Leaderboard

Caught 3 LM and 7 Spots today in the glorious 30 mph winds.

Got in some roadside pond action with my brother.

It's been a while since I've posted. I've had too much going on to fish much lately, and when I did get a chance it's been a struggle. Finally caught a few in the past week or so. No big ones, but any fish is better than a skunk. The fish on the left was caught on a day when my buddy and I caught 10. He caught a 4 lb largemouth, and a 3 lb smallmouth...which was his PB smallmouth! He was pretty excited, and I was excited for him. It fought like a beast. I think he may want to chase those brown fish more often now. 9 out of the 10 we caught that day were on rattle traps. Any color would do. Orange, red, silver, and gold worked. The LM in the picture was the lone fish caught on a TX rig. The fish on the right was caught on an quick 30 minute bank trip that resulted in 3 fish. 2 small largemouth, and the smallmouth pictured. The smallmouth hit a trick worm like a train. I thought it was going to be a lot bigger, but I'll take it. Just glad to get to fish.

You're out of control. Last year when you vowed to stop buying gear and said you were gonna start downsizing, you were the beacon of light that all of us other whacko's were to look to for guidance and hope. Instead, it seems like somebody got you wet or fed you after midnight (the younger peeps may not get this), and you've morphed into something that would even make the bait monkey cower in the corner of the room, knees shaking uncontrollably

@Woody B I’d definitely claim 4. My skunk streak came to an end today. The Gun Club was the only place nearby that wasn’t totally blown out by all the rain we’ve been getting. 55 degrees, blue skies, and winds out of the WNW at 12 mph with gusts up to 26 mph. I worked the wind blown bank pretty hard with the Booyah Blade and was rewarded with 3. Average sized fish for this body of water but it felt great to actually be catching something again.

Don't react to this post until you read it. This post is also a poll without hijacking the thread. I caught 3 or 4 today in a short trip. I fished a part of the lake I had never fished before. I had ridden through it in my boat but never fished. (Nivens Creek for you people who know Lake Wylie) Why do I say I caught 3 or 4? I caught the same Bass 2 times, with one cast. I caught a 15 inch Largemouth (middle picture) on a Devils Horse. When I unhook a fish , especially with trebles I just toss my lure into the water next to the boat. This keeps from getting hooks in my carpet, lunch box ect. So, I unhooked this Bass, tossed the Devils Horse into the water next to the boat, took it's picture and released it. I released it 3 feet or so from the Devils Horse floating in the water. When I let it go it turned and smashed the Devils Horse. I barely grabbed my rod before it went overboard. This was the same Devils Horse I had just caught it on. I unhooked it and released it again, without a picture, and without the Devils Horse floating next to the boat. So, did I catch 3 or 4? Use the laugh reaction if you think I caught 3, or the like reaction for 4. Had this been a catch and immediate release tournament would it have counted? The Spots (13 inch and 14 inch) both came on a spinnerbait. None of these fish (all bucks I'm guessing) show any signs of spawning. Last week, a few miles North (in the same lake) I was catching females with rub marks on their sides from spawning. Fish behavior is interesting.

I happened to carpool with my wife to work this morning and she noticed a fisherman garage sale sign. After work we headed over there. It was the second day of the sale, but I got a good deal. Unfortunately the guy passed and his wife was selling off his stuff. Like a lot of us it sounded like he to loved to make tackle, especially jigs, and fish. There was a bunch of protec paint, the huge bottles there too. All the jigs were 12$ total and a buck for the rattles. The jigs were priced at a buck an ounce. Hoping to catch a lot of bass on them!

A couple jerkbaits in a different color.

YouTuber #1- Use a black/dark bait, because it contrasts really well in the water, making it easier for fish to locate it. Also YouTuber #1- When your braid starts fading, take a black sharpie to the line to make it less visible to the fish.

I can’t argue any of that one little bit unfortunately, I am getting a lot more picky on my gear. Although the war rages on, I have not bought a swim bait reel yet. There will be one in the future but not yet. My youngest is nuts about fishing just like me, I think that I would be lying if I said that I was not a little bit ashamed of him being into fishing like me. Although there’s worse things that I could be doing, but hey maybe that’s my delusion speaking lol.

@Woody B, pray you don't meet that bass again in another ten years. With its appetite, it'll be pushing 30 pounds and if it has the same ferocious attitude, you're gonna need a bigger boat.

Fixed a ProMax I had lying around, my first casting reel, been sitting after the thumb bar cracked in half on it. Replaced it and didn't know what to do with it, so I picked up a 7' MH/F Aird-X to be matchy matchy with it as a beater/loaner combo. And on my way home, got a notification that the Berkley Nessies I ordered were delivered. Two 7" in shad and two 5" in hickory shad, will be curious to see how these work.

I've got nothing to add yet, I'm still just perving all y'alls fish photos. lol. Work's been very busy, and any day I could maybe go fishing it's been raining. 😒 But, busy work means a few extra Canadian Pesos in my pocket, everyone here is healthy and our little Sea Bass is ready whenever we are. My son and I are pumped for it, and my daughter has even said she's looking forward to fishing.😁 I just need work and weather to align - so many techniques I want to catch a big ol' bass on first!

Here are a couple of my latest cedar swimbaits. These ones are 6 and 7 inches long. I've been painting all of them in different color schemes so no 2 are the same.

First cast surprise this morning.

New SLX 70A. The handle is shorter than the Curado 70's, which I wasn't expecting. Here's a side-by-side comparison in case anyone was wondering about it's size.

Same. Although I can't imagine I'd even be fishing waters with an Elite event going to begin with, especially during the event. The same concept would apply to any person fishing in a tournament or not though. Fishing in a tournament does not give anyone rights to a spot.

On the exercise bike today and switched on YouTube. First 2 videos up were on bladed jigs… hadn’t seen any on this in awhile so I hit play. One video was Matt Allen, one was Mark Zona. They both said when bladed jigs first came out, they both struggled with them - until they figured out how to fish them properly. Matt Allen said you don’t just straight retrieve a Chatterbait - you learn to “work it.” Vary the retrieve, change direction, kill it… this gets the bites. Then Zona said - whatever you do - don’t “over work” the bait. It vibrates, let it do its thing on a straight retrieve. What say you??

You can’t stare at your screen if it’s behind you 😂

Terrible conditions today - lake 3' flooded higher (and colder), sustained gusts >20, <1' visibility and mud. Went to the most wind protected side (still awful) and bomb casted from the bank to a rock bed I spotted from the kayak a couple weeks ago (~8-10') deep. I had a northern lights stunna still tied on from before - thought what the heck, get the line wet then change the lure. That first cast caught a 1 lber. The cadence must've been exactly right for THAT ONE fish Then moved to a black n blue chatterbait (zako), and on the first cast of that, caught a fatty (pic). Then nothing for the next 40 mins until a crappie took a chartreuse Jackall TN50 Then more coffee! Everything I know is wrong

I've had a few crazy catches over the years but this is one of my favorites. I posted this clip up right after it happened and a few times since, But I never gets old - at least not for me. While fishing for smallmouth bass in northern Michigan, I caught my personal best Musky. The fight and especially the landing of this mutant, (my line broke) was quite an adventure. After a measurement and the giant fish photo op, this beauty was released and swam away strong. So glad I was able to capture this very special memory on video. A-Jay while fishing for smallmouth bass in northern Michigan, I caught my personal best Musky. The fight and especially the landing of this mutant, was quite an adventure. After a measurement and the giant fish photo op, this beauty was released and swam away strong. So glad I was able to capture this very special memory on video

I have lived on and fished the Harris Chain for over 40 years. My feeling is Bass Tournaments have worn out their welcome here. There are entirely too many on the Chain. Between local, club, regional and National tournaments you can't even get close to a boat ramp on weekends. Back twenty years ago, no one would think of pulling up on someone's fish. Today, if you catch a fish you have five boats heading your way. The place for a big national tournament is Okeechobee. Fishing back to back in someone's back yard is not what I call fun. It's getting ridiculous!

Craziest fishing story? I was fishing a farm pond full of cattle and donkeys. The cattle stayed away but the donkey were more curious and hung around. I cast a line and spooked one of them and it charged me. It took a couple of seconds to realize that the stupid donkey was running full blast at me and my only option was to jump off the dam I was standing on. Luckily, the owner's dogs were out there too- and one of them realized that the donkey was charging me. It went nuts and turned the donkey around right at the dam or the donkey would have come crashing down on top of me in the water. My family was all out there. They thought (and still do) it was the funniest thing that has ever happened. I disagree and stay far away from horses, mules, donkeys, bulls, etc. now. 😉

I like going to a big party but sometimes I like to take a quiet walk by myself

Isolated cover can be amongst other cover...different!

There's nothing better than fishing, so I'd say you're doing a fantastic job if he prefers that over being inside on an iPad all day.

Glad you said it - given your shed, I think you'll not give up until you need a bigger shed...and that'll only slow you down. Okay - you owe me some screen cleaner.....

Like lots of terms used by bass anglers isolated structure needs to be defined. The entire lake bottom is structure of some type. Man made structures like bridge and dock pilings could be called isolated structure or structure. My view point is an underwater island or hump is structure and a large boulder or rock pile located on the hump is isolated structure. There are hundreds of different types of isolated structure, could be a stump in lieu of a boulder for example. Cover is another term to define. So use the isolated rock pile or stump with a weed bed ( cover) growing on top. You can’t see the isolated structure but it’s there and so are the bass, that is the spot you want to target. Remember that green aquatic plants produce dissolved oxygen during day light and provide shade cooling the water temps comfortable for bass and other fish. The isolated structure provides the bass a place to hide and is home to prey, win, win, win for predators like bass. Tom

Just got my order in from engineeringhooksets.com. The guy is a YouTuber and smalltime bait-maker. I've had success with his soft plastics last year and loaded up on baits again for this year.

I worked at this company over 10 yrs before being told there was fish out front in a really small retaining pond. Myself and a few co-workers started fishing it on our lunch breaks. There was several good bass and panfish in it since no one ever fished it or even believed any were in it. The director of operations actually used to encourage it, great times.

Very interesting thread. People have been trying to define the rules of bass behavior for a long time. Structure and cover seem to play an important role in it, at least for the fish that are relating to structure and cover. Personally, I’ve lost faith in the rules.

Just about everyone seems to recommend “working” a spinnerbait while reeling in. I do best with a straight retrieve. Same deal I guess. I don’t know nothing about chatterbaits because those things are weird

For @ol'cricketyand the other fine fish folks in maine. Lawmakers on board with protections for Maine’s lakes and ponds Environment Apr 04, 2024 | 5:34 am ET By AnnMarie Hilton Share Description Variable-leaf milfoil. (Maine Department of Environmental Protection photo) The Maine Legislature threw bipartisan support behind multiple bills to protect freshwater lakes and ponds in the state from burgeoning issues such as invasive species and shoreland zoning. “Our freshwater lakes and ponds are a core part of Maine’s identity,” said Francesca “Ches” Gundrum, advocacy director for Maine Audubon, in a news release. “The support from the Maine Legislature for these bills indicates a strong desire to keep our freshwater resources clean and healthy for our state’s wildlife and generations of Mainers to come.” Maine Audubon, a statewide wildlife conservation organization, supported all four of the bills, which the House and Senate voted on over the past month. Fighting invasive species As a result of the changing climate, invasive species, particularly Eurasian water milfoil, have increasingly crept into Maine’s fresh waterways, clogging lakes and ponds across the state. Two bills will specifically help address invasive species. They include: LD 2141, which provides $2 million for the Invasive Aquatic Plant and Nuisance Species Fund to address aquatic plant infestations in inland waters. It also requires the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to recommend more stringent inspection protocols. LD 1342 increases the cost of the sticker all motorized watercraft must display in Maine. In January 2025 and again in 2028, the cost will increase by $10 for in-state residents and $15 for out-of-state boats. The bill also reallocates the distribution of those fees so 70% goes to the Invasive Aquatic Plant and Nuisance Species Fund and the rest goes to the Lake and River Protection Fund. LD 2141 was placed on the budget committee’s special appropriations table for discretionary funding. Shoreland zoning, wake boats The other two bills target other threats to inland waters, namely shoreland zoning violations and boats that create extra large wakes. They include: LD 2101, which authorizes the Maine Land Use Planning Commission and municipalities to take action on shoreland zoning ordinance or statute violations. This could include revoking a permit, claiming a lien or filing a civil action. LD 2284, which addresses impact from wake boats by prohibiting a person from operating a motorboat in less than 15 feet of water or within 300 feet of the shoreline when the craft is engaged in a wakesurfing activity. It also promotes increased safety and education.

this. If you have a half mile bank with one blow down tree on it, that’s where they will be. Bass like cover and if that’s the only cover around they will be there. They will roam away from it but if it’s the only cover around they will come back. Compare to a half mile by half mile grass bed and they can roam that whole area and still be in cover.

Bass frequent isolated structures because there are no other structures around.

Larger bass are usually located on prime structure & in prime cover They setup on structure & in cover that allows them to see all directions at once. Maybe not 360 but it'll be as close as they feel comfortable. They like to see without being seen

I say that it is hilarious that multiple bass utubers can cash a check saying just about anything. Chatterbait is the worst, because it really can work fished so very differently. Wouldn't be hard to find five more contradictory videos about a bladed jig.... they're good around wood, avoid wood because you will lose them... fish them like a jig, fish them like a crankbait... fish have become immune to them, or the vibration is such that fish will continue to react to them no matter how many they see.... don't use braid; only use braid...sweep hookset, or jam 'em....

mineral sunscreens are effective, but they don't rub in very well. A friend has to use them because he has sensitive skin. Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor which is the biggest safety issue. The cancer risk is related to the hormonal interference, primarily breast and thyroid tumors, not acute skin contact and skin cancer. And the risk of cancer from useage is far lower than the risk of skin cancer by the sun with non-usage.

At Grand all the anglers were so complimentary of the local anglers giving them so much space, you hear this from time to time. Seems some places have more "respect" for the Elite Series guys than others. I don't have a problem one way or the other, if I was out there on my one day off, I'm not yielding to anybody if I was on the spot first.

See below Prime: of the best possible quality Structure: contour (shape) of the bottom of a body of water. Cover: something the bass can hid in, under, or around.

It starts at the bottom of the food chain, isolated cover/structure in an area is a beacon for all the forage the big Bass want to consume in said area. Instead of expending copious amounts of energy chasing around bait in an area, why not camp out at the local hangout for prey fish. In saltwater/pelagic sport fishing, there are things called FADs(Fish Aggregating Device) in the middle of the ocean, many times 50-100 miles offshore. In turn they end up becoming home to the largest predators in that area. Anglers pay thousands of dollars to charter trips to FADs to catch huge Marlin, Tuna, Dolphin Fish, etc. These devices work because they start the food chain in the middle of a literal ocean. A piece of isolated cover/structure many times does the same thing on a smaller scale in a lake. The Bass come to those places because they provide easy meals in short imho.

There is a sense of entitlement among some pros that rubs me the wrong way. More than a couple have said that they are there just one weekend and it is their job, so locals should give way. On the other hand, I have had guys ask me if I am fishing a tournament and when I said yes, they have backed out of an area they were on first. So, I will often do the same. But it always comes down to tone and attitude. The most respectful always get the most grace.

Milliken said that during his weigh in.....said he culled like 13-14 fish without realizing he didn't have a 5th one in the boat.

Safety first Katie. Wise trumps brave. Fishing alone, late at night, in a tippy canoe, in a weed choked bog, is not the safest of activities. On the other hand, a more stable craft, like a small row boat at your new place... 😉

Bass are like grumpy old men. They don’t mind being left alone and out of sight.

Any kind of unstable environment can make fishing really tough to read any pattern that will hold up.

It’s so boring watching a guy’s butt staring at a screen. 😆

The majority of the LMB in Castiac were transplanted from Van Norman a aeration reservoir located near I5 & I405 Freeways. The 1971 earthquake required the Van Norman dam to be condemned the lake drained the bass transplanted into Castiac as the dam was being completed 3 years before opening to the public. The Florida strain was part of the state wide introduction of adult size 2 to 3 lb bass planted into both Castiac and Casitas in 1973. It was the perfect storm for Castiac a virgin ecosystem with lots of new flooded cover, tons of crawdads and Threadfinfin Shad and trout to feed on with zero fishing pressure before the lake opened. The Elderberry for bay accident was catastrophic for the upper main lake dumping thousands of Striper up to 40 lbs into the lake changing the ecosystem forever. Tom

Check out the Shimano Vanford if that's the case.... Excellent reel.