Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Swamp Girl]

Way to go, Alex from GA! You look so happy and that makes me happy!

 

I fished this morning and caught nine fish, but five were pickerel and two of the bass were bitsy. I did catch a 17.5" and 17.75 bass, one just under three pounds and the other just over. I keep thinking I'm going to enjoy a 35 bass outing, but it hasn't happened yet in 2023. However, I am so spoiled. As a kid, I never once caught fish equal to either of the bass I caught this morning. 

 

I caught eight fish on a Whopper Plopper and one on a wakebait. I also used a Rage Swimmer, Senko, chatterbait jig, lipless crankbait, and swimbait, but couldn't buy a bite below the surface. 

[galyonj]

21 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

There is just such a visceral reaction for me when seeing a snake, creeps me out big time lol.

 

You should meet Julius Squeezer. He's pretty chill.

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

6 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

You should meet Julius Squeezer. He's pretty chill.

 

Oh wow, now that's a beautiful snake.

 

I watched a buddy feed his pet snake a rat.....we were sitting around drinking beers just watching this tank for like an hour, and then WHAM, zero to 100% violence in like a nanosecond.    I finally got a bit better around snakes after getting into landscaping last year.   Never realized how many baby snakes were all around you if actually look for them.  

[galyonj]

SWMBO knows all about what kind of color morph he is and probably most of his DNA sequence, but I can't remember. He's some kind of fancypants ball python.

 

Astonishingly picky eater, but he's a good boy nonetheless.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Nice ones Katie and Alex!

 

I suspect your big number days come as it gets hotter and hotter, and your frog bite gets better and better.  

 

What your water temps, and depth?    Are you seeing concentrations of baitfish?

13 minutes ago, galyonj said:

SWMBO knows all about what kind of color morph he is and probably most of his DNA sequence, but I can't remember. He's some kind of fancypants ball python.

 

Astonishingly picky eater, but he's a good boy nonetheless.

He looks like a good boy alright ?

 

I was very surprised at how long it took my buddy's Python to eat the rat.   He said some will eat them dead already which is safer, but his wanted them alive.  

[Swamp Girl]

I was fishing one to eight feet of water, Alex. I hooked a nice one in about 18" of water, but there was a thicket of zombie wild rice reeds just below the surface that bass used the weeds to gain a second of slack and free itself. I'm not carrying my thermometer, but I'm guessing that the water is in the low fifties. I'm not seeing any baitfish, but clearly the Maine bass are eating well. I only caught one bass this spring that wasn't fat and even that bass, a 19" fish, wan't exactly skinny. 

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I was fishing one to eight feet of water, Alex. I hooked a nice one in about 18" of water, but there was a thicket of zombie wild rice reeds just below the surface that bass used the weeds to gain a second of slack and free itself. I'm not carrying my thermometer, but I'm guessing that the water is in the low fifties. I'm not seeing any baitfish, but clearly the Maine bass are eating well. I only caught one bass this spring that wasn't fat and even that bass, a 19" fish, wan't exactly skinny. 

I would have to guess baitfish = bluegill in a bog? 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

14 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I was fishing one to eight feet of water, Alex. I hooked a nice one in about 18" of water, but there was a thicket of zombie wild rice reeds just below the surface that bass used the weeds to gain a second of slack and free itself. I'm not carrying my thermometer, but I'm guessing that the water is in the low fifties. I'm not seeing any baitfish, but clearly the Maine bass are eating well. I only caught one bass this spring that wasn't fat and even that bass, a 19" fish, wan't exactly skinny. 

It's wild how different our fisheries fish.   Then again I didn't even throw topwater in the 50s, but I would have been stupefied if that was the only thing I could get them to eat at those water temps.  

 

As your water warms, I'm positive those numbers are going to skyrocket.   I remember in August you were having raw thumb days every trip out.  

 

 

16 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I would have to guess baitfish = bluegill in a bog? 

I think she fishes some places with Alewives, wonder if those guys do a "Shad spawn"

 

Katie would have destroyed the fish on my homelake the last three weeks with her crepuscular nature.....you had to get up at 4am to really get in on the Shad spawn bonanza here, and I'm not getting paid to fish ?

[PhishLI]

8 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I think she fishes some places with Alewives, wonder if those guys do a "Shad spawn"

My son in law was at an alewife lake on Saturday. Surface temps were between 67-70. The shoreline was boiling with alewife spawning. This lake has a natural inlet from the salt, so the numbers of alewives coming in is impressive. Osprey were divebombing and pulling out big alewives whenever a zone would erupt with activity. I've witnessed this myself in the past. It's something to see.

[Swamp Girl]

I think they're eating golden shiners and pumpkinseeds. I was casting sub-surface lures at least half the time and I too was amazed that they were only looking up this morning. 

 

Yeah, I think the numbers will increase, Alex. I've already decided that I'm fishing a quantity pond next. 

 

13 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

It's wild how different our fisheries fish. 

 

So true. Did you notice the landscape in kingfisher's amazing bass photos. It's a desert. So, he's catching bass in a desert and I'm catching bass in north woods swamps and Alex, you're catching bass on water ringed with mansions, and Phish is catching bass wading in ponds at night on New York City's de facto lawn. Their range is stunning. 

 

Thanks for this word, Alex: crepuscular, I did not know it.

3 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

My son in law was at an alewife lake on Saturday. Surface temps were between 67-70. The shoreline was boiling with alewife spawning. This lake has a natural inlet from the salt, so the numbers of alewives coming in is impressive. Osprey were divebombing and pulling out big alewives whenever a zone would erupt with activity. I've witnessed this myself in the past. It's something to see.

 

Man, I want to see ^this!^ I've seen gulls do that with white bass and saltwater striped bass and it's a blast!

[PhishLI]

43 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Man, I want to see ^this!^

Very soon for you.

Alewife (ct.gov)

 

Get one of these in Ginrin :Bull Nose – Livingston Lures

 

 

[keagbassr]

Got out this morning about730-12. Boated 6 bass, 1 on a buzzbait and 5 on a frog with the best of the day a 4-13 frog fish.

[ScottW]

14 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 

I have no idea if this is a small copperhead or a rat snake, but you better believe that was my last cast LOLOLOL.   

 

I always try to look for the head if possible (and safe). If it’s diamond shaped(poisonous ) I’ll back off immediately.

 

Went back down to the pond again around noon and caught two before the thunder chased me away. One on a 6th sense 50x crush in black n blue craw (pictured) and my first ever on a buzzbait with a blue/black goat trailer (no pic as I was on the phone at the moment). The one on the buzzbait blew it up right as it crossed a small fallen tree. Water is maybe a couple feet deep there. So I have a few on a whopper plopper and one on a buzzbait now for top water catches. ? The one caught with the square bill weighed just shy of 3lbs. Thinking things may be picking up with the warmer temps here. May try some night fishing to see if they’ll tend to hit more then.

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 minute ago, ScottW said:

I always try to look for the head if possible (and safe). If it’s diamond shaped(poisonous ) I’ll back off immediately.

 

Went back down to the pond again around noon and caught two before the thunder chased me away. One on a 6th sense 50x crush in black n blue craw (pictured) and my first ever on a buzzbait with a blue/black goat trailer (no pic as I was on the phone at the moment). The one on the buzzbait blew it up right as it crossed a small fallen tree. Water is maybe a couple feet deep there. So I have a few on a whopper plopper and one on a buzzbait now for top water catches. ? The one caught with the square bill weighed just shy of 3lbs. Thinking things may be picking up with the warmer temps here. May try some night fishing to see if they’ll tend to hit more then.

 

Nice one, all this rain is going to fire up the fish I think.   We desperately needed it.

 

We've got penny sized hail hitting right now.

[Swamp Girl]

3 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Very soon for you.

Alewife (ct.gov)

 

Get one of these in Ginrin :Bull Nose – Livingston Lures

 

 

 

Thanks, Phish. I need a lure that runs at 1' to 2'. 

[Jmurphy87]

I didn’t have to go to work today, wife had a biopsy scheduled for today. I got to go fishing after the hospital came out of lockdown and they took her back for the procedure. First cast caught the 2.16lb smallmouth again in a different spot this time. Cast up along the rocks with a 3/8 oz bullet weight and a jackal chunk craw 3.5 in black and blue. Working it back and felt the tap and set the hook and landed it. I wonder if it is the same one from Saturday. 
 

I then headed to the pond without my steel leader attached and caught the small large mouth on the same bait. I had a different hit and reeled down and swung hard. I heard the line snap like a gunshot and knew that I hooked a pike. I then tied on my leader and caught the tiny pike on a lipless crank popping it out of grass. It went dead after that. 
 

I think that they are getting wise to moving baits now and I seem to get more hits on slower presentations it seems, overall it was a good 2 hours in the end.

[Swamp Girl]

Way to go, Murph. I'm thinking a good thought for your wife.

 

Scott and keagbasser caught some beauties too!

[Jmurphy87]

2 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Way to go, Murph. I'm thinking a good thought for your wife.

 

Scott and keagbasser caught some beauties too!

Thank you, I greatly appreciate it. They definitely did get some nice ones that’s for sure. 

[Swamp Girl]

I admire you the way you fish, Murph. You're a scrapper. You don't have a $100,000 bass boat. You don't have Livescope. Heck, you don't even have a canoe or the freedom like I do to rise early and fish for four, straight hours, but you're still out there, catching fish, and having a blast. Go, Murph, go! 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, Jmurphy87 said:

I didn’t have to go to work today, wife had a biopsy scheduled for today. I got to go fishing after the hospital came out of lockdown and they took her back for the procedure. First cast caught the 2.16lb smallmouth again in a different spot this time. Cast up along the rocks with a 3/8 oz bullet weight and a jackal chunk craw 3.5 in black and blue. Working it back and felt the tap and set the hook and landed it. I wonder if it is the same one from Saturday. 
 

I then headed to the pond without my steel leader attached and caught the small large mouth on the same bait. I had a different hit and reeled down and swung hard. I heard the line snap like a gunshot and knew that I hooked a pike. I then tied on my leader and caught the tiny pike on a lipless crank popping it out of grass. It went dead after that. 
 

I think that they are getting wise to moving baits now and I seem to get more hits on slower presentations it seems, overall it was a good 2 hours in the end.

Sending a prayer for your wife friend!   Nice SM, wish I had them down here.  

[TnRiver46]

Hoping for the best with the biopsy @Jmurphy87 and nice fish you caught 

[Jmurphy87]

Thank you for all the prayers, good thoughts for my wife. We both are very grateful and thankful for all of your awesome support, thank you. I saved you guys from having to see the pictures of me in my boxers lol. I have not gotten new waders yet and am tired of my pants being soaking wet after I go in to get a lure back.

 

 I don’t know what happened but last year something clicked with me catching smallmouth, before that I never had luck catching them. As of lately the bigger largemouth have been hiding from me. I like the change and variety of new places that I am fishing though.

 

my grandpa was a big influence in getting me started with fishing as a kid and I miss him dearly. Although I feel like he is still right there with me when I am fishing all the time. I learned early to never give up and keep persevering and to learn from my mistakes and constantly improve. There is so much uncertainty in my life at this point with everything that is going on in my families life, but when I get the time I am going fishing to find my peace and pass on what I can to my wife and kids.

 

thanks again everyone it means the world to us ?

[Alex from GA]

Congratulations ol'crickety.  Keep catching.

[Bluebasser86]

Had 20 minutes before work to make a few cast and got one on the homemade mini bladed jig.

 

[Swamp Girl]

Thanks, @Alex from GA!

 

Great photo, @Bluebasser86. The colors are so vivid. It reminds me of the photography in Gray's Sporting Journal.