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Got lots of fish with a spoon and another striper on topwater

I fished my pond for an hour this evening and caught four. I was surface lure stubborn, casting a popper for half an hour when it wasn't what they wanted, but in the other half hour, I managed the quartet with two at 17.5 inches, catching three on a pink Senko wacky-hooked and one on a spinnerbait. I lead with a healthy 16.5-incher and close with the best bass, the thicker 17.5-incher.

One nice one on Lake 13 this morning out of 6. Shooting for 3 more kayak trips over the next month before I hang it up for the season. Realistically, any more than that would be a bonus.

Yesterday's weather was 90's with 5-10 MPH wind from the South. Caught 7 bass, 7 bluegill, and 6 crappie. Water temps were 72-75 degrees. Not a bad day. Woke this morning to north wind 15-20 MPH, air temp 55 degrees, a cold front had moved through over night and dumped a little rain. Was debating...then checked my fishing logs...I got in to fish last year around this time with similar weather and water temps. So I ventured forth... Glad I did. Worked the spinner-bait in the shallow trees just off the creek channel. Very nice 20" LMB hammered the gold / bluegill colored SB...weight in at 4 lbs. 1 oz. Five more on the sheet ranging from 12-15". A good day!

Two trips here. First was a short bank beater session. They were ignoring the usual 10” so figuring I had nothing to lose I put on a 13” and it got picked up before hitting bottom by this 4lb 4oz fish. Last worm fish of the year for me. That bite is pretty much done. Caught a lot of 4s on them this year but nothing I would consider big. Second trip I found two different groups of fish. First group I caught in tree tops dropping a jig through the branches. Second group was hunting gizzards on a flat adjacent to a ledge. I was fishing a heavy saltwater jig with a 7” fluke trailer, giving it 6’ rips off the bottom. Got 4 cookie cutter fish in about 10 minutes doing this before I had a guide ring fall out which made it difficult to land any fish. I dumped 3 more then they moved off.

Talk to your doctor. Very sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. Really hope your treatments (as brutal as they are) can help you. My wife has been neutropenic for over 20 years. (Autoimmune neutropenia) We had to learn to 'live' with it. Febrile neutropenia is a serious side effect for people with cancer who are treated with chemotherapy. When your immune system is suppressed, an oral temperature of greater than 101 F or a fever of at least 100.4 F that lasts an hour or more can be a sign of a dangerous infection. Staying away from children and anyone who may showing even the slightest symptoms of a cold or flu has been critical. Sadly others being contagious early on doesn't always show symptoms. It's all about risk over gain. If you become sick or get an infection of any kind, it becomes a life threatening situation now. Your Chemo treatment will most likely be suspended while your recover from that. And not getting your treatments could have serious consequences. Our lives changed forever with my wife's diagnosis, We made THE number one priority in our lives to do EVERYTHING we could to give her the best chance of survival. It's a battle every day and it will need to continue forever. You can do this, but having your mind, body & spirit all going in the same direction, can be very beneficial. Good Luck A-Jay

From January 1st - December 31st

2 day report. I struggled yesterday to get 5. All spots, all between 14 and 16 inches. Things started really good today. I caught 3 in the first 20 minutes, but couldn't shake the sharp pain in my right side, so I headed back home. The pain started last night, but I was able to get comfortable and sleep good. I thought I could fish through it today. It feels like a kidney stone, but with no other kidney stone symptoms. I think it's trapped gas. When I pass gas the pain goes away for a few minutes. Biggest from each day pictured.

Some pics from Friday evening and Sunday morning I forgot to drop in here think that last one is a meanmouth also saw sturgeon continuously sucking on the side of a dam Saturday evening

Been having a lot of fun tying these, this one’s an eighth of an ounce and should be killer for trout, creek smallies, and hopefully everything else. Does anyone else use or tie these? Maybe more of a trout lure traditionally but man I wish I had these for creek/river bass when I lived near the ozarks!

Early & mid September were good to me. An A-Rig & a 3/4 oz Spinnerbait accounted to these two. I expect the rest of my open water season here will be mostly a numbers deal. But I'm good with that too. A-Jay

In south Florida you can almost always catch bass, and peacock. But the seasons don’t matter as much as the water levels. When the water is high the bass are scattered everywhere, and many places are beyond approach in a boat with hundreds of thousands of shallow acres chock full of weeds and sawgrass. Nothing can get in there without an airboat. Bass boats can not go.. the bass navigate the stems with ease during this time. During low water conditions the fish are forced into deeper waters and out of the grass and weeds, and into the canal systems that are dredged 10 to 30 feet deep. This s when a 200 catch day is a real possibility every trip. The thick flats can go dry, or just have inches of water on them. The fish either get to deep water or become bird food for the millions of waiting birds. Low water season depends on the weather and is usually between December thru May. Fishing can become absolutely ridicules! This past winter was an unusually wet winter and spring so we never got into the low water situation, so the fishing frenzy never happened. A usual trip was 20 to 30 bass and a mix of Peacock . Oh how I look forward to those every cast days of a few years ago!

This is my 1986 Stratos 179V. It is powered by a Mariner 150 Magnum. It is a two owner boat (before me). Both prior owners kept it in the garage and took very good care of it. It is the cleanest 38 year old boat I have ever seen. I love it!

Talk with your doctor. When I went through chemo it was late fall and into the winter so fishing was winding down. I did however go on my annual hunting trip to Nebraska. We had an extensive conversation with my oncologist team about it and it was dependent on my blood counts. We also had to have a plan in place in case things went sideways while out there as well as on the 18 hour trip to get there and 18 hour trip to get back. We researched hospitals that could handle my situation. I was not allowed under any circumstances to field dress my deer which my good friends dad was more than happy to step up to the plate for that. To echo what @A-Jay said, neutropenia is no joke! I was neutropenic once and it landed me in the hospital in isolation for two weeks (not fun). I’m assuming you’re on some type of steroids (I was anyways) so you need to think about sun exposure. Fishing in my opinion is definitely doable but you need to talk to your doctor first. Keep a positive attitude throughout your treatment, it helps a ton.

I feel ya...PB&J is pretty good stuff, there is also Macaroni and Cheese and Ramen and lots of other cheap food alternatives...I mean I'd rather fish then eat all fancy

I decided to ignore doctor's orders and went fishing this morning. Caught a 5 lb bass and 15 minutes later a 7 lb bass. Needless to say I was STOKED. Beat my PB twice in a matter of minutes. I was able to bump the hook out of the 7 lber's mouth with my palm.

God seems to love a tube fisherman. We are rewarded in our faith.

I had 6 weeks of chemo before surgery then 6 weeks after surgery. My chemo sessions lasted for 24-26 hours per session including overnight. The effects of chemo are cumulative building as you go. I was weaker at the end than the beginning. All I wanted to do was rest & build up my strength between sessions so I would be ready for the next session. Consequently I did not fish until the ordeal was over. But each person is different & the treatment schedule varies with the type of cancer you have. I would let my energy level answer your question but take all precautions as mentioned because your extremely vulnerable.

Early prespawn or winter

Starting in about a month to late Spring. Every DD bass I’ve caught was in that window Mike

I Agree, Take any and all precautions you can think of to protect yourself. If you’re up to it I would go in small increments even for just 1/2 hour. Best of everything to you Mike

No doubt pre spawn is my favorite seasonal period to bass fish. The weather is unstable and difficult to locate the big females staged but the reward is catching a bass of your lifetime. Fall where I fish can be really tough if the lakes turnover and they do killing 2 weeks of fishing. Summer is the most productive seasonal period for numbers of bass plus we have a few night events that always fun to fish. Winter can be good but our bass tend to go deeper then I like to catch them but you can put some good numbers in boat if they are above 30’. Tom

This is why I'm now and forever known as Swamp Girl:

Got out to Sam Rayburn for the first time today. What a day. Not much in the way of bass, I caught 5 or 6 little super dinks like this. That said, I caught one at every park I went to. I went to every part of the lake except the deep middle where the rivers meet. There are bass all over this lake. I lost some better fish but that's OK. Some days are like that, those are just the test runs for when one finally sticks. At one of my stops in the morning, I met an older gentleman named High Fin. I ran into him again at a different park like eight hours later. Apparently he lives super close so he went and got his boat and we did a little night fishing. We didn't stick any but we got bit and I made a new friend and got to see a glimpse of Rayburn's might. Sometimes it ain't all about the fishin. I'll say this. If I lived as close to rayburn as I do to roberts, I wouldn't fish anywhere else and I would be hard pressed to drive away from it. There are points and timbers and creeks and structures ALL OVER. The entire lake looks fishy. And it's HUGE. 111,000 acres of surface area as of today. That's about 5.25x the surface area I normally fish at Roberts. I had a burger made of brisket and bacon. Not WITH, but OF bacon and brisket. What an incredible place. I have to come back very soon.

Jerkin and fluking and frogging my way to September success! Been a fun past couple days and I'm hoping this warm spell has em chewing on the big little lakes this weekend! Found a new lil retention pond next to my son's soccer field and found out the bigger girls in the lil 1 acre mud puddle definitely like frogs 😃😃😃🐸🐸🐸

I got out on the water the other day as a low front was moving through with a forecast of unstable weather. Lots of schoolie stripers were in the system working shad with the bass feeding underneath. I must have caught 30-35 fish on a Provoke 106DD with this 3.17lber being my best bass of the day.

Don't get to do this often, but made an unplanned stop at the river on the way home this afternoon. We haven't had much rain in quite a while, so it's running low and slow. This isn't really a high-productivity stretch, but there's always something in there. Today it was a few largemouths - two keeper-ish sized, and three pretty ittle guys. Broke off something larger that managed to wrap me up on a rock. Venom Lures Super Do and a little #2 Black Fury. The Super Do is not a bait I ever hear anyone mention but they're a pretty good finesse option, especially in rivers where the tentacles can catch the current -- I put them on a slider head, and scoot them along the bottom.

I was recently diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. I had my first chemo treatments 9 days ago. The treatments are 2 days in a row and will last for 4-6 months. I’m still wiped out from round one. Is fishing a good idea? If I can get past the fatigue and nausea, it would be nice to do the thing I love. From Googling it, it seems that many say it isn’t worth the risk of infections (from small nicks and cuts) and lake water. Does anyone have any experience/advice they could share?

I just finished reading Pete M. Anderson's article about fall fishing being the favorite for many anglers with spring maybe slightly more popular and it got me to thinking. I know spring is my favorite season to go fishing for the big girls, but summer is my favorite for catching. Although I dislike dealing with pleasure boaters, jet skiers, bugs and the heat, I have my best days during the summer, especially when there's been stable weather conditions for more than three days. IMO, it's much easier to locate numbers of fish and develop a pattern that can last as long as the weather remains stable. Catches of 20-30 fish can be repeated in the days that follow with little, if any, tweaking of the previous days pattern. While those numbers pertain more to smallmouth, which tend to gather loosely in bigger groups than largemouth and are more aggressive, IMO, largemouth seem easier to pattern. So what's your favorite season for catching and why?

I have a question for everyone who has encountered this scenario (we probably all have at some point, lol). I had a good day early this week throwing a swim jig in sparse eel grass clumps just adjacent to an island on a large river with moderate current and landed four nice bass in 10 casts, but then there was a 5 minute "lull". I knew there were more bass in this area so the first thing I did was switch to a jackhammer. After about a dozen casts, I switched to a stupid tube. Nada on both. I kept methodically covering the area with the swim jig but either the fish moved, they were spooked by my releasing the ones I caught, or they didn't want what I was offering as an alternative. My question is, what is the first thing you do when you encounter an active school and they stop eating the bait you just caught some fish on? Do you change colors, change lures, or throw a different lure (say a Senko as an example)? Or all the above? Note: I do not have FFS so I cannot know for sure there were more bass in the spot, but it's a picture perfect location and conditions were perfect.

You are too kind ! I appreciate that. Having fun is better than not having fun

this ......

Owner advertises their split rings by size & "strength" (not sure what that means) Either way, I use #2 & #3 depending on the tackle & line I'm using with the RED. I only fish 1/2 & 3/4 oz baits and the size 2 & 3 rings works well with them. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Hyper_Wire_Split_Rings_Black/descpage-OHWSB.html Also I'd recommend the Oval split ring at the line tine. Same size 2 & 3 gets it done again. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Oval_Split_Ring_20pk/descpage-OVR.html As for hook size, (all short shank) on the 1/2 oz I go size 2 on the front (red) and 4 on the back. On the 3/4 oz I go size 1 on the front (Red) and size 2 on the back. (all of that happens south of the border and accounted for my green bass PB an 11-11 lb freak bass.) A-Jay

@TnRiver46: Man, you know how to live. It's clear from your posts how much fun you have with your friends and all the many places you fish and the cool fish you catch. If someone were struggling to squeeze all due joy from life, rather than therapy, I'd suggest you. Hanging with you.

I’m fortunate, I can fish all four here, but I think I like spring the best. The cool mornings, the sun coming up to warm things. The new growth, everything green and growing.

I like summer for catching, but winter has to be my favorite season. If the water is not frozen over I can go out and fish and have the lake to myself most of the time.

Reel set is when you detect a strike reeling the line tight fast while lowering the rod to load it then a firm rod sweep. Tom

Thanks to you guys I’ll be eating PBJ for the rest of the month…

I have both the Steez and Zillion. I can't see any reason to spend the extra money on the Steez.

They use them in surgeries now too as they're much sharper than medical steel, causing less damage to tissue which speeds up healing.

All you need is to figure out how to make scissors out of zebra mussels and make your own million dollars. Those cut through anything.

I guess I’m the oddball again. I don’t see a bass stopping, make a well thought out, conscience decision not to hit something because he’s seen it too many times before! Isn’t that what they swim around all day looking for??? But hey, I’m the same guy who says that Ma Bass won’t just turn away because of a piece of line in its face too. Mike

Sabbatical for me = Doesn't get big bass bites for me here. Eventually they usually get rehomed during hard water season. #glidebaits A-Jay

These are the only baits that have better than a snowballs chance in hell at getting bit around here. I find that when fish learn lures - YOU start to learn conditions. The first thing I am FORCED to do when I arrive at a pond is make the determination what lure is best suited to the water clarity/amount of wind/depth/forage/speed I need to work the bait. If I was asking myself 'what lure do I want to fish today?' I'd never catch anything. I think fishing pressure merely expedites the process by which we are forced to adapt as anglers to conditions because every lure is ideal for certain conditions, even the Whopper Plopper! I think when fish haven't learned a lure yet, they'll hit a noisy big bait that doesn't look like their food on a calm day in clear water, but only to a point. I think if we learn where and when certain lures shine, regardless of pressure - we'll never have a day where the bait is making it harder to catch the fish. The added bonus of doing things this way is you get good at identifying a 'whopper plopper day' and you can get justifiably excited when you see a good opportunity to throw one! What's interesting is I typically go the opposite route when I'm ready to really learn a lure! I might throw it every day in all conditions for months at a time. I want to learn EVERY nook and cranny the bait can shine in and the only way to do that is commit to it.

I've never put any lures on sabbatical for the reason you mentioned Swamp Girl, but I've got a bunch of lures that I stopped using for various reasons.I also think in the type of waters you fish, bass won't learn to not strike the baits you throw. More remote backwoods swamps etc, don't see high fishing pressure.

Had to go back and check the schooling area again since I’d have a bit more time to fish them. Fortunately, they stayed put and I was able to catch 55 more in just over 3 hours. Was a nice chance to chase numbers and take a break from quality. Back to the grind chasing the 10 percenters now that I’ve had some fun.

It's the maroon one. Yup. There it is. I love it. That IIc is on almost every single St. Croix I've seen. I'm wondering if it's the same blank.

Couldn’t you just take the screw lock off the gammy?

I keep it simple and use 10lb braid for my spinning setups, 30lb (with a copoly leader) for topwater, and 50lb for frogs / punching. So my vote would be 30lb. Not sure what I'd even use 20 for to be honest since it seems like it would be a little to heavy for a spinning reel and too light for a casting reel.