Leaderboard

Not much work today. I fought it all day , but finally had to get a few casts in. This healthy fish fell prey to the Bama craw yum dinger.

My “fly only” buddies got wind of the cicadas and wanted me to take em carp fishin’, we boated 13 and missed several from 6-9 pm. Even got a double once and had several opportunities @Further North @flyfisher you guys may enjoy the video that includes the cicada slurp

This fish finder sits in the back and does all the paddling ~ A-Jay

FINALLY stuck a good one!!! Lean post spawn 44". First over 40" since January. These lethargic post spawn fish are still not wanting to chase baits. This one ate a crappie on a quick strike rig. I raised a low 30's today, and another yesterday on a muskie killer, but they were lazy follows, wouldn't even follow into the 8. Both of those fish checked out my crappie for a few minutes after turning off the spinner, but neither ate.

I enjoyed bassing this morning at a pace I haven't experienced since fishing wilderness lakes in northwestern Ontario. I couldn't get a bite on the surface for the first two hours, but landed 31 lmbs on my Keitech with an underspin. Then, with the Sun up, they started hitting the surface and I caught 14 on my Whopper Plopper. After that, it was a mix of the Keitech and Whopper Plopper. See the zombie weeds in the second and third photos? That's where the lmb were. I also caught a PB pickerel that I didn't photograph because pickerel are bonkers, but I'm guessing she would have been a new state record. She was so fat and heavy and the state record is only 6 pounds, 13 ounces. She was beautiful too. I was not willing to kill her to merely have my name in a record book. 16 of the bass were smb, all lean and long like river fish. I included one smb photo so you can see their build and their gorgeous striping. 59 were lmbs, many in the 2.5 to 3.5 lb. range. What a fun morning. The dinosaurs were sure on patrol: two eagles and two ospreys.

Mr. Peabody, fire up the Wayback Machine!! My brother with a day's catch..... All were released after the leaches were removed and any wounds treated. All were caught by hand. IIRC, 65#, 55#, 25#.....

Love the Aftco reel bag, And also lets see if spooling station is good, I heard a lot about the redline hooks and got them for first time for Neko rigging.

Work and weather had kept me away from angling pursuits. So when I got the chance today I went to the neighboring village’s municipal park to wet a line. Even though I knew it would probably be a dink fest I just wanted to get my rod bent. When I arrived it was 66 degrees, dark threatening skies with winds 5 mph from the NNE. Normally I consider casting out into the middle of the body of water I’m a fishing an act of desperation, the angling equivalent to the Hail Mary pass. But today I could see milfoil topping out in the middle of the lake. So I tied on my floating worm, in this case a Xzone Deception Worm in Bass Candy, and began working it around the outside of the weed bed. I was rewarded with catching 5 fish the first one pictured being the largest that I’ve ever caught at this particular pond, and the next being typical of the rest. At that point it started raining so I took shelter in the pavilion and snacked for a while. The deception worm was chewed up pretty bad so I switched it out for a Senko in watermelon red flake. I wanted to see it the more vertical presentation of the faster sinking Senko would have a different result than the more horizontal twitching movement of the floating worm. By then the rain had stopped so I walked to the opposite bank of the pond to fish the other side of the weed bed. It started raining again, so I took shelter under a big oak tree. But then the deluge started, I considered going back but I would end up soaked either way so I decided heck with it I’ll stay and keep fishing. I caught another 5 on the Senko with this fish being representative of the rest. I started to hear thunder in the distance so I called it a day and beat a hasty retreat to my car.

Somebody ( A family member), took my old gas can that I used to fill my lawn mower up with. My grandson had a new can that he uses for his 4 wheeler and dirt bike. I asked him if I could get a tank full of gas for the mower . He said that’s fine. But I like to never got the gas to come out of it for the device that hinders the flow for some reason. So I was looking for the old style gas can that actually works and thought I had found one at a gas station and bought it. I go to fill up my mower , and after pushing , pulling etc, could never get any gas to come out of it…😡 . I got so frustrated I considered breaking the whole thing off., but it’s probably connected inside the spout somehow. I finally just took the whole spout off and poured it directly out of the big hole , spilling some of the gas…😡😡 I am fairly mechanical but … why on earth do they make spouts like this?? I suspect it has something to do with not spilling gas, but I spilt far less with the old cans. Thanks for the vent !!

First fish of the day Sunday morning, a double when two spotted bass competed for my Yo-Zuri Rattl'n Vibe 😎👍

A small run for me 3 packs of D Bomb dill pickle watermelon red super bug

BRO I caught my PB bass again with the jig! Crazy fight, got a medium heavy rod this time around so he wasn’t as impossible strong like last time. And I still didn’t order a scale! 🤯

You just ruined my morning. The Bait Monkey got up early, read this post, drank three cups of coffee, and is currently making my life miserable. In order to calm the hyped up monkey, I Googled DS customs. As I anticipated, the website had many pictures of big fish caught on awesome looking lures, that I can't afford. The price tag did not discourage the Monkey and he is about to loose another epic battle with my wife. I would like to thank you for adding excitement to what would have been a boring Wednesday.

I fish the Shimano "E" series of Curados, Citicas and Chronarchs in 50's, 200's and 300's almost exclusively. Set it and forget it. I have fished many series before and after them and this series just does it for me. Got that footprint and that "mojo" that works well for me. The series was introduced in 08'.

Finally got to fish a little. Caught 4 little ones, all about this size. All were caught on the same color brush hog. Brush hog - 4, every other lure - 0. The good news is that it broke a three trip skunk streak.

This style of bass fishing is probably gone now for many of us. Are there any BR members who enjoy bass fishing with no electronics? My older brother taught me what to look for. Certain types of cover, changes in the shoreline, something different in an area that looks the same. I still like this style of bass fishing. There's a feeling of accomplishment when you pull a good bass from an area that you discovered without electronics. It's the very basic style of bass fishing. Do you enjoy fishing with an old school approach, without any electronics?

I caught this fiesty plump little lady on a max scent creature hog in Alabama craw. Perfect hook set in the roof of the mouth. She saved me from a skunk today, for this I am forever grateful.

Looks like he was trying to bite your business.

Have You Ever Caught A Snapping Turtle ? Does it count if it's in my yard ? A-Jay

I used a kit like @DaubsNU1 to fix the issue. Good as old.

Got out today 7-12. Bit of a rough start as early on I was sitting with 3 fish boated and 5 hooked and lost. Managed to fight back a little and ended the day with 9 caught 7 lost. Fortunately none lost were bigs. Did land 2 good ones that weighed 4-7and 3-8 both on a buzzbait.

I took off work May 1st to go fishing with my dad. The weather was awesome 80 degrees river running 4.7 on the gauge. We chose to go to area we don’t normally fish to often. Made a 4-5 mile run up the river to the famous rock view train bridge. Oldest longest stone arch train bridge in the world. The bass up there were very boat shy as that would continue to be the story through the day. We did get some up there on cranks. Hit a few more areas up there with nothing Made a big switch and headed to a creek and went up it till we could stop seeing the bass in it. I positioned the boat to sit at the end of a pocket. I was drop shotting into this big pocket with success. I pulled 6-7 bass out of it. My dad got a few as well. The bite then seemed to completely die so we called it a day. 5/11: The weather was a complete change from the warming trends we have been having. Cold rains highs in. The low 60s have plagued us for a few days. Water temps dropped and the river level was 5.3 and rising. I ended up running a normal section I do. Since creek mouths and creeks have been working I ran up the river to keep this pattern going. I was crank baiting to start working it fairly aggressively. I did mange 5-6 fish on the crank then switched up to a ned rig and landed a few more. Most of these were small fish and a drunken large mouth. I made the switch with about 45 minutes till I was going to be done switching to a big eddy I like about 3.5 miles down stream. I ended up getting a couple more smallies as well as 5 walleyes. This trip was about 3 hours long. All in all some great trips. I am thinking too water should start to be a factor here soon.

Yeee Haawww!!! 44" again today, and there's nothing skinny about this one!!! On fresh meat again. I'm getting this crappie deal figgered out, which means it'll be over soon. 😂 Gotta stay TIGHT to the tree tops, and move SLOW. I raised two others, one bigger than this'n. I'd guess 47"-48". Unbelievable how lazy these fish are right now. I had 1oz of weight on my quick strike and these fish wouldn't chase the crappie down. I added another oz to slow the crappie down, and went back through the same stretch and got this girl to go the second time around. Three more days of vacation. Guess what I'll be doing? Gorgeous fish, awesome fight. She was even kind enough to autograph my hand for me. 😁

I caught my first 2024 2fer (two bass on one lure), my biggest bass was 20.75", and I caught 37 total with a 60/40 lmb/smb ratio. Also saw or heard owls, woodpeckers, eagles, osprey, loons, ducks, and geese. I fished the biggest of the bodies of water that I fish and the most developed, with cabins and other anglers, although because I launched this morning at 4:00 and 41 degrees, I had the pond to myself. There were wolf packs chasing shad in old and emerging reeds. I usually can't catch them, but I pitched my Keitech on an Owner underspin into the salad, kept my rod high, and reeled like crazy to keep it on the surface. They hit it! Not every time, but I finally caught some of those wolfpacking bass. I think it was moving too fast for them to see it wasn't one of the shad that they were chasing. I got a lot of pics, but only loaded a third of them. See how tame the loons are at this pond? They sometimes follow me.

I tried to rescue a big snapping turtle back in the 60’s at Bull Shoals lake that was hooked to a limb line. Being from California had no idea this was someone’s set line. Pulled up the line and the big snapper had a big hook in its mouth so tried to knock it free with oar paddle. The big turtle bit down on the oar of the rental boat wouldn’t let go. Cut the line and tied the oar to the anchor rope hoping the turtle would release its grip and continue to bass fish. The turtle never release the oar and it was time to return the boat. I pulled the turtle into the front of the boat carefully tied the turtle so it could move and went back to the boat landing. The big turtle probably over 50 lbs never release the oar. The old man at the dock took one looked and asked if I wanted the turtle and I said no, he walked away. I untied the turtle, using the oar pull the turtle onto the dock. I was still pulling on the turtle when an axe chopped off its head! The old man never warned me! When I went to pay for the boat rental the old man asked if I liked turtle soup? I said never tried it he said come to the house. How much do owe you….he replied nothin. Tom

I have been using their squarebills a while and they hold up well. I like the standard size as well as their 1/4oz (what they call ultralight). I have one that I’ve caught over 30 fish on, including a 3 1/4lb bass. the paints held up good and the factory hooks are still sharp.

Not a snapper but I hooked a big Florida soft shell. I have been told they are extremely aggressive & worst than a snapper. Plus they have really long necks which they can stretch around to bite where you don't think they can reach. Had a guide tell me they caught a big one which they brought into their bass boat & it created havoc & bite up several seats.

Yep, Bob, like you, Murph (@Jmurphy87) is a hardworking family man, which matters exactly a flooflillion times more than catching bass. Plus, he, like @Pat Brown, catches bass while standing on concrete and dodging errant frisbees.

Well here’s an update. I’m not sure what I did to fix it but I fixed the spool. It spins as it should. Casts as it should. And has no tick. Just really really small bends to shape it and it’s back to normal. What a relief. Now I have a finesse special on order as back up lol

You went from not catching them on jigs to putting on a clinic 😂

LOL ~ Pretty sure he wanted a piece of my AZZ. 🙃 A-Jay

Ive gone back to buying the old abu's off of ebay. Finally got me a 4000 size last week for chunking lures. I am soooo tired of going through reels that have a shelf life of <5 years. (which most now are designed for). Even these old abu's I am buying that were built during my grandpa's era ...I will be able to hand down to my kids. Only thing I don't like about them is the small handles. Currently looking for a 90cm replacement handle for them.

Regulating for the least common denominator. Sucks. Here is the cure. https://vpracingfuels.com/product-category/containers/

I'll pick them up and carry them across the road in the direction they were heading.....

Go JDM, young man - $102.75 to your door usually in 3-4 days...retail here in the US is $130+tax I have one of these and they're light, smooth and worth every penny. https://www.digitaka.com/item/5/4/1/4969363045140

I fish from the bank a lot and I fish in about 1 ft of water on the lake a lot. I still use down imaging just to be safe and because I find it an educational tool to enhance my enjoyment of my hobby. But I catch them plenty from the bank. Eye scoping 😉😉😉 Electronics don't make people any more or less likely to catch bass unless they're already purty good at it I reckon.

Those are Aj's favorite bait. Allen

All of my casting reels are either Shimano Curado or Citca's from the 1990's. I like them so much, resorted to pickup up used ones via eBay. Love the performance and feel. Most of my spinning reels are old Shimano's, but I do have some newer Shimano reels.

PS I’m right there with you but it’s a bit more than my budget allows for 😉

Tackle Warehouse has Bomber Gen 2 lures for $3.99.

My " leave it on the rack " combo is an old Zebco 303......man that thing sucks. The drag is jerky and the rod is terrible flimsy. 😁

I fished 45 years without any electronics. I would troll, use an anchor, even go swimming to determine depth. I had to triangulate with objects on the shoreline in order to try and find places I previously caught bass. I was successful, and always had a good time fishing, but I always wanted to be able to be able to have modern electronics, but I was never able to purchase even a basic unit. I used electronics for my job saltwater fishing, but I wasn't the one paying for the technology. When I bought my kayak, I fished for a year before finally purchasing my first electronics. Now I have a simple Garmin unit with 2D, clearview, and the ability to make my own maps of the waters I fish. I can still troll deep diving lures in order to determine depth, use markers to line up my casts, and put depth marks on my anchor rope. Do I want to return to those methods? Absolutely not. I would rather be restricted to fish with one rod and small box of lures, rather than forced to give up my fish finder. I only have a kayak for a boat, and fish the shoreline much of the time, but I would spend money upgrading my electronics before I would upgrade to a better kayak, or a boat.

I have 3 kayaks and 1 jon boat, and fish on them alot along with bank fishing, and theres no electronics with me when im fishing. I am probably the one of the few people here, and probably only 1% of the younger generation thats against technology. Whether thats on boats, cars, homes, etc.... I dont even have a phone. And now with AI, have any of you seen any of the terminator movies? I bought a fish finder last year just because i wanted to know the depths, well i returned it instead. A 1/2oz jig tells me everything i need to know about the bottom and how deep it is. Time on the water is the best way to learn good spots and what the bass want. I like to fish the "old school" way i guess, if im fishing im doing it for enjoyment and relaxing. Staring at a screen for 2 hours of a 3 hour trip doesnt seem that fun, nor does having to spend extra money on batteries, time to charge, connect the wires, etc.... And a fish finder isnt a game changer either, theres been days the guys with 2-3 screens on boats that cost more than i could make in a year came back to the launch talking about how the bass werent biting that day, i didnt share with them that i caught several already.... When fishing becomes more of a job/chore than a hobby whats the point? But for the guys on huge lakes i can totally understand the need for GPS and depth so they dont run aground. (but they seem to be using it more for navigation than fishing)

Well I caught 8 fish after work this morning after my last 13 hour shift for a minute hopefully. All came on a weightless general and stink o stick. Nothing huge but still fish.

To quote @AlabamaSpothunter, “You’d sizzle like a piece of bacon out there.”

That’s because you’re on the coast. Ocean breezes versus middle of the state. I like the way you think.

@bulldog1935,... That's awesome, Always blown away by the cool stuff you have!

😒

30 ft. up in a tree is where I like to fish. I have never caught one there, but I'm sure that is where the biggest bass live, I will keep trying.