learn, for sure.