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Got the canoe out after work, fish were cooperating for a short session! All LM which is rare, had to fish a tributary as the main river is insanely fast from floods. Got 5 or 6 with two decent ones . I tried to feed them a frog but they all ate a black worm

Yesterday I fished the strip pit again. Unfortunately I only caught two smallish fish. So I decided to check out some of the other strip pit ponds in the area, one was tinged yellowish orange and the other was clear but both were devoid of any signs of life. Today I went a little further into the woods to check out another pond that I saw on google earth. Given the length of the hike and the terrain I only brought my ML spinning rod and a fanny pack with some spare ned heads, TRDs, scale, leader material, and hemostats. Long story short, I caught 13 most of which were dinks but also some decent ones pictured below.

First trip out since the hurricane came through. Things are slowly returning to normal around here, including the reopening of a couple of the lakes. Water (and lake) was in better shape than I was expecting given the local flooding and damage. Managed 3 keeper bass and about 2 dozen crappie. Water still high 70s and stained, but not muddy.

Wednesday was my mentee’s 1st work birthday - he’s an engineer fresh outta school and getting the hang of the job very well. So I said we should celebrate and go fishing (he’s an avid hunter and fisherman). He liked the option of topwater smallies, so I hoped for a repeat on that. We launched into thick fog at sunrise and ran the same plan as Wes and I did on Sunday. It held up well and we caught probably 20 smallies and a handful of pike. Average size was down a bit, I caught a 3.75# and a 3.92# near the end but most were 1.5-2.5#. No complaints though, it was a good couple hours. Our topwater bite died not long after the fog finally cleared, so we went shallow for the last 45 minutes and blanked on trying to find any largemouth.

How important is line? Consider line is the only item between you and the bass. Your rod, reel and lure are meaningless with out line, can’t catch fish without it. Most bass anglers use line that isn’t optimal for the lures they are using or the ecosystem they are fishing. There isn’t a fresh water bass on the planet that can break 30 lb test line. When I started bass fishing Dacron braid on casting reels was popular and 10 lb and 12 lb was very common. When mono line came out 17 lb about .017D became the go to for Ambassador 5000 reels back in the early 60’s. For whatever reason 17 lb mono stayed the default bass casting line for over 50 years or to this day. I stayed with 10lb and 12 lb when transitioning Dacron because it was about the same diameter and easier to cast. I believe staying with smaller diameter .012D gave me an advantage in casting distance, lure contact and strike detection over the past 50 years. Without all those advantages catching giant bass may not have occurred. Tom

Life is good... My mission is complete... Introduce my 6 yr old granddaughter to fishing with her own Shakespeare children's rod & reel combo (an ultra-lite to us adults). She had a ball and wanted to catch tiny sunfish in the little church pond that I took her to here in Beaufort, SC (off base military housing). I'm here visiting for the weekend...

I’m just old enough to remember the days that people would cough to cover up the sound of their own farts in public… then, during COVID, people would fart to cover up their coughs..

I knew I was getting older when I forgot what CRS stands for. But the good news is, now I can hide my own Easter eggs. A-Jay

Took me a while this time to figure out what the bass were biting... Thankfully didn't get skunked!

I’m semi-upset. I lost my A-Jay Special. I caught my first two bass on it, cut off and retied the hook on, and put the green pumpkin Rage Craw back on. Two casts later it got hit hard, I set the hook and my freshly-tied knot broke. I can make more but didn’t have the materials on the boat. So I tried a jig-and-craw with a Rage Menace (one bite-no bass) and a squarebill (no bites). So I put a 1/4 oz. bullet weight and a 3/0 EWG on in place of the lost rig and threaded on a green pumpkin Rage Menace. In short order I caught two decent bass, and then it got hammered. I knew it was a big ol’ gal right from the hookset. She pulled some drag and dove deep (well, as deep as an 8’ pond gets). My scale stopped working but she was 20”. My last bass was rather unconventional. I had cast the Texas rig near a blowdown but a big gust of wind came up and drove me towards shore. Leaving the bait as-is, I reversed the TM to get back to open water, and inadvertently “trolled” the TR and it hooked a bass. So, 3.5 hours (late start), boated 7, lost two and had a great morning. No dinks, but two were 1 to 1.5 lbs (no pics).

Some fun action last night at a little pond. Buzzbait and frog and Pop n fly got it done. Sunday's boat trip might be an all topwater day - pretty excited 😍🐸🎣

I knew I was getting old when the girl ringing me up at Burger King told me she gave me the senior discount. I was 45 at the time…..

I react to it better than I used to for sure. Roberts is a busy lake in the spring and fall, if I wanted it to still be relaxing I had to figure out how to deal with it a little bit. Occasionally it still gets me pretty upset, I'm not gonna act like I haven't come into this forum and ranted about it multiple times in the past. But anymore, today's experience is what I get 60%-70% of the time - they show up, I catch, they leave, I keep catching. World keeps on turning

I missed three really nice fish. One of them hit it twice the exact same way, I hooked her the second time but she dove into the weeds and shook me. From what I could see that looked between 6 and 8lb. Without a doubt would have been one of the top few fish of the year so far. Always hurts. Didn't see the other one but the swells were big big. It happens. The part that I took note of though was that I didn't stop getting hit until noon. I would say that I landed 60-70% of what struck today which is a notable improvement from the last few outings. Everything i landed was about a pound, but eight of those makes for a fun morning. At one point i had a guide troll right through my casting zone and park directly on top of where I had been getting strikes. After about 10 minutes I got a bass right behind them. They stayed about 10 more before I caught another one and then they left shortly (but very loudly/angrily) after that. If given the choice, I would rather not have that experience. But if you roll up on me when I have a bite figured out, there's a good chance you're gonna get your feelings hurt by a man with a walking bait. I've been using a strike king dawg Jr exclusively the last week or so. Thing just gets bit and bit and bit.

Regardless of how much water there is in the glades right now, the black bass bite has been nonexistent: fortunately the Peacck bite has been crazy. A local guide has caught over 100 peas in 4 hrs and not one single black bass. They seem to focus on small hard stickbaits like Rapala # 9 or torpedo type baits. As bad as the bass fishing is right now in south Florida, the Peacock are on fire! Fish close to the weed edges and look for big rocks along the edges. Strikes have been violent! They are not everywhere, but moving in packs, so don’t focus in one area too long. When you find one, you may get multiple fish in quick succession. We are so lucky to have these fish in our waters.

For a few weeks this fall, I was thundering, catching between 35 and 70 bass per session and landing one to three four-to-five-pounders per trip, but then I caught 25 the last time I fished and 20 this morning with no four-pounders. I started hot, landing 12 bass in the first hour, but only eight in the next three hours. Their size was so consistent, nearly all footbally 16.5 inchers, which weigh about 2.5 pounds. I caught a couple longer, but not as footbally: So, I caught 16 lmb and four smb. No pattern beyond the first hour, where I went old school and steered a Whopper Plopper through weed fields. After that, just a bass here and there, some shallow and some deep. My camera died for good, so once again, I had to use my cell phone, which takes great pics. See: I'm thinking I forgot how to catch bass. I should start all over again. I hope I can buy a Snoopy rod on Amazon.

Got her back up and running!!!! my neighbors down at the lakehouse gave me permission to cut up at least 3 of their fallen trees as well, going to be a busy firewood season ! I’ve missed it. Only cost me a $20 carb plus $10 shipping 😂 . might try to help cut up some hurricane damage too if they will let me

Hey, just wanted to share a few fish caught recently, hope everyone is well

We had a bit of a cool down mid week which cooled down my favorite retention pond with a 70 degree plus day yesterday which had the crappies up close to the shoreline 😃

Tough to beat a Stihl Farm Boss. This MS290 20" bar has done some cutting. Keep it tuned, the chain sharp and not much slows it down. A-Jay

Good fishing, guys!

USAF - enlisted during the Vietnam War

Hot dang, went out this afternoon trying a different lake. Second cast of the day with my trusty white Terminator spinnerbait I caught an 18.5” bass. This girl had a massive body on it for that length. Definitely a top 3 bass for me this summer.

Very nice! We got hit hard by the bark beetle years ago and I've had to drop around 60 trees on the property. Still bucking those up as time allows and I feel like letting out the Tim Allen grunt anytime I get to fire up the Echo or little Husky.

I have that happen once or twice every time out. It's like the anticipation slowly grows as I reel in my lure and then it happens.................................I fart, and the feeling passes.

My introduction to Fluorocarbon line was around 1990 at JD’s Tackle at Balboa Island Bisbees fuel dock. We were fueling Cuatro for a tuna/marlin trip to Baja. JD was excited about a new line that fish can’t see and sold us FC leader line. John claimed Blue Fin would eat 30 lb FC a very line shy tuna. JD was right we caught Blue Fin on fly lined mackerel that before would strike kite rigged mackerel. A few years later I was talking to the late Aaron Martens about FC and he turned me onto a distributor in Florida that sold 100 meter spools of Sunline Shooter FC that he was using for bass fishing. I bought 12 and 14lb Shooter a start of a love hate affair with FC line. Tom

I mean the Lions won by almost 2 TDs, no overtime, no last minute score to win......I think you're just a Lions fan 😉

Stay away from SwimbaitUnderground. His granddaddy, the bait silverback hangs out there most days…

I read a meme today that I'm the only generation that knows how to program the clock on a vcr.

I would say that the fall bite is just beginning to turn on here. Been doing well on shad jigs and topwater. Really hoping the water temp settles in the high 60s soon - that's when topwater really gets crazy.

I think I have some bass fishing intuition ~ Some times I listen to it, sometimes I don't. You see, I'm also as stubborn as all get out. So it's an a bit of a mental tug-o-war every trip out. Admittedly, I have said right out loud on many occasions, "I should go over there" or I should tie on this or that bait. And it's paid off a few times, enough that when it pops into my little pea brain, I'll consider it, sometimes even acting on it. However, head down, sticking with the plan and putting in the work, has out produced any 'intuition' I might think I have TEN TIMES OVER; especially for plus size fish. YMMV A-Jay

Gets no better than that Papa!! You will never forget it I still remember when I took my first. And he’s 30yrs old Mike

Without being familiar with the component the aluminum is more than likely clear anodized with scratches penetrating the coating. Polishing is only removing the anodized surface protecting the aluminum. Tom

I use braid, braid to leader, mono, and fluorocarbon depending on the gear and technique being used. I would use fluorocarbon more often if I never backlashed, never snagged, it was more available in my area, or I was very wealthy. My problem with Fluorocarbon is if it gets kinked ( from not exercising patience while removing backlashes), or over stressed from pulling on snags it needs to be replaced. It is expensive to replace, so I take a gamble, roll the dice, and sometimes loose my shirt. Knots can be a problem with Fluorocarbon but as of today I believe I don't have a problem with Fluorocarbon knots. It does last far longer than mono if not abused, but I am rough on all my gear, so I only use Fluorocarbon for my T rig and Jig fishing. Fluorocarbon is also less visible than the other options, but for most of my bass fishing, visibility is not a consideration. I currently use 16 pound Sniper. Braid lasts for ever, does not stretch, and combined with different leaders can be used effectively in a variety of situations. Braids down side is because is has very little stretch it is very sensitive when fishing a tight line. The problem is when there is any slack in the line it has zero sensitivity. Many situations when I want a bait to fall naturally I am forced to give a slight amount of slack in the line. This is when the sensitivity advantage of braid is zero. Fluorocarbon is heavy, and sinks making detecting slack line bites possible even with a slight bow in the line. When I am fishing moving baits on a tight line, braid gives me great sensitivity, the problem is I don't need great sensitivity when fishing moving baits. Braid floats so is perfect for topwater, is very strong for it's diameter, making it perfect for punching or flipping heavy cover, and with a variety of leaders is extremely versatile. I currently use 30# or 40# Diawa J Braid. Mono is a compromise in most applications, but it can be used effectively in any situation. Slack line sensitivity is not as good as Fluorocarbon, but better than braid. It semi floats, so works well for top water, but not as well as braid, It does stretch making hook sets with bottom contact lures more difficult, but far from impossible, and the stretch makes it great for fishing crankbaits. Mono is slightly more visible than Fluorocarbon, but not enough to make a difference in most bass fishing scenarios. Mono is inexpensive, which is a big plus in my book. Mono may be a compromise, but there are many times in life when a good compromise is exactly what is needed. My favorite mono is Maxima Ultra Green, with Big Game a close second. This is my opinion on lines, and I'm sure others here will rightly disagree with me. I have to stress, this is my current opinion and I reserve my right to completely change my theory's at any time, without past posts being held against me. Weather I use Fluorocarbon or not depends completely on the current condition of my on again off again, love hate relationship with Fluorocarbon.

Most Falcons fans are like me, we consider ourselves to be fans of the worst franchise in the NFL. I've been watching Falcons games for over 30 years, they never change. Regardless how good or bad Cousins is his ceiling for winning is capped by a historically bad franchise. I expect them to lose every game, so if they win 7 or 8 games a year it's at least enjoyable to watch them. We all know the pre-determined Super Bowl winner anyways, congrats to the Chiefs, the NFL couldn't have picked a better team 😀

I am fairly particular when it comes to my line selections, because IMO, it matters. I've had some decent lines and leader materials come & go. My preferences have change a bit over the years. I use all FC mainline casting reels. Braid & leader for all spinning reels. Leaders are either FC or Mono depending on the application. A couple of years ago, on the advice of @WRB (Thanks Tom) I switched from Big Game (green) to Sunline Shooter Defier Armilo for my mono leader needs. Smaller diameter for the same test, good arbasion properties and supreme Knot strength. Especially when connected to thin Braid. I like it. Big Game was good but I think this is better. Maxima Ultra Green is very good as well, just has a bit bigger diameter for it's test. A-Jay

I love my lucky craft jerk baits. I'm always so tempted to buy the lipless baits but I basically always lose my lipless cranks and 16$ is a lot of cash when a 5$ bill lewis trap will catch the same fish.

Another JDM Bantam and Met 100 along with a Phenix Feather 6’9 MH and. Phenix K2 765. The K2 blows the NRX out of the water. Never thought that was possible but from experience…totally is. Sensitivity on the K2 for me, is unmatched.

100% agree with this.

I've not been posting a bunch because of some life issues. My van tore up, and I had another car, a Chevy Tracker but it needed some repair before I could drive it. This took a while, and as a result I only fished 2 times in 3 weeks. During that time, I went through a spell of poor service too, so I wasn't able to check in as often. Well, after I got my Tracker running, I took it to town and went fishing. I went to the heavily pressured public lake that I've mentioned several times. I like fishing this spot because it's a challenge. It's fun to catch a fish here and there when others say they've fished it, sometimes for years, and never caught anything. I'd learned some about tying soft split rings with braided line, and I thought that this trick might just be something that'd give me an edge. I tied my favorite gold crankbait thusly, and had tried it a few times with no luck. It does feel differently though. It pulls through the water with less sound, less vibration, and overall is just "different" feeling. Well, this day, I was by myself, I started working my way around one of the holding ponds that is attached to the north end of the main lake. These ponds are connected to the lake via a small channel, which the city dams up to hold the fish in case they need to work on the dam at the other end of the main lake. This particular day, there wasn't a crowd, but there was 4-5 other people fishing. I fished a split shot rig a bit, with no success, so I switched to the crankbait. I caught a nice 1lb10oz bass. I worked my way down about 20 yards, making a few casts. I was working the squarebill crankbait at a medium speed, probably just nipping bottom on occasion, in about 4 feet of water. I was sweeping the rod tip sideways to move the lure, but not letting the lure pause between sweeps, rather, just letting it slow down. About 10 feet from shore, I felt a strike. I set the hook. I saw my line moving sideways to the left, I began reeling, and the fish ran directly towards me! I reeled as fast as I could. This bass knew all the tricks, he went right for a bush! A skinny bush, but a bush nevertheless. The shore line in this spot is about a 3' drop off. I held my rod out with my left hand as far as I could to persuade the brute to come free of the bush, all the while thinking... I am glad I have 12 pound Big Game mono, and not something lesser! The fish emerged from the bush and just sort of submitted, swimming right to the shore's edge and the surface, looking right at me. I could see it was a very nice fish, and guessed 3-4 pounds. By this time, someone was walking by. Three younger guys. I'd played the fish maybe 30 seconds, but it seemed like 5 minutes at this point. I was thinking... how am I going to land this thing without a net? I was reluctant to flip it because I didn't think it was hooked good enough, and I couldn't tell for sure, but I know there are some 6+ pounders in there, and I didn't want to chance losing this trophy regardless of weight. Well the passerbyers saw the fish and congratulated me. They offered to help, so I let one of them hold the rod, while I collected my possibles, which consisted of my tackle bag and another rod, that were about 30 feet away. I returned to the rod, and took it in hand, then I proceeded to walk up the shoreline about 40 yards towards the nearest spot I could reach the water, pulling the fish with me. The fish knew his environment well, and lunged for another bush, then a large stick that was in the corner. After I made it around the bend, it wasn't far until the water was at foot level, and I was able to swiftly slide the fish from the water right up onto the shore, which consisted of short grass. Without further ado, here is my new personal best, a weighed 4lb7oz, with my scale registering 3/4oz light. I'm quite proud of this fish. I know that it's not the largest fish in the lake, but for me it shows that all the hard work I've done to learn the lake, and how to fish pressured waters is paying off. Up until the above fish, I thought that the following was my PB, but I had not weighed it. I estimated it at 5 pounds based on my box that I had previously weighed. Then, I caught this one: and I weighed it at 3lb14oz, so I was pretty confident that the fish above was closer to 4 pounds, rather than 5. Now, after catching the fish in the first picture there is no doubt about the one I didn't weigh. The new PB fish was physically larger, and it was noticeably heavier to hold. Shame there wasn't someone handy to take a picture of me holding it. I unhooked and released it. I thanked God, and I hollered whooo! Then I got a text message from a friend that heard me holler. He said "you at the lake? I heard you whooo!"

Do I get the spidey sense from getting bit by more spiders at the lake? Lol in all seriousness yes pretty frequently, but when I'm fishing a walking bait this time of year i expect to get hit every third or fourth cast so the stats may be a bit skewed

I knew I was old when I was buying a boxed bottle of Grey Goose vodka and the woman at checkout said “birthday?” I replied “no, it’s a Christmas present.”

Put the spool in hot water, fixes mono memory for me. Try San Diego jam or palomar knot.

I agree, last night was probably the better game overall. The Seahawks Lions game was entertaining because Goff caught a touchdown though.

I new I was getting old, while driving my car, I started to complain about the old geezer that was holding up traffic, but stopped when I realized the problem car was was mine.

Steez the one and vanford 2500s. You may call me godless if you wish, but these two match better than my socks.

I should not be allowed to watch any more YouTube videos. JDM Expride 6'10 Medium, OneTen +1 Jr. in Frosted Wakasagi and ITO Clear Laker, and the Zumverno 95 SP in ST Purple and S Smelt. I'm going to pair the Expride with a Curado 71 MGL but I might keep it braid to leader for now.

I don’t know where Bryan obtains his blanks. He added the PopMax and the Hot Lips recently, thus the order. The Hot Lips style is popular in my region. The jerkbait is a form copy of a Vision 110. The pattern is Pike Minnow or the infamous Columbia squawfish. The squarebills are form copies of the Megabass bait. The mid diver is a form copy of a Wiggle Wart.

Foul hooked a good size channel cat that blew up on my walking bait. Made me think it was a big fish until about half way through the retrieve. Fun though. About seven missed blowups later I managed to stick this 3.5lb CHUNK of a fish and that was the end of the morning. So many missed strikes. Half my fault, half theirs. We'll hope for better tomorrow