CoBass

Yeah, we do have some giant trout here if you know where to go. State record rainbow is 19 lbs. and for browns it's 30 lbs. If you want to go after the really big boys, state record for lake trout is 50 lbs. Unfortunately, the type of water that grows big trout doesn't do the same for bass. Around here, any bass over about 3 lbs. is considered a pretty nice fish.

If you are only going to use it only when you go fishing for stocked trout, I wouldn't even bother with the braided line. Why spend the money on more expensive braided line to catch a bunch of twelve inch fish? I use 4-6 lb. mono on my trout combos and most of the time I'm fishing for trout that are much larger than your average stocker.

Nice fish, but your dog looks thoroughly unimpressed.

Probably a hybrid of some sort. We have a fish around here called an orange spotted sunfish that looks very similar to your fish but without the green markings near the mouth. They do naturally hybridize with other pan fish to create some pretty interesting fish.

I wouldn't even do it if it was free. I don't need my name in a book to prove I caught a big fish. As long as I know I did it, that's all that counts.

Reminds me of a pond by my house. It has some decent sized pan fish and a lot of stunted bass as well as some decent ones. There's about a 3 lb. bass that sits on the drop off about 10 ft. from shore and he will attack and steal the small bass if you're not quick about getting them to shore. Strange thing is, he doesn't go after the bluegill or crappie, just the smaller bass.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet. Many people deny permission to fish because of liability issues. How do they know you're not the kind of person who will sue them if you get hurt on their property? I have gotten permission to fish a couple of ponds by printing off a generic waiver of liability form where you can just write in the names and location of the property and sign it. People tend to be more accommodating when they know there is no chance they will be held responsible if something bad happens.

Very nice!!! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm kind of jealous. His first fish is bigger than most of the fish I've caught.

I proudly claim the title of best in town with a bobber. A three inch hair jig fished float n' fly style under a bobber is a bass slayer at one of the ponds I fish regularly. I've had many 20+ fish days with that rig while others fishing around me struggled to get a fish or two.

I do most of my fishing in community ponds like that one. If they don't have a fence around them or no trespassing/no fishing signs, I consider them fair game.

If you go to YouTube and search on "Boilie recipes" you'll find a bunch of videos. fyi...boilies are what the British carp fishermen call their dough balls.

Depends on when you're fishing for them. Typically, they will only be in the shallows during low light conditions. Early evening through early morning is your best time to catch them using things like jerkbaits, crankbaits, and lipless cranks. You can still catch them during the day, but they will be a lot deeper(20-40 ft.), and you will have to switch to much slower presentations like blade baits and spoons jigged off the bottom. A gulp minnow on a jig head worked slowly along the bottom is another daytime presentation that can put fish in the boat.

My favorite way to catch bluegill and crappie is a trout magnet hung a few feet below a bobber. Nothing brings the little kid in me out like watching a bobber slide under the surface. Bass are still my favorite fish to target, but I always bring an ultralite rod with me for panfish just in case the bass aren't cooperating.

The best way to guarantee you won't catch any fish is to not go fishing. Fifty degrees with a little rain isn't really that cold. My biggest bass last year was caught during a snowstorm.

I used to fish a pond that was in the middle of a trailer park for retirees. It was loaded with 2-5 lb bass, giant crappie, and bluegill in the 12 inch and up range. You had to have permission from one of the residents to fish there, so it got very little pressure. Unfortunately, it suffered a severe Winter kill about 10 yrs. ago and never recovered. The pond is still there, but now it is overrun with nothing but stunted, 3-6 inch bluegills and crappie.