AlabamaSpothunter

Wow, so beautiful, and so many fish Katie! Look at how dark some of those bog Bass are. Bet you can grate cheese with your thumbs ? Why can't a fish ever return my lures.....I've heard of that happening, but never to me. Some catfish has a nice LuckyCraft I'd love to have back right now. On a great day I might average 3-4 fish an hour. Super rare when I catch upwards 30 Bass.

@sdw215 hope you get a chance to go fishing today, look at the super dynamic conditions.....my bet is it's either lockjaw, or epic moving bait action. My lake temps have dropped 7 degrees in 3days, the outside hi/low temps have dramatically dropped by 20-30 degrees. Last week this time it was 94 with a felt temp of 97.....today it is 74 with a rare Alabama red flag alert. Fall is no doubt here, and with these dynamic conditions coming from Ian, I think fishing is about to get really good again.

There is a joke about aliens observing human activity, and they observe how often humans pick up dog and cat poop, so then obviously they come to the conclusion that dogs and cats are the rulers, and humans are their servants ?

That's what turns me into a nervous wreck......dang internet has allowed me to read so many horror stories. I can't even imagine going to pick up my buddy, and getting that news ?

Where is the...."I'm afraid of going to sleep, because I'll wake up with a new injury" part ?

You'll still be his human, I have a Bengal cat that is the same way, and uber smart. He knows when any other family member trying to round him up for a vet visit, and I'm the only one he trusts to do it. Every time it makes me feel terrible, like I betrayed his trust. Yet every time he's just thrilled to be back in his secure place, and doesn't seem to be mad. We're just doing what's best for them anyways.

Just found out a few minutes ago that my relatively younger female neighbor had two strokes and is in the hospital ? She walks daily, isn't obese in the slightest, and seems to live a very clean lifestyle....which really brings your point home. Tragedy can befall any of us at any time, living in the moment is so important to do, yet so hard to actually practice. We are programmed to always be looking forward, planning for the future. Fish everyday like it's the last time you're gonna fish!

Great news and remember to take it slow and easy at first!

Interesting, was not the case years ago, but it makes sense for sure. I was telling a story on here the other day about a couple of rookies in a nice center console catching a big 100+ Tarpon, these guys thought it was a good idea to bring the fish on board for selfies.....long story short the entire center console was destroyed, and both men sustained significant injuries trying to get the fish free from the boat. Saltwater fishing is just totally different. The vast majority of fish you intend to release never come on the boat, and leaders are usually cut rather than removing hooks.

Grandpa lived to be 97, his main saying it life....."everything is okay in moderation" He smoked a few cigs a day, had a slice of bacon or two a day....did that for 80+ years at least. He truly lived by that saying, and it seemed to work out for him.

Ironically my two biggest LGM bass have come from the bank, including my biggest this year an 8lber. That's a real hawg there. You don't need a boat to catch big Bass that's for sure.

Never bought a Japanese hard bait that didn't impress me. My only problem is they are so nice, and beautiful to look at, it's hard to actually fish them. Appreciate the info, I'll have to dip my toe in the water slowly when the JDM reel monkey gets me again ?

I'm so glad I'm too ignorant to know which JDM lures are good. In time I'm sure I will no thanks to you posting solid intel like that ? I love the idea of using that one with bigger baits, especially stuff that requires more effort to retrieve. That handle is money on it, and the aesthetics are beautiful as well.

Very cool! Sometimes you just have to educate the public how special and unique a place is ecologically speaking for things to get done. The Little Cahaba River behind me was like that. Alabama has tremendous biodiversity and has been referred to as the Amazon of North America, but even most Alabamians don't know all the unique creatures that are only found here.

Beautiful area, and good luck. Texas has lots of unique, and special ecology. My favorite of recent times is learning about the last N. American population of Ocelots living there down south IIrc.

One of my best friends who lives in CO is a Trout guy, I was just joking around That's a wonderful thing to see that you are doing, it will certainly ensure future generations have these same fish to catch.

Way to go friend, really nice fish! Had the same conditions except it was gusting up to 15mph today.....little whitecaps on my lake. I knew it was going to be a banger of a bite though with this upcoming low pressure coming from Hurricane Ian. I expect this to continue until Friday at least, maybe even into Saturday. Tomorrow is going to be the same just with more wind I think. I couldn't catch the quality LGM I thought I was going to given how good the bite was, but I can't complain with a raw thumb day using a Crankbait, and this little Chatterback Flashback. Only used two setups, threw the Jackall Crankbait around points and flats, and then fished the Flashback with the 3" Armor Shad offshore around isolated large pods of shads. The Flashback with the 3" Armor Shad is a deadly looking bait, and really turns the bait into a dedicated Bass lure. Guess a bird got a hold of one of these chunky Spots, hopefully it makes it. Second pic was my biggest, a 2.2 Spot.

Guess who's going to drop another $15 bucks tomorrow to replace that pretty Jackall above.....this guy ? Fished that brand new bait for 3.5 hours today, it killed.....caught 11 fish on it. Then right at dark like an idiot I set the hook when it was bouncing into cover thinking it was a fish and it hung. Tried for 20mins to free it. Thankfully cranking season isn't very long the way I fish or I'd be broke. Dang, Japanese Monkey loved you really good ? Eyeing that bigger Zillion right now, can you tell me if the drag dial is plastic or metal? My only complaint on the SV TW

Trout people are nothing more than Karens with fishing poles......prove me wrong ?

I'm envisioning a scene from Point Break the movie, but instead of surfing a once in a lifetime wave, a nutjob Florida man is fishing 48hrs prior to a Hurricane making land fall ?

Just saw the new Sleeper Gills at my local tackle shop......OP you should give these a good look. Pricey but they looked fantastic, and the size seemed perfect on them to catch both big and regular fish.

I've been around Swans my whole life, and I can say without a doubt they are the biggest you know what's in the animal kingdom. At least my mentor lived Mute Swan Attacks and Kills Man on Kayak in Chicago Pond | Field & Stream (fieldandstream.com)

The TW monkey is having a 25% off select items Fall sale for those interested. Local monkey just got me. ETA: I was just looking at the TW stuff for sale, and go figure the one CB I buy today locally is on the list. Would have saved 5 bucks right there. At least my local store is charging the same price as TW before the sale.

Heck yeah pal, a 3.5lb Spot is a fantastic fish. Bet it was super angry, and pulled really hard ?

Agreed on the JDM Zillion SV TW.......it just feels different than any other high end reel I've used. It's off the charts in terms of smoothness on retrieve. Over hundreds of casts with a chatterbait or crankbait, this makes a big difference alone on fatigue. I'm battling right now getting another one, I have a few holes in my lineup that need upgraded, but for the current price.....I find it hard to believe you can get more bang for your buck than a JDM Zillion. This reel gets 5 stars across the board wherever you look. I assume it's the "hyperdrive" part of the reel. that feels so unique and makes it so smooth. Clicking saltwater type drag is just brilliant as well. Sharp looking unit as well. My only complaint is the drag dial appears to be made out of a plastic. You know the monkey is going to chunk a few more reels off the boat, might as well get ahead of it ?