Leaderboard

Seasonably Cool & Windy on #lakemenderchuck this morning. Of the couple of dozen landed, best two went 5.58 lbs & 6.48 lbs respectively. A-Jay

Hot, sunny and almost calm. Fished 4 hours for 4 bites. Landed 3 - of course, the one I didn’t land was a 5 pound class fish or better. She cleared the surface on her first jump and that was that. Positive spin - learned a new big fish spot though.

spurt of the moment fishing trip. I was able to get things done around the house yesterday and this morning. Headed back to duck lake around 11:30 today. Had a pretty good day. the bass and pike started out hitting a terminator spinner bait which, i bought on clearance for $1.99 at northwoods. I caught the biggest bass and pike on that spinner bait. So i’ve really like the idea of the carolina rig. However, our natural weedy lakes kinda make it hard to do. So i’m sure im not the only one to do this. I combined a free rig, mojo rig, and a carolina rig. I call it the Michigan rig. i threw it in a 7ft MH fast mhx mb843 and my shimano slx sc bait caster. the mainline ( probably use what ever you want) was 40 lbs braid run through the loop of a 1/4 oz pencil drop shot lead weight that i pour. i tied a swivel with roughly 14-16 inches of berkley big game 12 lbs mono (. just what i had lying around) with a 2/0 hook. For plastic i used a yum lizard and a summer craw bandito bug. the rig worked really well and is basically weed less. the bottom of duck lake is all weeds. I caught the biggest pike of the day on the rig and than one really nice bass and a couple smaller ones. I need to get something other than big game for the leader. i might pick up some 12 lbs berkley xt. im sure ill be able to use heavier weights. looks like at least on the duck the bass are thinking about spawning the water in this shallow lake was 58 degrees. seems like other than not spawning it feels like we are a month a head of schedule.

I know a guy who stayed out of work today and went fishing. I.........I mean "he" caught 13 cookie cutter buck Bass. First and last are pictured, which happens to be the smallest and largest. I just couldn't find the Largemouth or even the bigger Spots. Dolly (Yorkie) went with me. I caught an 11.40 pound Blue cat on my 3rd cast. (picture in other species thread) She was really excited about it, but didn't care much about the Bass or Crappie (other species thread) I caught. I bet I got 50 "taps" on moving baits with no hookups. I suspect it was White Perch. To me when they get schooled up hunting they look like Spots on sonar. Water temperature was 69 last Sunday. It's up to 73 now.

4 and 3 from a quick shorebanging session. They’re already starting to look thin. This years spawn might be in trouble with how fast the lake is dropping. Seen one bed in like 6” of water that will be on dry land soon. If they refill the lake the beds will be 6’ under.

I know I am a relative newcomer to this forum, but I just wanted to share some aspects about careers, life in general, growing older, looking forward to retiring, etc... CAREER: 1) US Coast Guard. Yes, I served in the Coast Guard as a Yeoman (desk jockey - somebody had to do all the paperwork!), and retired after a full career. 2) I used my computer skills, etc... and migrated into the I.T. industry after retirement. Unix servers, database programming, etc... ------------------------ Sadly, things took a turn for the worse, as I grew older, way way more experienced, salary compensated, etc... (you know what that means!) BINGO... The I.T. industry saw me as a "dinosaur" as they did many others like me. They sort of phased me out, laid me off with a comfortable severance package, etc... and proceeded to hire a young 23, 24 yr old kid fresh out of college, who would work for next to nothing (you know what I mean). ------------------------- 3) I tried and TRIED in vain to get back into I.T. and couldn't do it... So I had to swallow my pride, re-invent myself as the saying goes, and say "F You" to the I.T. Industry... I took a 180° turn, got my CDL Class-B, and approached the public school systems, as a school bus driver. Sha-zam... I was in, and started all over again from scratch. 12 years later, with what sanity I have left.... Enough is enough... I am now 63 years old, a gray haired grandpa, and can't do this sh** anymore.... The kids on my school bus are downright AWFUL and the parents think they would do no wrong (Ha!) and the schools won't offer support. So, I'm done.... I'm totally done, and retiring at the end of this school year. US Coast Guard Retirement Pension -- $$$$ Social Security (early - 63) -- $$$ School Bus/Transportation Pension -- $$$ When you add it all up... It's not too bad to be "triple dipping" as the saying goes! I want to go full time, all out, go-for-broke, with a small home based, custom fishing lure business, designing and modifying my own bass fishing lures, for a little pocket change, a little gas money, etc... you know?

In the area I fish, I have one game warden. I've gotten to know him, and, have become friends with him over the years. He covers a large area. Besides the small lake I fish, he covers two large lakes. He's earned my respect. His job is not easy. Along with checking for fishing lisence and poaching fish, he has to enforce curfew times at one lake, which closes at 10 pm. A lot of his work is done at night. Patrolling the lakes, and keeping tabs on guys breaking the law. He told me this is when many violations occur. I've seen him many times, in his truck at sunup, when I go on early morning trips. He's sipping a cup of coffee, and, has been up all night, doing his job. In over forty years of fishing, I've never once been harassed by a game warden. The fact is, if your not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about. Many of these men are fisherman themselves. They have a job to do. I say respect our game wardens, and respect our laws. Have you had any contact with you local game wardens? Hopefully, your experience with them has been good.

Spent most of a killer a day out on Lake Menderchuck today. I was on the water early and had the lake to myself, big fan of that. Air temps were in the low 40’s as was the surface water temps. An on & off NW wind and cloud cover kept me company most of this trip and seemed to increase a bit as the day wore on. I was dressed for the wind chill which was right on the edge of uncomfortable. The previous night’s rain had added just the right amount of ‘color’ to the water. I arrived early and already rigged up with a selection of jerkbaits so that’s where I started and stayed. The Megabass Vision 110 + 1 in perch did most of the heavy lifting. I was fishing edges & inside turns of some main lake points & drop offs – ALL in the wind. Fish were hitting the bait near the bottom in 6-8 feet. For whatever reason my stern GoPro decided not to record any sound. Both my cameras have been operating somewhat sporadically, and I’ll need to address that sooner rather than later. Either way all the views from the back are coming to you in radio silence. Once the fish gets on deck its ops normal. Overall I enjoyed this one. Got a couple of dozen brown bass to pull my string. First two ended up being the Best two. They went 5.58 lbs. and 6.48 lbs. Still trying to get the math right when it comes to taring out the weigh bag weight but I’ll get there - Eventually. Point of interest; After upgrading my electronics package late last summer, I decided to dump all my way points and start from scratch. And so this was my first adventure out on this lake since dumping my pins. It was interesting fishing it all new & free. Even managed to drop a few new points of interest as I went. Fish Hard A-Jay

Stayed at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells with my family for a short 3 day mini vacation. Hit up the Tom Foolery’s Amusement Park and the Kalahari Waterpark during the stay. I almost lost my trunks going down the Screamin’ Hyena vertical drop water slide.

Between work & weather there was not much fishing to be had this week. To make matter worse I managed to grenade my baitcasting reel earlier this weekend putting it out of commission, perhaps permanently. So when I was able to get away for a little while today I decided to take my cranking rod out for a test drive. It had been sitting a corner collecting dust since I bought it earlier this year. I didn’t do too hot, but I got one and it’s kinda special for me since it’s my very first fish I’ve caught on a crankbait. Also I finally saw a fish on a bed so that’s exciting as well. I hope that means things will start picking up around here soon.

Dolly is not a "scoper". She goes past the screen and scans the water with her K9 eyes. Also notice, she just had a hair cut so she is in compliance with the haircut police.

My standard disclaimer, I only target Bass so when I catch another species it's a matter of luck, not skill. A guy I know stayed out of work today and went fishing with Dolly (Yorkie). I........."he" caught an 11.40 pound Blue cat on my third cast. After getting it to the boat I held it next to the boat for a while so it was good and tired. Dolly was all excited, barking and growling at it. She had to check it out real good once I got it in the boat. I also caught a decent Crappie. I'd guess 11 inches. It's a minnow compared to the Crappie I see around here though.

@hokiehunter373, there is a rule, much like golf, where it’s actually a violation NOT to report a violation. They have to police themselves and each other, not like they have a @gimruis driving around taking names

Went fishing after work today, I have only been up 23 hours so far. Caught this one on a sungill fluke jr weightless on my bfs setup. They were shallow at Austin lake today and very skittish, but I put a pattern together to catch this tiny one. This park is very pressured so catching anything is a win. I hooked two smaller ones that got off before I could touch them.

Lost some today because I was using too soft a rod for the red eye shad. But most importantly, this bass boat rolled up on me after finally sticking a dink. All he really did was backlash while throwing a senko, and then troll away. He said "it shouldn't be this hard" and I told him that it isn't that hard, especially when you don't get rolled up on by some guy in a bass boat with his sonar clicks. Cue the bass in the second photo, and the hasty exit of the inconsiderate boater. Shads are starting to move up for spawn, I had whole schools following my lipless around the ripraps. No predators to be found there today, but soon. Those summer pier nights are near. I finally gave in and bought a green pumpkin jig + trailer after seeing that one the other night.

Hit a local spot super early for a change of pace. High winds and cold overnights have really chilled the shallows since last I was out, so it was no surprise that Pickeral were still on a rampage. Thought I hooked into a lunker bass when a big one nailed my fluke and fought like crazy. Its head was the size of my fist, and somehow its razor teeth didn't slice through my braid. Just after daybreak and just before I had to go, I landed a nice chunk, so I was able to go to work with a bounce in my step.

My grandson played well and it makes me proud.

Ponds are usually pretty small so my approach is very systematic and usually more of a divide and conquer style then a more nuanced approach. I usually start out with a pretty aggressive reaction bait like a buzzbait or a lipless and I walk the pond very quickly casting to every good piece of cover I see along the perimeter and paralleling the banks with a few casts at different speeds. Trying to pick up some aggressive fish that are feeding or haven't seen a lure in a while. While I'm doing this I usually am looking for fish that either are following my bait and not biting it or not interested in my bait but maybe catchable. When I get back to my car I usually grab a jig or a swimbait or a Texas rig and go back for those fish. And if I have any energy left at the end of it all, I will grab my frog and fish that because I find that on small ponds the frog catches Giants! This time of year that's basically my approach!

I've had contact with game wardens in both Canada and US and as the OP'er says, if you're not doing anything wrong, no problem. The MI game wardens were out checking duck hunters and they came across me fishing alone for bass, so they checked me out. I had two nice smallies in the live well and ask if they would take a pic of me with them, and they pleasantly did. Then I released the fish. I have a lot of respect for the game wardens, who like all law enforcement people, have a job that can sometimes turn very wrong very fast. When checking hunters, ALL of their contacts will be with armed people.

It seems like the general consensus here is they are good and we want more of them. That speaks volumes for the character of anglers on this forum. Willing following laws to help ensure a safe, clean and enjoyable fishing experience. When we all think that way it just makes better/safer waterways for all.

Well I got the reel I set out to get at the beginning of the year. I took it out for test drive with a flat sided crankbait. I only caught two with it but it is a little powerhouse. It's sort of odd feeling though. It's like a go between for the Conquest 100 and the Conquest BFS which I think was the intention.

I'm not willing at this time to buy expensive gear. I can feel a spinnerbait blade turning on my $100 rods, airdx, etc. I can tell bottom composition with my rods. I'm not saying it wouldn't help or be enjoyable, I just can't spend the money at this time. I know modern gear at $100 is probably more sensitive than anything available 30 yrs ago (maybe?) and guys like @WRB and @Catt have been slaying for decades without today's high end modern gear, so for me I want to hone my skills before making huge investments. Maybe one day, but for now I'm good watching and feeling the line, and doing some night fishing soon to establish better feel. Thanks to everyone for great replies and discussion!

Two items arrived today - both used, but both in excellent condition First up - Victory 7'2" Heavy/Moderate - this will match with my Supreme XT 6.4 for my DT-12s to DT-16s, heavier cranks/squarebills and 1/2oz+ spinners. Got it from ALF during the sale, so $123 with tax. Second up - my second Patriarch 7.1...sometimes Evil-Bay has something I want. Some boat rash, but perfect working order. Paid $75 with tax. This is going on my Mojo 7'5" MH/XF for jigs and light-moderate cover pitching.

Good time of year to cull those buck spots to get the size up on your lake and for some tasty fish! Sounds fun @Woody B!

Its funny that sight fishing is OK, but using FFS ISNT? What is the logic? Without using proper eyewear and head wear sight fishing isn't easy, analog technology so to speak.. Should FFS be limited, of course, allow 24" of total screen size on the boat, just like a motor is restricted, restrict the size of total screens. Do we know if Crews had this spot already marked?

People, @WRB caught a 37 Pound Musky on a 2500c!!! That's awesome.

Seems like in NC, the fish relate to whatever they got. I feel like something else maybe at play on the TVA lakes/river system that accounts for the smaller fish. I catch fish in hydrilla, muck weed, snot grass, wood, rock, sand, mud, dead leaves, pads...blue water, green water, orange water, brown water, black water, clear water.....it seems like if they got food, they figure it out.

Got a good one the other night. It’s a slump buster. She went 5-2. Got 3 more dink fish. They only wanted a DS ninja wake!

@ol'crickety, I think it’s because a massive river with no grass is not well suited for growing large numbers of big LM. Fishing pressure would mean they are still there, just not biting. They simply don’t exist. good example of this point is chickamauga and guntersville. Same river with a bunch of shallow backwaters full of grass, people catch 10 lbers. growing season doesn’t matter if the habitat is not present

I would have a medical event if I caught brown bass like that. Great work!

Goby says "No"

I feel the same about game wardens in Maine and all LEOs.

Most are very nice introduce themselves ask for the normal safety stuff thank me for my cooperation and go onto the next. I had two minor disagreements. One my throwable was already put away after my boat was trailered and I was packing up to leave as he came over. the other was life jackets have to be readily accessible where throwable has to be immediately available. Which they interpreted differently than I. Personally I would love to see more of them out.

I thought for sure there'd be a good bite yesterday before the storms rolled in so I got out there. One cast, the rod about gets snatched outta my hand and I think Oh, this is a good one...until I feel the fight and finally lay eyes on her... I guess swimbaits don't only catch bigguns 🤣

Those dudes are awesome, and the vast majority of the others as well. I feel like I could be best friends with 95% of the anglers on the Series. Hank Cherry always thanking the .mil and first responders, Crews always putting in work for Autism awareness, Menendez honoring his late friend......that's just at today's weigh in. Most of the guys are great human beings, rooted in family, faith, and community. Now try to say that about the NBA or NFL especially 🤣 I stopped watching the other pro sports for the most part because of the terrible humans involved in them. Pro Bass fishing is the exact opposite, I became a fan more than ever before in recent years because of the people involved in it.

Night fishing is the cheat code as Catt and Pat pointed out. My favorite T-Rig/Free-Rig rod is 25 years old, and the fluorocarbon I use on that reel is worth more than the rod lol. Sensitive rods are nice, but they simply aren't needed for bite detection.

Our wardens cover about three counties, and that’s just ridiculous. There’s no way they could cover all that territory even if they worked 24/7. They earn very little and are required to have a college degree. Park managers used to have some authority, and that helped spread the work around, but that authority was taken away because enforcement got too dangerous. The system is broken. If someone wants to poach, in whatever form, it’s not that hard. And from what I’ve seen, people are willing to go through some pretty crazy stuff to get a few fish. Regular law enforcement officers have their hands full, so they’re not going to get involved. The wardens I’ve met all take their job serious, I don’t put any fault on them. I’ve had some give me their cellphone number so I could call them directly. Otherwise you have to go through the State Patrol dispatch. Dispatch workers don’t know anything about the regulations or anything related to hunting and fishing, so you have to explain every little thing to them, and in the end, it’s a waste of time because the warden is two counties away and dispatch has no idea where they are. In my opinion, part of the answer lies in some type of deputy system, where fishermen or hunters can get qualified to report directly to wardens and be able to text them photos of violators in real time. But the main thing is they just need to add more wardens. The state loves to take in the money for sports and fishing, but they are don't want to spend a dime on it.

X Zone is putting out some nice baits these days. Big fan. I love the Swammer as a swim jig trailer.

@A-Jay You ever catch any small SMs? 🤣

I can’t remember all the different bait casting reels I have owned and caught bass with? The strongest by far was the Shimano Calcutta 250 used for swimbaits. All my bait casters could cast my 7/16 oz jigs 50 yards easily when tuned. So it comes down to which bait caster did I catch the majority of giant bass on! 18.6 lb was a tuned 4500C. 2 ea 17.4’s, 17.6 and 19.3 lbs were using Daiwa TD HAiA’103 tuned reels. PB musky 37 lbs on 2500C reel. Those reels are not near as good as today’s reels but they win. Tom

Tell that to the wake boat crowd. They can see everything fine and still feel the need to send massive tidal waves towards other watercraft and erode the shoreline.

The motor doesn’t know if you’re on the boat so it’s going to keep going. If you’re using a remote controlled model, keep the remote around your neck if that’s a worry. The boat shouldn’t get out of range for the remote too quickly.

I have to ask this question. If it's a given that the possible presence of kayaks exists AND that they can be difficult to see, why haul ass across the water when the operator knows he has limited visibility? If the same basic set of conditions existed on the road, and the driver knew of possible obstacles, wouldn't he be irresponsible in driving too fast for the existing conditions?

I was friends with one for a very long time. He turkey hunted on us. However, he died a couple of years ago. I met another one who was just starting out. We became friendly and when he found out how much land we owned he asked about trapping on us. He did that until he was transferred to a new region. I haven’t seen him in a long time. As far as I am concerned we don’t have enough of them here in MO.

Yes. The Texas rig is maybe the only presentation you could limit me to, and I would still have confidence I could catch bass anywhere. The right word to describe it is not so much "old-school", as "foundational". Fishing a texas rig requires (and teaches you) a variety of skills that every other presentation benefits from: patience, concentration, precision of presentation, attention to depth and fall speed, bottom contact, strike detection, proper hooksetting, among others. I'm not sure why you would be having trouble with accuracy and stealth, but experimenting with different weights and some practice should resolve that. If you can fish a jig effectively, a texas rig should be very straightforward.

Here's a better pic showing her length. I don't even consider this pond to be in my top three for big bass potential, but the other three are bogs, which you know I'm avoiding until it gets a little warmer. T-Billy is my life advisor, as in stay-alive advising and he thinks I should play it safe until the water's safe. You would know better than me, Pat. I just know that she was ridiculously fat. Even now, she makes me laugh.

Found a couple dinky LM at roberts before I committed dum dum and high sticked my tac40 to death. Sucks because I can't replace it, they don't make these anymore. So I got an Abu Vendetta as a replacement, it's similar but not the same. At least it's lightweight and feels similar to the old one. Oh I also yoinked this crawdad off the ripraps last night. Yall think I should throw a Z craw up there?