Master Bait'r

Last night I was out on the kayak exploring some new bodies of water near where I work and hit the jackpot. Huge expanses of weed beds, deep winding river-fed channels and one end of the lake was in the path of a tornado a few years ago so there are trees everywhere in the water both in the middle and along the shore. Fish were very active and I caught a few 2-3lbers and a few pickerels but nothing too crazy size-wise. While I was navigating one such weed bed along the point of a small island though, I heard a large splash and caught a glimpse of what looked like a fish taking a whack at a duck in a very shallow back corner. As I crept over to that area to work some bait through it just in case that's what really had happened, I saw a turtle shell poking out of the water in the pads. Turtles are extremely common around here but this one wasn't moving so after I couldn't get a bite in that area I went to investigate. This is what I saw. The turtle was about the size of my whole hand, and if you can't tell there are two very distinct bite marks that have crushed completely through its shell. One at about the shoulders of the turtle and another around the hips. Looking at the shape of the mouth marks I'm thinking possibly largemouth or catfish since another turtle would have scissored this thing in half but do LMB have the jaw strength to do that or is it more likely that it's a catfish, etc? This is Western massachhusetts btw. I honestly do not know what's most likely and it's been on my mind since I saw it. If that was a fish, that's an absolute monster no matter the species. Between the possibility of a duck strike and also a turtle in a very close proximity I'd like to see what you guys think did this. Thanks for reading!

I think it's hilarious that the Pacu is always talked about as the "******** eating fish" In reality they are almost always after fruits and nuts (heh). People in South America get attacked because they bathe in the water naked. If you want to keep your boys safe, just don't skinny dip. Chances are nobody wants to see you sans vetements anyways haha Maybe we can get some pacu vs. snakehead action now though, who knows haha? I think the media just like to try to scare people because then they'll repost their video . Pacus are not going to take over and I'd hardly call them "exotic" although I did have a 2' pacu as a pet once that was pretty cool. Completely hand fed fresh fruits, it was more like a dog than a fish. IMO one that someone has raised to a huge size might survive but there are far more aggressive fish just about everywhere that would destroy a juvy pacu. They're no piranha, that's for sure.

Seriously, so much this. I read about the farm pond, but d**n... It pains me so to see such a strange range of fish all indiscriminately kept :/

No, that doesn't sound strange to me at all In any case, I hope you friend shows up- sounds like maybe he needs his old fishing buddies to get him back into the swing of things!

The white bucket crew strikes again. Good to see they got caught this time, that kind of practice really REALLY hurts the long run. I see it all too often around here but on a smaller scale. Always makes me insane, and I've walked away from a few spots for good because of it.

Why stop at an A rig when you can just use dynamite like a real fisherman?

Rage tails for fast retrieve huddlebugs for stubborn days

Good to see very few are throwing the same stuff. It all goes to show you- it's not what you're using, it's how you're using it I guess

Yep. No question haha

Man, he must REALLY want to catch fish! Nobody wastes bacon in my house, that's for sure!!!

Who needs a boat? One of the fishing holes I frequent has a local guy who built a raft from discarded styrafoam and plywood and the guy pulls in HOGS whilst sitting on his folding lawn chair on top of it. You don't have to spend money to float! If you're that sick of the state of thins, check out some google earth or find yourself some basic tools and make a makeshift boat. Hell, Ocean state has inflatables for $20 if you're cool with being SUPER CAREFUL I know it can be discouraging but theres more than one way to skin a cat my friend! Turn that frown upside down!!

This guy is GOOD. But actually I am handing down my current rod to her once my new setup gets here sometime next week. If she sticks with it I'll pick her up something nice for sure...

Haha yeah she was hootin' and hollerin' with her drag singing quite the song and I looked over to see her boat getting pulled towards the weeds at a pretty good pace. "Oh no, not the weeds" I thought, immediately thinking of the setup I gave her's obvious shortcomings- but she kept the line tight like I told her and scooped it asap with the net. Proud of her for sure! It was very fat, wish I had her spin it for a 2nd shot for better profile. I think she's hooked for life now too so that's the real win. She finally got the rush! As for my name, I couldn't resist... It was just too funny not to!

Been getting the gf out this summer and she's really been getting into fishing and she's caught a good amount of pickerel, crappie and others, however the bass have eluded her completely until yesterday. Didn't have a scale but it was a pretty big'un. Couldn't believe she got that thing in on 4lb test and an ultralight in heavy weed cover. I didn't pick it up as it was her fish and I wanted it back in the water asap so I have no hand gauge to go by either. Anyways, if I could get the collective's ballpark opinion on how heavy they think this fish is I'd appreciate it. Thanks & happy fishing!

Sick. Probably going to pick those up actually. May it appease the gear monkey...

Seriously, try this. I use it a lot to find new scoutworthy places. Probably heading to one this weekend with the little lady as a matter of fact! Found my hands-down favorite spot using this method. The more secluded the better, especially if you have a kayak you can carry a ways.

I have a cheapo FB trophy 126 which gets the job done, but that literally looks perfect for the fishing I do. Makes me wish I had another $600 laying around

BAM. Robos are the shizz. Also agree on not moving it too much. Just a little dip or one tiny wiggle and let it sit before you walk it.

Thank God my gf is supportive of my outdoor habits. Fishing isn't even on the list yet though, my skiing gear obsession makes fishing look like pennies on the dollar so I figure I've got a good year or two before she even notices all my fishing stuff amassing behind the ski gear. That monkey though... He always gets me. All I need is a justifiable percentage off on something I was vaguely aware of and I'm hooked.

Wow I think I just found the perfect yak for me.

This is hilarious. I would never fish sober on purpose.

Check Lowe's or Home Depot and look at their battery selection, there should be headlamps nearby- I stick to the Energizer models- cheap, work great and are bright as hell. Also all the ones I've ever bought had a red light setting included. I've never spent more than $20 on an energizer headlamp and they regularly outperform friends' Black Diamond and Petzl headlamps, which cost far more. I use mine for everything- camping, automotive work, fishing, etc. etc. etc.

Slug-Gos are pretty much my go-to these days. It makes me happy that so few still employ them and everybody loves senkos now because that way the fish aren't accustomed to the action and bait I'm throwing and boy do they smash on slug-gos! Great in hot weather because you can really slow down the retrieve and tease out the action to really tick 'em off. I usually use a Trokar mag worm hook so I can texas rig them and keep the weeds off. If I'm going deeper, I just get sinking slug-gos instead of weighted hooks so the action stays legit.