Leaderboard

Last trips before the Arctic blast. Hitched a ride with a friend for about 90 min Fri, then put in 3 hours today in steady 20 mph winds gusting to 35 as the high pressure system barrels in. Was 57 when I launched, but just 45 when I left a few hours later. Cooling off fast. Avoided a blank both trips though - got 3 or 4 Fri and 2 today. Water 43-44. That’s it for at least a week.

Unless I am fun fishing with my wife in the Old Town Canoe or perhaps in search of lunch #walleye, every time I launch the Pro-V Bass, I am specifically targeting 'big bass'. My own size scale for the Lake Menderchucks Smallies is: 4lbs is a nice one, 5 lbs is a big one, and 6 plus lbs is a trophy. I have no interest in sore lipping a bunch of 2 lb trophies in training. I have many completely fishless trips. I Do Not catch a ton of bass, especially compared to many of the proficient sticks on this forum. Feast or famine comes with the territory. But when I get it right my 'percentage' is mostly respectable. I'm usually fishing for ONE Bite. Sometimes I get more. So if 5lbs is a Big fish for me, I'd go with maybe 40 %. But the trophies can & do add up over time . . . . . A-Jay

I saw this pic and realized I forgot to post it to impress (should be in other species thread, but meh). This is by far the smallest fish I have ever caught - it was wedged in the bill/split ring, but I still landed it Still a pretty fish

I consider 5lb+ fish to be big Bass. I consider any Bass over 3lbs or 17.5" to be a quality catch though, and if I wanted to get a full picture of how well a lake's Bass population is, I'd start at that point. Once a Bass gets to about 17.5", it's got a great chance at becoming a big Bass. To me that's the number where you see a dramatic drop off in numbers of fish in a particular size class. In the month of January I've caught a total of 163 Bass thus far, of which 9 were over 5lbs 9 divided by 163 = 5.5% You can take that deeper...... 4 fish over 5lbs = 2.45% 3 fish over 6lbs = 1.8% 1 fish over 7lbs = .613% 1 fish over 9lbs = .613% Those numbers likely hold pretty true outside of the months of October, November, and December. It's ridiculous how hard 5lb+ fish are to catch in those months for me. If we really thought about the percentage chances of catching a 8lb NLMB, or a 10lb southern fish, we'd never go fishing. We're talking lottery winning percentages when it comes to catching those caliber fish outside of few places where they exist in stupid numbers.

Yeah, but I'm a busy boater and you're a Kraken hunter. Me: You:

Sometimes we just go for a ride and collect trash, especially when the lake level is way down. We find all kinds of stuff. Most of it is discarded refuse, but I have pilled up about half a dozen expensive anchors. But mostly just trash.

I have one simple rule for the low life humans who littler on or near Lake Menderchuck. Shoot to kill. Really cuts down on repeat offenders. OK, I'm not ventilating these losers, but that doesn't mean I haven't considered it. Litters represents The Lowest and most selfish portion of the population. A-Jay

One of the biggest differences between first and third world nations is the quality of their watersheds. Nothing is more striking than looking at pictures of rivers in India or China. It's beyond sad, it's maddening and depressing. As the supreme intelligent being on the planet, it's our responsibility to protect the environment so that every other organism has the chance at a healthy life. I guess we're tree hugging friends now 🤣

I try to be as diligent as I can when cutting line out on the water and ensuring it makes it back to the actual trash. I also try to clean up line when I’m in the kayak if I see it. I try to pick up trash whenever I can. If you need to know why you should be diligent as well, go watch Ocean Conservation Namibia on YouTube and see why… Anyone else? I’ve been noticing lately at the ramps around here the PVC tube containers for waste fishing lines…

By whatever metric YOU use for big bass, what percentage of your total catches are big bass? Please share your big bass cut-off. I understand that for some of you like @Fried Lemons, your big bass percentage will be higher by dint of throwing big lures, reducing your smaller bass catches. Others, like @Zcoker, will have a higher cut-off by dint of their latitude and their strain of bass. If you want, share your methodology. My big bass cut-off is 4 pounds. They're northern strain largemouth and as about as far north as one can go in the lower 48 states. On average, 3% to 5% of my total catches are big bass. I have had a few better sessions, of course, and many sessions with zero big bass, but multiple 3.5-pounders, which are close, but don't count. My methodology is easy, because in my trip reports, I record my total catch for each session, as well as bass over four pounds. So, I just run the numbers.

288 Days and a Wake Up ~ A-Jay

First one of 2025!

If it’s dec-feb, most fish are decent size. If it’s may-august, they are usually dinks

Totally agree. The relative rarity of my four-pounders marks them as big bass...for my latitude because right now, I could drive my car across all the waters I'll fish come spring and spring is a long time coming. So, thanks, Jimmy, for acknowledging that a four-pounder is a bigger deal in Maine than Texas. Ours aren't as big, but they sure are pretty. I didn't understand why @AlabamaSpothunter commented about the health of Maine bass at first, but after looking at hundreds of photos of southern bass and comparing them to my bass, I came to see what he saw. For whatever reason, Maine bass are thriving. Here are three different-sized bass, but all so plump and healthy: Out of reactions already, but when I read @A-Jay's 40%, I literally said:

People trashing the lakes are a pet peeve I've had for years now. On the lake I fish now, it's not a problem. But before on a larger public lake it was horrible. As A- Jay says above, these people are the most selfish people out there. They have no respect for other anglers, or they're own environment. A bunch of self centered low life's. Some of them have children, and are too stupid to realize they're teaching they're children this behavior through example. IMO they should be banned from the lakes. If you litter and leave trash, you lose your privilege to go fishing there again. I live for pulling up to the lake in the morning and seeing a clean, nice looking fishing lake. I never want to see cans, bottles, garbage, fishing line or any of that stuff out there.

I fish a couple urban lakes where if I started picking up trash I would never have time to launch my boat. I’ll always pick up fishing line and worm containers when I see them though. Most of my fishing is up in the mountains and when I see trash at the launches at these lakes I pick it up. These mountains are some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and a ton of resources go into protecting them and keeping them pristine, so I like to do my part. Litter saddens me and so do the losers who perpetrate it.

I put my line waste in a container I keep in the boat. It's the same place I put all the line my trolling motor picks up during the course of a day. I understand that shore anglers break off on snags and can leave some long sections of line out there, but I pick up more line from spots only boaters can be responsible for. That really gets my BP up 😠, even more so than the amount of trash I pickup floating. There is no excuse for leaving 30+yrds. of line out there when you get hung up. Don't want to ruin a spot (common excuse)? Sorry dude, you ruined it jerking on that snag for the last five min.

I'm not a trash hunter, but if I come across trash, I pick it up. Sadly every trip to public lakes I'm packing somebody else's trash out.

I was eating dinner this evening and the three stooges showed up. Haven't seen them in a while. You'll notice that I moved the bird feeder up about 3 feet so they can't reach it and empty that thing into their mouths (I'm fine with them eating fallen bird see on the ground).

I have found dead birds wrapped in fishing line, nowhere near any water. When I discard line, be it mine or not, I always cut it into very small pieces before placing it in the trash.

I have a story about a 3rd world country. Years ago we were coming home, So Calif, from a week in Baja and asked a campground owner where we can dump our bags of trash. He took one and threw it over a cliff. We didn't give him the rest. Took it back home and put it in our trash cans. I saved a Great Blue Heron that was tangled in some fishing line and a young sandhill crane with a bunch of rope on it. The parents weren't happy with me handling their baby.

There will always be some low life's who trash the lakes, and it's a shame they do.this. Adopt a leave no trace attitude, and you know you've done your part. Leave no trace is basically leaving the area cleaner than you found it, and, is how we should all be when we go fishing.

Yes. It's called a tube. Internal jigheads that feature a 60 degree vertical or horizontal line tie work well. They both will twist up a main line quickly when worked fast enough to get that erratic action. A quality ball bearing swivel rigged 18 inches or so in front of the bait is a solid plan. A-Jay

Here as well. The Snow birds might think it's funny. I however, Do Not. 🥶 A-Jay

Dang Chef! Now I can't unview that mental image!

Totally depends on the body of water! Everyone knows Toledo & Rayburn's reputations. I look at them like this, a daily bag limit for LMB is 8 per day with a minimum length of 14" (2-2 1/2#). Sounds easy? Try it without FFS or a guide. My daily average over 52 yrs is 11 bass per day with a 3 1/2-4 # average. Kicker fish are anything 7#+. I usually average one every trip. Lacassine wildlife refuge is federally owned & is closed Oct 15th - March 15th. Stocked with Florida strain, 6-7# are common, several double digits are a caught yearly. Calcasieu & Sabine Rivers are Dink Fests, 3+ is big.

It's a simple question but the answer is complicated. It depends on where I'm fishing and the time of year. I would say a 4 pound smallmouth and a 5 pound largemouth is a big fish. I live east of Nashville and in the waters near me these fish are rare. I would say 3 percent of the fish I catch around here are big fish. Several times a year I drive to the Tennessee River and the percentage probably doubles. In the winter the percentage goes up to around 10%. If I specifically targeted big fish on the Tennessee River in the winter, the percentage would probably be over 50%. I haven't fished the Tennessee in the winter in recent years but when I lived in North Alabama in the 90s that was the case.

I'd estimate it would be around 15%-20% with an explanation. 15%-20% of bass greater than 4#'s is not because of some high skill level I possess (although I would like to think that). It's because of the pond I fish holds larger bass and I fish for them. It's pretty rare that I catch a dink. I can't overstate this. It's because of the water I fish and NOT an expert skill level. I will say that I pretty much do better than my 2 fishing buddies and they tend to catch smaller fish which most probably is because of the different strategies used. I'm a large lure = large fish guy which I believe really plusses up the percentage. More often than not, a larger bass won't be gut hooked (although they could be) and unhooking with a large lure and there is less damage to the fish and me. Smaller lures tend to get gut hooked more often which makes releasing them problematic.

Yep. From time to time, I spot aluminum cans on the bottoms of the water I fish. I often try to capture them with my net, but doing so is a bit dangerous, as I have to lean over the side. Still, I've captured a few and am as proud of those crummy, old cans as my four-pound bass.

Yep, I fell for the original too (In my defense, I was about 15). Still got it:

Haven't had a drop of snow yet

Visited many remote Montagnard villages in VietNam in 1969. Lots of people but no trash, no landfills.

I like using jig worm in the fall on those days when they dont want to eat anything. I use a 4" worm, bubbling shaker, hit worm, cutdown airtail wiggler or Robowom straight tail fat. I usually fish them in the last of live submergent grass and for that I favor a 1/16 owner darter head with a #1 or 1/0 hook, but ill use mushroom heads, like the blockhead and halfhead, but the weight is always light usually 1/16 or 1/32 no heavier than 3/32. I want the weight light enough, so it doesn't bury itself in the grass. Having a small lightwire hook is just enough to grab the grass, but easy to rip free with a light rod.

You need two rods tied to the same jig to get the perfect side to side action. You'll want to get two of those reels with a twitching bar and hold one in each hand. Be sure to use sharp hooks to get a good hookup ratio with one handed hooksets.

Had this one since 2016. Has performed flawlessly the entire time. I must have gotten a lemon. A-Jay

I would entertain that option. Not super excited about replacing the 4 bank 60 Amp charger though. A-Jay

OK ~ Well a tube is a skirted jig. Just has the skirt in the back. But I get what you mean. Good Luck. A-Jay

Think smallmouth shut down in the winter? Think again! Learn where to look, what baits to throw, and how to fish them effectively in icy waters.

Thanks to all of you who lug trash home. I wish that there were lakes set aside for litterbugs. They'd be free to dump all the trash they wanted, but never free to go to any of the trash-free lakes reserved for the rest of us.

It's in his name.

While I agree, a kill switch is mainly to protect others, let’s not forget most boats will go into a hard turn with no one at the helm and there are a lot of injuries when it circles back and chops the operator.

By then, solid state batteries might be an option.

Until the cold weather lithium battery charging conundrum is completely resolved, I will continue be an AGM battery user and abuser. I will be ready for battery replacement in a year or two. I've already been shopping just to get a feel for and to keep up with current and ever changing battery market. Been very happy with Optima performance and durability. If all things remain the same, I can see me leaning that way for a third time. A-Jay

Every time I go fishing I try will pick up trash. A lot of it is old beer cans/bottles and torn packages that baits have came in. Years ago we saw a great egret hanging in a tangle of fishing line about 25 or 30 feet off of the ground. I don't know how it got up that high with fishing line around it, but it was very sad to see.

The temp may vary, but many of them will not below any element of freezing (32 degrees). Some offer a heating element but it's an extra cost. The specifications of each battery should be listed before purchase. Not really an issue in the southern part of the country most of the time, but for us yankees, it can be. I personally don't fish in extreme cold and my garage is above freezing the entire fishing season from April - Oct. But I know a few people here in which that would be a problem and for that very reason they've chosen to continue using lead acid or AGM instead.

I lost access to the pond down the road because a guy had a campfire on a boat ramp and left trash everywhere. The landowner (who was well within his rights) put up a gate. As for discarded line, I melt it into a cube using my heat gun then throw it away.

I generally do not pick up trash when I am recreating outdoors. My policy is to pick up after myself in life because that's how I was raised. That includes when I'm fishing or hunting. Leave the land and water how you find it is generally how I operate. However, I make an exception for discarded fishing line. I don't find a lot of it, but balls of old fishing line can really foul things up and cause a lot of damage. I have found it wrapped around my prop, both bow mount and outboard. I've never seen it myself either, but obviously certain types of wildlife can suffer or die from it too including birds and fish. I caught a tiger muskie (the only muskie I caught all season) in September that had a partially-rusted treble lodged in its mouth with about 2 feet of old fishing line attached. I was astonished that fish could even feed or eat with that thing in there. I properly removed it and then released that fish alive. Ice fishing is in full swing here and certain amount of them are slobs. The DNR and LEOs have really tried to crack down on this in recent years, but there's just not enough of them out there enforcing it. People leave empty propane tanks, trash, beer cans, dead fish, and feces on the ice. Its appalling.

Cartel violence in the state of Sinaloa has increased significantly in the past few months. Would I go fishing there? Absolutely. Cartels, like most gang bangers, anywhere do not bass fish. They like fancy sports cars, wild night life, casinos, strip clubs, and of course drugs. They don't hang out at bass fishing lakes picking fights with anglers. They will kill you if you interfere with their business, or insult one of them at a strip club. but even as impressive as A_ Jay's tackle horde is, they are not interested in the largest most organized collection of Megabass baits in North America. Is it a possibility the buss taking a group of anglers from the airport to the lodge gets stopped and people are asked to hand over cell phones while some crooked cop or other cartel member looks through the call list to see if you are calling an enemy gang. Yes that is a remote possibility, and while it would be scary, all would be well, you would get your phone back and sent on your way to double digit paradise. Most likely the cop would recognize the lodge van and wouldn't even bother stopping the driver to ask questions. If you fly in to the private airstrip near Lake Baccarac your only worry is if you forgot to put new line on your reels. As far as a relative of a friend of a friend's house getting taken over, I wouldn't be surprised. People with multi million dollar homes can be a target for the Cartel, but the the gang members don't have a clue that A-Jay's tackle box is worth more than a dozen of those homes. All of the wealthy Americans that I know of that have had trouble with drug gangs in Mexico, have some how been involved in the game. They might not be involved first hand, but they are having parties at their homes, or hanging out at places game member frequent. They may have friends that they associate, with or do legitimate business with cartel members that they may not even know are involved in the trade. Bass anglers as well as the fishing lodges are completely off the cartels radar. A few years ago, I guy got shot at Starbucks in the middle of a fancy resort area where I work in PV. I even new the guy. He was a member of the yacht club where I occasionally went for dinner and drinks. Everyone was in shock that such a nice guy from Canada could get assassinated while having coffee at Starbucks on a peaceful morning in Paradise. It ended up he actually was the head of a drug gang in Vancouver BC and the hit was carried out by a rival gang from Canada. Of course all any one read about in the paper was Canadian tourist murdered in Mexican tourist town. No one else was hurt, and I think his wife still lives in the condo they had here. My point is Mexico can be a very dangerous place, and you can find trouble very quickly if you go looking for it, but bass fishing is as safe here as it is any other place in the world. The bass fishing lodges have been fully booked and operating the whole time during this latest increase in gang violence, and not one fisherman has been harmed. A rich executive buys a multi million dollar home, throws big parties, and flaunts his wealth he may loose his house, but if he gets killed their may be more to his fortune than is commonly known. All the years working in the coast guard saving lives and keeping US citizens safe was, dangerous work and I thank you for your service. The only danger at Baccarac is watching your PB swim off with your favorite Pop Max. why you wonder why you didn't retie your knot after landing 50 bass. For those that don't think I know what I'm talking about. Please tell all of you friends not to bass fish Mexico. that will leave more bass for A-Jay and I. All that said, I would recommend you keep in contact with the lodge, and any guests you know that fish there, to see if conditions change. The violence is not out of control now, but there is a possibility of it getting so bad that airports and even lodges are not safe. I have a friend that's extended family is wealthy and they have a house and boat at Picachos. He was going to invite me to fish there with him, but had to cancel because his family doesn't think it is safe to stay at the house and use the boat. This sounds bad, but again, I don't have any idea how his cousins and Uncles make their living or who they know. He promised we would go some other time when his family say's it is ok to go. The lodges at Picachos are up and running with no harm to any guests. As with many things in life, that can be dangerous. If you are careful, and don't do stupid things, bass fishing in Mexico can be safe, but whatever you do, do not bring the Bait Monkey with you. Bass fishing here may be safe, but catching multiple DD bass can be hazardous to your sense of financial responsibility.