T-Billy

It definitely ain't August anymore. Fish are scattered everywhere, and everyone I've talked to is struggling to get bit. It took me about 15 hours of grinding over a couple days to come up with this little 32". We need some cooler weather to bring 'em shallow. Some rain would be great also. We've passed severe drought and reached exceptional status, and there ain't much hope in the extended forecast.

That 766 Sierra is the rod for the job if you do decide to throw it. I agree 100%. Better to err on the stout side when it comes to tackle IMO. I struggled with it for a while, only picking it up for short periods before getting frustrated and going back to something else. It wasn't until I committed myself to throwing it for long periods of time that I started having success. Prime time is when the water temp starts with a 4 or 5 and baitfish are forming large schools.

Absolutely!!! I only need to watch an angler for a couple minutes to decide whether I want to fish their used water or not. I have no problem fishing behind the vast majority of people. Once in a great while, I'll see someone who not only do I think it's not worth fishing behind them, but it is worth spending a bit of time watching them and taking some mental notes. Both @A-Jay and @Catt fall into that category of angler. 😉

Nice work Andy. Good job operating outside the conventional wisdom with that bait buddy. I wouldn't even have considered it in water that warm, neither would anyone else I know. Thank you for that info. I'll definitely pick the rig up earlier this year, and give your technique a try. I just received a big box of Keitech Fat's in the mail the other day. I'm pretty well stocked for this fall now. I'm gonna be on night patrol the next few to see if I can go on another tear like I did around the August full moon, but I honestly don't know what the fish are doing. I've worked the past six days, and my guide buddy has been off the water this week, busy with a side project. Hopefully they'll be hot on the blades and cranks again. 🤞

Congrats on the nice fish A-Jay. Just curious, what was the water temp?

I spent less on bass fishing this year than any year in the past decade. Dropped a few grand on muskie gear though. 🤦‍♂️😂

Deer will follow you through the woods when it's dark, and they'll get pretty close sometimes. I had a buck come within 20' of me once while walking into my stand in the dark. He was snorting, stomping and acting pretty aggressive . It finally dawned on me that I had a bottle of doe urine in my pocket. I was fixin to get violated!!! 😂 He about turned himself inside out when I said BOO!!!

Time to get busy filling that empty shelf space don't ya think?

ARK Invoker 7'4" Mag Heavy is my favorite jig rod ever. Light, sensitive, and durable, with enough tip for pitching jigs as light as 3/8, and enough backbone to pull big fish out of gnarly cover.

😂 Boy, tough crowd here today!!! Personally, I have a face that's perfect for a career in radio. Weight guesses are tough from pics @Ohnooze, but I'm gonna guess 7ish? Long skinny fish.

What made me think of that, is Phil Robertson's story about putting a sack over Terry Bradshaw's head and making him lay in the bottom of the boat on the ride to Phil's fishing hole, so that Terry couldn't find his way back to it later. I saw Terry confirm that story in an interview. 🤣

Heavy cover and heavy tackle, I try to throw 'em over the boat when I swing. It works great for moving big fish out of cover, but I lose some smaller ones as they sail over my head on a slack line. That's a trade off I'll take every time.

I learned a new language going through my teenagers phones several years ago. 🤦‍♂️ 😂

He's an amazing player, and as @slonezp alluded to, his entire band are aces. Some bluegrass traditionalists don't like it, but I love the way the guy refuses to be pigeonholed. He marches to his own beat, critics be damned.

NOPE!!!

Great to hear!!! So happy for y'all!!!

If @A-Jay did take you along to Menderchuck, that's likely where you'd have to ride anyway, with a burlap sack over your head. No peeking allowed!!! 😂

We're just a couple degrees above you here. Water's 74 in the main basin, and 71 up toward the creeks. We'll be back in the 80's here by Wed, but nights will be in the 50's so that'll temper the heat a bit. Hopefully enough to at least keep the water temp from climbing again. I have to work 6 days this week as I transition into my new schedule. I'll be off Sun, Mon, Tue going forward. My next trip will be next Sat night, right as we're coming into the full moon. It'll likely be the last hurrah for my 2024 night fishing.

ALMOST doubled up today. Tammy got it done, but I couldn't seal the deal. I had a 40ish fish come in hot into the 8. Just as I was coming through the first turn, she said "fish on"! Mine chased my crank around three full laps before it peeled off, and I grabbed the net. Oh well, at least we got hers in the bag. 37.5" That was the only catch of the day. I missed three nippers, and we moved another three. They were chasing aggressively, but were shy about biting, just nipping at the rear hook.

The alternative is the only reason we have any lakes in my neck of the woods. They're all man made reservoirs built for flood control by the Corps of Engineers.

Ya gotta admire this little bass's ambition. 5" Tuff Shad. He even got the front hook. The tough muskie bite continues, but I did break my three trip slump with this 38" this morning, on a 22 Short, burned over deep coontail. Water temps are on the way down again, and the forecast looks good other than continued drought. The bite should be picking up shortly. 🤞

I would be THRILLED to catch any one of @WRB's sows. Same goes for those monster brownies that @A-Jay and @Dwight Hottle catch.

Nah. You're already in better shape than me. I have tendinitis in both elbows, and both my wrists have been broken, and sound like a bowl of rice crispies when I roll 'em around. Ya just gotta ignore the pain and keep chuckin and windin. 😉

Thanks for everything you've done for us here @roadwarrior. I hope you'll still be hanging out here on a regular basis. I'm sure @TnRiver46 will be along soon to post a big drum in your honor. 😁

Congrats @gimruis!!! Those tigers sure are beautiful fish. I wish we had 'em around here. ☝️I'm 100% in agreement with this.