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In my last post, I said I was rigging up a jig and some 20lb fluoro to head back to the cold mud, with bigger fish in mind. I never could have predicted the day that I ended up having! I did have a little feeling though, because three or four years ago I fished the same conditions in the same place and caught two big fish, and my best 5 were probably in the 18-20lb range. After discovering active fish on Christmas day from the bank, my little brother and I headed back to the river with our kayaks, so we could access the fish a little better. After the bite we experienced, I think water must have been at least mid 40s, but we didn't have a thermometer, so I will never know. I do know they would only eat a bottom bait, and even though the bite was good, you still had to be extremely methodical about your retrieve (if you can even call it that). My first fish of the day was a 6.04lb gorgeous winter largemouth, I knew I was going to have a shot at one over 5, so I was stoked to get it as my first bite! It was in an eddy that produced one of the big fish I caught years ago under the same conditions, I love having a home field advantage. I spend a lot of time on this river so I know where big fish usually like to hang, and where all the little depth changes, rock piles, etc are. That knowledge definitely came in handy since I had to fish so slowly. The bite was pretty consistent, we fished wood cover close to the bank, and many of the fish were actually sitting on the upstream side of the wood, which is an awesome indicator of their activity level, and surprising for cold, muddy water. Most of the bites we were getting were in the 1.5-2.5lb range, nothing big after the first one. Home field advantage came in handy again, there was a log with some brush pushed up on it that was a few feet from where I caught a 7lber on a wiggle wart in March, and historically, that small 50'x50' area holds big fish. On my first flip, I hooked a fish in the 4lb range and lost it at the kayak, I was bummed! On my next flip to the same piece of wood, I caught a 2.5lber. After releasing that fish, on my next flip, again to the same piece of wood, I buttoned up a good one. That fish ended up weighing 5.22, and yet another big fish from that little sweet spot! I continued fishing the area catching small fish, but never anything over 2.5lbs. My little brother hit a stretch of bank and lost two big fish, one of them he said was 5lbs or so that he lost boatside. He went back to the same tree 30 minutes later, and caught a 4.9! Clearly, the big fish were bunched up. After about an hour, I headed back to the tree where I lost the 4 and caught the 5. I made many pitches to the piece of cover, and finally locked up on a fish. This one was a 6.15, I couldn't believe it! I was keeping track of my best 5, and was bummed that I lost the 4lber boatside, because it was my fault for rushing it. I knew I had the opportunity to catch a really impressive bag of fish, so I stayed after it, going back through water I had fished throughout the day. Any spot that produced fish earlier in the day had reloaded, so I just made a milk run fishing the good stuff. I popped a 4.21 and a 3.74 in about a 5 minute flurry of bites, once again the bigger fish were grouped up! Those two fish brought my best 5 to a whopping 25.36lbs (A Big Dumb Bag), my best 5 fish limit ever by far, and I did it from a kayak in late December! It is a beautiful thing when preparation meets opportunity. I have been diligently fishing that place in my kayak for at least 6 years, and had only broken the 15lb mark a handful of times, nothing close to what I did this time around! For anyone wondering, I was fishing a 3/8oz black and blue Molix Kento Jig, with a 3" and 4" chigger craw on the back. 20lb red label fluorocarbon on a 7'8" Heavy Doomsday "47" flippin' stick. 6.04lbs, also you can see my life jacket sitting on my kayak behind me from where I had taken it off after beaching the kayak for pictures. 6.15 5.22

I got to fish South Holston Lake in Tennesee on Friday, I have family nearby and was in town for our Christmas celebration (boat in tow, obviously ). Cloudy and rainy, but those conditions have been good to me at that place historically. As with the stellar largemouth fishing two days before, I had no clue what was in store for my brother and I that day... We started off catching a couple fish on a 2.8 keitech on points, that stupid little bait knocks their lights out in east Tennesee, because they feed on tiny alewives a lot. I wanted them to eat a jerkbait but I couldn't get them to, and after fishing a handful of points, my brother in the back of the boat had proved that the 2.8 keitech was the way to go. We headed down the lake and after rounding a corner, I looked ahead and saw what we refer to as a "beehive" on the Chesapeake Bay, birds diving in such a frenzy that the constant movement looks like a swarm of bees! Upon closer inspection, we could see smallmouth coming out of the water underneath them. We idled to about 100 yards and then closed the distance on the trolling motor (not many people do this unfortunately!) I lobbed an A-rig out off the end of the point, but fish started blowing up, so I set the rod down and cast another bait. I didn't get one, but my brother hooked a good smallmouth on a LC Staysee. I went to pick up my A-rig rod and it had snagged in something 50 feet down. During my lure retriever antics, my brother boated 3 smallmouth in 3 casts on the Staysee, one of those casts he had a double but lost one of them. As quickly as it began, it was over, and we began fan casting on the point to no avail. Fish were sporadically breaking, and I actually got one to eat a pencil popper in 50 degree water, unfortunately it came unbuttoned. We soon saw another beehive of birds on a different point, and headed over to see if it was more smallmouth. It was, and we doubled up on deep diving jerkbaits on our first casts! We caught a couple more after that, but there were a lot of fish showing themselves compared to the bites we were getting, time for a bait change. I fished a 3.3" keitech on an underspin, but no dice. My first cast with the ol' east Tennesee 2.8 keitech proved that it would be the bait of the day, and we began doubling up on every cast after that, it was insane! Mother nature was displaying so much visible carnage on this point, that I was waiting for David Attenborough to start narrating. Birds were attacking the alewives from the air, and smallmouth had them pinned to the surface! The waves of activity came and went, but for the most part, we sat on this point all day, landing at least 50 smallmouth, it was happening far too fast to keep track. Because it poured rain for the first half of the day, we somehow had the lake to ourselves, and no one ever saw any of the birds or breaking fish, it was beautiful! Towards the end of the day, we started catching some of them on a spybait, which is a bait I have very little experience with, so it was good to do some learning! The spybait ended up producing 3 of our best 5 fish for the day, so there was definitely "something to it". East Tennesee is a wonderful place, I am jealous of those who are lucky enough to call it home! A little over 17lbs for a best 5. Broke my biggest 5 LMB and Biggest 5 SMB during a 3 day period!

I have fished out of the back of a tournament boat one time and the most important two words to remember are “hang on.” Some people aren’t cut out for life on a fast boat and I am one of those people

Got another good one! Just over 21”, we had a few 18” mixed in as well

No cold weather yet but one of my favorites from last year. He loves the snow.

Not many places you can do this, but I went to a specific lake with the intention of trying. Pulled it off!

My grandson dressed for Chicago winters.(not really)

December fishing just keeps getting better. Caught ten this afternoon including four about this size. All came on a shortened Z-Man Hula Stikz ned rigged. Looks like we might keep cheating winter here in Indiana.

Now that you mention it, my last bass for the year was caught last week. I had had a good day fishing with my oldest son. We had wrapped up the day and I was sliding the rod covers on and sliding my combos in the rod box. My last rod had a jig on it. On a whim I stood up in the middle of my boat and pitched it to the bank. Immediately my line took off to the deep. I set the hook hard. Felt like I had hooked a tank! A short fight later and there she was. 7 pounds even! Just 3 ounces shy of my PB. So, the last fish of 2018 was a remarkable one indeed for me.

You can pitch with any reel ya want, I would be more concerned with rod selection.

Holidays got everyone worn out.

Y'all saying I need to start making spinnerbaits again!

I used the R2S James Watson worldwide spoon.a lot this year. It's not as big as some but I had success with it pitching into boat stalls and around lifts. The worldwide will dart away from the pitch which works great under walkways . I don't care for swivels on spoons in general, I think the fish like to see them spin.

Heres a photo of the old style . The jig-head is more of a banana shape and the body is larger .

I have an older 3/8 grape colored one also, I've never used. Virgil Wards spinner

Exactly - not the same as now. The only change I made to the old ones was to put a matching Sampo bearing on in place of the crane swivel. Made for a great late winter/early spring spinner.

I still have one of those old style 3/8th ounce lures . The body was bigger and the jig head was different .I used them a lot and caught some real nice fish with them . They had a crawdad color that i used the most . If they would bring them back I'd buy a dozen today .

Exactly! I pitch cast with every setup I carry, spinning included. Very useful skill. I don't even get fancy with a special "pitching rod." I pick the rod that will fish the bait and cover. From there, just learn to pitc\h with it.

My favorite tiny humans in the world

I should have known when the guys boat brand was “beeline” and he said he would race anyone there even though he only had a 200. He was correct, somehow his boat was faster than everyone else. Fast enough in fact to leave the water and fly through the air on a few occasions. Never again hahahahhaba

I am not anywhere near as knowledgeable as many here, but this is my personal experience. I live in central Iowa, our state record is 10#12 oz I believe, so 5+ pound bass are fairly rare. That being said, this year I've caught a dozen or so 5 pounders, a handful of 6 pounders, and the biggest going 7 and a half (yes, they were weighed on a scale that I've tested for accuracy lol). My experience was I never threw a bait for bigger fish. I caught them all fishing what worked for the body of water I was on. Jigs, spinnerbaits, frogs and worms accounted for most if not all of them. What made the difference was being in the right place at the right time.

When you can afford it

Bass fishing is a slow sport? Ever been on a lake when there's a tournament going on? A lot of those glitter barge jockeys are far worse than a kid on a jet ski Tom

I came across this old video of tuna fishing back in the 30's. It's amazing the equipment that they use and how many fish they catch. How they don't hook each other is nothing short of a miracle. Hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Yeah, but it has that UV color fish can't resist.

Office decoration contest winner:

How many days until spring? My blade is looking a little dry.

Is it possible the weather had a big influence on the good bite? Some of the lakes I fish often produce poorly during nice weather days but fish really well when the weather is nasty. I've certainly been guilty of overthinking it, and also missing the obvious signs until it was too late. Just means I need to go more often so I can stop making those mistakes

Remember the thread about practicing your casting and Catt recommended practicing with what you throw when fishing? I won't be practicing with this bait.

I'd rather be fishing out of this abomination rather than a yak where there are gators. But yeah. You know sometimes, a lot of times, I envy the DDs they catch in the south, as well as year round bassin.... But then I remember that in the north I don't have to worry about gators and snakes.

I tend to sit on a stool in front of a bench pulling a lever on a machine that turns brass, lead, copper and other assorted things into noise makers. Then once or twice a month, I use said noise makers to punch holes in paper or clang steel shapes at various distances with steel, wood, aluminum and/or polymer instruments.

"Affording it" is all relative too. I don't know how it is in your area, but here there are all sorts of levels to play on. Everything from BFL's, Costa's, and B.A.S.S. opens to $40-$70 weeknight, weekday, and weekend open local tournaments against guys with all kinds of boats and skill level. Get in where you fit in, have fun, and catch some fish. At the end of a "season" if you did well or not, chances are you will have learned A LOT, and become a better angler. Plus you'll make some life long friends. I prefer to fish in low key, laid back, low cost opens against my friends. It's highly competitive for bragging rights, and small amounts of money. At the end of the day, win, lose or draw, we all pat each other on the back, share what worked and what didn't, and the B.S. sessions before and after are always a good time. If there's nothing like this in your area....do what I did, and start one. Like minded anglers will find you. Tournament bass fishing doesn't have to be about spending money out the wazoo, putting on a show, and cutting the throats of your fellow anglers.

Could you have found a smaller eagle?

I'm a yhb fanboy and I fish what line I this is best cost not a barrier. 10lb yhb is great for cranks, jerk baits and worms 12 for jigs and 15/20 for swimbaits.

I don't know how it is on the BASS, BFL, FLW weekend leagues. Local clubs have winners and donaters. Same guys are in the money every week. The rest donate. Step it up a notch. One of the guys I competed against for 15 years qualified for BASS Elites last year. He was in the money more often than not at a local level. He is currently a donater. I ran into him fishing our local water this past summer and he said it the toughest competition he has ever been in. Me, I never made money. I was happy if I won enough to have my fuel, ramp, and entry fees paid for the season. I think it's because I never bought a fishing jersey.

The first step to healing is admitting you have a problem.

Yes, any other brand of line out there...except maybe Vanish Depends what you are wanting to try. You could go straight fluoro with something easily managed like InivisX, or something more similar to what you were using like Yozuri Hybrid, or a copolymer like McCoys ("Mean Green"). All would be fine for what you are doing. Sure you'll get a lot of other suggestions...

Indeed. Until Brady retires, that is. Hey, I gotta sneak one in somewhere!

I haven't noticed the heaviness in either of my 2 - 5' UL/XF for my ultralight rig and 6' M/F for my lighter crankbaits/spinners/whatever. Of course two of my other rods are old (20+ years) so I had nothing to compare the weight with. But I just hand-weighed my 6'M/F Ugly Stick compared to my 6'6 ML/F Avocet rod and the Avocet was noticeably lighter. I'll check again when my 7' H/F Aird-X arrives.

While not a presentation I'll employ locally, I have done it a number of times while fishing for mutant green bass south of the border. My 'success' throwing big spoons has been limited enough that I can really only offer one bit of advice. Eat Your Wheaties - doing it All Day Is a Workout ! A-Jay

Today was an awesome day! We caught 7 bass and 1 giant crappie. My friend caught his new PB at 5.5 pounds on a jerkbait! We caught all the other fish on clipless crankbaits. 8 fish in 5 hours isn't bad for December.

Nothing special needed to fish a tournament. In fact, it is one of the best ways for a novice (and experienced) fisherman to learn something new about fishing.

When your confident you can catch a 5 bass limit. Dont matter what size. You'll learn from there

Back of the boat there are no requirements other than be friendly and helpful. Be well organized and on time. Have fun.

You dont have to be good , you just have to enjoy it .

funny thing is, someone is buying them, or they would not make them. Whatever floats your boat. Some people will spend a ridiculous amount on golf clubs. Personally It does not matter what clubs I use, most of the balls either end up in the rough or water hazard. Maybe that is why I fish.

Today I Only caught one from 1-5:30 or so but got 3 right before dark.

Got to go for a few hours yesterday with my oldest son. We kept 12 of the smaller ones for a fish fry Friday to celebrate my baby boys birthday. Biggest fish is 7 pounds even and next is 5 pounds even. Now we got flash flood, tornado, and severe weather watches for the next 24-48 hours. Glad we got to go yesterday!