Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Swamp Girl]

3 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

Thanks for the empathy. That is the first bigger fish I’ve lost in … well I can’t remember when. I don’t think it was a pb, but you never know… It didn’t jump, just went bulldogging to the right, out into open water. Who knows, maybe the fish wouldn’t have bit at all if I would have stopped to re-tie. That’s what I’m telling myself but it’s not helping much… 
At least I had the right bait, at the right time, at the right place. So there’s that.

 

Mike, I don't know if you remember, but I lost three 19-inchers last summer in three consecutive casts. All three jumped. I had two right by my canoe. 19-inchers are big bass in long-winters Maine. They're rare. If I catch one on a trip, I feel lucky. It was an extraordinary event, so I remember exactly where I was and precisely where I cast. And I've studied the depth map more than once to wonder why three fish of that size were in that small area.

 

I'll likely never have that happen again, but then again, who knows, which sends me back out there, again and again, to match wits with these wonderful fish, just as your lost bass will send you back out there, again and again, and in the end, being on the water is better than being anywhere else, bass or no bass. 

 

3 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

It didn’t jump, just went bulldogging to the right, out into open water.

 

^That^ sounds like a bowfin. A long, drag-squealing run is their style. 

[Aaron_H]

On 2/1/2023 at 8:56 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

Best one so far for this year.

 

 

 

 

 

On 2/3/2023 at 8:50 AM, Pat Brown said:

Sorry about the image quality but I had to get it to where it would post!

 

Pre spawn 6 lber on the Siebert Outdoors Brush jig 1/2 oz in Sunfish with a Blue Shad Zoom big salty chunk on the back.

 

Caught her at 6 am in 1 FOW.  Hit it on the fall.

 

Happy pre spawn from NC!

 

You guys are killing me, I haven't even broken 3lb so far this year. Soon hopefully!

 

Congrats to you both, those are some gorgeous plus sized fish.

[Team9nine]

Another open water trip before the rain…different location. Managed 8 this afternoon, but quality was better as all were between 14”-17.” Lots of rain and wind in the forecast, but several more warm days after it clears, so looking like open water for the next week or two at least 

 

 

 

 

 

[GaryH]

6 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Another open water trip before the rain…different location. Managed 8 this afternoon, but quality was better as all were between 14”-17.” Lots of rain and wind in the forecast, but several more warm days after it clears, so looking like open water for the next week or two at least 

 

 

 

 

 

You are a machine. ?

[N Florida Mike]

6 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

That^ sounds like a bowfin. A long, drag-squealing run is their style. 

 It does , but Ive never seen one in my lake in 48 years. Some of my friends shot one once in the creek outflow.

We do have gars. 

Im 100% sure it was a bass. Even after that fish broke off, there was still activity on that weedline. But I couldn’t get another bite…

[GreenPig]

Today's big one

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

 

 

You guys are killing me, I haven't even broken 3lb so far this year. Soon hopefully!

 

Congrats to you both, those are some gorgeous plus sized fish.

You got big fish of thread since I joined in August brother, until that changes you aren't allowed to complain at all! ??

 

You'll blow past 3lbs by 2.5x before you know it, there be monsters swimming in those waters I tell ya.

32 minutes ago, GreenPig said:

Today's big one

That's a fat pretty toad for sure!  

[TnRiver46]

Stopped at a spot downtown on my way home from a delivery shift 

[DitchPanda]

30 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Stopped at a spot downtown on my way home from a delivery shift 

Dude your a dang white bass magnet

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, DitchPanda said:

Dude your a dang white bass magnet

It’s a good time of year to slay em! I saw some guys catching them faster than I was 

[DitchPanda]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s a good time of year to slay em! I saw some guys catching them faster than I was 

I'm jealous. I hit the local lake after work. Drilled thru 15+ inches of ice. Bet I popped 40 holes...never caught a fish.

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, DitchPanda said:

I'm jealous. I hit the local lake after work. Drilled thru 15+ inches of ice. Bet I popped 40 holes...never caught a fish.

I was about to leave Skunked and pretty much caught 4 in a row. I moved rocks I was standing on, either the angle was different or they just moved in after dark 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

10 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

I'm jealous. I hit the local lake after work. Drilled thru 15+ inches of ice. Bet I popped 40 holes...never caught a fish.

Much respect seriously!  All you can do is put in the work, the universe has to pay it off sometime......that's what I repeat over and over after days like today where I caught 1 little fish.     I also like to repeat...."eventually a big fish is just gonna run into your bait" ?

 

Drilling ice seems like digging holes down where I live in thick clay soil.....sucky ?

[Aaron_H]

3 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

You got big fish of thread since I joined in August brother, until that changes you aren't allowed to complain at all! ??

 

You'll blow past 3lbs by 2.5x before you know it, there be monsters swimming in those waters I tell ya.

 

Fingers crossed! I doubt I'll come close to last year but that doesn't mean I won't try. My best five went 45lb 6oz but I was very, very fortunate. Just hoping I can pattern a few good ones this year.

[Swamp Girl]

41 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

45lb 6oz

 

[DitchPanda]

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Much respect seriously!  All you can do is put in the work, the universe has to pay it off sometime......that's what I repeat over and over after days like today where I caught 1 little fish.     I also like to repeat...."eventually a big fish is just gonna run into your bait" ?

 

Drilling ice seems like digging holes down where I live in thick clay soil.....sucky ?

Well with the quality of equipment we have for ice fishing now its really not so bad

[Swamp Girl]

17 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Well with the quality of equipment we have for ice fishing now its really not so bad

 

I wouldn't be concerned about the quality of the equipment as much as the quality of my long underwear. I tried ice fishing once. It was like this:

 

[Blue Raider Bob]

23 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Mike, I don't know if you remember, but I lost three 19-inchers last summer in three consecutive casts. All three jumped. I had two right by my canoe. 19-inchers are big bass in long-winters Maine. They're rare. If I catch one on a trip, I feel lucky. It was an extraordinary event, so I remember exactly where I was and precisely where I cast. And I've studied the depth map more than once to wonder why three fish of that size were in that small area.

 

I'll likely never have that happen again, but then again, who knows, which sends me back out there, again and again, to match wits with these wonderful fish, just as your lost bass will send you back out there, again and again, and in the end, being on the water is better than being anywhere else, bass or no bass. 

 

 

^That^ sounds like a bowfin. A long, drag-squealing run is their style. 

Katy a 19" Smallie is a big fish anywhere! I have two so far this year. Back home in the swamps, we used to call Bowfins, "Grinnell".  Has anyone ever heard that usage? Don't know if it's regional or not. I've never seen one in the cleaner waters of middle Tennessee. They would crush spinnerbaits and bend the wire.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Katy a 19" Smallie is a big fish anywhere! I have two so far this year. Back home in the swamps, we used to call Bowfins, "Grinnell".  Has anyone ever heard that usage? Don't know if it's regional or not. I never seen one in the cleaner waters of middle Tennessee. They would crush spinnerbaits and bend the wire.

I’ve caught 2 grinnel in S Alabama 

[Swamp Girl]

22 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

23 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Katy a 19" Smallie is a big fish anywhere!

 

Yeah, that's why I keep replaying those three fish lost in a row. However, I'm upgrading my hooks for 2023, so hope springs eternal with stickier hooks.

[hokiehunter373]

13 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

 

Fingers crossed! I doubt I'll come close to last year but that doesn't mean I won't try. My best five went 45lb 6oz but I was very, very fortunate. Just hoping I can pattern a few good ones this year.

Soooo I'm about to be in Orlando for a week... lol

[Bluebasser86]

18 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Another open water trip before the rain…different location. Managed 8 this afternoon, but quality was better as all were between 14”-17.” Lots of rain and wind in the forecast, but several more warm days after it clears, so looking like open water for the next week or two at least 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope it's just rain for you guys, we had a few inches of heavy, wet snow come down really fast last night. No school for my kids today. It was only supposed to be rain for us also. 

[Team9nine]

15 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Hope it's just rain for you guys, we had a few inches of heavy, wet snow come down really fast last night. No school for my kids today. It was only supposed to be rain for us also. 

We usually get whatever you get, just a day or so later - lol - but fortunately not this time. Last of the storm line just cleared us with 50+ degree temps. Ended with 1.36” of rain, and now have 20-50 mph winds with temps falling the rest of the day…but that’s still better than snow ?

 

Hopefully it’s enough warm rain to buffer us from a pair of forecast hard freezes overnight this weekend. We get through those and we’re back to the 50s most of next week 

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Katy a 19" Smallie is a big fish anywhere! I have two so far this year. Back home in the swamps, we used to call Bowfins, "Grinnell".  Has anyone ever heard that usage? Don't know if it's regional or not. I've never seen one in the cleaner waters of middle Tennessee. They would crush spinnerbaits and bend the wire.

 

Yes I have heard them called Grinnell along with mud fish, bowfin, dogfish & swamp trout. 

[ScottW]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

We usually get whatever you get, just a day or so later - lol - but fortunately not this time. Last of the storm line just cleared us with 50+ degree temps. Ended with 1.36” of rain, and now have 20-50 mph winds with temps falling the rest of the day…but that’s still better than snow ?

 

Hopefully it’s enough warm rain to buffer us from a pair of forecast hard freezes overnight this weekend. We get through those and we’re back to the 50s most of next week 

Same here. Forecasters called for ‘light snow flurries’ last night so all the bread, milk and beer disappeared in minutes here. All we really got was some rain and it’s mostly cleared up now. Like you it’s dropping down to freezing this weekend so ‘supposedly’ some more yo-yo weather. ?

19 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Today's big one

Nice fish but don’t you have an Auburn University hat? ? 
 

*Scott hides behind @AlabamaSpothunter’s fish finder. No one will damage that to get to me! ?