Your Season

[Bluebasser86]

I had a great season, not all for bass either. For starters, this was the first year I ever caught 2 bass over 7lbs in Kansas. I started in January with a 7.51 on a SK Series 5.

I also caught a 5.88 that same day on a Bandit 100. 

I topped that fish in March with a 7.76 pounder on a Spro Fat John, the second largest bass I've ever caught in Kansas.

I got to go to the Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake with a couple of my good friends and had a blast. Got to meet lots of legends of the sport and got to meet Big O, one of the highlights of the Expo for sure.

Later in March I caught a new PB rainbow trout with a 6.5 pound fish.

In April, a friend and I went on a combo trip to the White River/Bull Shoals/Beaver Lake where we broke a combined 6 PB's. I got the 2 that I was really hoping to get, first a 5.5 pound brown trout on a LC Spazz jerkbait from the White River. Got to watch him miss it 3 times before he crushed it.

Then in the last hour of our trip at Beaver Lake I caught a new PB striper on an A-rig, 20.01 pounds.

I've caught many other big and memorable fish this year but those were the best one.

 

My wife didn't get out much but she made the trips she went on count. She fished the KC area get together tournament with me in April and we got second place and she caught her PB smallmouth with a beautiful 3.96 pound smallmouth on a tiny Luck E Strike crankbait.

Then just 2 weeks later we were on vacation at a friends private lake in South Carolina when she broke her PB largemouth with a 4.59 pound fish that was also the biggest bass of the trip.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

Here in NC fishing is 365. :-)

Highlight is watching my 7 year old daughter hook set with a bait caster. :-)

[Siebert Outdoors]

I focused this year on getting my wife to catch more fish and catch fish.

[slonezp]

Bought a new boat. Caught more "good" fish this year than years past, but no "great" fish. Spent a lot of time learning the functions and how to interpret the images on the HB 998. Tried a couple new lakes I have never fished before. Did a lot more multispecies fishing this year than years past. Looking forward to next years soft water season. 

[michael68w]

Well nothing to big this season (biggest was a 18inch smallie) but numbers wise it was great! the best thing is i got to majorly improve my tube and jig fishing to the point were i'm now very confident with either bait. The big one for the year was actually caught fishing new waters for me on part of the huzzah river not far from where i live. I really cant believe i had not fished there sooner but lesson learned and now i have a new area.

[boostr]

The pros: I caught my first bass ever, and now I'm addicted. I Can't shake the bait monkey.

The cons: I wish I started earlier in the year, I would of caught way more fish.

Can't wait for spring and try some new techniques the C rig and the T rig

[Mainebass1984]

Well it was a pretty amazing season for me. I fish only in Maine and Vermont  My first day on the water was on April 19th less than a week after ice out. The spring bit was pretty good. A lot of good quality fish. Biggest largemouth in April was a 6-8 that I caught o a jig. Early May was fantastic. Most memorable day of the month was taking a co worker after working one day. We didn't have much time to fish maybe 3 hours. We spent 30 min motoring across the lake to where I was on fish the weekend before. First two casts were a 5-11 and a 6-1. My coworker got into some good fish as well. He got a couple 3-4 lbers. In maybe 2 hours of actual fishing time we caught over 45 bass, from one spot. That was a very fun afternoon after work. Biggest bass for the month of May was a 7-2 I caught on a rubber worm. I did not have much time to fish after the second week in May til July unfortunately. I had some issues I had to deal with. I missed the spawn which I always a great time to fish. I fished twice in June both tournaments. Finished 3rd in one and 6th in the other. July was a decent month. Always a little tougher for me when the bass up here go deep. Biggest bass for the month of July was a 5-9 during a tournament, we finished 8th. August I was able to get on the water a little bit more as I was fully recovered from my issues earlier in the year. I had my best numbers day of the year this month catching 76 largemouth and 2 smallmouth. Biggest bass for August was a 5-5. Fished in two tourneys in August placed 4th in one and 3rd in the other. As September came around it was time for some early fall fishing. I love fall fishing. It is my favorite time of year to fish. All the summer vacationers have gone, fish are shallow again, temperatures are cooler, there are no ********** power boaters skiing circles around me, and the fishing is just amazing. I took a week off and went back to Maine bass fishing. The fishing was great. I caught my biggest so far of the year a 8-5 on a frog during an insanely windy day. For the week I caught 119 largemouth and 51 smallmouth.  I didn't get any smallmouth over 3 lbs which was pretty unusual. The largemouth fishing was pretty good I was catching them on frogs, crankbaits, rubber worms, and a jig. For the week I landed 1 over 8lbs, 1 between 7 and 8 lbs,  3 between 6 and 7 lbs ,3 between 5 and 6 lbs, 5 between 4  and 5 lbs and 10 between 3-4 lbs.  October I was able to get out fishing 9 times and had my best day of the year weight wise. I absolutely love fishing this time of year. I feel like I have them figured out pretty d**n well in Oct and Nov. One of my favorite spots caught fire and never cooled off til it was frozen so thick I couldn't get my boat there. On the 25th I caught a 8-1 off my favorite spot. The very next day I went back there and off the same spot I caught a 8-3 on the first cast. The 26th was my best day weight wise for the year. My biggest 5 that day was a 8-5, 7-4, 5-1, 4-8 and a 4-0 for a total weight of 29 lbs 2 oz. I only caught 10 largemouth that day but 8 of them were over 3 lbs. I also got a nice 3-14 smallmouth. November is traditionally hunting season here in New England and I do hunt. It is just so tough for me not to be bass fishing if I still can get out there. I was back hunting in Maine for the week and we had a warm windy rainy day. No way I can sit in a tree in the rain all day. Fishing in the warm (50 degrees) rain, I can do that. I am so glad that I did choose to go. I only caught 5 largemouth but they were all good ones. I went to my favorite spot. First cast with a crankbait I hooked into a giant bass and it came unhooked. I had it on for maybe 15 seconds. I was bummed out. The last two times I fished this spot I had caught an 8 lber off of it. I took a few more casts with a jig and then on the third hop a bass inhaled it. I set the hook and it felt like a giant. It pulled the boat left then it pulled the boat right... I had to chase it down with the trolling motor a bit. After a little while I got it up near the surface. It was ginormous. I thought I had a 10lber. It went down back to bottom. I fought it back up by the boat and reached for the net. The net was stuck on one of my other rods !! After  few tense moments and something just short of a miracle I got the net unstuck while fighting the fish. I got her back to boatside, slid the net under her and lifted her in. It was a very fat fish. I took some measurements of her. She measured 23.5 inches long and had a 19.5 inch girth. She weighed in at 9 lbs 1 oz. The biggest bass I have caught. I took a couple pics, a couple scales sample and a short video. I put her back in the water. She tail splashed me in the face as she swam away maybe to be caught another day.. What a huge fish... Probably getting a replica mount. I also caught a 7-6 durijng the day too one of my biggest bass for the year. The next opportunity I had I took a friend back there. He had never caught a 5 lb bass and it was my goal to put him on one. After a 3.5 hour ride, some slick roads and breaking through ice we were there. Over the few hours he caught the two biggest bass of his life a 6-4 and a 5-12. For the day we caught 7 bass for 30 lbs 9 oz. That was the last day for me... Until next year, which cant come soon enough.

 

My biggest 5 bass for the year.

 

 Nov 7th 9 Lbs 1 oz

 

Sept 16th 8 lbs 5 oz

 

Oct 26th 8 lbs 3 oz

 

Oct 25th 8 lbs 1 oz

 

Nov 7th 7 lbs 6 oz

 

It was a very successful season for me

921 largemouth

189 smallmouth

 

1 over 9 lbs

3 between 8 and 9lbs

5 between 7 and 8lbs

7 between 6 and 7lbs

16 between 5 and 6lbs 

25 between 4 and 5lbs

57 between 3 and 4lbs

 

I am already excited to see what next season will bring. I have been buying new gear and lures. Just got to wait 4 months....lame. It truly was an amazing season for me. Of all the fish I caught and all the lunkers my most favorite memory of the season was one of the days I took my mom fishing. She had broken her arm in may and had just got it out of the cast. When she felt that she could reel in a fish again I took her fishing. She has terrible eyesight (I often hear where does the water end and the shoreline begin) and arthritis in her fingers. We pulled up to tree I have caught many lunkers off of. I cast for her and put it right on the sweet spot and handed her back the rod.. Before the lure hit bottom a fish inhaled it. She did not feel the bite but I could see the line going sideways. I told her to set the hook and the fight was on. The fish pulled us into deeper water. After a spirited fisht and a couple completely airborne jumps the fish was in the boat. It weighed in at 5 lbs 12 oz and was by far the largest bass she had ever caught.

[Dwight Hottle]

Congrats on a great season Mainebass 1984. I loved that little story about your mom.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Maine, I think the scariest part of your season is the fact that all those fish are without eggs in them.

 

You need to hook up with those fine ladies in the spring.

[Mainebass1984]

 They definitely would be bigger.  Another 10-15% bigger.. d**n that would be almost a full pound on that 9-1.....