bp_fowler

Went out yesterday to the New Reservoir it was slow going for a while at least until the forecasted clouds showed up. 80 degrees with winds gusting to 30mph out of the SW. Managed 4 dinks on the DT4. Photo shows the typical size. Went home grabbed a bite to eat and went back out, this time to the public pond I visited last week. The dink parade continued with another 4. Went down to Burr Oak early this morning hoping to add some size to my weekend haul but was thwarted by the skunk. Still some great views.

6’ M/F Ugly Stik GX2 w/ Shimano Sienna 2500 8# Trilene XL Texas rigged Green Pumpkin Senko

🤮🤮🤮 🤮🤮🤮

I’d be over the moon catching 50% if it meant I were catching those Maine linebacker bass that you catch lol

Snick out today for a few hours. Went to a nearby public pond that I’ve never fished before. Weather was 55 degrees, partly cloudy with winds 3 mph out of the NE. Caught 2 in 4 strikes on a KVD 1.5 in green gizzard shad. I’m starting to enjoy cranking, but the hookup ratio is bugging me. Normally I don’t miss hooksets, maybe the moderate action rod requires a different approach. I’m open to suggestions.

I guess I’ll state the obvious: when bank fishing your two biggest limiting factors are mobility and logistics since you don’t have a boat to get you and your gear where you want to go. This forces you to have to make some decisions about what you carry as well as some planning ahead of time. I’ll start with scouting the place out either with my own two eyes or google earth. This allows me to determine some things like ease of access and how far away the vehicle parking area is. That way I can decide what to carry and how much. If I can park my car a short walk away then I can bring more gear and just cache it there. Some places, public ponds and the like have relatively flat banks and well manicured grass right up to the waters edge. Others may require negotiating step or rough terrain and through thick vegetation. Again this will affect how much I carry and even what clothing I wear. Last but not least I can possibly pick some spots that look promising. In most circumstances I carry two rods, at least initially, one MH/F casting and one M/F spinning. Between those two setups I can fish just about anything. I have a small tackle pack (kinda like a cross between a fanny pack and back pack) that I bring along with me. Inside I carry some terminal tackle, extra lures, various soft plastics, some spare line and basic hand tools (fishing pliers, line cutters). Generally I try to pack as light as possible since I often have to hike a bit to get to some spots. During the warmer months I bring water. As for what lures to take along, the answer is for me that it depends. This spring I had been going out with a spinner bait tied on my casting rod and some type of weightless soft plastic (zoom fluke, senko or trick worm) on the spinning rod. On a small pond I pick a starting point, this maybe based on whats easiest for me to access or some other factor like a wind blown bank, currents, or shade for example. From there I’ll work my way around the bank for a far as I’m able. I’ll make casts out ahead of me parallel (or as close to parallel as I can manage) to the bank. If I see an interesting spot I may spend a little extra time there making multiple casts. One thing to keep in mind is stealth. I try not to walk right up on the bank if I can help it so I don’t spook the fish. On the bigger bodies of water it’s a bit tougher. I’m mostly likely not going to be able to fish everything, either because I physically can’t get there, or I don’t have the time (Although I have broken lakes down over multiple days). This is where the scouting really comes in handy that way I can make sure I’m not wasting time. That being said it still can be hit or miss. Just because a place looks good on the map or passes the eye test doesn’t guarantee that it holds fish.

I have a pretty good relationship ship with my local wildlife officer. He’s only checked my license once, the first time I ever met him. I still run into him from time to time and we chew the fat. Come to find out that one of my fire academy classmates was a former ODNR officer and they knew each other.

Yeah it’s definitely a confidence bait for me. It’s the first technique I ever learned, the only one I used early on, and it’s caught me a fair amount of fish. That being said if it’s not a confidence bait for you and/or you’re not catching anything with it, I wouldn’t worry too much about it so long as the techniques that you do use are working for you.

Between work & weather there was not much fishing to be had this week. To make matter worse I managed to grenade my baitcasting reel earlier this weekend putting it out of commission, perhaps permanently. So when I was able to get away for a little while today I decided to take my cranking rod out for a test drive. It had been sitting a corner collecting dust since I bought it earlier this year. I didn’t do too hot, but I got one and it’s kinda special for me since it’s my very first fish I’ve caught on a crankbait. Also I finally saw a fish on a bed so that’s exciting as well. I hope that means things will start picking up around here soon.

@Woody B I’d definitely claim 4. My skunk streak came to an end today. The Gun Club was the only place nearby that wasn’t totally blown out by all the rain we’ve been getting. 55 degrees, blue skies, and winds out of the WNW at 12 mph with gusts up to 26 mph. I worked the wind blown bank pretty hard with the Booyah Blade and was rewarded with 3. Average sized fish for this body of water but it felt great to actually be catching something again.

So this is only my second spring. Last spring I did very well. A few fish were on already beds by this time but most were shallow and I was catching them even though I still didn’t have much of an idea of what I was doing. This spring is night and day different. I’ve been getting skunked far more than I ever have before. Honestly I was catching more fish in February and March. I think the several storms and heavy rains we’ve had recently have messed things up a bit.

Working today or else I’d be out there.

Yes sir, she’s a chunky gal. I’m hoping I can get permission also. I think this lake has a lot of untapped potential. I only started fishing it late last year and by that time the weeds made bank fishing pretty tough. If all goes according to plan I may be the proud new owner of a fishing kayak this summer so there’s always that option as well.

Decided I needed a change of scenery today. Went to Lake St Joe which is near one of my neighboring towns. 51 degrees and partly cloudy. Winds west north west 11 mph gusting to 24. Only managed one, but it is the largest bass I’ve caught yet on this particular body of water. Attempted to work my way completely around the lake but found that someone had posted no trespassing signs on the other side of the dam. I don’t remember them being there last year but I decided to call it an early day.

Seems like it’s been forever since I’ve been able to fish. Yesterday was beautiful but I was working OT so I could render unto the bait monkey. I made I promise to myself that I was gonna fish today no matter what. Well I got 50 degrees, winds from the south-southeast gusting to 37 mph and a steady rain. Decided on the Crappie Hole since it has been producing bigger fish for me. Managed two on a Booyah Blade white/chartreuse spinner bait which had been successful for me there before however I went with an Indiana/Colorado combination instead of the willow leaf/Colorado. Results were similar with two fish today. Smaller than usual from that particular body of water but still bigger than what I had been catching at the Gun Club and the Old Reservoir.

Nice jeans! Are those full choke or improved cylinder? 😂

Heck my generation had “shotgun jeans”. People would hang a perfectly good pair of jeans from a clothes line, blast them with a 12ga and wear the finished product. Apparently it’s still a thing.

Older age wise perhaps. Experience wise maybe not so much. 😂

@Pat Brown I’m a fan of flukes. I’m also a fan of underspins. Therefore I’m gonna have to try fluke + underspin this weekend.

I am turning into quite the reaction lure junkie, however there is no denying the awesomeness of the worm.

Had to work late this morning with the commute home, gym, honey-do list I only had about an hour to fish today. The closest body of water to me is the Crappie Hole, which with its dirty water worked out well with the clear skies today. 71 and sunny. Winds S-SW. Just one today but the biggest so far in 2024. White tandem blade Spinnerbait with a 3.25 rage swimmer for a trailer.

White/White White/Chartreuse Black Bluegill

Gun Club again, overnight low of 42 daytime high of 61. Overcast with light rain and winds out of the south. Started out working the deeper waters NW corner of the pond. Last time I was here I spotted a couple of larger fish cruising the shallows near there. I tried the Spinnerbait first, slowed rolled it on the bottom, waked it near the surface and straight retrieve in the middle of the water column, all for naught. Suspending Jerkbait was next up but no takers. By this time it had been around a hour so I decided to switch tactics and target the shallow water which I had had some success with earlier in the week, only this time I went to opposite bank. Managed 4, with the spinner bait and the fluke splitting it 2 and 2. I’m a bit of a Spinnerbait aficionado so I’m not surprised I’m catching fish with it, however the fluke has definitely performed better than expectations since I always thought of it as summertime bait.

Yes. Most of the time I carry two, a MH baitcaster and MF spinning rod. Oftentimes when I want to travel light I carry only one or the other. I don’t fish any techniques that require hyper specific rods.

Went out yesterday and today. Tuesday we had a high of 71 degrees and partly cloudy. I had high hopes and went to a larger body of water know as the Old Reservoir. Unfortunately the fish did not share my optimism and I only managed three dinks (first 3 pictures). 2 on the fluke and the third with a tandem blade Spinnerbait. Today we had a high of 59 degrees winds out of the south and rain. I returned to Gun Club not expecting much given the my luck the last two days however I managed 4 this time 3 on the fluke and the last with the tandem Spinnerbait again. Size of the fish was noticeably improved but still not giants by any means.