Leaderboard

Had to find a way to get out on the water as it was just stupid nice for the 3rd week of Oct up here. Paid off too. A-Jay

Walk the dog kinda day😁

Decided to head out real early this morning. I was on the water when still dark. About 3/4 of the pond is covered with windblown algae and pine needles, making topwater difficult. The spot where I launched was in one of those areas. I tried a squarebill but after three casts, it was useless. Switched to a jig and craw (no bites) followed by a black Zoom Magnum Trick TR. Caught my first bass on that. Headed to the opposite (clear) end and tied on a Zara Spook. I haven’t walked the dog in a while and it looked like a good day for it. 4-5 casts later, it disappeared. I got the bass about 5’ from the boat and it threw the hook. Definitely a nice ol’ gal between 4-5 lbs. Tried it for several more casts but no takers. Switched over to the A -Jay Special. Caught two more bass. Nothing huge but fun catches. My wife texted me and asked if I wanted Chinese for lunch from the place around the corner and as it was slow, I said sure. That must have been the text the bass we’re waiting for, as all of a sudden they started slamming baitfish in the shallows against the bank. But…a promise is a promise, so I headed for shore (with a few casts on the way in). I had a hard time getting on shore. It hasn’t rained in weeks and the water level has dropped. After maneuvering the boat several times, I finally got on the bank. I almost lost my balance and went over the side once, so I tossed my pouch (with phones, etc. inside) on the bank, as well as my net and one baitcasting rig (that becomes important). After stepping on shore, I grabbed the anchor rope (I always toss the anchor on the bank to keep the boat from drifting off) to pull it tight to the bank so I could grasp the handles. I pulled the rope and the next thing I knew, I was on my butt in the grass, holding a loose rope and watching my boat drift away. The rope still had the carabiner on it. I must have hit it with my foot getting off the boat and it pulled free. So I’m watching my boat drift off and think how the heck I’m going to get it without a swim. It started heading for the east end of the pond, so I ran around through the woods, found a long branch, and when it got close, I pushed it hard back towards my launch point. It got about halfway there and the wind stopped it. Then it started to drift towards the center of the pond. So I picked up the baitcasting rig (the Kistler with the A-Jay Special) and buried the hook deep in the Rage Craw (my boat is an inflatable, so I was thinking how to snag the boat and not sink it lol). I had a jacket on the back of the seat and was trying to snag that. I made several casts without success, then made a cast and the line wrapped around an oar lock. Huzzah! I caught my boat! No holes, except in my ego lol. By the time I loaded up and went to the carry-out, the cashier wondered if I forgot to come. So, three bass and a boat. My fortune cookie said “Success is good, but learn from your mistakes”. Check the carabiner!!!

Caught about a dozen super dinks on the dawg junior and the red eye shad today. Then these two slightly better fish, a nice chunky spotted bass and about a pound largie. Missed one really good fish but overall not a bad morning.

Had to find a way to get out on the water today as it was just stupid nice for the 3rd week of Oct up here. Water temps at 54 were twenty degrees colder than the air temps. When does that happen in October ? Like never at the 45th parallel. Spent most of the afternoon working a favorite long main lake point. I was hoping for one good bite and I think I would feel good. Water was very clear and I started with an assortment of Rage Bugs on a swinghead - no surprise I suppose. After a while with no takers I went to the jerkbait. Good Move as a nice fatty nailed it on like the third cast. Worked pretty hard switching back & forth between the swinghead and the jerkbait. Caught a couple more 'trophies in training', the best bass was the 4 something. So I got my one good bite and I went home at sunset happy. This wildly nice weather is bound to change drastically and soon. So this season is not far from over. A-Jay

I love those. I break open one pack a year.

I only fish like 5 baits and they cover most bases.

Or I change everything that doesn't catch on the second cast. scott

always have something prerigged.......then will make adjustments as the day goes on..

I leave on what I had from last trip and pound it till it doesn’t work

Well, I've managed the three outings I'd hoped for this month before hanging things up for the year. First trip I got skunked. Second trip was to a lake I have never fished before; I caught one small pike and one tiny largemouth. Third trip was better, with 12 in 3 hours --a pretty good rate for me-- but this pair of 17"s were the only ones of any size: BFFs Lizard and Spinnerbait, enjoying the fall colors: And that's probably going to be a wrap for me on the year. I might find a spare hour here or there to walk the riverbank and make a few casts, but the chances of actually catching any more bass before Spring are pretty low.

I personally love these threads because I know what to look for at lil local shops with random stuff! Gotta cast my vote for the Mann's Baby -1 and the Jelly Worms. I'll never not buy those when I see them at a small tackle shop. Got a special place in my heart for the Terminator frogs and spinnerbaits. Both very high quality offerings that would be nice to see rebooted by American Baitworks or something like that.

Ride around ? I know where and what I'm fishing before I get there. So Pre-rig with plan A, B C & D for me. Some days I fish one rod all day. Other days I fish every rod all day.. Those are usually tougher days. A-Jay

Found some skipjack running around Sunday, turned them into a few catfish

I think its safe to say that you and I would not fish very well together in a boat. Nothing but soft plastic finesse setups? Kill me

These listed are a few that I wish were still available. Some of these can be found on Ebay at times. A.C. Shiner Arbogast Mud Bug Arbogast #2 Hawaiian Wiggler Original Bomber Lure Cordell Water Scout (this was a plastic model - not to be confused with the Strike King Spence Scout) Gene Larew 4" Salt Craw in the following colors - Black/Red Glitter, Butterscotch, Pumpkin Pepper/Green Glitter, Black/Powder Blue Claws, Black/Yellow Claws, and Pumpkin Pepper Gene Larew 5 and 6" Hawg Craw in the same colors as Catt mentioned. Hub's Chub Rattalur and Johnny Rattler topwater baits

I fished for the fourth time in six days and am fishing again tomorrow morning at the leaky dam, which I scouted yesterday to see if it's safe to launch beside the dam. It is! Then I'll take a break for a week or so. I wanted to take advantage of our Indian Summer and I have! This morning's fishing fit the fall pattern of schools of bass here and there and long stretches of unproductive water in-between. I caught three in three consecutive casts to begin my morning. Here are two of those three, both 17-inches: I caught more smallmouth that largemouth this morning, but I don't photograph most of the smallies because they're skinny: I fished three lures: a Yum Ned bait, a Yo-Zuri popper, and a Depps 6" fluke. All worked about equally well. Here's a pretty 17-incher: And here's my thickest fish: And my longest bass at 19.25-inches: I'm excited about fishing the river tomorrow above the leaky dam. It'll be our last warm day and it'll be cloudy and foggy, unlike this morning's sunshine. Fingers crossed! I caught a dozen of this morning's bass at the pond's last weed bed. Most of the others have rotted and collapsed. @Glenn taught me that fall bass will cluster at the last greenery and he's right. You can see the weed bed behind the bass in the last two bass pics. I also went an hour without getting a single hit. Fall fishing sure is hot and cold, just like the days of fall. Pretty pic:

My rattle / No Rattle choice usually is determined by water depth and clarity. The shallower and clearer the area I'm fishing is, the more I am apt to choose a silent bait. This approach as paid huge dividends on big brown bass for me the past several years. I have also used silent baits as a 'clean up bait'. Meaning after I've been through an area and taken a few, but the bite seems shut off, going back with a silent bait has gotten me some extra fish I might not have held otherwise. Often some fatties too. The Megabass 110 silent in perch has been a solid producer, especially with the wind at my back in skinny water. One problem with many silent baits is, they do usually lack any type of a weight transfer system, so they are not the best casting baits #potatochip. Not the best deal when fishing skinny water where getting the bait as far away from the boat as possible can be critical to getting the right bites. Enter the Megabass 110 LBO (not the MAX). It has a magnetic weight transfer system, casts like a ROCKET, but is silent when worked in a traditional Jerk / pause manner. Runs shallower at like 3-5 ft or so. Just started fishing it this season and all indications are, I expect to be doing damage with this one. Now we NEED Megabass to come out with the 110 +1 LBO. I would be very happy. A-Jay

I used to get the Riverside brand of soft plastics. They made some good stuff. Long gone now.

Gene Larew Salty Ringworm 7 1/2", Cinnamon Pepper Neon Junebug Laminate Gene Larew Salty Hawg Craw 5-6" Black-n-Blue, Junebug Blue Claw, & Black Neon And now Stanley Spinnerbaits

Cocked, Locked, & Ready to Rock!

Handful of odds and ends from TW I didn't really need, but why not:

Manns Razorback Pig crank bait,shallow diver. Fliptail worm....any length.. Poe's crank baits. Manns Augertail worms.Rebel wee r crank baits..

I pre rig my finesse drop shot and Slip shot rigs. Tie a weedless wacky hook on another spinning combo when I get to the lake, no soft plastics yet. Tie on a jig no trailer yet. Tie on a Hyper Weld clip on my M/F casting rod. When I launch check out the water clarity, temps and survey the marina area for bait and fish depths. Now I am ready to make up my mind where to start and what soft plastics and colors to try 1st. Now based on the input from the marina survey I run to a starting location, sometimes it’s the marina! Don’t like to run around to determine what to use or where to start like to be ready to fish. Adjust as needed Tom

I don’t like jigs on flat bottom area, needs a structure break. Difficult to get deep diving crank baits to stay down 30’. 3” to 5” flutter spoons like Blade Runner work good by ripping and let fall back, 3/4 oz Scrounger jig with 6” Sluggo in Shad color can cover deep depths very effectively at various speeds. That would my 1st choices. Tom

Come on down! A night trip out in the glades would be welcome. I know a few places that are pretty convenient and not so radical, easy launching and so forth. Plus big bass. This gal just the other night on my second cast. They out there waiting!

Always know the lake I'm fishing and pre-rig the evening before.

I never go without having at least half a dozen setups rigged with baits. I am going Wednesday and have two different sizes of jigs, a spinnerbait, two shaky, a top water, two Carolina rigs, and 3 swim baits. One of them is bound to work.

Rebel Redneck.

Hand carved crankbaits

You saw this commercial didn't you. Bad move soldlier. Use a rope.

@A-Jay Long ways to go & short time to get there! Once my transom hits water I start the outboard & turn the console electronics on. They stay on until I pull up back up to the launch.

IDK 😉 I've hundreds over the years on a Smithwick Rattling Rogue. Doing excellent with a Bill Lewis Scope-Stik.

I have everything setup with rod selection, reel, line, and lure, my confidence baits, the ones that always produce the bigger fish. Then comes the riding around, moving around, which I do a lot of. I really can’t say that I’m tying other baits on, other than changing out plastic worms if I’m throwing those in the daytime. Most of my fishing is done in the darkness, so having everything ready to go just makes sense because I want as little light as possible. Turning on the light to tie on a lure will skunk-out a large area that might’ve produced a giant.

Thanks. I'm going to make a note of those in my phone. So far I'm leaning towards Texas as I begin pricing out places to stay. I was thinking of staying in Tyler or thereabouts in an AirBnB so I'm fairly central to the lakes where I want to fish.

Ran into this a couple times this year. Carolina Rig, 3/4 oz, & a Fluke style lure. Slow drag! We didn't kill em but we went from zero to a couple here & there.

Mr Twister hair jigs. Billy Westmorland Hoss Fly

I’d be trolling a deep diving crankbait at a decent clip and try for a reaction strike. This is one of the prime seasonal windows for doing so.

30 rods in the lockers, I'm sure there is something they will eat or have. They are always rigged and ready, although some get pulled out at times of the year when I know they aren't going to play. We all have our confidence baits. You should have those rigged, then adjust as needed.

Went to a friends wedding yesterday and caught some bream around the dock at the venue. The first one had a chunk bit out of him by something. I caught around 10 in the short time I had just before the wedding. Only one was small. I did something I can’t remember ever doing before. I cast out , and the rod slipped out of my hands and went in the water. I got down under the dock and was just able to reach the rod with another rod- all with my suit on and dress shoes. I came very close to slipping in the mud twice, as it was I got mud all over my dress shoes. It was worth it, because it was one of the grooms rods !!

If you haven’t tried Siebert Outdoors stuff, you’re missing out. Mike’s products are top notch.

Yall laugh if you want to...but I really miss "The Flying Lure". My and my father did some damage with these in black back in the day. I know you can kinda replicate it with a tube rigged backwards but its not the same. If any of you have some stocked away let me know. All the ones I find on ebay are colors I dont think anyone wants (including me).

Gray Wood Outfitters Blackbirch Lake

^ X3

Lucky craft lvr mini lipless

The SK Spence Scout. Poes had a version too. Bring it back. Rebel Wee R. I loved those little dudes. The models with cross hatch finishes were my favorites: The YUM Zellamander. I have less than 20 left. It is my smallmouth Carolina rig killer.

Caught 6 total and one good one yesterday. It was a strange day. It started out around 42 degrees in the morning but by noon it was 78 with 15mph winds and it brought out the pleasure boaters and nut jobs. It was hard to stay put and fish but this 22in of smallmouth fun made it worth it. Once again on BFS gear and 5lb test fluorocarbon. It took about 10 min to bring it from the 20+ feet of water I was in. I would have taken a better pic but it took a long time to get it out of the net and I wanted to get it back in the water. In the pic below is my Yakattack net. It's 21in wide and this guy was an inch or two wider. This also my PB smallmouth. It was a blast.

Limited out last night with the help of a small tiger trout. Two good takes on a spoon, had to switch to bait to get that last bite.

The full moon brings fun times. Caught 8 snook on a DOA shrimp. All small, the biggest (pictured) was ~15”. It’s been a while since I’ve gone snooking and the bugs weren’t bad, so I’m happy with it.