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Had to go to a funeral back in Durham for a friends mother and after the processions we hit a friend's private stocked pond and I caught a 5 lb 8 oz donkey on a 7 inch swimbait (thanks @deep for the inspiration !) I've been helping him cull big sunfish and smaller bass and it's nice to see a healthy girl like this in here. It's always funny when you catch a fish THIS size on a big bait: The Zaldaingerous swimbait definitely gets bit! Got some of the new 6" whales coming to try because they're a great price and I love the smaller ones!

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

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.

For years I coached baseball in rec, travel, and middle school ball and I got to know a ton of kids and their families. There was another guy who was also a single dad who was my assistant coach most seasons and we became friends and our sons became friends. We all went camping and fishing together throughout the year and enjoyed each other's company. I moved away from that part of SC 5 years ago and we drifted apart. Two days ago I received a text from my ex wife with a link to an article. His son is now on the run from the police for attempted murder. The story is he fired a gun at an occupied vehicle and then fled. Thankfully, no one was injured. There was just damage to the car. This kid is 18 now, but I knew him as a happy, goofy kid and a pretty good ballplayer. His father is a good man. and taught his son right from wrong. I could never imagine this coming. I reached out to his dad the other day offering my support and told him if the media gets to him or when things die down he can come out and stay at my house or hotel for a few days to try and decompress. He didn't say much except that his son is innocent, but the last two years have been difficult. I can relate, because my son has had some mental health difficulties for more than a few years now. It has me thinking that there are so many outside influences today like social media and instant communication along with the psychological damage done by lack of socialization during COVID that kids today face far greater challenges than I ever faced. In today's world, this constant bombardment of outside influences and increased peer pressure, anonymity, and bullying (for lack of a better term) due to social media are taking an incredible toll on our children. As mature adults, our brains are better equipped to rationalize the good from the bad and blow off ridiculous people. But studies show that people don't achieve rationalization and critical thinking skills until they are in their 20's. The pressure on today's kids is immense and we see that with increased violence, suicides, self harm, and more. I guess what I'm getting at is that in today's society, kids can be raised by great parents and instill a solid values system, but more and more kids seem to be making poor decisions.

Wife and I are camping so I went back out after lunch and 5 more fell victim to the spinnerbait........done for the day.

@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.

Went fishing yesterday and caught one little guy on a drop shot rig using a little hellgrammite type bait. Fishing is still slow, but as the water temps rise, I expect the catch ratio to rise as well. I've only found one spot on the river where they'll bite. I would have fished more, but left my phone on top of my car, and when I pulled out to go to the next location it fell off and broke. I don't like catching fish I can't document, so I called it a day. (P.S. I didn't have any appropriate drop-shot weights so I made one from a snap-swivel and some split shot.)

Fished a flooded lake this morning, very cloudy water except tight against the bank. So I drug the bank with the little boat and casted parallel. Caught 10 in a little over an hour in the flooded grass throwing a bluegill colored spinnerbait Ooops a duplicate 🙄

Early 1990's, I did not have a boat, or even a canoe. Buddy worked at Cabela's and hooked me up with a gently used belly boat. I would pull on the neoprene waders, strap on kick-fins, and wade down the ramp in to the lake. Thankfully there was a nice wood filled cove right near the ramp. This was in Northeast Missouri, the lake was used for city-water, so trolling motor only. Oh, did I mention they stocked with Musky(?) I had recently switched over my bait-casting rods to Fenwick IronThread braid. Loved the sensitivity, and could manage a good length case without bird-nesting. I was pitching a jig-n-craw next to trees in about 20' of water. Using my feet / kick-fins to position my little belly boat. Pitched next to a nice big tree...and watched the line...the jig stopped...then started moving to the right..."hello Mr. Bass!" and I set the hook! Knew right away the bass had escaped, as it felt like I set the hook in to a stump. Bummer. Then the stump moved(??!!) I kept the line tight and the fight was on! Pretty surprised to see a nice Musky surface next to my belly boat...he pulled me around in circles for a while before I kicked to the shore. I was able to unhook and release the toothy predator unharmed. And thanked him for the dance.

Found a few on a pattern I've never seen before. They were hunting trout in open water, not relating to any particular structure or cover. Every now and then I'd see a trout frantically trying to escape being pinned against a steep island bluff bank but for the most part I was seeing these massive explosions out in open water and occasionally against the bank. There wasn't really a way to target these fish other than being in the right place at the right time. Ended up with 3 at 4-5, 4-11, 6-0 on a deps 250. Only thing I figured out for certain was that they wanted an uphill presentation. Cast out into deep water and retrieve toward the bank and they'd pin it against the bank like they'd been doing to the trout. There were definitely bigger fish in the mix, I missed out on a large part of the bite window before I realized what was happening.

Caught a decent largemouth also 😎

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

It's all him. Cocky kid said it counts as 3 fish. 20" and every bit of 5lbs that will go on the wall.

Slowly acquiring parts for a new build. The reel itself should be here next week, and the rest of the parts the following week. Sure I could've gone aftermarket, but my objective is to build a reel that Daiwa doesn't with all Daiwa parts. It'll be a slick reel for fishing the Detroit River and piers in my neck of the woods. @bulldog1935 knows what I'm building, but outside of him, it's a secret 😏

You’re a good man @Koz By reaching out to someone you haven’t had contact with for 5 yrs but now because of a private family issue says a lot about you. I’m sure that man is blaming himself on some level but at some point people of all ages must take responsibility for what they do and don’t do. It’s never always someone else’s fault or the “pressure” of what they’re exposed to. Glad no one was hurt and hope everything works out not only for the kid but also his family. Mike

Hate to hear that. Not speaking to this particular case but just because you know what’s right doesn’t mean you do it, been guilty of that before myself

Wild Card!!

This story is what really got me hooked on bass fishing. I did some fishing as a kid, but never specifically targeted bass. As an adult, bought a house with a lake down the block. Wanted to get into bass fishing. Did some research and learning. Just painting the picture that i was new, no experience, and was trying to piece all the info i looked up together. Maybe only my 5th time specifically targeting bass. Fishing a lake in a park. Man made i belive. The whole lake is surrounded by a walk way where people jog or walk thier dogs. No bank, just a sort of wall. I went in the morning, throwing along the wall as i made my way around the lake. Because structure, right? I felt the heaviness of getting snagged on a branch a few times. Mistaking it for a bass. Long story short, i was starting to feel defeated. Threw my lipless out, felt what i thought was just another snag, then just as i was realizing somthing felt different, thought of setting the hook, i saw a huge (to me) bass jump and throw my lure. Ugh. Threw a few follow up casts. Nothing. Ended up leaving shortly after. All day i couldn't stop thinking about this fish. At this point i had only caught 1 small bass in my few trips. Felt so close to success. Replayed the situation over and over in my head. And i knew it was a big guy. I NEEDED redemption. Ended up heading back later in the evening. Still no luck. Was getting annoyed because now thier was a ton of people around. Kids running up to me, people feeding the ducks and swans right next to where i was fishing. Sun was about to set. Im done. I'll keep throwing casts out as i make my way back to the parking lot, but I'm defeated. The motivation was gone. I get back to the spot where i lost the fish. Two kids are looking in the water. And we see a big boil. They just looked at me with wide eyes. I stepped back, made a cast. BAM! I caught a 3-4 pounder. Probably closer to 3 1/2. I was ecstatic. The kids were freaking out. The rush...i was hooked. The kicker, I'm 99.9% sure that was the exact fish i lost. Same exact spot. Same size i thought i saw. And this lake is not even close to having a ton of big fish. What were the chances? I went back after thinking about that lost fish all day, just hoping to catch somthing. The thought of catching the same fish i lost seemed impossible. But im confident that was exactly what happened. From thier on, i was hooked.

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.

What is that one trip that was so epic that it's etched in your mind forever? I'll go first: I was a kid and my dad had taken me to a brackish lagoon in SoCal. It was our typical spot, full of small bass and sunfish, and perfect for kids. We netted mosquitofish, crawdads, and small shrimp to use as bait. I plunged my hand into our bucket, hooked a mosquitofish through its lips with a #8 hook, and cast my bobber and small split-shot setup near some cattails. My bobber went under, but the line wouldn't move. "Dad, I'm snagged," I said as I tugged on my line. He turned, his eyes went wide, and he grabbed the line and pulled. Our bait bucket tipped as he ran back, and as my brother rushed over to see the fish, he hooked the dog. That bass was well over 10 lbs, an oddity for the lagoon and the biggest bass I've ever caught, to this day. That's just one story though, and I'm excited to hear yours! Tight lines!

I've had some boat work done and I'm finally getting out. There was a high school derby and one other club tournament. The wind blew 15-25 all day and trying to find a place somewhat calm to fish was tough. Me and my wife went out for 4 hours before we called it a day. We boated 3 Brown fish. All came on crankbaits. We're going early in the morning and they say the wond will be 5-10. I hope that's true. It was nice to catch a few!

I was going to fish Lake Raven in Texas (Huntsville) yesterday, but woke up and just didn’t have the energy. So I went to the local pond. Very dead. Only caught one small bass and lost one. So I made my mind up to go to Lake Raven this morning. It’s not a huge impoundment (203 acres) but it’s a lot bigger than a 2-3 acre pond. I’ve fished there twice before so it’s still a learning experience. I had read a report on conditions (stained/muddy due to recent rains) and there are no lily pads out as of yet, so I left my frog rod home. I took a MHF baitcaster for Texas rigs and another for chatterbaits/spinnerbaits, and another for jigs. Also brought MHMF for topwaters and crankbaits and a MXF spinning rig for finesse. I started with a Whopper Plopper and it garnered zero interest. I switched to a chatterbait and then a Texas rig and they also struck out. No algae like I’m used to in ponds but tons of hydrilla. I could rip the chatterbait through it better than the Texas rig. I crossed to the south side and tried the chatterbait again, just off a point. After a few casts I thought I hooked a bass, but the fight didn’t seem right. It wasn’t a bass, it was a crappie. The first one I’ve caught in decades! Then I switched to a blue/black jig with a green pumpkin Rage Bug trailer. I caught my best jig bass today. Almost 3 lbs. I don’t fish jigs a lot as they are horrendous in algae, but fishing them in hydrilla is an eye-opener. I know I missed two strikes setting the hook late as a jig bite just feels different. But it was the best bait today. I ended up rigging a Rage Menace on an unweighted Texas rig on the spinning rig as bass seemed to be right on the bank and it’s not easy flipping when seated so low to the water. All my earlier TR were rigged with black, watermelon red, or watermelon with red/copper flake worms or Senkos. This was green pumpkin. Looks like green pumpkin rules the day. I also tried a spinnerbait, lipless crank and a squarebill without success. But I learned a bit about jigs today!

I can say even as an adult social media got to me. Keeping up with the jones. Look at those people doing this aren’t they lucky. I do not use any of it but this bass fishing forum. I do want to start an Instagram for my dog. I just never do because it’s “giving in”. I was very lucky to be at the beginning of social media in my high school years. I hope this guy is innocent. It could very well be true it could very well be not. I am glad no one was injured. At least that will not have to weigh on this kids soul and family’s mind.

In my Joe Pesci voice- "We got ourselves a freakin' court reporter over here!"

So you went to the funeral in a blue hoodie?

When i first got into bass fishing a few years ago (i did it once before when i was younger but fished for trout and panfish heavily for many years) i was bank fishing a really nice big lake 45 minutes away, sunny afternoon with nice weather, covered as much of the bank as i could, switching spots moving constantly. I really didnt know how to fish for bass at all, i had just bought the rods/reels and the lures that were suggested. I had no clue how to even fish 90% of the lures and baits i had with me, i also might have been using my first bait caster too, the Abu Black Max i got on sale at Walmart. Well after 6 hours and not a single bass i left and was very discouraged. Just hours later that same night before sundown my parents offered to take me to another lake thats very close by to fish for trout or panfish from the public pier/deck. I enjoyed fishing for panfish very much so i left all the bass stuff at home, grabbed my panfish rods and a bag of baits and went. Caught a few small bluegills and then the sun went down, i figured the big bluegills would be coming out soon, picked up my Light action Cherrywood with a 1000 sized reel, took a small plastic Creme worm broke it in half and put it on a 1/64th oz trout magnet jig head and tossed it in the water. Something grabbed it and i was fighting it for several minutes, it was fighting very hard (well for a Light panfish rod with 4lb line) i saw it was a bass and as it got closer it got tangled in the small area of lily pads infront of the deck/pier. I didnt know what to do since it was such a weaker rod and line, i couldnt flip it, drag it etc.... After a minute i was able to get it out of the weeds and grabbed it. It was one of the biggest bass i had ever caught at that point in my life, it measured 19" i got some pictures taken and couldnt stop smiling for days, i looked it up when i got home and from the length google said it was between 3-4lbs with an average of probably 3.5lbs. That day is the reason i never gave up on bass fishing, and have become even more addicted to it ever since. I now know to take every second on the water as a learning experience and to learn as much as i possibly can. I still take some days throughout the year to fish for trout or panfish, but 80% of the time im going for smallmouth or largemouth. Other crazy stories, helicopter was flying around and hovering over us for a few minutes (30-40') until it landed next to the field on the side of a lake i was fishing. (Medical life flight it turned out to be) And i fish a pond throughout the year that someone released their pet alligator in years ago, it was just a small one and several people fishing saw it popping its head above the water, they called the local news stations too. The state hired a reptile zoo or whatever you call it and took it out. Even tho i know they removed it i always hear the theme song of jaws in my mind while paddling over the lily pads in that pond.

Been out of fishing for a few years due to work overload, heart attack last July.. decided I would get back to fishing again. Life is way to short. Been fixing up another old boat to get back on the water. dont care if its not fancy.. just to be back on the water

I needed a new to me boat, budget was tight and so am I lol .. Traded a 3d printer I wasn't using for this boat and trailer. I could see the potential of the boat even though its butt ugly.. and at the end of the day its just a platform to catch fish from. The Boat is 14ft, tri hull, had no motors , just the boat and trailer. ( solid floors and transom ) Its rated for 40hp, and max cap of 950 lbs. I scoured fb market place for a good motor that was under 500.. found a 15hp 1995 gamefisher for $225, bought a 12/24 Evinrude trolling motor from 1990 for $75, found another to use for parts for 30 if I needed any for it.. Bought Hummingbird Piranha Max 4 DI of ebay for 60 shipped, then found a Lowrance elite 3 dsi locally for 30 they guy also threw in a butt seat with pole he had laying around. bought a new folding seat for the rear to replace the had plastic seat that came with the boat at academy sports. Man gas tanks and fuel lines sure have come up in price since I last bought one few years back, pre covid.. they want 60 to 100 bucks for a plastic tank and 40 to 60 for a 6ft fuel line these days .. that's crazy. Of course I didnt pay that .. kept shopping around till I found tank for 30 and 20 for fuel line. Here is pics .. its a work in progress, will eventually repaint it .but for now it will do as is

@Fried Lemons: Wow! Big bass and what a way to catch them. Say, cyber-buddy, please consider wearing a life jacket. I was in the paddling world for decades and again and again, paddlers died without life jackets. Some were old like me and some were young, just like you.

Good one, but not enough to fish tomorrow as of now. Heading for the lock.

Hey, Caught two nice sized peacocks today. Hope you all had a nice weekend 👍

Kids, who were raised by good parents, and have made poor decisions is nothing new. It’s been happening for thousands of years.

@Koz, like @Mike L said, you are a good man for reaching out to an old friend. Know matter how this turns out, it's not mom and dads fault or doing. The responsibility lies solely with the son. In my 30+ year law enforcement career, I can't count the number of kids hauled to jail that were raised by good men and women. Heck, sometimes there would be other siblings that were exemplary people. You just never know what makes a kid snap; easy money, drugs, the "wrong crowd", mental illness? One of the Officers under my supervision has a kid in the penitentiary right now, been in and out since high school. His daughter is an RN. You just never know.

And here's the video!

I hope that wasn't the yard sale I drove by yesterday 😂

Interesting question. I’m no legal advisor 😂, but I’d say it’s about how your phrase it. You could say you caught 3 bass, or you could also say you had 4 hookups. Regardless of the number, it made a very cool story. I say kudos to you for it.

Yup ~ But it was cool because it matched that Strike King Cap perfectly. #fashionista 😎 A-Jay

Made it out today and fought the wind. Water temps were around 50 and I was hoping to find a shallow bite. The water was pretty churned up but we did hit a decent window in the shallows. I got all fish on the windblown side of a spawning flat wirlth a chatterbait. Only 4 bass but all healthy and feeding up. Biggest might have been 2.5lbs. The highlight was actually the pickerel. Hooked one around 24 inches and a couple others around 20 inches.

The main reason, also the reason for so many compact frames, they're aimed at stream trout, where upstream and across casts may require fast retrieve. Rod tip lift on these short rods also doesn't pick up a lot of line or gain a lot of lure speed. In my hill country limestone creeks, Ambassadeur 1500CI gearing is fine for me. I'm also happy with Ambassadeur gearing in my river kayak niche. In my shore casting salt finesse niche (tide passes), I prefer low-geared reel for lure presentation, also larger diameter spool for improved distance. This is 6.3-geared Steez w/ Roro-X spool, casting 2 g to 130' on 8' rod. Where I'm drift-fishing a salt kayak on windy flats with a 7' baitfinesse rod, higher 8.5-gear Silver Wolf works well for me.

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 have '19 Vanquish and '19 Stradic - the differences w/ '23 are slightly longer spool pitch and the spindle to go with it. Stradic is forged aluminum body and composite rotor, built on Malaysia line. Vanquish is magnesium body, lightened composite rotor, titanium bail, more BB, and bench-built in Japan with parts matching for extra smoothness. You wouldn't notice the difference until you have them side-by-side, but then Vanquish low-inertia drive becomes apparent. The reel starts when you start, stops when you stop, and never pushes against your hand. Vanquish was designed to be the best finesse spinning reel ever, and Shimano succeeded.

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'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!

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

Absolutely. I'm really looking forward to it. Normally I'd be about six weeks out from going nocturnal right now, but this spring, who knows? Last August I added these guys into the night fishing mix. They up the excitement ante by a big margin.

I catch a lot of largemouth with spinnerbaits near docks early the morning before the sun gets too high. When it bumps off a post of the dock, its almost a guaranteed bite. As the day progresses and the sun moves higher, that bite dies and then I switch to a plastic skipped underneath.

First two fish of the year on the board! My wife and I took our six month old to the park that's circled by the Chippewa. I threw on the waders and tied on a Ned rig. A few casts in I had hooked my first fish of the year. She was a beautiful, fat 13 incher. I know I don't look it in the picture, but I'm elated. That's my happy face: A few casts later I had the second fish of the year: a smaller and not nearly as colourful smallie: My wife was kind enough to take the pictures and watch from the bank. After breaking off my last two Ned rigs (my spring resupply is still in the mail), I called it "good enough" and my wife and I finished the evening with a stroll around the park. Finally I can talk about fish and not naps or flowers. Neither of these are giants, not even keeper size. But fish are fun and I'm living up to my username.