FishWitWiz

Any of the ponds near the Wolf River have seen the snakes wake up lately... Neshoba, Humphreys, Lowe's, and Mulch ponds have all gotten snakey lately. Mostly water snakes, have only seen a few cottonmouths.

Dang... I had contemplated fishing last night but those storms were going pretty good and I spent the weekend battling Louisiana redfish.

Probably the most productivity that happened that day at the DMV!

That's sort of the complaint that I have with the Oakley glasses I have. Great at protecting my eyes, great at cutting glare, but I've been with other guys fishing who say "look at that fish" or "look at that stump" and I can't. Bear in mind the irony that they are rolling with $50 non-prescription glasses and I've got $400 Oakleys when this is happening. Seems there's got to be a better prescription-based solution out there.

I searched the old threads and found a number discussing non-prescription glasses, but not much info for those of us wearing RX lenses. I use Oakley Flak Jackets and Half Jackets with prescription polarized lenses today. Is there a particular brand or lens color/lens treatment that you've found works best? I've got a pretty significant vision allowance to use up this year, so I don't mind spending some bucks for good stuff.

I bought one last year, and after I brought it home I found that one of the guides was lacquered shut. Quality control issue. Brought it back to BPS and got a St. Croix.

Appling Lake is on Appling Road north of Stage Road. Right behind the govt complex. I fished Daycare this morning from 7:30-10:30, caught a little one and a 3 pounder, both on chart/white spinnerbaits slow rolled. No hits on senkos, swimbaits, chatterbaits or jigs.

Which part of the lake did you fish? I fished the south end on Monday and there were tons of small fish hitting my spinnerbait. I talked to some kids and they said the south end had some big fish last year but there were guys who came by every few days and took every fish they caught.

Don't know about that... how much did the guy weigh?

Serious question; What does catching a record fish do for you? I can imagine that if you're "in the business" there's a financial/marketing play, but what else?

Read the thread that I'm linking below. You won't be able to buy the rod & reel for $50-$60, but everything else is solid. If I could do it all over again, this is where I would start, I'd start with 2 bags of 5" senkos, 2 packages of 4/0 hooks, and some good line. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/13845-guaranteed-to-catch-bass/

Every single article on that website is a negative "the sky is falling" topic. Seems like they need to lighten up and go fishing. Everyone in Memphis is looking forward to the new BPS. The downtown area is ripe for new investment and development, putting in BPS there is a big step. A few blocks away is Beale Street and you are right on top of Mud Island... this is an expansion of the entertainment district in the works.

Really wish they had more articles for bank fisherman. It is so heavy on boat and tournament fishing.

Fished Daycare pond this morning for 2 hours, not a single bite. Last week when I stopped by there I had a nice one on a wacky senko but more importantly, I was disgusted to see an enormous amount of trash all around and in the pond. The dumpster for the daycare center must have been overflowing when they emptied it, and the trash blew everywhere. Styrofoam plates, plastic bags, paper, diapers. I brought a contractor trash bag today and filled the whole thing walking around the pond and surrounding area. It is that time of the year that many of us Memphis pond hoppers will start visiting our favorite ponds. I urge everyone to pack a trashbag or two in their kit and let's make sure that we take care of the places that make us happy.

Well guys, I did it... I couldn't take any more of watching YouTube fishing videos or thumbing through the BPS catalog. With the last two days' temps being warmer, I decided to hit the water this morning for about an hour and I was rewarded with a real nice 3 pounder that jumped and fought like a champion. About 10 minutes later, the cold wind kicked in pretty good, but it was definitely nice catching an early January LMB. C'mon warm weather!!!

Check the link that Roadwarrior posted above.

Ahhh... football season... the ponds were lonely this weekend. With everyone watching the games, I was tearin' it up at the Memphis ponds all by myself. Don't worry guys, I got it.

RW, I'm still learning from you here - what would that combo look like together?

Yes, Mulch is pretty shallow and it seems the water level varies a lot. I hear it is also loaded with catfish and a couple big gar, though I have not seen either.

It's behind the Lowe's on Germantown Parkway. If you're facing at the store from the parking lot, on the left side of the building take that road to the back and you'll see it. It's part of the Wolf River Conservancy. Do not park on the dirt, there are significant erosion issues back there and though others do it, WRC asks that you park on asphalt. Lots of snakes too. Mulch Pond is the informal name for the pond at the south end of Farm Road right by the painball/laser tag place. It's directly behind Catch'em Lakes. Looking at a map, it's officially called Refuge Pond, but it's next to a whole bunch of enormous mulch piles and the whole time you're there, that's all you can smell. Loaded with water moccasins, so use caution.

Is this post about a fish? I verified mine and she is indeed my PB, but we've been together almost 15 years... not sure I want to release her. Kidding aside, good message here... At some of the ponds we have huge problems with conservation and sportsmanship, I'm glad to hear you've caught Lucky a few times now. That alone says to me that some people "get it."

One 2 pounder at Daycare on Saturday morning on a swimbait. Couldn't get anything on my usual trusty green pumpkin or black senko, but as soon as I switched to a Lake Fork Magic Shad he was on it. Struck out at Lowe's on Sunday morning, then got another 2 pounder at "Mulch Pond" on a senko. Saw a wake where he was swimming, cast about a foot to the side of him and he nailed it. Haven't figured out out fall bassin' in Memphis ponds yet... need Roadwarrior to set me on the path.

Man, the fish were hating me this week... Was down in NW Florida and managed to pick the only day of the week that the redfish weren't biting. Fished Daycare on Saturday and Sunday for about 2 hours each... caught one 1.5 pounder on Saturday and got nothing on Sunday. Noticed there is something up underwater on the Southeast area of the pond. Wondering if there's a leak in the nearby sewage pipe. Dovetailing from that horrible thought, there continue to be people taking home every single fish that they catch out of that pond. Saw a guy take one, and another guy said he and his brother took 6 on Friday. Dumb.

Nice fish! You wearing your golf shoes? Is your secret to fool the fish to think you're golfing and not fishing?

Hit the large pond by the mulch piles south of Shelby Farms last night. This is right by the paintball place, south of the Walnut Grove/Farm Road intersection. Huge amount of topwater activity visible all across the pond, but didn't have a single hit. The smell back there is not so awesome.