Jmurphy87

Had to get out of work early to pay rent for the last time for where I live currently. I don’t know where we are going to go, although it will be someplace new. That’s a good thing. I caught 3 fish in a hour in a half. I was throwing 3 soft plastics. The first fish was not very long but was very chunky and surprised me with the size. Biggest one that I have caught out of the pond this year. She went 3.50lbs, caught on a crème black and blue laminate 5” stick bait weightless. She was close to the bank in the shady spot right near the cover. The next one came on a Yamamoto speed worm green pumpkin blue. I threw to a submerged stump and had a strike and it stole half the tail and didn’t get the hook. Threw back again and got it, smaller but still fiesty, went for 2.32lbs. I caught a tiny pike on a Berkley max scent general in green pumpkin party color. I figured that it was a pike when it hit so I reeled in a tiny bit and swept the rod, I kept the hook out of its mouth this way. I am going to be moving out of the Kalamazoo area really soon, I am going to list the places that I have fished and the knowledge of locations. I probably won’t be fishing the area as much lol. I will definitely help people out. Like I say plenty of people fish where I do, I don’t see them catch the same quality of fish though. Location is one part knowing how and what to throw along with how to work it is the next part. I have no secrets and welcome someone kicking my butt size wise and that’s what I live for the challenge of the sport, lifestyle we love.

Well sorry about no pictures tonight, although I remained true to my word. I fished for less than 2 hours, winds were not too bad. I think steady 12-15mph with gusts higher. I wanted to throw weightless plastics like normal when wading the bank, although with the wind I put a 1/4 tungsten on a 4/0 owner twistlock flipping hook. I caught three to four on a rage tail craw that has the rattle, color was black with blue flakes. The next bait to catch three fish was a bandito bug same color combination. I then tried a 5” ocho in ghost minnow but the overcast skies or lack of fish didn’t net me anything. I was now about to the reed islands again. The next bait was given to me by a member of the site @GaryH it was a bass pro shops June bug worm with a flat like paddle tail, sorry I don’t know the name of it. I rig it with the tail vertically and it has some really nice thump to it. I started working the flat in front of the islands, got nothing. I knew what I had to do since I caught a 4.22lb one out of there on Sunday. I started casting into the reeds deep into the middle of the island, it took a few cast but I eventually got a bite and set the hook. I knew that it was a good fish from the weight that I felt on the rod and how it loaded it up. The fish started thrashing and I l knew even more yet that it was a good fish. My conquest 844c mbr was up to the task with my 14lb sun line sniper. I got it out of the reeds and coming towards me and saw it and I was happy. The fish then charged me and tried going between my legs and all I could think of was when another fish put a hook into my ankles doing the same thing lol. I kept my composure and landed it, she was probably around 3.25-3.65lbs maybe a little more I held her in the water and made sure that she was fine. I was standing there in the water going how do I explain to my wife that I let the fish go. I didn’t bother weighing her because my scale was in my car 800 yards or more down the bank and another 150 yards from the beach to my car. She gave me the signs that she was ready to go, I released her and she swam off in all of her majesty. I know why these big bass are holding up there, easy access to a all you can eat buffet of panfish and other things. Felt good to let her go. I even told my wife about it, I also explained to her about keeping the good genetics in the lake. It was a good day.

Well I figured that I would update you guys on how these 2 fish faired with my cooking abilities. I pan fried them and had them with coleslaw, cornbread, cottage cheese. These 2 fish fed my wife, mom, oldest son and I had a small chunk or two. I wanted to do something special for my family, my wife loves eating bass and my mom has been harassing me for a fish dinner with all of them that I catch. I really liked how the fish came out, I have never fried fish before. Everything was delicious and I was impressed with how the fish came out, that’s not a easy task lol.

I got out again today and caught 10 of all sizes plus a nice little 4.2lb one. Perfectly clear water and sunny out and caught the 4.2 on a black and blue fleck weightless 4” chigger craw casting into a reed island. It wasn’t too bad fighting it out of there. I want to at least break the 5lb wall this year but it is definitely tough around were I get the chance to fish. She ended up coming home with me, I was way down the bank wading and had to walk her back in the water. Then the park staff wanted a picture for there Facebook page, my scale was in the car. I just didn’t want to risk putting her back and having her go belly up with all the time she was out of water. I am done weighing the fish unless I know that they are well over 5lbs. She was hooked in the roof of the mouth, so that felt good. My wife loves eating bass anyway but it is just not my style to release a fish that I don’t think will make it.

I have not cooked fish in ages, lol. I can pan fry chicken thighs with the skin though. Just need to adjust cooking times. I really don’t keep enough fish enough to have experience cooking them a lot. I am a decent cook though.

Well I got out today and wanted to fish a worm. There was a little wind today. I was fishing a 1/8oz tungsten with a red glass bead and brass clacker, worm was a 5 inch crème worm black blue laminate. Took me a minute, water was warm but there’s a small creek that runs into the lake from a natural spring pond. That means cooler water and a nice 4 foot deep channel in a normal 2 foot deep flat. I casted out it landed and I felt nothing, kept working it back to me and then I felt tension and noticed my line running off to the left. I had a fish and never felt it hit, I was happy that I caught something. I brought it up to unhook it and seen the worm was deep in its mouth. The fish engulfed the worm and 4/0 hook, I got the hook out but noticed that it sustained a tiny cut from the hook on its stomach. It was bleeding when I got the hook out and gave it some water and observed it. The fish seemed spunky and lethargic all at the same time. I knew that it was not going to make it. the bleeding stopped but it wasn’t quite normal so I decided to bring it home to cook up for the wife. I didn’t have a bucket so I cut my trip short and headed home to fillet the fish. I felt bad because I normally don’t take fish home. First one in 4 years, I know it happens but I still feel bad. I don’t let food go to waste or just discard the carcass and pretend that the fish didn’t mean anything to me. I enjoy bass fishing and like to keep them healthy, happy as can be for getting a hook stuck in there mouth and growing.

It’s been a while since I pulled a night session, I got up for work at 5am Friday morning and went to work. I got the urge to go fishing around 10:30pm Friday night, so I went. Started around 11:30pm with plastics and a glass bead and brass clacker with a 1/8oz tungsten bullet weight. I tried 3 different spots and not as much as a sniff, decided to throw top water. That was the right decision, I caught 2 small ones on a whopper plopper 110 in blue blood color. Then it went dead, decided to throw a pop max and had a few miss it. I finally caught a decent one around 2:20 am that went for 3.20lbs, not huge but still a decent fish for Michigan and where I was fishing. I called it a night after that one. It 3:14am now and I am getting ready to go to bed. Saturday is off to a good start, sorry for the bad picture quality but my phone has duck tape on the back of it so I don’t have a flash so I used my headlamp.

I got out yesterday between the storms that came through. I caught 3 all on a stick bait. The pond I fished is definitely tougher than normal, although I have not been there in a minute. I only took pics of two of them because one was a lot smaller than the other 2 dinks. I also caught 2 on Friday at a lake, one on a stick bait and one on a frog. I also blew my reel up on a cast when my worm flew off my straight shank hook mid cast lol. I was like why is my worm in the air over there and then I felt the spool still spinning and knew that it was going to be ugly when I looked down. Yep had to walk back to the car and throw a different reel on. I also caught a rock bass on the frog also, no pictures from Friday because I was waist deep in water.

I got out after work tonight again, took my daughter with me also. The smoke was very thick in the air here today. I started with a jackall chunk craw in green pumpkin chartreuse, with a 1/8oz bullet weight unpegged. I got 2 bass on this and decided that I was going to finally commit to using a hard jerk bait, I have done really good with flukes this year and figured why not. the wind was blowing a constant 14-16mph with gusts higher, was also nice and overcast courtesy of the smoke. That’s what told me to throw the jerk bait. Within 5 cast I had a couple fish already and was feeling confident. I then got onto a nice little group of crappies, I was wading so no pictures of them unfortunately. But the crappies were smoking a full size vision 110, these are the largest ones that I have ever caught. I lost count around 20 or so. I then got back into the bass and caught at least 20 or more. I also caught a very fat 30 inch pike or musky and got to experience the rip your rod out of your hand strike, was a quick release. I brought it up to the surface and went for my pliers to get the hooks out and it shot up out of the water and threw the lure. Works for me, I didn’t really want to unhook that thing while standing in the water with it lol. I headed back to the swimming area and caught 3-5 more bass and then it went dead for a bit and then I caught a 2.86lb bass to finish the night off. Unfortunately my daughter got skunked but she put in a good effort and that makes me proud. All in all I think it was a decent 3 hour session.

I got out this evening with the wife, I caught one small chunky monkey and told the wife to go fish and I will watch the kid. She couldn’t land one unfortunately, makes me sad. I like to see my wife succeed. I caught mine roughly 350 yards down the bank on the back side of a slightly visible emergent weed line near the drop. I caught it on a smoke red flake tube with a owner phantom 3/0 hook in 1/16 oz. I will say that it was a small fish but it’s poor tummy looked like it was going to burst, must be eating good. I saw a couple guys fishing and they were struggling so I gave them some advice on where to fish and they started catching some fish. I figured they were crappie fishing but they said they were fishing for anything. Hey what can I say I like to see people succeed at anything that they are doing. I give advice to most people who are struggling fishing, I don’t have any secret spots or tricks to hide. The way I look at it is that skill and luck plays a big part of what people catch.

Yeah if I had a boat it would definitely be interesting for sure, last summer when I had my kayak I could pull 30 fish in three hours or less on a heavily pressured place. The weird thing is that these bigger fish all come right out of where everyone fishes. I have caught 5 to 6 fish between 4-5lbs right here. Not 400 yards down the bank walking in the muck down the bank even though it sets up better. I think that it has to do with all the baitfish that hang out there.

Got out this evening finally, I caught a 4Lb fish finally. Scale says 3.96 but it went to 4.06lbs before it threw itself on the ground twice by shaking the fish grippers lose. I got a weight to lock and had my daughter take two pictures and called it good. My daughter caught 4 fish, I caught 10 more small bass and probably 10 small crappies. I had something bite me off with my ribbon tail worm. It was quite windy out there today but the weightless stick bait was the ticket for bass. The crappie and one bass magnet was a jackall tn50. I had a good day not bad for 2 hours.

The only few times that I have gotten hooked were by a fish while trying to get the trebles out but not past the barb. I have gotten a ewg hook in my ankle before while wading barefoot and fishing lol. The fish was running towards me in the water kicked up a bunch of debris in the water and I knew that it was getting close to me and then I felt it, that was very awkward. Trying to reach down and get the hook out of my ankle and keep my rod out of the water all while the fish was on the hook, good times. Luckily I don’t have much meat on my bones so that made it easier.

1-8 grams was what I used to shoot for when I had a bfs setup, my rod wasn’t the best for below 3 grams but I made it work.

Thank you, it’s rough but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah my job use to be 12 days on and 2 days off if not mandated on your weekend off. Then it went to 12 on 2 off 12 on 2 off and then followed by 2 five day weeks. Now it is crazy and they only have one person who works the weekend in my position, instead of 2. I just need to stick it out and hopefully get promoted to supervisor and get some experience with that and then money should not be too much of a issue. I don’t mind working a lot of hours, heck around the holidays last year I pulled 41-42 hours in 3 days. Thanks it means a lot, I try to do my best for my family. A household of 5 with one income is tough and then we have our 2 dogs. I try my best to give them what they need, with wants here and there when I can afford it. I just don’t want to be that guy who doesn’t due enough. I will run myself ragged for my family to help them get by. The wife loves her baits and to me that’s priceless. It will get better for sure just like the weather sometimes life has storms and we have to endure and push through and not give up, you don’t get anywhere by giving up. You have to fight for it.

Thank you, I just keep pushing myself through. On Saturday I lost a decent one, felt the strike and set the hook and felt it. Then a little ways into the fight he jumps out of the water, kept pressure on him and when he landed he charged and made a run straight at me. He was on but my poor 6.2 ratio reel was child’s play and he came off. I am assuming that on the jump he shifted the hook position and then when he pantsed me on the run towards me he got the hook out. That’s fishing though if it was easy why would we do it.

I got out on Father’s Day evening with the family for 2 hours or less. It was the wife’s birthday on the 17th so I bought her a pack of stick baits of her choice, she loves throwing a wacky rig. She chose quite cove baby bass with gold flake, interesting choice. She caught 5 dinks, my daughter caught one dink, I caught 3 dinks. I am struggling at this lake this year. I have caught some big fish out of it, although looking back it’s mostly smaller ones with a couple 2-3lb fish regularly and then a couple right around 5lbs. This year I have not broken 3lbs. There is so much going on in my life right now though, bills are more than my income. Housing is up in the air at this point and I am working 40 hours a week. It’s a struggle to even get out of bed in the morning, I get out of work and want to fish but don’t have the motivation or energy for it. I have a great wife and family who tell me that I am doing the best I can and that they are proud of me, although I still feel like a failure. I am thinking about getting a part time job on top of my full time one, shooting for 16 hours of work a day just to stay afloat. sorry for the rant and no pics of the fish, I just needed to vent. I hope that everyone has a good night.

I used invisx quite a bit a couple years ago, I liked it and didn’t have any problems with it. I used 10-17lb and I still have a abu garcia max pro spooled with 17lb. I have been using sniper lately in 14lb and it does fine for me, I still have a bottle of kvd line stuff but I don’t really even use it anymore. I have learned how to deal with fluorocarbon and understand that it is all about your casting stroke. I run my reels really loose and as long as I am not being a buffoon and trying to cast further than I need to I am good. I like comparing casting strokes and checking distance. I always like when just the slightest flick of your wrist sends the lure just as far as heaving it without the backlashes. Use what you like and be happy with your choice, let others make their own decisions and go from there.

I got out this evening with the wife again, I caught around 10 or more dinks and she caught 5. I get back from my wading expedition and see that instead of fishing a wacky rig she has a finesse worm nose hooked oddly and tells me that is how she has been catching them. I am a smart man who doesn’t argue with success lol. She told me that she didn’t even get a nibble on my worm, a shimme stick in sweet tater pie. I was determined to make it work in clear water. I just fish with colors that I like now lol.

Got my wife out fishing again tonight, she beat me in numbers. I missed 2 bites on the frog, within 10 minutes of being there. One I am pretty sure missed it and I royally blew the second one. My wife told me that they were not hitting the wacky black and blue senko, she wanted a different bait watermelon red laminate. I told her that it could be the color but doubt it, was a little windy out there today. she caught and landed the first fish with a good hook set, corner of the mouth. She is getting there. I then decided to show her that they would eat the black and blue fleck senko, challenge accepted. I started working shallow where my frog bites were no takers, moved from 3-5 feet deep to 10-15 foot deep on the outside of the weed line nothing. I went back to 3-6 foot deep water and still nothing. I decided that I was cold and that water was cold but I will hit the area where I had the good frog hit that I blew. That was the move, I let it sink and slowly lifted the rod tip, I never felt the bite with the wind but I felt the weight and swung. The rod loaded up and I knew that I had something ok on the other end, not huge but went 2.60lbs and put up a good fight that I enjoyed thoroughly. I use my 6.2 gear ratio curado mgl and it works and I feel like I get to enjoy the fight but not prolong it too long. my wife caught her last fish with about 10 minutes to go at the park, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. It was a nice short two hour session.

I really like the way that sounds, thank you for the insight. I can’t find a house around me now for less than $30,000 over that.

That sounds like a great morning to me, congratulations. It must be fun out there almost alone in nature. I long for that kind of solitude, especially being in the city myself. I always liked it when I lived up north less people more trees and wildlife were a welcome companion.

I know that feeling, or the river will eat it like they normally do.

Looks like a nice haul, should keep you busy for a minute.

That’s the fun part of it, you have to be sure they have the frog or just the tail. I am from the school of thought that as long as they have the tail and not the frog and it gets away without sticking them they should hit it again. I am probably wrong, although when I am throwing a frog I am looking for a fish that can inhale the thing like nothing not playing wack myself in the face with a frog with dinks lol.