Super User T-Billy Posted January 7, 2024 Super User Posted January 7, 2024 31 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said: @T-Billy have you totally transitioned over to full time musky fishing? Pretty much since last August. I'm not done bass fishing by any means, but I'm finding muskie to be a whole nuther level of fun. Having a beast like this rocket up from the deep and smash your bait in the 8, literally at your feet, is HIGHLY addictive. 12 Quote
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted January 7, 2024 Super User Posted January 7, 2024 I understand! 😎 3 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 7, 2024 Super User Posted January 7, 2024 Thanks for the explanation, Tim. The details can matter, huh? I love the "Skunk Works" reference. Kelly Johnson is one of my heroes. I work with Lockheed Martin about once a year and am always thrilled when I do. I admire your fix too. Well done, Musky Man. 2 Quote
Super User T-Billy Posted January 7, 2024 Super User Posted January 7, 2024 Sometimes small details make a BIG difference. It was a super frustrating Nov/Dec for me. I was on fish. I was getting LOTS of follows, but getting bit was a struggle most days. I was having a multiple fish day here and there, just not consistently like last year. EVERYBODY is throwing rigs for muskie around here now after seeing my guide buddy's success last fall. I thought maybe that was causing the drop off in my success, but wasn't convinced because he had an epic fall on it again. Out of frustration, late in the day, on my last trip of 23, I put a 4.8 on a jig head, and the light bulb came on the instant I saw it on the first retrieve. I made a hand full of those jigs, and went right back to catching them, in 38 degree water. Small change equaled BIG effect in this case. Side note: My guide buddy and his clients boated exactly 400 muskie over 30" in 23. Talk about a "Hammer". The man is the definition of that term. 3 Quote
Super User AlabamaSpothunter Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 Wow friends, I'm truly honored to have such a group of hammers leave such awesome and kind comments!!!! I said it last year when I first started posting reports, but to be able to share such exciting and special moments with a group of friends is priceless as the majority of my family and friends simply don't understand why we love these fish so much. Today was another great day, and in terms of learning as an angler I believe it was one of the better days I've had. The main reason for this is after months of wanting to learn how to mid stroll, and playing around with it here and there with zero success, I finally learned what it's all about. Caught 36 fish, with the best 5 going 22.5lbs. A 5.5 was big fish (red Vault), 4.8 (mid strolled Drift Fry), and a 4.7 (Bucca Burrito) were weighed, and then another pair of 4lb+ fish rounded out the bag. 31/36 fish were caught on this 4" Jackall Drift Fry with a 1/8th Keitech tungsten super round jighead with 2/0 hook. All of those Drift Fry fish were caught on a single bait that still's gtg. I'd been wanting these things for months, and finally got my hands on them yesterday.....they exceeded my expectations! This is the super sneaky bait that Kyoya Fujita used with so much success on the Elites last year, and if you watch Milliken's stuff, he's uses them in some videos but won't ever name the bait. Tomorrow looks to be the last day in the streak of stable conditions, tom. night into Tues. we could get 2-3" of rain, and almost surely will be getting 40-50mph gusts and possible storms. I pray to the Bass Gods that it's not a heavy rain and doesn't blow out the water quality. 22 Quote
Super User MIbassyaker Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 Cool-looking bait! Is that a diving lip? 2 Quote
Super User AlabamaSpothunter Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 I agree, one of the cooler baits I've gotten in awhile. The lip makes it roll rather than dive. 2 1 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 I wonder if those rich people in their mansions ever look at their windows and see a guy in old V-hull landing lunker after lunker after lunker after lunker. Alex, I know you like baseball comparisons, so know your streak is reminding me of Reggie Jackson's five home runs in the 1977 world series. I remember the Sports Illustrated Cover titled "Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!" So, here's what I have to say about today: Alex! Alex! Alex! I like the Jackall. I've never seen a bait like it. I googled it and it looks like I'll have to order it from Japan. Is that right, Alex? 3 1 Quote
Super User AlabamaSpothunter Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 Haha Katie, you're replies never fail to make me giggle and smile. The nicer the house, the less I see the actual homeowners. They have armies of folks who keep up those properties. I did have a really nice couple come down one day and give me the phone numbers of a bunch of folks who lived on the lake because they were worried that I didn't seem concerned fishing in storms 😁 Yeah those Drift Frys are a JDM bait, but tackle stores in the US get them, they've just been sold out in Japan. My local store got them in the other day, posted the night before about them......I showed up a few hours after they opened, they were almost sold out already. If you can't find a pack before the fishing season, let me know and I'll send you a couple. 3 Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 8, 2024 Global Moderator Posted January 8, 2024 Sometimes it helps to be a little crazy…….. got the boat ramp and it started sleeting heavily. No big deal I’ll wait a bit, then it just starts pouring rain. 45 minutes later I finally launch in some decent weather but cold and windy. Had a good day for trophy fish, but they were unexpected participants. Caught some crappie largemouth and drum then something grabs a jigging spoon and just takes all my line. I thought I had some massive carp in the tail but after 20 minute fight it turned out to be a 24 lb 39” striped bass. What a battle, I got some of it on video. honorable mention was a monster shellcracker 29 Quote
Pat Brown Posted January 8, 2024 Posted January 8, 2024 WOW das a BIG ole striper there! Alex jeeze you're just unconsciously firing on all cylinders. Like Jordan in the 90s. Bass fear you! 😎🎣❄️ 2 1 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 Holy Mackerel, Batman, that's a huge striper! Now, to make you southern boys jealous: This morning, I rose, went outside, and cleared the driveway. Jelly? After all, snowblowing is so much fun and now that I put chains on my snowblower, I can even snowblow the woods if I want 'cause that sucker goes everywhere now. P. S. - Alex, I bought three packages of the 4" Jackall Drift Fry. 50 minutes ago, Pat Brown said: Like Jordan in the 90s. Hey, we're switching to basketball to describe Alex? I didn't get the memo, however Jordan in the 90s is apt. I wonder if Jordan talked to Mutombo like Alex talks to his bass, saying, "Stay down. Don't jump." 4 Quote
Blue Raider Bob Posted January 8, 2024 Posted January 8, 2024 On 1/6/2024 at 8:37 PM, ol'crickety said: The BR gang should rent some pontoon boats, follow Alex from a respectful distance, watch, and take notes. I'll bring my binoculars and I urge others to do the same. My "respectful distance" would the the other end of the boat! 2 4 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 53 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said: My "respectful distance" would the the other end of the boat! Then I'm joining you in Alex's bow. I'll bring popcorn if you bring Thin Mints. We'll probably do a couple standing ovations, so let's not spill the snacks when we do. 2 2 Quote
Pat Brown Posted January 8, 2024 Posted January 8, 2024 Id bring maybe a Carolina rig or a really big jig 😎😎😎🥷🏼🥷🏼🥷🏼 I reckon I could find 'my' fish in his boat over there. 1 2 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 Just now, Pat Brown said: Id bring maybe a Carolina rig or a really big jig 😎😎😎🥷🏼🥷🏼🥷🏼 I reckon I could find 'my' fish in his boat over there. At this rate, we'll be sinking his little boat pretty soon. 4 Quote
Pat Brown Posted January 8, 2024 Posted January 8, 2024 I just wanna be the slow methodical Starsky to his fast and swimmy Hutch! It ain't a big ask 🤣🤣🤣 2 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 @Pat Brown: Good thinking! We'll have to buy a new paint job for Alex's boat. Let's buy Alex the cherry too: 1 1 Quote
Super User N Florida Mike Posted January 8, 2024 Super User Posted January 8, 2024 Got a couple hours in before dark. Cloudy , windy, cool conditions. It was sprinkling rain off and on, so I stayed close to home. Worked hard for 3 bites on the speed worm. Caught 2 of them…Got this one up in a laydown. 23 Quote
Popular Post Woody B Posted January 8, 2024 Popular Post Posted January 8, 2024 I went for a couple hours this morning before the wind got bad. I didn't get big numbers, but I got big bass, at least by my standards. I left the landing and went to a deep rounded point. I saw shad, with some action on sonar so I deployed my trolling motor and caught a 3.2 pound Largemouth on my 3rd cast. This was 20 feet deep. I caught a couple small spots there then moved on. I was idling down a channel swing where the main channel is really close to the bank and right at the end of some docks. There was some shad at the end of the dock, and a dot on side scan under the dock. I deployed the trolling motor turned around and skipped a jig under the dock. A 5.04 pound Largemouth. My first 5 pounder of the year. It had eggs, but no real belly. 21 3/4" long but only 5.04 pounds. No more action around those docks so I went across a small cove to a rocky point. I picked up a 3.88 pound FAT spot right up against the bank. The wind was getting up, making it hard to cast, and I had stuff at home I needed to do so I called it a day. I'm off tomorrow but the forecast is for downpours and 30 mph winds. I'm considering a bait monkey BPS trip tomorrow. 30 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 9, 2024 Super User Posted January 9, 2024 With these big bass, both striped and largemouths being caught, I think Alex is contagious and he's evidently communicable through BR. 2 1 Quote
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted January 9, 2024 Global Moderator Posted January 9, 2024 Good uns @Woody B 2 Quote
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted January 9, 2024 Super User Posted January 9, 2024 @N Florida Mike hey, that’s my shirt 2 Quote
Super User AlabamaSpothunter Posted January 9, 2024 Super User Posted January 9, 2024 MOTHER OF GOD that was an epic fight @TnRiver46, I would have been a nervous wreck after the first minute. Congrats on a fish and memory you'll never forget. @Woody B My man! That's one heck of a day and using great skill to catch them. A true grinder like yourself earns every ounce of those slaunch donkeys. 1 1 Quote
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