Woody B

I thought last Sunday was it for me until Jan 1 but plans changed. My Wife has a get together each year before Christmas with her brother and all her sisters. It was today but the location changed to her Sisters house that's on Lake Wylie so I got one more 2022 trip. I've had my boat for a year now. I bought it on Dec 18 2021. I caught my PB Spotted bass that day. (4 lbs, 4 ounces). I broke that record today with a 4 pound 15 ounce Spot. It was 20 1/4 inches long. I also caught 3 more. A 3 pound 5 ounce spot, a 2 pound 5 ounce spot, and a 3 pound 10 ounce Largemouth. The biggest spot got tangled up in a fallen down dock. I was about to panic, and try to horse it out, and I thought about something (I think) WRB said. He said don't force a bass out of cover, lead it out. I felt like it was hooked really good. I got a good solid hookset on a Siebert Jig. I moved the boat the direction the bass was trying to go, and let up some on the pressure. She swam out. I caught the LM on a jig, and the other 2 spots on a DT8. According to the temperature display in my truck it was 28 degrees when I launched my boat. The water temp was 52 degrees.

Sorry for your loss. I've got a first cousin who's a Colonel in the Air Force. I'll see him next week. I ask him if he knows anyway to get your brothers records.

Auto high beams????? I want my dimmer switch back on the floor.

I thought they ignored my cheap lures because I make 100K and but buy cheap lures and have a cheap boat. Maybe I should try attaching a 1040 to my lure.

( To Glenn from @Darth-Baiter ) I am rubber, you are glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks on you.

It wasn't that awesome for me. I was still working 2nd shift. I drove home at midnight with worn out tires on a snow covered interstate full of people who don't know how to drive.

Y'all are probably used to my dumb questions by now. How much water does it take to deploy one of the Mustangs? They wouldn't go off in a really damp locker, or during really hard rain would they?

I've been to Jocassee once but I've never been to Keowee. You, and others may already know.....Duke energy pumps water from Keowee back into Jocassee during non peak demand times to use the same water, for the same generator again. (Same thing with Jocassee into Bad Creek. If Duke does that at any other lakes I don't know about it.

I see 'em. I slapped myself in the back of the head for not realizing before that there's points off of humps. I've fished the humps, flats and the ditches next to the humps, but never the points.

That's what they're saying here in NC also. I think they're calling for cold and snow across most of the south.

This fresh looking broken glass was at a landing I used last week. (on a different lake) Stuff like this is what makes me nervous about remote, rarely used landings.

Disclaimer. Catt, and others catch a bunch more bass that I do. I have success on the humps during really hot weather. I prefer the cuts, and the flats between them other times. I love to fish points that run off of a straight bank. I suppose I need to start looking for, and fishing the points off the humps. There's a hump that's 10 feet deep or so ~1/8 mile or so from my Sister in Laws house. There's a big "ditch" that's 40 feet deep or so between the hump and the bank. This ditch is always full of White Perch and Striped Bass. I've never caught any largemouths or spot there.

Howdy from Grover NC.

When the ramp is crowded I tie my boat at the end of the dock. This takes a minute because I have to get out of the truck, drag the boat to the end of the dock and tie it. There's 6 ramps with 4 docks at this landing. I was the only person there when I took that picture. When the ramp isn't crowded, and wind and current allow I just tie it to a cleat and dump it like I did in that picture.

I don't mind a seldom used small landing. I'm paranoid about break ins. If I caught someone breaking in my truck I'd probably end up in jail. There's a ramp on the Broad River near me but it's filled in with silt to the point it's not usable at this time. I recently found out about another ramp a few miles North. I'm going to take a look at it this weekend if time permits. FWIW the Broad river in is NC/SC. It doesn't connect with the French Broad river. The lake I fish on as well as the landings I use are normally crowded. Especially during the Summer. There's a few small lakes around that require special boat permits, as well as liability insurance. I have the insurance. I'm currently researching a lake that requires a $600 per year boat permit. There's also a city lake with a 40 horsepower limit. My engine is 50. I don't think my integrity will allow me to change decals on my engine cover to fish there. I've got enough "real" stuff to account for on judgement day. I don't need to add lying about my engine size to that list. I like a dock so I can launch and load quickly, by myself and not be in anyones way. To launch I back down near the water and tie a long rope from my boat to the dock. I back my trailer into the water and "send it". Park the truck, then go jump in the boat. Without a dock when by myself I'd tie the ramp up quite a bit longer.

I've been playing guitar for 50 years. (I'm 58) I've played in several bands and also had a part time job in a recording studio. It was mostly stuff for radio commercials. I can play most stringed instruments as well as several brass instruments. I haven't played the brass stuff (trumpet, trombone, french horn ect) for years though. We need to have a bass resource jam.

Do y'all have a favorite landing? Mine is temporarily closed. They're building a swim beach and fishing area. They said it would be closed from Nov 28 until Dec 23 for paving. Now they're saying it will be closed until sometime in February. This landing (South Point Landing, Lake Wylie) is huge. There's 6 ramps with 3 docks that are in good shape. There's also plenty of parking. The ramps as steep enough to easily load and unload your boat but not so steep people have trouble getting their boats/trailers up the ramp. The same people are always there fishing. I think of them as landing guards. There's another landing ~4 miles down the lake. I hate it. The ramps are really flat. There's no way to load your boat alone without stepping in the water. There's 4 ramps with 2 docks. 1/2 or more of the cleats are broken off the docks. There's a restaurant next door. Late in the evening, or at night there's what seems like a million people hanging around the landing. People at boat landings that aren't fishing or launching boats makes me nervous. Sometimes there's a bunch of kids standing on the docks. It makes me nervous to leave my boat to go get my truck. The last time I was there I used my remote to spot lock my boat 25 feet or so from the dock, then brought it back when I get there with the trailer. This makes me nervous that something will happen with my trolling motor, or remote and I'd have to go swimming. What do y'all like, or hate about landings?

Speaking of Tarpon, I had relatives that lived on the beach when I was a teen. They said "the Tarpon are running". (do Tarpon run?) I put a hopkins spoon on my brand new Garcia Ambassador 5500/Ugly Stick combo. I heaved it out into the ocean. A Tarpon (I guess) grabbed it and proceeded to run all the line off my reel, without any thought of slowing down. That's pretty much the extent of my saltwater fishing experience.

If someone it accepting money for doing a job I believe it's a matter of integrity to work hard and do a good job. I've worked hard for everything I've got, and everything I've ever had. Once I mentioned taking pride in my work. A (former) manager said "Pride is an emotion. You don't need to have emotions while you're working" I'm an auto tech. The buck stops here. Unlike many in my field (and even many who work in the same building I do) I step forward for the tough jobs. I don't think about money, how long something will take, or how hard it will be. I simply try to do the best job possible for my customers. I've always made a good living with this philosophy. I have low tolerance for laziness.

Water temperature plays a role but I think the individual fish plays an even bigger role. I don't fish for, or even where smallies are much. I've caught 3 this year, all on the same day, in 52 degree water. 1 of them fought like it was possessed. The other 2 were basically bricks. My PB smallie (6 pounds) 40 years ago fought like it was possessed. It jumped multiple times, ran under the boat on a long run, then when I thought it was ready it took off again when it saw the net. A kid I had with me that day caught an 8 pound smallie. It basically just came to the boat. My PB largemouth (10.25) was really strong, but not fast at all. It pulled like a submarine. It didn't "jump". It would just stick it head out of the water and kinda sit there shaking it's mouth. It looked like it was in slow motion. It freaked out when it saw the net. My best (LM) of 2022 (7 lbs 13 ounces) was basically dead weight. My PB spot (4 lbs 4 ounces, Dec 2022) was like a jet powered submarine. It was the day I bought my boat, in 52 degree water. I thought I had tail snagged a carp or something. Like others have said, I can't imagine an 8 pound spot.

I'm a fanatic for sharp hooks. I sharpen most of the hooks on new lures. (but admittingly let them go too long afterward at times) I use rubber bands to tie the hooks together so they don't get all tangled up. I tried the hook covers but them and I just didn't get along. I do much better with rubber bands.

I'm an hour or so north in Grover NC. I'm right at the NC/SC state line just off Interstate 85.

I've got a Zillion SV that I love. I've got a Tatula SV too. It's a good reel but I hate where the brake control is. I accidently "adjust" it when I'm palming the reel.

I only take 3 or 4 rods at the most. All baitcasters. For line I'm the opposite of @T-Billy. I only use mono, not because I think mono catches more fish. I just don't like the way braid feels. I don't normally fish really heavy cover so I don't need the extra strength. I will troll. If I'm moving ~1/4 mile or less I always troll, instead of just moving. I'm hardheaded, but I don't think the color of the lure makes any difference....."most" of the time. I like motor oil colored worms, natural shadish colored cranks, yellow or black top waters, brownish jigs and chartreuse or black spinnerbaits.

There's Osprey nests on all of the lake I fish. They have signs that read "Osprey Nest" Can the Osprey read, so they'll know it's "their" next? Can the other birds read so they'll stay away? I see the Osprey flying around but I've never seen them catch a fish. Last spring Mrs B and myself saw a Heron catch a BIG white perch. I slipped out of it's grip and almost landed a couple feet from out boat. I hooked a small bluegill in the eye with a Devils Horse. When I released it it couldn't hardly swim. A Heron swooped down and got it about 10 feet from the boat. The Heron flew around in a circle squawking. I believe it was thanking me for the fish. LOL @LrgmouthShad I'll have to try and start smiling when I take bass pictures. Maybe I won't look like a grouchy old man then. I'll still look old, but not grouchy.