Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Aaron_H]

Nothing like breaking off yet another $10 lipless the first day you throw it in a spot you've fished for over six years. At least I managed to get a handful of cookie-cutter bass on it before I hung up, and it was only 95 degrees and 1000% humidity so great day overall. ?

 

3/4 oz Thunderhawk Sergeant lipless in the "Bait" color. Newer company but worth a look in my opinion, the lipless is quality.

[casts_by_fly]

Got out for an evening session tonight while the barometer was super low. I’ve never put much attention into it before, but my dad swears by it. It was super low, so he‘d say look high and fish topwater. That was the plan but it got sunny and still as soon as I hit the water and I just wasn’t feeling it. I had a slow follow on a buzzbait but he wasn’t committed. Swapped to an @Siebert Outdoors tremor in dirty shad (2’ water visibility) with a green pumpkin rage menace and started catching. Swapped to a black and blue swim jig and picked up two more including a 4lb fish and a 25” pike. Good night to be out and on the water, almost to myself on 2000 acres. 
 

thanks

rick
 

[BrianMDTX]

12 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Yeah when use fresh new Fatika, hookset always cumbersome but will get better and better after the first couple fish. I use 4/0 Gamakatsu EWG and always enlarge the hook point hole a little, just enough for hook to move freely and I hardly ever skin hook Fatika.

 

I normally use a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG. I also do not Texpose them, as the “fatness” of that bait seems to leave the hook point laying flush to the surface of the bait and relatively weedless. 
 

The great thing (well, two) about the Fat IKA is that it has enough weight to rig weightless (but still casts far), and you can rig it tentacles forward or rearward (sometimes one orientation gets ignored while the other draws strikes). Not many soft plastics are that versatile. 

[J._Bricker]

I was able to put in a few days on the water, early morning bite was the ticket. The majority of the better fish for me averaged 3lbs on bladed jigs, senkos, including a 5.1lber on a plopper.

[PhishLI]

17 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Ika has been a summer go to for me for several years but always had trouble with hooksets. How's your %'s? Any tips appreciated.

Take a look at this rigging. I don't miss many fish that bite it since I figured this one out. I do bend this particular hook slightly towards the eye, swap out the stock spring lock for the Large Owner CPS, then add a glass rattle. The L CPS won't core out the bait easily like the stock one does, even after several fish, and the glass rattle adds a little attractant.

 

[The Bassman]

3 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Take a look at this rigging. I don't miss many fish that bite it since I figured this one out. I do bend this particular hook slightly towards the eye, swap out the stock spring lock for the Large Owner CPS, then add a glass rattle. The L CPS won't core out the bait easily like the stock one does, even after several fish, and the glass rattle adds a little attractant.

 

Thanks for the tip. I use the same screw locks for the same reason. My problem might be that I slightly bend the hook away from the eye, the reasoning being that it will clear the dense body of the lure better but causing me to mess up the penetration angle. I also take my scissors and cut a piece of the body away under the hook point. Lately, I've been fishing a wacky worm instead and doing great anyway.  Good info Phish.

[hokiehunter373]

Went out last night like 5:30-7 with the kids.  Roboworm was the only thing catching bass again.  Saw another giant that wasn't interested in anything other than coming up once every few mins to check a bed before returning to the deeps.  My kids were fishing for bluegills and if a bluegill would pull on the worm, she'd attack the bobber on the surface.  That was the only time she was interested in anything.  Anyway, caught a handful.  The best was about 2 pounds that got the kids pretty fired up haha:

 

 

Caught this smaller one with a spot on him which I don't see too much around here

 

 

Managed to drive away with my kids lunch box and water bottle sitting on the bumper.  Went back this morning to look for them and was greeted by this.  Just wow.  Need to fish more mornings.

 

[ErieCan]

Not a bass post as our season isn't open yet. But I've been Pike fishing a bit this spring.  Many fish boated, this is the biggest so far. Just under 8lbs.  I haven't been able to get out the where the 15+lb pike hang out. It's a 50 minute run through partly open Lake Erie. Need the right wind. 

 

Also, the Gar Pike were spawning. Hundreds of them along the shore line rocks. 

 

[GreenPig]

Fished this morning from 3am - 11am and caught 4 LM( biggest two went 4.75 & 4.50) and 5 Spots. 2 x Wake Bull, 2 x D & M Slow Roller buzzbait, and 5 x Z - Man SMH Worm. 

[throttleplate]

1 minute ago, GreenPig said:

Fished this morning from 3am - 11am and caught 4 LM( biggest two went 4.75 & 4.50) and 5 Spots. 2 x Bull Shad, 2 x D & M Slow Roller buzzbait, and 5 x Z - Man SMH Worm. 

at 3am i was having a dream where i was working for a  cartel gangs chop shop loading chopped parts into a truck and found they had stolen My winshield.

[lo n slo]

me and my son hit Lake Norman early this morning. it had already hit 86 degrees by the time we put it on the trailer at 11:00.

[Bird]

Caught everything today on Spinnerbaits and Keitech 3" easy shiners.

And of course my buddy with a cigarette, what's new. 

[king fisher]

     I fished Tepic this weekend.  I was hoping to crush them like last year at this time, but fishing was tough.  I left the house at 3:00 AM., on the water at daylight.  Afternoon winds, started before noon, and were strong.  35 MPH gusts.  I fished until dark, only landed 5 small bass.  Lost way pounds in tackle, than pounds of bass landed. The wind didn't let up enough to set my tent up until 11:30 PM.  Long day.

      Started fishing at daylight.  Managed to land two 3 pounders, and this 5.5 pound bass before the wind picked up.  Wind started early and I decided to leave at noon.  Water is much higher than last year, and the bass are not on my favorite humps and ridges.  I like to catch them schooled up on structure, throwing crankbaits this time of year. The bass don't care what I like, they only care about what they like.  They like barbed wire fences that lead from the shallows to deeper water.  The Bait Monkey also likes underwater fences.  It was quite a challenge trying to get a bass off the bottom wire on a fence in 7 feet of water with the wind blowing 30 MPH while not breaking a rod, or flipping the kayak.  A few years ago I flipped my kayak while trying to unsnag a lure off of a fence in strong winds and waves.  I bumped a post I didn't see that was barely under the water.  Over I went along with lots of gear.  I guess you can say I'm a slow learner, but luckily this time I only lost lures the traditional way, one at a time.         

       Long two days, but I did manage to catch a few bass.  Can't wait to go again.  

[Jmurphy87]

Nothing special really, 1 fish 2.64lbs caught on a jerk bait in the Kalamazoo river in allegan at jaycee park. Funny thing is that a little bit over a year ago I caught a nice smallie out of here. I struggle to catch much here at this location. Was a fun fight on a medium light casting rod with only a maximum of 8lbs of drag, it tried to run up into a channel and got my line hung under the bank lol. I got the fish though ?

[Will Wetline]

It was a cool, bright, windy morning. I was hopeful that there would be a good number of smallmouth cruising the flats but it was slow going. The season is at least a week late in Western Massachusetts.

 

 

The first smallmouth came on a 3/32 oz. mushroom-headed marabou jig, my go-to bait this slow season.

 

Putting soft plastic into play, the second smallie took a Z-Man TicklerZ on, again, a 3/32 oz. mushroom head. Next, after some length of time playing a decent fish that hugged the bottom, my knot failed leaving this fish with a Duo Realis Spin Bait 80 in its jaw. Gave myself 40 lashes with a 7" Senko for this bit of carelessness.

 

 

 

In an area with 61.7º water, I found a bit more activity but not what's usual for mid-May. Next week will be better . . . 

[Jmurphy87]

Caught some fish today, definitely nothing special by far. Had maybe a hour after grabbing dinner for the family. 1 tiny bass

2 tiny crappie 

1 tiny but chunky rock bass

jerk bait for everything but the rock bass, that came on a 1/32 black hair jig.

[lunkerboss923]

It was a calm morning, partly cloudy, slight chop. It has been years since I've tried a buzzbait, so it was perfect conditions. No kidding, the first cast, I missed her. The next cast in the same area the lure didn't even have time to surface. The fish just smoked it. The buzzbait was a Strike King black skirt clacker with a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw trailer. There is nothing more exciting than a topwater strike, it's so violent and deliberate! The next one was on a 6th Sense 70x Trap in Lava Truese, just ripping grass with 12lb mono and Champion XP 685CB and Shimano SLX MGL 70HG. This was very unconventional setup, but it worked. I typically use this for poppers, but since it was designed for treble hook lures, I figured this couldn't hurt. I actually the feel of it. Shorter crankin rods are very fun to use and they give more control. I'm thinking about trying spooks on it, to see what that's all about. At any rate, great morning and productive. As I write this, we are in the middle of a monsoon. Fishing won't be on the agenda this morning. Tight lines folks! 

 

[PhishLI]

4 hours ago, lunkerboss923 said:

Tight lines folks! 

Oh. I see @LrgmouthShad lent you the "How to smile for selfies" DVD that @TnRiver46 sent him.?

[LrgmouthShad]

7 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Oh. I see @LrgmouthShad lent you the "How to smile for selfies" DVD that @TnRiver46 sent him.?

LOL! ??
 

Headed South, leaving NY for good right now. Hope to send some more fish selfies for you to enjoy in a few days. Can’t leave you without seeing my pearly whites for too long! 

[TnRiver46]

15 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Oh. I see @LrgmouthShad lent you the "How to smile for selfies" DVD that @TnRiver46 sent him.?

Hahahaha. Fishing is happy time!!!

[PhishLI]

11 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Hope to send some more fish selfies for you

I tried it just once, and that was the last time. Forever. Beauty of a 24 1/2" bass. First shot from straight on looked like one of those eerie dead-eyed civil war portraits, and only half of the fish. The second, with camera at a lower angle, cut off part of the fish's tail, my smile could've been mistaken for pain, I had a piece of broccoli between my teeth, a booger in my left nostril, and my god I'm getting a double chin. And that's all she wrote.

[DinkDreams]

Went out this morning spur of the moment, was up and saw it was cloudy with some wind so I figured perfect conditions. Went out to the pond and caught about a dozen on the new Cavitron buzzbait I picked up. Nothing substantial size wise but a fun couple hours of topwater fishing. Only gripe is it seems like the Cavitrons get all bent up if you so much as look at them weird. But they catch the hell out of fish.

 

The buzzbait bite died shortly thereafter and I was throwing a swim jig around and had the worst backlash of my life. Nothing like respooling a reel on the bank.

[scaleface]

Just finished a Table Rock vacation . Caught keeper largemouth , smallmouth and spots . This is the biggest of the trip . 3.5 lb smallie caught 7 foot deep , main lake point with a Fat Gitzit .

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

Just finished a Table Rock vacation . Caught keeper largemouth , smallmouth and spots . This is the biggest of the trip . 3.5 lb smallie caught 7 foot deep , main lake point with a Fat Gitzit .

Yes sir 

[NYWayfarer]

Conditions were perfect for a popper this morning. Dead calm, 66 degrees overcast with a bit of fog. The popper of choice was the Storm Rattlin’ Chug Bug. Picked one up at Walmart yesterday for $6.99 Target species on the river was Smallmouth Bass.

 

 

Target species acquired

 

 

Also caught some Chain Pickerel. Including one over 2 and a half pounds that was a wild ride. Three peeling drag runs before I could land him.