Basstermind

Bagged this yesterday in shallow water with a pumpkin worm with a chartreuse tail. It popped off just as I got'em on shore, so it saved me the trouble of removing the hook and its a heck of lot better than it getting loose a foot from shore (which happened to me 3 different times last week ?) Also, I got the small one which had a yellowish tinge to its fins, which I have not seen before. Anyone recall what the cause might be? Maybe specific to their preferred diet?

Killer haul my man. With that said, I (somehow) have never heard of a "snakehead" and figured it was another name for a bowfin. I looked it up and while they have a very similar body structure, they aren't that closely related and the snakeheads appear to be an invasive species. So do you keep the snakeheads to reduce their population, or what is the policy where you are?

Another factor here may be dissolved oxygen (DO), as fish tend to congregate where the "breathing" is easier. Deeper lakes also tend to stratify during certain times of the year, which can also dictate where you tend to find fish. It's not uncommon to see seasonal anoxic zones in the deeper parts of a given lake, which again would likely influence where the fish are (or are not in these cases). All that said, apparently catfish don't need oxygen to to survive, as we've seen them way deep around dams and water intakes.

Like most here, I love the cooler temps and changing of the leaves. As an NC State fan, it's also nice to forget the most recent debacle on the gridiron and go catch LMB like this one I snagged today ?

Considering changing the title of this thread to something like "Don't be an idiot like this guy and transfer fish" for my fellow village idiots out there. It seems obvious in retrospect, but it may be helpful to other future well intentioned dummies.

Seriously good information fellas, even though I now feel like a complete dope. I did actually talk to our some NC WRC staff and they didn't offer any objection, with one pointing out the dam was likely to fail soon anyway and they'd be in lake anyway (or at least some would). That said, I won't be doing any more transfers. Again, I really appreciate the insight.

I know the area fairly well GRiver, and while it's a beautiful area, I suspect the fishing might be better in FL!

So here's the deal - there are 2 smallish ponds I have been fishing, and oddly both stand pipes have sprung a leak and have been draining the ponds relatively fast (although the rate of leakage has decreased as the water levels have fallen). I've tried to repair both of them, but with only moderate success and said repairs are likely pretty temporary given the condition of the pipe as a whole. Anyway, I figured the "noble" thing to do was to catch as many of the bass as I could and transfer them to their respective forever homes. In one case the pond is only about 100 feet from a very large USACOE lake and in the other the pond is about the same distance to a small river with consistent flow (both repositories have healthy bass populations). I have been catching them like gangbusters and then hustle them over to the new location. So far, they all seem to be very chipper when I put them in the new spot - I even had a 5+ pounder turn around and just stare at me after the release. He/she was probably p!ssed, but I like to thank they were somehow thankful ? My theory is that when water levels in ponds drop precipitiously (like 70% down or more) their usual prey food quickly run out of cover and subsequently get devoured in short order (especially in the summer months). After they essentially wipe out the minnows and small bluegills, they risk starving - to say nothing about potential temperature issues and low DO conditions that can occur in very shallow water. In these ponds I hardly ever see any minnows now, so it seems they wouldn't have much to live off of. And eventually it seems likely the ponds would either dry up or come very close to it. So was the transfer the right call? I have read the bass are like most animals and are creatures of habit, so introducing them into an entirely new environment can disorient them and make it challenging for them to feed effectively. But bass also seem very resilient, so I am hopeful that they will quickly adapt to their new minnow (and crayfish) rich surroundings - even though I will probably never catch them again.

I can't add anything about teeth theories, but I am relieved to know my torn up thumb has an explanation! I thought I was having some weird reaction to the fish, but did note their "teeth" are quite noticeable and borderline sharp in some cases.

I don't have an explanation, but I have noticed certain pond populations (as I call them) tend to have shared lure preferences. In general, I get good results with a Whopper Popper almost anywhere, most of the year. But there are a few places where I might as well be throwing a soda out there, as it doesn't even get nibbled at. Then I will switch to a watermelon worm and just rake - and the same worm works almost every time I go to said pond. At another place I've fished recently they love a pumpkin crayfish, even tho its an abandoned quarry and seems like poor habitat for real crayfish. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Like most here, I loved fishing as a kid, but then college, wife & kids, work, etc...got in the way for many years. For almost 30 years mountain biking has been my main avocation, but I got (very) bored with the local trails and now basically use my bike to check out remote fishing locales. I've been fishing pretty regularly for almost a year now, and how done pretty well all things considered (i.e. fishing places that hardly ever get fished makes it A LOT easier). Learned a lot over the last year or so and have put together a pretty solid backpack kit with a telescopic rod. Been using cheap Shimano stuff like Sienna 500 reels, but finally acquired a Shimano Vanford for improved bearing life/performance and drag adjustment. Anyway, look forward to learning more from the resident bass loremasters.