Latest Catch Pics Thread

[TnRiver46]

17 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Pat Brown made the same point last year, that a bass like her is harder to grow in Maine. 

I would have to disagree with that part if you compare it to Knoxville, TN. They don’t grow like that here 😂. 5 fish stingers of 14 lbs will win you the bassmaster classic and they will all be smallmouth. Regular catches of 4-6 lb LM are non existent, and catching 30-40 LM is very rare 

 

I think your bogs are clearly good habitat for growing big fat bass 

[Swamp Girl]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I would have to disagree with that part if you compare it to Knoxville, TN. They don’t grow like that here 😂. 5 fish stingers of 14 lbs will win you the bassmaster classic and they will all be smallmouth. Regular catches of 4-6 lb LM are non existent, and catching 30-40 LM is very rare 

 

Is that because of fishing pressure? Your growing season is long enough to grow them bigger. It's nearly late April and our nighttime lows are still in the thirties. Next week, there are a couple daytime highs forecast to only reach the low forties. So, summer is a long time coming when the North Atlantic is your neighbor.

 

Quote

5 fish stingers of 14 lbs will win you the bassmaster classic and they will all be smallmouth.

 

^This^ makes me concede your point. 14 pounds isn't much, not with all those skilled anglers fishing. 

[TnRiver46]

@ol'crickety, I think it’s because a massive river with no grass is not well suited for growing large numbers of big LM. Fishing pressure would mean they are still there, just not biting. They simply don’t exist. 
 

good example of this point is chickamauga and guntersville. Same river with a bunch of shallow backwaters full of grass, people catch 10 lbers. 
 

growing season doesn’t matter if the habitat is not present 

[Swamp Girl]

Got it. 

[TnRiver46]

Just a hypothesis, but sure seems that way 

[Swamp Girl]

It sounds right to me. Smallies and largies are very habitat specific. The lake where I bought property has smallmouth and largemouth. If I'm drifting over mud, which grows weeds, I'll catch largemouth. Then suddenly I'll be over rock and I catch smallmouth. It's amazing how they hold tightly to their preferred habitat. I don't catch smallies in weeds. I don't catch largies off rocky bottoms.

[Pat Brown]

Seems like in NC, the fish relate to whatever they got.  I feel like something else maybe at play on the TVA lakes/river system that accounts for the smaller fish.

 

I catch fish in hydrilla, muck weed, snot grass, wood, rock, sand, mud, dead leaves, pads...blue water, green water, orange water, brown water, black water, clear water.....it seems like if they got food, they figure it out.

[TnRiver46]

^yup! I can catch LM, SM, and spotted bass on consecutive casts to the same spot, they just want to eat 

[Swamp Girl]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I can catch LM, SM, and spotted bass on consecutive casts to the same spot

 

So different than here. Maine is like NYC a century ago, where the Italians had their hood and their Irish had theirs and everyone stayed put. 

[Fried Lemons]

4 and 3 from a quick shorebanging session. They’re already starting to look thin. This years spawn might be in trouble with how fast the lake is dropping. Seen one bed in like 6” of water that will be on dry land soon. If they refill the lake the beds will be 6’ under. 

 

 

[Woody B]

I know a guy who stayed out of work today and went fishing.   I.........I mean "he" caught 13 cookie cutter buck Bass.   First and last are pictured, which happens to be the smallest and largest.   I just couldn't find the Largemouth or even the bigger Spots.  Dolly (Yorkie) went with me.  I caught an 11.40 pound Blue cat on my 3rd cast.  (picture in other species thread)  She was really excited about it, but didn't care much about the Bass or Crappie (other species thread) I caught.   I bet I got 50 "taps" on moving baits with no hookups.  I suspect it was White Perch.  To me when they get schooled up hunting they look like Spots on sonar.   Water temperature was 69 last Sunday.  It's up to 73 now.   

 

[Pat Brown]

Good time of year to cull those buck spots to get the size up on your lake and for some tasty fish!  Sounds fun @Woody B!

[bp_fowler]

Between work & weather there was not much fishing to be had this week.

 

To make matter worse I managed to grenade my baitcasting reel earlier this weekend putting it out of commission, perhaps permanently.  
 

So when I was able to get away for a little while today I decided to take my cranking rod out for a test drive.  It had been sitting a corner collecting dust since I bought it earlier this year. 
 

I didn’t do too hot, but I got one and it’s kinda special for me since it’s my very first fish I’ve caught on a crankbait.

 

 

Also I finally saw a fish on a bed so that’s exciting as well.  I hope that means things will start picking up around here soon.

[PhishLI]

Hit a local spot super early for a change of pace. High winds and cold overnights have really chilled the shallows since last I was out, so it was no surprise that Pickeral were still on a rampage. Thought I hooked into a lunker bass when a big one nailed my fluke and fought like crazy. Its head was the size of my fist, and somehow its razor teeth didn't slice through my braid. Just after daybreak and just before I had to go, I landed a nice chunk, so I was able to go to work with a bounce in my step.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Awesome fish @PhishLI, love how dark she is.  

[Swamp Girl]

Beauty, @PhishLI. I've fought a few pickerel that fought as well as four-pound bass. Love that four-pounder! You work so hard to pull a beauty like that out of pounded ponds and employ your considerable craft. 

[Pat Brown]

Heck yeah @PhishLI super good to see your swamp photos with big dark fish showing up again!  🙂🎣

[Swamp Girl]

7 hours ago, Woody B said:

I know a guy who stayed out of work today and went fishing. 

 

I need to find ^this^ guy and pin a medal on him. 

[Brian11719]

Caught this little lady a few days ago on a sexy shad fluke in a pond that doesn't even have shad in it...

 

[LrgmouthShad]

@Brian11719 now there’s a Texan bass. Excellent work 👏🏻👏🏻

[Swamp Girl]

@Brian11719: Lady? Ja. Little? Nah!

[Dan N]

I realize it’s not the biggest bass, but 18” 

3 1/2 pounds is nice in Wisconsin. My best so far this spring!

[Swamp Girl]

@Dan N: If the day ever comes when I can't appreciate a 3.5 lb. bass, that means I'm dead so buy the coffin and say some prayers. She's a beauty, sweet and deep.

[BrianMDTX]

Slow day at the pond. Wanted to fish before the rain and cold front came through this afternoon (and it sure did). 
 

I started with a chatterbait and a jig-and-craw, even though they are not the best producers here. That stayed true today as well. I switched to a weightless TR with a Rage Bug. Had a couple light bites and then had a good strike. Just under 3 lbs. The Bug got torn so I switched to a Rage Craw, but the bite in that spot died. Tried a WR for a while with no bites but was noticing some action on the surface. So I tied on a Pop Max. I casted 3-4 times and something was hitting it every time but no hook-ups. The next cast I got a good hookset. What a bluegill! 
 

I later went back to the Rage Craw. I made a cast under some overhanging limbs and was working it back slowly, when the line just started moving sideways. Never felt or saw a bite, but the bait was moving. I set the hook and caught a bass about 1.5 lbs. Like a male moving it off the nest. That was it for the morning. 
 

@ol'crickety I finally remembered to take pics of where I casted when I caught the bass. You mentioned that last year and I always forget to do that. Glad I remembered today. The center of the pond pics is where I caught the two bass. Right up tight against the cover. 
 

[Woody B]

I've said on here several times that I'm pretty good and making a plan (that usually works) but when my plan doesn't work I usually struggle.   There's 2 clubs that were having tournaments out of the landing I normally use so I used a landing several miles down river a couple miles up a creek channel.   My plan was not a good plan since I didn't look at the weather forecast.   My "plan" was to launch then go up river a few miles.  I had what should have been a good "milk route" planned.  The problem was the fog.  (first picture)   I caught a 12 inch White Perch (pic soon to be in other species thread) near the landing in the fog.   I was frustrated by the fog, and my poor planning.  I found plenty of Bass, near the landing before the fog lifted but either couldn't make accurate casts, or couldn't keep them pinned.  After the fog cleared (still near the landing) I caught a couple Spots (14" and 16") then called it a day.  I need to get better with "plan B", and quit getting aggravated when plan A doesn't work.  When I'm aggravated it's not fun, and when I'm not having fun I can't execute.  Right now my tomorrow plan is to go back the the same landing I used today, and fish near the landing.   There's Bass there I just didn't catch them today.  Forecast includes some rain.  I'm cool with that as long as there's not lightening.