Tuckahoe Joe

Didn't do the boat. Just walked the bank again. Caught a good sized pickerel on a squarebill but no bass. Saw probably a dozen of them though and tired just about every bait possible. They would get nose to nose with it, watch it for a second and then just go back to swimming back and forth. Kind of disappointing. I was having a lot more luck this time last year.

I fish Loch Raven a lot. Finally got out there yesterday for the first time this season. My wife caught one on a senko. I didn't get anything but we saw a lot of fish guarding beds. The best response I got was dropping a jig right in the center of a bed and then popping it once or twice really aggressively. Tried dragging it and hopping it slow and easy but the hard pops seemed to interest the fish more. Just not enough to bite. We're gonna go back Sunday. Thinking about renting a boat.

black and blue flipping jig, chartreuse spinnerbait, red/white hula popper. Probably caught more fish on these 3 baits than all my other lures combined.

I suppose it's crossed my mind. What if I caught a record fish? Odds are it won't happen. If I did catch something that I thought might be a contender I'd be really torn. It would be really cool to hold the state record but on the other hand I don't think I could bring myself to kill a 12 lb. bass. If there were someone nearby with a bucket or something maybe I'd take it to one of the certified spots in Maryland where a record fish can be weighed in and then release it but if not, then it's CPR. Catch, Photo, Release and then onto BR and Facebook to brag about my catch. Sure, it's not official but I know what I caught. I dont' care about money or free gear. I'm fishing for fun.

The lake your fishing makes a big difference. Some lakes may have an over-abundance of fish whereas others may only have a very small population. You say there isn't much boating activity on your lake but that doesn't mean that it doesn't get slammed from the shores and thus the fish are still pressured. And also I'm assuming a lot of people here have boats. It's hard to compare someone bank fishing with someone fishing from a boat. A lot of the lakes I fish only have so many accessible spots for bank fisherman. Some maybe only 1/4 of the shoreline of even less. Someone in a boat with access to the entire lake has the advantage of being able to hit every hump and hole and laydown and weed line and brush pile so they can develop a pattern and go where the fish are. If your fishing from the bank and the fish aren't there, then your S.O.L. That being said, I fish from the bank and most of my outings are about 3-4 hours. If I catch one fish I'm happy. If I catch 2-3, I consider it a good day. More than 3 and I'm freaking ecstatic. I target bass but if there's a pickerel, bluegill, or crappie thrown into the mix, it's all good. Just remember, a bad day fishing beats a good day at work any day of the week.

Wasn't expecting my PB. Wasn't really expecting any fish at all. It was really early in the spring and I had a spinnerbait tied on cuz that's all I caught them on in early spring the year before. We had fished for like 4 hours without so much as even seeing a ripple on the water. Just as I was getting ready to call it a day I thought I got snagged on the rock ledge about 5 feet from shore. Then the snag started to move and I knew I was into one heck of a fish. Ended up weighing 5 lbs. even. The reservoir that I caught that one in is known for it's big largemouth and I may have caught bigger since then but I consider that my PB cuz I actually got a weight on it.

Got 2 on a spinnerbait today at Loch Raven and had 2 more on but lost them. No action flipping and pitching my jig to cover close to the shore but throwing the SB to cover in deeper water was the way to be. Going to go back tomorrow. Hopefully the pattern keeps up. Looks like the fall bite is on!

Finally after getting skunked the last 3 or 4 trips I picked up a couple on a spinnerbait. One was ok, the other was a good fish. The bigger of the two I got on my trailer hook which was kind of cool. Never used a trailer hook before but I found the spinnerbait I was using a couple trips ago and it already had one on there. There were 2 more that got off. One hit it just as it entered the water and then ran towards me and I wasn't expecting it so it got off. I got the other one all the way back to shore and tried to swing it up onto the bank and it ended up getting hung up on some old line snagged on some logs. So the fish is just hanging there in mid-air and flopped off. It seems the fall bite is on and the fish are finally starting to move back up shallow.

Get yourself a couple of Strike King KVD 1.5's or 2.5's and some Strike King Red Eyed Shad's. They each run about 5 or 6 bucks a piece and can be bought at any WalMart or Dicks Sporting Goods. I also like Bandit crankbaits but SK 1.5's and RES's are my go-to's.

I feel where your coming from, although its from the other side of things. I fish from the bank. This one pond that I fish is long and thin. Only one bank is accessible form shore and honestly, all the best cover is really on the other side. It's a private pond so usually I'm the only person there but there have been a few times this year where there were 2 guys in a boat that kept jumping in front of me hitting the next point, brush pile of laydown before I can get to it. I don't want to say anything cuz for all I know it could be friends or relatives of the family that owns the pond but I can't help but think to myself "really guy? your in a boat. Can't you fish the good stuff on the far side and leave me the few meager pieces of cover that are accessible to me?"

Good looking fish. Broke 5 lb's myself this season. It's an awesome feeling. Congrats on your personal best!

That's a truly excellent idea. I think I'm going to do that myself. Seems a lot easier than rummaging for a scale or measuring tape whenever I catch a big one.

It'll probably get worse. You know how they say the average male thinks about sex every 7 seconds? I probably think about bass fishing just as much. When I wake up in the morning I think about where I want to fish that day. When I'm laying in bed trying to fall asleep at night I'm thinking about the fish I caught earlier or the one that got away. The one that slammed my jig 2 feet from the bank or that awesome topwater strike. I'll fish before work if I don't have to go in till later or after work if I get off early. I work with a guy that fishes so all day long at work I'm talking about this fish or that fish or a new pond that I found out about. My wife fishes too so when I'm at home were looking at pictures of our fish or surfing the internet trying to find some new spots. I didn't have much in common with my little brother so I got him a fishing rod for Christmas so we could have something to do together. I have 2 dogs. They both love to fish. I can't go to a department store without walking through the fishing section even if I don't need anything or have money for anything. 95% of my posts on Facebook are pictures of the fish I've caught. When I'm watching TV, I look for shows about bass fishing before anything else. If I'm not doing any of these things, then most likely I'm on Bass Resource reading the articles or browsing the forums. Consumed by bass fishing? You bet I am.

It's already been said. Completely relative to your location and the water your fishing. I started fishing in 2012. The fish in the lakes that I fished in the 2012 and 2013 seasons were on the smallish side. Fished pretty much every other day and don't think I caught or saw anything caught over 2 lbs. I moved this past winter and now the only lake I fish is known for its big largemouth. I've caught at least four 5 pounders this year and everything else has been in the 3.5-4 pound range and I've seen pics of others who have been catching some that were pushing 7. It's all about your location.

My PB (5 pounds) slammed a chartreuse spinnerbait about 5 feet from the bank where the water dropped off from about 1 foot to 4. I actually thought I was snagged on a rock but then the snag started to move. 90% of all my other fish (most of them in the 3-5 pound range) have been caught on jigs off of logs, laydowns and brushpiles in about 2-6 feet of water.

Hey guys....just checking in. Laptops fried so I can't get on as often as I'd like. Here's a couple recent catches. Beast of a largemouth from earlier today at Loch Raven and my first catfish and smallest striper ever that I caught last week at North Point State Park. Don't know why the pics uploaded upside down. Never had that problem before. I guess just turn your comps upside down.