Latest Catch Pics Thread

[LrgmouthShad]

19 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

rock structure if you have any.

There is rock and that’s where the bigger fish was sitting. There a bit of a change in bottom composition where the bottom gets much harder on the side of a point and there’s a rock pile out there

[MIbassyaker]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:24 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

My lake is a grass lake....

 

Did I hear somebody say "grass lake"?

 

[LrgmouthShad]

3 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

Did I hear somebody say "grass lake"?

 

Underspins were a huge deal on a grass lake I used to fish in NY. I never used em but they along with jerkbaits were a favorite among people who fished the lake. Thanks

[Swamp Girl]

37 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

Did I hear somebody say "grass lake"?

 

 

^This^ is one of my favorite lures. It can cut through all kinds of slop.

[Team9nine]

Fairly slow afternoon today with just 9 fish. Starting to see a lot of juvenile largemouth showing up in one particular pond. Thinking they got off a good spawn there this past year. 
 

 

[PhishLI]

This time last year we were melting under relentless heat, but we've been in a cool down for the past two weeks, even as low as the 60s during some overnights. Lack of any real rainfall has dropped the water levels quite a bit, but not as badly as last year when it was alarmingly low from the drought. Before the cool off high air temps had the water nearly hot, but it's dramatically lower now. I didn't bring my casting thermometer tonight, but I could easily feel the much colder temps through my waders. It's been pretty windy here too, so that aided in sucking the heat out. The milfoil patches I waded through which usually retain their heat were themselves even cooled down by a lot These shallow mill ponds where I often fish are so sensitive to changing conditions.

 

With rain forecast for tomorrow it's currently 72 and muggy. Moonrise is later every night by 45 minutes, so with clouds in the sky and relative darkness while I was out, I was hoping for some topwater action, but that wasn't the case. Other than one random skinny I landed running the Livingston Bullnose wake right against the shoreline, all of my other bites came from working small soft swimmers on the bottom, and with the much colder water temps pickerel are on the move again as evidenced by the tail-less or shredded swimmers I reeled in strike after strike. They're such jerks, but I've got Mend-It. One bass is better than none, so I'll take it.?‍♂️

[T-Billy]

7 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

There is rock and that’s where the bigger fish was sitting. There a bit of a change in bottom composition where the bottom gets much harder on the side of a point and there’s a rock pile out there

A chatterbait comes through rock very well, and when it does get hung I can usually free it. When fishing deeper rock with it, I like to let it hit bottom, then retrieve it by making a few turns of the handle and letting it fall back to the bottom on a tight line. I prefer this method over pulling it with the rod because I'm always in position to set the hook this way. Unlike a jig without that big metal blade, they often won't hold onto a CB very long.

 I used to fish those short arm spinnerbaits alot at night. I missed alot of fish because they would often hit the blade instead of the hook when slow rolling it close to the bottom. Hookup ratio was very good when running it high in the water colomn though. 

I'm with ya about fishing a chatterbait in wood. They don't come through it nearly as well as a spinnerbait. 

[Bluebasser86]

Caught a beaver bass before work this morning. 

 

 

 

[thediscochef]

18 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

It gave me a thrill. I am pretty sure that the fish thought my bait was a really large crawdad. There were a few bites I got where it would be a tick, and then nothing. Then I’d reel and set hook and there’d be nothing there. I’m pretty sure that was smaller fish trying to disarm the “crawdad.” This larger fish did none of that. It violently attacked and then started running. But when it spit the bait and I got it back, my bait was tore at the hook. So I think the big fish attacked and then was holding the jig by the “pinchers.” But the way that fish ran, it did it with authority. Maybe not PB, but big fish 

The only fishes I've had just slam a big craw like that were bass of 6# and up. Glad you got on one, hopefully you get it out next time.

 

I caught three LM about this size this morning on the 3/4oz red eye shad, and the 4lb blue cat pictured. Hanging out with the bumblebees. I then dropped my bluetooth earbud into the lake. I hope fish like the Oak Ridge Boys 

[Swamp Girl]

43 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Caught a beaver bass before work this morning. 

 

 

 

 

Okay, if a bass will hit a beaver lure, then a bass would love to hit a live beaver and Maine has plenty of beavers. I'm thinking a 30/0 hook and a beach ball for a bobber. 

[Pat Brown]

@ol'crickety I plan on investing some real time in that little under spin doohickey this winter time.  I just know it's a fish catching machine and I feel like when 'not much is going on' in terms of weather or fish activity, that sneaky little critter would get munched by even the pickiest of bass.

 

Do you like to burn them, steady reel em, stop n go??  Heavier or lighter?  I feel like there's a big population of LARGE bass at the upper portion of the Pressured Pond™ (where I tend to not fish as much...lower pond seems more hackable), that ONLY eats tiny shad things all year long and this presentation could be the key to getting one or two of them.

[The Baron]

I’ve been struggling last few outings.  Fished Saturday and Sunday, including a 4am alarm to launch at first light for almost nothing - even the early morning bite was poor. ?

Caught a couple on a white swimbait Saturday but one was a good smallie and he was gone on the first jump.   Sunday was dead slow for hours so I decided to (finally) learn how to flip.  Caught a 3# doing that yesterday - he sucked the Bandito Bug in on the fall and when I set the hook he took off like a rocket through the weeds past the bow of the boat for about 20ft. I thought I’d hooked a tank before I really leaned on him with the heavy rod and 50# braid to get him turned.  That one fish made my day.  More would have been nicer but everything on the “new” little bass boat is working 100% and I’ve got my health so I can’t complain about the slow days (writing that so I can reread it myself.  lol). 

[Swamp Girl]

One of my beloved bogs becomes harder and harder to fish. It's about five feet deep, so where you don't see weeds on the surface, they're just under the surface and the bass use those weeds to shuck my lures and those weeds keep rising leaving me with less and less straight water to play the bass. I did manage to catch 32 and here are few, but lawdy, lawdy, I lost a couple big ones. I'll lead with a pretty pic of the bog:

 

 

 

 

17 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

@ol'crickety I plan on investing some real time in that little under spin doohickey this winter time.  I just know it's a fish catching machine and I feel like when 'not much is going on' in terms of weather or fish activity, that sneaky little critter would get munched by even the pickiest of bass.

 

Do you like to burn them, steady reel em, stop n go??  Heavier or lighter?  I feel like there's a big population of LARGE bass at the upper portion of the Pressured Pond™ (where I tend to not fish as much...lower pond seems more hackable), that ONLY eats tiny shad things all year long and this presentation could be the key to getting one or two of them.

 

I fish them slow, fast, and even hop them on lily pads like one would a frog. There are days when it is THE LURE and days when its incredible action doesn't appeal to them. Be aware that some bass like to swallow it and carry it parallel to your boat, so if you see your line suddenly having a mind of its own and going off on a walk, set. the. hook!

 

Earlier this year, I caught 49 bass one day and it was with the paddletail with an under spin. I was chucking it into the smallest, shallowest openings and bass clobbered it, again and again. Last year, @T-Billy told me to chuck it into reeds and I did just that and landed a 4-pounder and lost another. In short, it's versitle. 

[MIbassyaker]

59 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

@ol'crickety I plan on investing some real time in that little under spin doohickey this winter time.  I just know it's a fish catching machine and I feel like when 'not much is going on' in terms of weather or fish activity, that sneaky little critter would get munched by even the pickiest of bass.

 

Do you like to burn them, steady reel em, stop n go??  Heavier or lighter?  I feel like there's a big population of LARGE bass at the upper portion of the Pressured Pond™ (where I tend to not fish as much...lower pond seems more hackable), that ONLY eats tiny shad things all year long and this presentation could be the key to getting one or two of them.

 

Absolutely experiment with speed, but generally Fall and spring I want them going as slow as possible that still keeps the tail and blade going. Otherwise, usually just a moderate speed with occasional brief pauses.

 

Sometimes they can be tricky to match hook to bait size.  The one in the pic is 1/4oz 5/0 Owner Flashy Swimmer with a 4.3 keitech, which seems about right. 

 

Bass in my waters bass are predominantly bluegill/sunfish/yellow perch eaters (no shad), so I like the gold blades, but the Owners are super-easy to swap between gold/silver or colorado/willow.

[Dominat0r]

Streak Day 62, battled the heat....OH My, said 101F in my car. I was able to get out for a little while and get my fish for the day. Just under 3lbs. Fishf or 8/7. 

 

Got it off a Z-man chatterbait witha zako trailer. Black/blue. 

 

[bp_fowler]

Managed to get a couple hours of fishing in between storms today.  Caught a few lil guys.

 

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, bp_fowler said:

Managed to get a couple hours of fishing in between storms today.  Caught a few lil guys.

 

 

Your bottom fish doesn't look like a little guy. It's got a sweet belly.

[bp_fowler]

@ol'crickety  that was the first one of the day and also the biggest of the bunch.  

[Team9nine]

On the backside of a low pressure system today. The rain ended by Noon, and the clouds were still thick, but the wind had already rotated to the NW, and the air temps stayed in the 70s. Numbers wise, it was a slightly above average trip, as I was able to catch 18 bass, but the size wasn't there except for one nice bass I hooked and had on for a good 15-20 seconds through several head shakes, but then lost him when he went airborne. Other than being disappointed, the first thing that popped into my mind was all the recent threads on how to help prevent losing bass when they do this, many of which I chimed in on, which made me chuckle to myself about the irony of the whole situation…and I caught another bullhead, which always makes me smile - lol. He even had “the mark of the heron,” which I thought was rather interesting. Lucky guy to survive both the bird and I ?

 

 

 

[Pat Brown]

It ain't much.  But it's my first fish ever on a buzzbait and at the Pressured Pond ™ no less.

 

Storm rolled through leaving clouds and wind.  Fished an hour after work.  Got 7 blow ups on the buzzbait and connected with this one.

 

My retrieves are 'keeping it just under the surface and gurgling it up occasionally by accident and keeping it just under the surface and then sorta slow plinking it with occasional squeaky acceleration flurries.  Seems all of these retrieves trigger bites.

 

I'm gonna be tossing this thing a lot more this fall as I know it's basically made for the fall.

 

 

Bizzbaits dinner bell with the old rage menace on the back.  Skirtless.

[Swamp Girl]

10 hours ago, Jonny15678 said:

Caught many Largies but all about the same size. This being the best of the day, nice way to end it as well. Caugh her on a 3/8oz black n blue Jackhammer paired with a 4.3inch Keitech swing impact FAT sungill swimbait.

 

Gorgeous bass with Drax the Destroyer shoulders, but let me warn you: Johnny Law is comin' for ya!

 

Your bass is even more impressive because you caught her from the shore. 

[Swamp Girl]

11 hours ago, Team9nine said:

one nice bass I hooked and had on for a good 15-20 seconds through several head shakes, but then lost him when he went airborne.

 

15-20 seconds is quite a fight. Sorry you lost her. I hate that feeling when they shuck the lure. 

[TnRiver46]

@Pat Brown, glad you got one on the buzzer! One of my all time favs but I use a white skirt and always keep it on the surface 

[Pat Brown]

17 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@Pat Brown, glad you got one on the buzzer! One of my all time favs but I use a white skirt and always keep it on the surface 

 

I got a white skirt one that doesn't clack that I do more surface oriented retrieval with right now but it doesn't seem to anger the fish as much at my pond.  I definitely will be mindful of rotating styles when they 'should be hitting a buzzbait' but aren't as I continue to expand my knowledge on the technique.  Had some solid hits this morning where I pulled it away in the darkness.  Seems like as with all topwaters, being momentarily patient right after the strike pays in dividends.

[gim]

10 hours ago, Jonny15678 said:

Caught many Largies but all about the same size. This being the best of the day, nice way to end it as well. Caugh her on a 3/8oz black n blue Jackhammer paired with a 4.3inch Keitech swing impact FAT sungill swimbait.

Hair Police has issued a citation here.  Clean it up Jonny. ✂️

 

Nice fish tho.