Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Swamp Girl]

40 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I always feel like I'm there when I read his yak tourney stories.

 

Me too.

 

Wait, if three of us are in his kayak, it might be getting a little tight for Clayton to cast well.

 

41 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I find the kayak bass fishing tournament scene to be very facsinating in general.

 

Agreed. As a fellow little boat angler, they're my kin. 

[gim]

3 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Agreed. As a fellow little boat angler, they're my kin. 

 

I feel there's just a lot more strategy involved when you can't haul ass at 70 mph up the lake to the next spot.  Plus I'm in favor of the immediate catch and release (length) scoring that all of them do.

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

 

I feel there's just a lot more strategy involved when you can't haul ass at 70 mph up the lake to the next spot.  Plus I'm in favor of the immediate catch and release (length) scoring that all of them do.

 

I like the catch-and-release approach to kayaking. I used to watch one YouTube channel until I saw the angler killing smallmouth in Maine by overstuffing his live well for a tournament. 

[Bluebasser86]

Tuesday I met up with my good buddy Jon  for an evening boat buddy tournament. Fishing is historically very difficult there, not unusual for a single 2lb fish to win, and he’d told me it was holding up to its reputation recently. Not expecting much, the lake held its own for the first hour, producing only 4 small fish that were well short of the 15” minimum. I was starting to feel like we’d be lucky to get a keeper as we ran to a new spot when we noticed that our favorite area had opened up, so we headed back to it. The usual stretch didn’t produce, but as we fished up the other side, Jon slowly leaned back into his bladed jig rod and what he thought was grass, started pulling back. I was ready with the net and we quickly had a very solid keeper in the box. I hopped into the back and went to make a cast when on his very next cast, Jon leaned into another one. Almost an exact replica of the first, things we’re looking up quickly. We decided this was our home for the remaining couple hours and started picking it apart. I caught a just barely short on a frog before we went across the cove and started worked back to where we had originally pulled into the cove at. As we did, we both noticed a sizeable wake pushing bait along the shallow grass line. I switched my bladed jig from green pumpkin to my favorite all blue as the sunlight faded and we neared the hunting fish. We were really working that area when a fish stopped my bait as hard as one has in a while. It wanted to jump bad but I buried the rod long enough for Jon to get the net and we put a third in the box. In the last 10 minutes, we were fishing through where Jon caught his keepers when my bladed jig got smacked again. I saw a flash and it looked small so I called Jon off with the net. When I swung it in, it was obvious I shouldn’t have and the board made it more clear when it stretched over the line. We had a good laugh about it as we headed for the ramp. Of the 13 boats, only 5 other fish were weighed and only one boat had 2 fish for 4.5 pounds. Our 4 were good for almost 9 pounds and the win!

 

[Swamp Girl]

Clayton!!!

[Bluebasser86]

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Clayton!!!

It was a good week. I took the family for a few hours Sunday and caught a bunch of smallmouth too.

[Swamp Girl]

I'd like Clayton to buy me a lottery ticket. He's on a streak. 

 

I went to my pond for 90 minutes this evening, just grabbed a couple rods for a quick session. I caught fourteen, but forgot my camera, so I took a couple photos with my cell phone. The evening light was gorgeous and the bass, like so many Maine bass, refused to pose for their photos. They just never stop fighting.

 

 

[Team9nine]

One last trip before the 90-100 degree heat returns this coming week. That will keep me off the water for a while. A mixed bag of fish that included a pair of keeper bass, including one good one. This fish was strong - couldn’t turn it or stop it. Figured it might be a big cat. Ran right out into a large fallen tree and wrapped me up. I get over to it, a little see-saw action, then nothing…then something…then nothing again. After about 60 seconds of stalemate, she somehow comes back out and free, and she’s big and green 😎

 

[The Baron]

On 8/23/2024 at 12:17 PM, ol'crickety said:

I don't watch or participate in tourneys, but I sure love reading Clayton's exciting accounts. 

For sure @Bluebasser86 writes a good update.👍🏻

 

but I’ve got the same thought on tournaments.  That said, my son wants to fish a tournament so maybe I will someday just to say I have.  Maybe if I do that with no plans to win and just enjoy the experience, it will be fun.  But it could end up like my sporting clays career - tried one tournament just to see what it was like, zero expectations and I shot very well.  So then thought I’m good at this and as soon as I thought I’d get serious, that’s about when both engines caught fire and my tail fin fell off… ✈️ 🔥 😆

 

@Aaron_H My chatterbait setup uses copoly line and a MH/mod crankbait rod.  I’ve had great success landing with with that setup. 👍🏻  Crazy to say you lost maybe a 6# but it wasn’t one of the really big ones - a 6# up here would be the fish of the season, if not my life.  🤪

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, The Baron said:

Crazy to say you lost maybe a 6# but it wasn’t one of the really big ones - a 6# up here would be the fish of the season, if not my life.

 

I often remember the In-Fisherman Master Angler chart, which is really a latitude equivalency chart, when it comes to LMBs. On that chart, a 6.5-pound Northern Strain LMB is equivalent to a 10-pound Southern LMB. For an Ontarian like you, I'd stretch the difference a little more and suggest that a 6-pounder in Kingston would be equivalent to a 10-pounder in Orlando, a 10.5-pounder in the Everglades, and perhaps an 11-pounder in Lake Baccarac, as you have serious winters.

 

I'm actually a little bit north of you, so I'd apply the same equivalencies to my bass, as I've a moderating ocean. You, of course, have Lake Ontario, which would also moderate your lows, but our bass still go through low metabolism stretches that last for months where they're barely feeding and growing. Of course, genetics also prevent northern bass from peaking much beyond ten pounds.  

 

What's interesting about the chart is that there is no difference between southern and northern smallmouth. A six-pounder caught in the north equals a six-pounder caught in the south. They're equally rare.

 

In the last three years, I've caught multiple 6+-pounders and especially in 2023 when I focused on the bogs. Here are some of them, all weighed or measured. Note that they're bass with bellies, except for the first one, and all have hunchbacks. For comparison, the first bass, which is the skinny one, weighed 6.54-pounds. The third and fourth fish are silly fat. I caught another two that were six and three-quarters in 2023 and a bass in 2024 that was longer and fatter than any of these, but 2024 has been more about quantity than quality simply because the quantity ponds are easier to reach, which matters because I turn 68 this month*:

 

 

The quantity ponds are also great fun and full of four and five-pounders, like this gal caught this week:

 

[Aaron_H]

6 hours ago, The Baron said:

 

@Aaron_H My chatterbait setup uses copoly line and a MH/mod crankbait rod.  I’ve had great success landing with with that setup. 👍🏻  Crazy to say you lost maybe a 6# but it wasn’t one of the really big ones - a 6# up here would be the fish of the season, if not my life.  🤪

 

Our Florida bass have a very long growing season compared to O Canada, like @ol'crickety said a 6lber in your waters will be a much rarer, much older fish than the same weight this far south.

 

But yes, there are some true giants in this pond. It's not the same one I caught my DDs in, but my longest bass ever (pushing 28" or so) came from here. Sadly I caught her in the middle of June with no belly so she went 8lb 9oz, I dream of catching her in prespawn. Her head was so big I was able to comfortably fit both fists in her mouth, and her shoulders were so thick I couldn't get my hand around her.

 

I had to hold her back away from me just to get her all the way in the photo. For reference, I am 6'3" and my forearm from where my wrist is bent to the point of my elbow is 11.5". She was a big, healthy girl.

[Swamp Girl]

4 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

 

Our Florida bass have a very long growing season compared to O Canada, like @ol'crickety said a 6lber in your waters will be a much rarer, much older fish than the same weight this far south.

 

But yes, there are some true giants in this pond. It's not the same one I caught my DDs in, but my longest bass ever (pushing 28" or so) came from here. Sadly I caught her in the middle of June with no belly so she went 8lb 9oz, I dream of catching her in prespawn. Her head was so big I was able to comfortably fit both fists in her mouth, and her shoulders were so thick I couldn't get my hand around her.

 

I had to hold her back away from me just to get her all the way in the photo. For reference, I am 6'3" and my forearm from where my wrist is bent to the point of my elbow is 11.5". She was a big, healthy girl.

 

You could stash a dachshund puppy or two in her mouth! It's been my experience that Maine bass don't grow to be 28" long or anything near that. They do grow guts and shoulders though. 

[Peacedivision]

One senko fish from the bank today, only had about 15 minute of moving water before the slack tide.

Also managed to land my PB seagull this morning while striper fishing, didn't get a hook in it thankfully but had to crush a jighead barb to get it out of his feathers.

[Functional]

At the inlaws this weekend and catching everything but bass. Did some night fishing and caught this nice sunset. Then this morning had a really good hook up and suddenly went light. Thought I broke off but I had 40# braid. Turns out I broke the hook on a dirty jigs swim jig. No rust... no idea what happened and although it had a lot of weight I can't see any bass breaking a hook. 

 

[Woody B]

I picked the wrong landing this morning.  I got there around 5:45.  A club tournament with ~25 boats was blasting off at 6 so I just waited until they were gone.  I didn't want to get ran over.  I have a pretty good day after getting started.  I caught 11 Bass,  7 Spots and 4 Largemouth.   The biggest Largemouth was 17 inches (pictured).  1 Spot was 18" and another was 19" .  (biggest, caught on my last cast at 9:58 is pictured)   I also shook off a couple Cats beside the boat.   

[Aaron_H]

You think she wanted it? Biggest of the evening went 3.73lb. Most of the fish I've been catching seem to be starting to bulk up on shad, this one was still a very skinny summer bass. Gave me a spirited fight, though. Chatterbait setup working as intended so far.

[RichF]

Got to sneak into a couple team derbies during our recent visit back home to NNY with my old man and we hit a couple home runs! Won both by over 3lbs and on lakes we don’t have a ton of history on (and no pre practice). 17.66 and 22.7lbs! Gotta emphasize the equipment in this day and age:

- 2014 Nitro Z7 w/ 150hp

- single power pole

- 9in Lowrance Elite at console

- no bow graph

- 80thrust Fortrex

- blown aerator pump (had to hand fill the well and use recirc/stand alone oxygenators (no fish died)

- top speed 51mph, had to lay on front deck to get on plane with a full livewell and half tank of gas

 

It’s super fun to beat guys running $80k boats with all the bells and whistles!

 

 

[TnRiver46]

Made it a point to do some wilderness fishing only accessible swim/wade  this time of year . A brief 45 minute hike 2 miles downstream of the car and we hit the water.  We ended up with 45-47 fish between the 3 of us and a couple fairly nice ones including what I think was a meanmouth. Also got lots of smallies , a largemouth, some rock bass , redbreast sunfish and green sunfish . 

 

 

 

 

[Rockhopper]

Only 4 dinks today in 4 hours. Tried a bunch of new techniques though. And my new curado mgl 151 6.2 is amazeballs.

[A-Jay]

28 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

Only 4 dinks today in 4 hours. Tried a bunch of new techniques though. And my new curado mgl 151 6.2 is amazeballs.

Glad they're not in the picture.

😎

A-Jay

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

You think she wanted it? Biggest of the evening went 3.73lb. Most of the fish I've been catching seem to be starting to bulk up on shad, this one was still a very skinny summer bass. Gave me a spirited fight, though. Chatterbait setup working as intended so far.

After I switched to a mod fast rod and braid for chatterbaits, hooking them like that became the norm rather than the exception. I lose far fewer fish on them than I used to.

[Swamp Girl]

@TnRiver46: That's beyond fishing. That's adventure!

[LrgmouthShad]

Mom visited TX for work. For weeks before coming, she talked about fishing Stillhouse with me while she was here. So we went out in the yaks and she got a nice bass that weighed 3lbs even. That is her first TX fish. And of course she boat flipped it on a spinning rod like she always does 😂. 

Me: 🦨

 

We were around some schooling fish in the morning but we could not get them to eat our topwater. They were too focused on the shad balls I guess. Later in the day I found some patches of hydrilla using my electronics and that was a big deal. There were some big fish hanging around the stuff in 10-16ft. They did not like anything in the small collection of stuff I brought. Mom’s fish was off the marina which can be a reliable place to fish. Ate her weighted senko about halfway to the bottom. 

[gim]

12 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

some rock bass

Thank you for not posting photos of these fake bass.

[Susky River Rat]