Woody B

I just looked at the weather forecast. It's supposed to be back in the 80's this weekend. I guess it will be a while before I have the lake to myself again.

I love Winter fishing. I love fishing year round but really like it when I have the lake to myself. I struggle when the water is under 50 degrees, and muddy. I'm looking forward to figuring that out this year. My PB spotted bass was last Winter. (4 lbs 15 ounces). My previous PB spot was the winter before.

I've got a few comments. Like most everything on youtube I believe it's simply attention seeking behavior. Why didn't he have a video of the readings at speed included? I see people all the time continually messing with their transducers to get a depth reading at speed. What's the point? It's certainly not good from a safety standpoint. By the time the electronics and the person piloting the boat sees what on the screen they're way past it. The person piloting the boat should be looking around the lake when going at speed instead of having their head buried in a screen. I get a depth reading up to ~20mph. IMHO that's 10 mph faster than I "need" it. Added: I'm thinking about mounting a transducer upside down so I can see the birds flying over.

I made it to Lake Woodybchuck this afternoon for a couple hours after getting home from camping. I thought I had caught 5, but after checking my pictures it was 6. I have a clicker I keep count with, but left if in my coat pocket in the truck. The first, and smallest was a Largemouth. The last was a 17 1/2" Largemouth. The rest were Spots, including one that was 18 1/2" and one that was 17".

Kinda fishing report after camping trip Saturday. The camping trip was to a local 1500 acre lake. I was temped to call it skunk lake, but I usually manage to catch 1 or 2 tiny spots. Yesterday was no exception. I caught a small one. (first picture, the picture makes it look bigger) Mrs B's cousins husband caught one. The picture makes it look smaller. It "might" have been 14 inches. I didn't measure it......so it wasn't shorter than 14". The lake was FULL of people fishing. One guy is always posting fish pictures of fakebook. We've thought for some time he was posting a single fish picture multiple times. I watched him several different times come up to an area, pull a bass out of his livewell, take a picture, then fish for a bit. Later at the landing I saw him release a single fish out of his livewell. I saw the pictures later on fakebook. I'm 99% sure they were all the same bass, out of his livewell with different backgrounds. I've been resisting commenting "that looks like a bunch of pictures of the same bass". Anyway, camping trip was great...... didn't get skunked, and had a delicious nice thick rib eye cooked on the campfire last night.

8 year old thread is back, so I'll put my 2 cents worth in. First @JJ - W Welcome to Bass Resource. Be sure to introduce yourself in the new member thread. I have a Tracker Classic XL. (same dimensions as a Pro 170). I didn't know anything about modern bass boats, and done very little research before I bought it. I'm very happy with it, and plan on keeping it the rest of my life. It's a luxury yacht compared to my previous boat I sold in 1992. I have had zero problems with it. However................had I known what I know now when I bought it I would have bought a boat that was a little bit wider like a 175, or something from X-press, Lowe or Lund. I hadn't fished in 30 years. I didn't know how much I'd end up fishing/using my boat so I went with the cheap option. I looked at used boats, but they either were priced like new, or needed a bunch of work. I work too many hours to come home from work to work on a boat.

Some recent catches have me thinking about Alabama/Spotted bass and competition for forage. There's PLENTY of forage, Shad, Bluegill, ect in the lake I fish most often........but I've noticed that the Spots I catch are usually fairly fat, but the LM's I catch tend to be thin. I'm not blaming the Spots, but it's strange to me. The 2 bass pictured were caught yesterday on back to back casts. Both fish are similar, on the fattness scale to what I've been catching lately for each species. I'll have to look through my pictures but I don't recall catching a fat LM since spring. Perhaps just differences in individual bass, but pictures others post of LM's caught where there's no Spots have plenty of fat bass pictures. I've also notices that @TnRiver46's small mouths are skinny, but @A-Jay's aren't. Are northern bass or any species just fatter this time of year than southern bass?

Disclaimer, I'm hard or rods. I know I'm hard on rods. I've had 2 Falcon rods. I liked both, but broke both within a month of getting them. One of them I accidently high sticked while snagged. I would have been lucky if it hadn't broke. The other broke between the first and second guide (from the butt, not the tip) the next cast after boat flipping a 2 pound bass. I liked both of them, but other brands seem to survive "me" better. I wonder if the second one I broke was some kind of "blem" or something. I bought it at a local tackle shop way to cheap. ($45 for a Bucoo SR)

I went Lake Woodybchuck this morning (the same lake I always go to) for 3 hours. We're taking the camper to Lake Fulloftinyspotsupchuck later today. I fished from 7 until 10. It took me an hour to get the skunk out of the boat, but I ended up catching 9. All spots. The first (pictured) was the smallest at 12 inches. The last (pictured) was the biggest at 18 inches. I found that I can control the weather. When I put my hood on it would stop raining. When I lowered it the rain would start back. I'll post some pictures of our camping trip when I get back Sunday. I'm going to take a can of corn and try to catch some Carp is the only bass I can catch are 8 inch spots. Mrs B's cousin and her husband are taking their camper too. They're cool to hang around with. He's a good fisherman, and a non drinker who used to drink, like myself. We enjoy sitting around the campfire telling fishing tales and drinking unsweet tea.

My only "rookie" was a bladed jig. I hadn't caught anything on one until late last year. Not my biggest producer, but a steady producer. I use various jigs and trailers but my best is a 3/8 ounce Sievert Fogy with a manns classic spinnerbait trailer.

I took vacation days today and tomorrow so I got a rare week day trip in. I caught 16 bass. Several smallish spots. The biggest spot was 17 inches long(pictured). The only Largemouth was 5.22 pounds, 21 1/2 inches long(pictured). I caught a 15 inch spot the cast before the Largemouth. The spot hit a Devils Horse cast alongside a boat house. I saw the Largemouth, or another one like it follow the hooked spot almost all the way to my boat. It swam into the boathouse. The door to the boathouse was open a foot or so. After I released the spot I skipped a wacky into the boathouse. The LM nearly jerked my rod out of my hands when it hit. Water temp is down to 69. The water is low, and as clear as I've ever seen it. I don't know why my pictures are sideways. I think they'll turn upright if you click for a bigger view.

I soak a rag in it and run the line pinched through the rag when spooling the reel. If it starts getting stiff again before I change it I'll let the line drag behind the boat and run it through a soaked rag when reeling back in. This possibly wastes even more than literally flooding the spool, but it works good and quick.

Ethanol and carburetors aren't friends. Ethanol isn't good in something that sits a bunch. My recommendation is use ethanol free on anything with a carburetor. I also recommend using an additive like Sta-bil, sea foam ect if you aren't going to use the capacity of the tank in a month.

I want to be my dog. She gets fed when she's hungry. She gets to go to the vet when she's sick. She gets hair cuts that cost more than mine. She sleeps when she wants to, and never has to go to work. She even gets to go fishing.

I try to stay on topic, but I also put this information EVERYWHERE I get the chance to. When you're in kidney stone pain get in a tub of HOT water, as hot as you can stand. It instantly, but temporarily relieves the pain. When the water cools the pain will come back, just drain some and add more hot. They had me so morphined up I couldn't even walk through a door, but I was still in pain. The janitor at the medical facility told me to go home and get in a tub of hot water.

I only bass fish, but occasionally catch other species. I haven't caught any others in a couple weeks until today. Nothing spectacular, but I caught a decent Crappie and a smallish Yellow Perch. The strange part, I caught both of them on a Devils Horse. I've never seen or heard of Crappie or Perch on top water before. The Crappie really surprised me. I saw it on sonar all by itself next to a stump. It was my first cast of the day. I've never seen a lone Crappie before. Usually they're schooled up. The Perch was with a bunch of fish in a lay down. I threw my Devils Horse right above the underwater part. It smashed it right after the lure hit the water. I had a HUGE Flathead Cat follow my Devils Horse later. I thought it was a log on sonar, with a couple fish next to it. The Cat got 6 inches or so from my lure and just stayed there. It would move a little every twitch, but stay the same distance from it. It followed it one twitch at a time all the way to the boat. It's back was sticking out of the water most of the time. It slowly swam under the boat when it got to it. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of it's back sticking out of the water a few feet from the boat.

It's funny how a day changes things. I was disappointed yesterday with 10. Today was bluebird post front skies. There was a little wind at times. I caught 8 bass, and was pleased. I also caught a Crappie (on a Devils Horse, on my first cast) and a Yellow Perch. (other species thread later) I normally picture my first and last, but they were both nubbins. (Y'all call them dinks) I decided to post all 8. I'm not ashamed of my dinks. The 2 biggest were 18" and 18 1/2" long. I try to fish different areas. I went up river from where I normally fish. The Crappie, Perch and 3 Bass were on a Devils Horse. 1 Bass was on a shakey head, the others on a bladed jig. I had a HUGE flathead cat look at my Devils Horse. It just sit there a foot or so away. When I'd move it, the cat would move. It followed it a twitch at a time all the way to the boat, then just swam slowly under the boat. Y'all have seen the cats I catch. For me to call one HUGE it was really big. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture of it looking at my lure 5 feet from the boat. It's back was sticking out of the water.

I was disappointed to catch 10 today. It was raining. Usually when it's raining I catch a BUNCH. The first one was the biggest, at 7:22(time, not weight). (pictured) The last, at 12:05 was the smallest(pictured). 5 Largemouth and 5 spots. I missed way more than I caught. The only thing they would hit was a buzz bait with no trailer hook. The first one was on my second cast. After a few misses I added a trailer hook and they quit hitting. I removed the trailer and they started back. I tired a Devils Horse, a popper, cranks, shakey head, bladed jig, swim baits, both small and large and a few other lures. All they would hit was a black buzz bait with no trailer. The lake is down a foot or so. It's still clear in spite of the rain. I suspect it will be a little more murky tomorrow. Water temperature was down to 72.

IMHO there's a bunch of variables. Every lake is going to be different and to some extent every thermometer is going to be different. A co worker and myself have the same transducers. Ours read 1 1/2 degrees different with our boats next to each other. Also, we're only reading the surface temp. The temperature is going to be different even 5 feet deep. I occasionally glace at my water temperature but don't pay it very much attention. I personally believe on of the BIG factors that increases catch rates during the fall is hunting seasons, foot ball games and other non fishing activities. A good angler "should" be able to catch pressured fish, but for me it's less work to catch bass when there's less fishing pressure. NC/SC Upstate.

I rarely weigh or measure anything, but I've got 14, 18 and 22 inch marks on my boat on a compartment lid. I'll hold them next to it before releasing.

I suppose I'm old and tired......and I work too much. I'm 59, I normally work 45 to 50 hours a week. Since I was a kid I've always loved fishing. I bought my first boat 43 years ago when I was 16. I entered one tournament 41 years ago. I hadn't planned to enter. I didn't even know about it. I showed up at the ramp and someone asked me if I wanted to enter. I knew the lake well, and usually had a decent catch there. I entered, won, with 20 pounds, compared to 2nd place 11 pounds, but I didn't enjoy it. Instead of just having fun fishing I was very focused on a bunch of big bass. I decided then that was my first, and last tournament. It wasn't relaxing. Over the next 10 years I got the opportunity to fish less and less due to "life". I was working a public job, also running my own business and raising a family. I sold my boat in 1992 and didn't wet a single hook until December 2021. I've fished at least once a week with the exception of Christmas week every since then. I normally only get to go on weekends except when I take vacation time from work. I have other things I have to do on weekends so I usually only go for 3 to 5 hours. I would be happy fishing for 12 hours straight, but simply have obligations. I enjoy fishing alone, but I'd take any of you fishing with me anytime you want to.

So far this year my 2 biggest are 6.00 pounds, and 6.02 pounds. My prediction was true so far. One came on a T-rig, the other on a Devils Horse. Ironically the one on the T-rig was in 5 feet of water. The one on a Devils Horse came from a brushpile that was ~20 feet deep. I've only caught 5 over 5 pounds this year but I'm hoping big fall bass are just around the corner.

I've been resisting posting this picture from July. This is what a 3 pound Spot will do if it get's a chance.

I suppose being "rich" is a double edged sword. I suppose some people are rich by luck, or accident, but normally being rich means being successful. Being successful in most cases takes a BUNCH of work. I suspect many of these people don't have time to hunt, fish, or whatever the "right" way. I enjoy Bass Resource because it's a diverse group. There may be members here who have been or still go on high fence hunts or fish for huge bass in managed pay lakes. My hat's off to them for their financial success, as well as the fun they're having.