Leaderboard

Yesterday, while watching the eclipse, I ran into a dude who was in a fishing club I used to be in. We started talking about the old days and the one thing that stood out was how little we (both) fish now, because of all the work/ non-work related responsibilities we have. Can't believe I actually got out to fish again today. That's twice in two weeks lol! And I caught a couple pictureworthy NLMBs too. 4 lbs 10 ozs on a Hiroshima hardtail. This bait is an xxxs, almost suspends. I was fishing a main lake point, fishing it with reel pops and long pauses since the water is still pretty cold (low 50s) in the central VA mountains. Kinda remarkable catch since I don't usually catch very many decent fish on hard swimbaits (except rats). Then I caught a 6 lb 10 ozs fish on a secondary point inside a cove on a custom-painted 7" WCZ Citizen in about 7-8 FOW, fishing it pretty slow on/ near the bottom. Honestly surprised to find a shallow/ close-to-the-shore fish this early in the season, but sure glad I decided to spend half an hour in that cove.

Out today after work on the bank. I’m guessing water temp around 55 based on last time in the kayak and other friend on the boat today. Both bites on a finesse 3.25” Swimbait on a 1/8 jig head. Both were also about 15-20’ offshore on the end of laydowns in the deeper part of the lake. Not giants but always fun when something pulls back!

Well you guys are killing me with all these pictures and reports...... Here in North Jersey we finally got a break from the constant rain we've had, my local river is just under flood stage. I had to get out on my kayak for just a shakedown cruise to make sure everything is working Hit up a glacial lake here as the temps were in the 70's with little wind. Just brought minimal tackle as I got a late start, wound up going old school with a floating Rapala and landed a Pickerel, lost one and had 5 follows, was just great to get out.

Last night was odd for a few reasons. At this particular spot, and at this particular time of year, I usually start on the northeastern shoreline because that's where the pads come up first. The entrance to this lake is on the southwestern side and I'll fly right through it. However, every spot I briefly lit up with my headlamp on the way over was loaded with bluegill, so I had to stop. Strangely, the bluegill were mixed in size, from very large to very small. I've never seen this here. They're always found in like-sized groups. Got a smack and missed on my very first cast throwing a Savage Gear pulse tail bluegill, but then I couldn't buy a sniff, and I threw the kitchen sink at them while slowly working my way north. Spent the next 2 ½ hours blanking, it was getting late, and I was really starting to feel it in my back as I'm not quite in wading shape just yet. Nothing gets me in wading shape other than wading. I finally booked over to where I should have started in the first place, on the eastern side, touched my toes a few times to try to loosen up, chucked the 6" 6th Sense Trace floater, and finally found a willing eater on my third cast. Go figure. By then it was 12:30 am, and I need my beauty sleep more than ever, so I called it a win and boogied.

I did manage on worth writing home about this morning! I like catching fish of all sizes but im always looking specially hard for them bigger ones on account of wanting to understand them and such. Shame the sample size annually for my research isn't what I'd like but it's the yearning that keeps me learning. Fishing is fun regardless!

The fish were a bit more cooperative today than they were yesterday. I got out for about four hours, put 8 in the boat, and lost two more. All were caught pitching flooded brush. The two lost were both dinks that came unbuttoned as they were sailing over my head. 😂 Best of the bunch was this 3.21#

It's nice to see the old and new faces alike and a landed bass is a cause for celebration in my book! Yesterday it got soggy but we still got some in there. ☔☔☔🎣🎣🎣 This morning I skipped it because it was positively soaking but maybe after work.... Here's yesterday evenings haul: Saw some mega giants hunting the crappie Jake ended up catching one of, but couldn't do much besides annoy them and make them leave 😂

Well my first bass of the year, I am starting to think that there is something going on with the ecosystem in a pond that I have been fishing for 4 years now. The numbers and size and general health of the fish has been dramatically declining for the past 2 years now. Caught this poor little guy that could use a decent meal, caught on one of my bfs setups with 4Lb fluorocarbon. 1/16 oz micro shad head and a smelt shad fry z.

Remember, hard core anglers like us here on the forum are a small fraction of the overall tackle purchasing market. Quantum and Zebco are recognized brands by the public at large for whom a $30 reel is sufficient.

@PhishLI coming home after fishing 🤣

And I third it. Super awesome, @deep I, on the other hand, am still fishless for 2024. Got a few bumps and tugs while on the river yesterday: assuming they were were little fish like chubs or bluegill or something that couldn't get the bait in their mouth. But I did see some beautiful flowers!

Eclipse bass: Mostly a bunch a little guys like this. It was pretty cloudy during the good part. Saw lots of animals out and about which was cool! Saw some new bigger females moving up to spawn on the evening of the new moon which was cool. Got some good warm weather coming this week that should really help lock fish in and maybe even draw some bluegill into the shallows.

Took the last ten days off, as the window on the big crappie bite has closed. Got back out today, but spent two hrs double checking some of the last areas I found a few but without a bite. So, pulled out the bass sticks and started refocusing efforts there. Only got two bites, but they were decent ones. On the right path it seems. More green fish focus going forward.

Got a good one on the Junebug magnum speed worm…

@IcatchDinks: I am so glad you are posting again. I really missed your posts while you busy with your newborn baby. Measured by weight, you're not one of Bass Resource's best anglers, but measured by your pluckiness and being present, whether it's enjoying the wildflowers or napping on a sun-warmed rock, you're the best.

Picked up a few Chatterbait Evos from Academy. Really been enjoying the bluegill color, picked up a couple to replace ones I lost since I'm down to 2 of them, and picked up 4 in electric shad. Really wish they carried over green pumpkin shad to this line, but electric shad is close enough.

Polarized lenses work by filtering polarized light. Sunlight, by itself, is not polarized. But as it bounces off a flat, reflective surface, it can become polarized. So polarized lenses can help to reduce the glare that you get on the surface of the water. And this can help you see deeper into the water. HOWEVER, it really only works if the sun is behind or in front of you. If the sun is off to the side, they won't really work (well sometimes if you tilt your head at the right angle they can). And if the water is stained or muddy, it won't help you to see through it any better, as polarized lenses do nothing to help that. So the sun's got to be at the right angle and you've got to have somewhat clear water for it to work better than regular sunglasses. So it's not just a marketing gimmick. It actually works. To see a better example, look at an LCD screen through polarized lenses. The light coming off an LCD screen is polarized. So usually, if you look straight on, you can see clearly through the lens. But if you spin the lens around, the screen will go dark and then lighten back up depending on the angle. Usually, they're set up so that the screen darkens when the lens is turned 90°. But sometimes, like on my fish finder, it's less. My fish finder darkens at about 50° clockwise, so I sometimes have to tilt my head to the left to see it better with my polarized lenses on. That's a design flaw Lowrance should have anticipated and corrected, but whatever. Polarized lenses don't block UV light by their nature. They need a special coating to block UV light. So while some polarized lenses will block UV light, not all will. And since it's just a coating (or sometimes the material of the lens itself), it's not uncommon to find non polarized lenses that also block UV light. They even make regular glasses that aren't sunglasses that block UV light. You have to look for that feature separately and not just assume that they always go together.

I have polarized sunglasses from Oakley, Onus, Costa, and generic. All help me see below the surface better than the naked eye. None are the X-Ray Specs that some writers might have you think. Off-colored water (even slightly) makes the difference less pronounced.

Steez limited SE on a steez real control 7 3 h

Pat, you're talking about understanding females. Females, Pat. Good luck with your quest, but consider an easier quest first, like finding the Holy Grail.

Thank you Shreveport Bass Pro, very cool! Can't believe they had juggle minnows. Gonna throw that around the shallows when I get home and see what happens. I think I'm weirdly just as excited to try the VMC crankbait snaps (not pictured) on a walking bait. I already use a duo lock to make the bait turn with less effort, I'm hoping the thinner wire, shorter length, and wider loop of the crankbait snap will provide even more articulation (action) at the line tie. Will report back.

My Dad's side of the Family is Italian. His Mom made everything from scratch. She taught my mother how to 'cook'. I like to eat so I hung out with Mom, and she taught me. I was happy. I still have her 'cook book'. (like gold Jerry, Gold) My wife's Uncle Jerry tells everyone he learned to cook in self defense. "Cooking is the gift you give yourself and those you love.” A-Jay

^^ This! ^^

Bite them. If you loose a tooth it is tungsten, if you develop lead poisoning they are lead.

Incredible posts on here... Incredible, jaw dropping, photos of lures... Wow!!! Confession: I started out in the 70's with Jann's Netcraft. Fast forward all these decades, and I'm still buying supplies from them! I take their stock, OEM, products, but then put my own little twist on it, in order to call it my own, and not just a "generic assembly".

Old girl enjoying the beautiful upstate NY day.

We went fishing for 3.5 days out of Puerto Vallarta. First day was slow with one 50 pound tuna. I decided to drift 25 miles off shore for the night rather than go to an anchorage. The plan was to catch squid at night an try them for bait the next day. The plan worked to perfection. The seas were calm and the squid came to the lights. We were able to put 30 squid in the live well, and were back on the fishing grounds at daylight. First drift we landed the 3 tuna in the picture. By the end of the day we had landed 9 tuna between 80 and 130 pounds. The next night I couldn't find any squid, and we had to fish frozen ones the next day. We only landed one 100 pound tuna, one dorado, and a big snapper. The third night I found squid again, and the tuna liked the fresh squid. We were able to land 4 120 pound tuna before leaving for home. Great trip with lots of fish, but very little sleep. All the tuna were caught on squid suspended on the surface below helium balloons.

Sweet! I already replaced the stock 84mm handle assembly with an 18 Bantam XG 90mm handle assembly on mine and really like it a lot better. I spooled mine up yesterday with 14# Sniper and tried it out at a local pond using 3/8 oz. chatterbait minimax, set it up on F on the line type and 3 on the brake and it's the lowest I could go without the spool blowing up 🤣, It cast really good and very smooth on the retrieve. It's just like another 23 or 20 Metanium with a DC brake, which is not a bad thing at all.

@PhishLI reminds me of John McClane. No matter the conditions, Phish just keeps fishing like John just keeps fighting.

Careful Jake, those hats make you rant about FFS like a lunatic 🤣

Got out the last two days after work. Monday was a bust, dead calm, eclipse, no fish. Yesterday at a different lake; windy, water warmed more. Managed to get a boat load of fish, I think it was between 14-17 fish lost count at one point. All over 2 pounds, biggest two were 3.3lbs same exact weigh but two very different fish. Fished the wind blown shore, they were shallow anywhere from 2'-5' hanging out on any blow down or rocky piece of shore. Missed a bunch of fish as well when the wind was really blowing, they would hit the jig and swim towards the kayak while I was getting blown towards them and couldn't manage a good hookset . Everything was on a 1/2oz Black and Blue jig with a Green Pumpkin Berkley Pit Boss trailer. Weather ahead is looking pretty good and hopefully the cold weather is behind us.

Nobody is safe around me if I try to cast left handed. The birds fly out of range, bears leave the area. The turtles and gators all sound and go deep. I’m right down dangerous.

chatterbait is also a good option for stained water, and don't be afraid to throw a buzzbait either. Sometimes in those conditions a little flash and crash is helpful. Key word there is 'sometimes'

@deep I really dig your style, you seem committed to the big swimbait. Wasn't around when you were posting before. I haven't found anything in Bass fishing that rivals catching them on big swimbaits. Pure adrenaline from the moment they eat. That last fish is a beautiful freak show.....congrats.

My buddy’s 8-9 yr old daughter dropped a gobbler opening day ! apparently the season started earlier than I thought

Everyone caught something yesterday! We caught many fish but none over 4 lbs. Got my biggest of the day on a buzzbait which was extremely satisfying! Got my fattest on a jig! Caught a nice channel and a crappie and we are having a fish fry tonight after the eclipse/pond fishing! Tight lines to everyone this week! 😎😎😎

Nah! Never have 😉

Mom and little brother were at a birthday party this afternoon, so Lake and I went fishing for a couple hours. Too windy to be on the water, so we stood on the bank and catfished. I was trying to catch something for bait with nightcrawlers on the bottom, but Lake ended up catching a channel cat and his first ever sturgeon on them instead.

Latest Sunfish spinnerbait. Allen

I enjoy the uniqueness of the steez line with the AGS guides. I’m not aware of production rods that match their weight, sensitivity, power, actions that match them. I don’t know if a loomis that matches the power pitch. Maybe the new 874C does. I know the bottom contact is right around a competitor of the NRX 894. To each their own.

I once "retired" what had to be a 100+ fish Spinner Bait. If I had a bait last 10 or so fish before it broke I wouldn't be upset though. Sounds like you got your money's worth. I mean, if you fish long enough you're gonna lose lures on the first cast. Lures are to use and sometimes lose.

Finally was able to get out for the shad run. Fished 4hrs today and caught 35. Threw crappie grubs and gold spoon, nothing. Changed to a white spoon since water was heavily stained and they starting biting. Fished the incoming tide. Decent amount of people on the river in boats and fishing from the bank. As the water clears, the bite will only get better!

Had a little visitor on my back patio today

@Pat Brown I need an explanation. I marked the fashion violation.

Got my boat out for the first time in 6 months or so today. Doing the boat captain thing next weekend and the kids aren't going to get to prefish so I tried to go do it for them. Lake was super low and very muddy. I don't understand why they keep making these poor kids go back to this sorry excuse for a lake. I fished the marina for an hour without a bite. Tried to run to a different spot but got a constant beep warning when I did. Oil level was pretty low so I'm thinking that's what it was since it was peeing water just fine. Half-hearted tried the marina a little more before putting it right back on the trailer having had 1 bite from a big drum. On the way home, I stopped by a lake that never has any tournaments because it's a "bad lake", so I could remember what it's like to get a bite.

Leon is on the way !! He caught 5 today on a senko.

I only caught 5 today.........but the 2 biggest were 5.61 pounds and 5.88 pounds. The smallest was a 14 inch Spot. (all are pictured)

Best day of fishing in my short fishing life. This is only my third season being dedicated. Only caught 1 bass so far this year. Until today. Also made a commitment to get better at jig fishing. Bought a dedicated jig rod and its had a jig tied on at all times. Also got a new old town pdl 106. Well, this was the first fish in that kayak. Weather's been in the 40s, but windy. Went out this morning. With the wind chill out was low 30s out. I had a wacky worm, a jerkbait, and a bitsy bug jig tied on. Wasn't having any luck. I'd hit the north bank, targeting bushes and lay downs. Then as the wind blew me away I'd start with the jerkbait. Just trying to figure out the pattern. After being blown far enough i started the pedal back to the north bank. As i approached i saw a gnarly looking laydown. Came in slow and stealth. Didn't like my angle. Adjusted. Was about to just make a few pitches to the outside of the laydown, fearing getting hung up. Then remembered all of learned here. Pitched the bitsy bug right in the thick of it. Immediately felt the weight and set the hook. As i did i see the branch i pitched next to move. Dang, I'm hung up. Then i saw the fish, still submerged. She had me wrapped around this branch of the laydown. Long story short, i had to keep the fish pinned while moving the kayak in a better position to get unstuck. Finally did. Kayak got pulled into the laydown. Reeling the fish in when i saw its size. Just started yelling. I couldn't belive it. Got the fish into the net, ny the way i need a bigger net, this thing barley fit. 5LB even. Jig right in the upper lip. Beautiful fish. I know 5 isn't a big deal for some guys. But iv never seen a fish this size in my area. My old PB was on the upper 3s. I was shaking with excitement. It's just awesome. Yes the fish is great. But everything together. The things i learned. First fish in the new kayak, on a bait i wanted to get better at, in a location i normally would of passed on (or at least not got as deep into), in a time of year i struggled in the past, the fight and dealing with getting wrapped up.... all of it. Stoked. And just want to thank this forum. Learned a ton here and multiple things iv picked up on here came into play on this fish. So thank you everyone.

"expectation", refers to the act of expecting or anticipating something. I fish waters with extremely heavy cover, losing lures is a normal expectation.