Leaderboard

These are some bass that beat the skunk on a trout quest. Kept a two bass limit.

Rule #1 - Don’t blank - lol. Avoided that fate with this chunky keeper this afternoon. Briefly touched 60 around lunch, then temps started dropping. Blue skies again along with gusting winds over 30 mph made me change lakes to somewhere slightly more boat friendly.

tough subject to photograph, here's a 25-y-o monobloc Daiwa Millionaire CV-Z that's coming off my bench. The new handle is NS Craft with bakelite knobs. I plan to fish PE#1.5 with 3 to 15 g on my long shore micro-jigging rod, and PE#2 on my older Lami steelhead rods. This reel swaps spools with my other 34-mm Daiwas. .

Few things make me as happy in Bass fishing as catching a super fat Bass, doesn't even matter how big. I just love seeing these critters thrive! I actually caught a super fatty this afternoon 😁 I LOVE FAT BASS AND I CAN NOT LIE....... You other anglers can't deny..... That when a Bass swims in with a fat tummy And a round belly in your face You get hooked, wanna get spooled Cause you know that Bass is stuffed Deep in that gut she's wearing I'm hooked and I can't stop staring Ooh Baby I wanna get with ya And take your picture - Sir Bass A Lot

Anything that wiggles, but...

Dropped down to 20 overnight, but we clawed our way back to 50 by late afternoon, so I hooked up and ran to the lake for about 3 hours. Sunny skies with SW winds of 10-15, gusting 20-25 were a challenge, but I managed to get half a dozen bites on a mix of jerkbaits and blade baits, including one that hit the 6 lb. mark, making it worth being out there.

A little back history... Culprit came out with their Captivator skirted slip sinker heads back in 1987. Those were some of the earliest versions of this idea sold commercially. Billy Bowen (GA) originally designed the bait modification for himself, took it to Eb Hargrove, a local Lake Sinclair guide, who in turn took it to John Zook, then tech-rep for Classic Mfg. (Culprit), who ended up contracting with Billy to do most all the manufacturing. Back in Texas, and slightly before all this happened, a Mansfield area fisherman named Jim Brown designed and fished a slip sinker that carried a fiber skirt, and was then fished similarly to a jig and pig. Same basic idea, but I don't think it ever made it outside that local area.

Skinny fish could simply mean post spawn.

for ANY given weight, I'd rather the fish be shorter and thicker. 1- they generally fight harder. 2- That tells me there is a good food base there so if that one is there there are probably more. Like Tom said, long skinny fish usually mean a spotty forage base (aside from the very freshly spawned ones) and that's never a good thing for anyone. This lake has a pretty good forage base.

Wanna know what that is? Here ya go! https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/bass-blotch.html

I thought we were gonna see some bass tattoos on people

The best fishermen in my area who consistently win tournaments are the ones putting in the most time on the water. They don’t necessarily have the latest and greatest equipment on their boat/kayak, but they are in tune with the current status of the lake and location of fish because they fish A LOT. Can upgraded equipment make them more efficient? Yes absolutely. But they’re winning because they don’t have to show up blind the day of the tournament to find fish. Unfortunately with busy work/personal lives this isn’t always possible for everyone!

The longer and fatter the better Mike

IDC...I don't care 😉

Neither or both ~ I like to catch long fat bass. A-Jay

Over the last week, I picked up a daiwa arid-x combo, an ultralight combo and today ordered a Daiwa SV TW (the $150 one at scheels) and an orochi xx tour versatile. Wife is out of town and will be back Friday afternoon. I hope UPS comes in the morning 😳

It stared for me back in the 70s when I use to make lures, one night I decided to stuff a bullet weight into a rubber skirt. It was so difficult I gave up after only making a half a dozen. This little trick when paired with a craw worm won me many a tournament. Scott's Marina on the Texas side of Toledo Bend is a one room building, a small wharf big enough for a couple jon boats, and a launch. Scott sold Community Coffee which is the #1 coffee of Cajuns and why I hung around. He had maybe a dozen packs of worms, 4-5 spinner baits & traps. On one particular morning I noticed some new lures lying on the counter, I picked one up & the little card read "Big Red's Flying Jig". Inside was the lead head of a spinner bait, a skirt, & a 3/0 offset hook with a hitch hiher attached. I bought em all! This was the perfect answer to putting a skirt on a bullet weight!

I have to agree with Glenn. Bama Craw. I have fished that color from MI to AL and east. It just flat works. My #2 got to would be the old stand by black and blue. Junebug is a pretty good color in Tanic water also. For the heads the Grass Jig and Tungsten Pitchin jig would be best for a jig style in the weeds. The tungsten is slightly smaller due to it being denser then lead. The other option I would consider is my Tungsten Punch Rig. They work extremely well in thick weeds. Its rigged just like Catts and Ajays pictures. https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/tungsten-punch-rig Pic of junebug and then a Tungsten Punch rig.

🫡

Here are another two examples. The first bass is only 18.25", but thriving: The second bass is 20.75" and likely heavier, but I prefer the one above:

I know a guy! I’ve got a photo somewhere found it !

Rather jealous here y’all. Some nice fish yall are catching. I haven’t fished for nearly three weeks since the kayak tourney on Fork. Hoping to make it out to Stillhouse Saturday

I agree with you 100%. If I catch a 15" bass that's bulging, I smile.

Yeah, me too. There were many evenings in 2024 when I'd drive down my gravel driveway, park, walk through the woods, and launch my canoe only to catch four or five bass and I was so happy.

I should have given this thread the heading, "Post your big bass!"

Absolutely a big, thick girl especially at the spring dance!

I'm in the thick and looong camp.😎 OK... I know the question was about bass, but I can't help myself. When you have critters like this available to ya, going from them back to bass is like going from bass back to bluegill. No interest in it, with the exception of chasing giants. I think that applies to most species, because no matter the species, giants are hard to come by.

Buyers and Sellers - if somebody PMs you about an item you've posted here that you want to buy or sell - especially if they are a new member - they're likely a scammer! They sometimes tell you to email them, and provide an email in the message. Recently I've caught a few. They usually have overseas IP addresses. Clearly they are up to no good. Don't fall for it!

Would you rather catch a fat, shorter bass, like this... ...or a longer, skinnier bass, like this? Assume they weigh the same. Thicker or longer? ...or a longer, skinnier bass?

Let’s see some, I get them fairly often in my parts.

Short and fat! Same as most, I’d be happy to catch either of the fish pictured, but the skinny ones make me feel like they weren’t at their full potential. And I would bet that fat fish are happy fish.

I don’t think it’s a lack of dedication for @Koz or @LrgmouthShad. Anyone who runs on little sleep tongrt this done is dedicated. I certainly would not but I run on 3-5 hours of sleep daily anyway. You guys are doing stuff I would not do to fish these tournaments. Sadly the person who could fish there the whole week before plus has been there 15 times before will always have an edge.

The tug is the drug for me. I am excited on every catch. But ecstatic over the big fish.

I was thinking the same thing, but if the goal is to minimize backlash issues, I was thinking the SV Boost of the Zillion is more free and would allow more chances for backlash than the Tatula SV. I think if I were to look in a different direction and thinking JDM, I would consider the Alphas SV 800. Great cast control, smoother than any Tatula, and cheaper too!!

The best conclusion that article could reach is that it's caused by poor handling of fish. I'd have to disagree with this opinion for no other reason than that I only catch black spotted Bass in the cold water months. Once that water cools below 60d, I catch quite a few fish with black spots. Same goes for Bass 'lip stick' or when the insides of their mouths turn red.....again only in the cold water months in the places I fish.

just depends on what you use and need. If you use 360 then you only have one choice. If the mapping is better for hbird on your lakes then so be it. If you prioritize side imaging over live imaging then a humminbird has better imaging for me. If your salary depends on ffs then then humminbird isn’t it. Yes, some of the pros still choose it but im not sure why. switching is a whole ‘nother thing. Once you’ve learned one it’s easier to stay than swap some times.

the whole power vs. finesse argument in Shimano doesn't quite hold. Vanquish is the magnesium-frame upgrade that Vanford wants to be. You can only tell the inertia difference when you're winding Vanquish and Stradic side by side. But you can't go wrong with any worm-drive Shimano, which begins at Stradic and ends at Stella - all reels in that series exchange parts. This is my medium-frame Twin Power, which can be a power reel one day, and a finesse reel when matched with a shallow spool for tiny braid. (happens to be a Vanquish shallow spool).

What? You mean you don't have those in your neighborhood? And here I thought that was normal.

Well although I don’t have a problem with “carbon” framed reels if they’re built right I purchased a 1000 Stradic FL when they were closing them out for both panfish and small pond bass and I couldn’t be happier. As far as the weight for me I like the solid feel as it just feels right, as many people have pointed out the stem on the Vanford is different so there’s that plus the price difference buys me the line to spool it plus a lure or 2 and lastly different strokes for different folks 👍🏻

Shoot yeah, that’s pretty much how it went for me on my first one with Koz. Slept two hours after driving 3.5 hours once off of work. Respooling 5 rods that night. That’s not to mention all the prep work I put into it the week and days before. They are a hassle for sure. A stout energy drink kept me going through the tournament.

I will take any bass, long, short, dink. They are just fun to catch.

Ok, what about a bass?

That is a sweet van.

This was an interesting one. On my way to an investigation Wed morning, I passed this and thought "what the **** " was that. Well later in the day, on my way back, I knew it was coming and pulled over to take a closer look. Its a larger than lifesized skeleton wearing a blaze orage shirt, holding a gun, and riding on the back of an old school ford van that's being driven by a dog. I may never come across something so bizarre in my life again.

What I look for in a jig is a smooth transition from the line to the eye & around the belly, which requires the eye to be slightly rolled forward. Examples: Terry Oldham's Eye Max Strike King's Hack Attack & Flourcarbon Seibert's Supreme Grass Jig Most anglers try forcing a jig through grass which is all wrong, you gotta finesse the jig through grass! When you feel the jig starting to load up in the grass...stop. Release pressure, pull up until you feel heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, then release, continue until the jig breaks free. You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just applying more pressure. The denser the grass the more vertical you want your presentation.