Latest Catch Pics Thread

[lunkerboss923]

I fish a small pond after work every day. For the last 4 or 5 years, I use a medium light 6'10" dropshot rod and have been using 3/32oz Owner Shakeyhead hooks. I use a Zoom Finesse Worm (a trick worm junior). I catch 8" to 12" dinks, but it's the most fun you can have. I'm catching 15-20 fish. The secret is red bug or green pumpkin purple. I don't know what it is with these two colors, but it just flat out catches 'em. More-so with the red bug, what is it with that color, I picked it up on accident, I was going for junebug but this red bug is even better. Does anyone have a theory on this color? 

[BassSteve]

My first 3 largemouth this year, I lost 2 trying to set the hook too early. only 1-2 pounds but still happy I pulled them in 😎

[NorcalBassin]

Had a short window to squeeze in another trip before our next series of storms and anticipated a lot of action... the fish apparently had other plans. 🫤

 

On a positive note, after a lot of casting practice with reaction baits I decided to tie on the new small hula grub from Yamamoto. Ended up catching a couple just before it was time to go and I'll definitely be spending more time with those this spring.

 

 

[BrianMDTX]

Only had time to fish until 11:00 this morning. Very breezy. I had two 3.5-4.0 lb. bass hit an AJ Special, and another smaller one hit a Yum Dinger TR, but lost all 3. I don’t think they ever got hooked but were mouthing the bait. 
 

Beached the boat and decided to take a few last casts with a Zoom Trick weightless TR. The second cast was a far one, and as the line sank it took off. Not big, but avoided the skunk! 
 

[LrgmouthShad]

2 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

Very breezy

You’re not kidding! I was out there today. Didn’t do any good. Battled some high curling waves by the afternoon

[Swamp Girl]

54 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

You’re not kidding! I was out there today. Didn’t do any good. Battled some high curling waves by the afternoon

 

That's 'cause you're too cool to back down.

[LrgmouthShad]

8 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

That's 'cause you're too cool to back down.

😆 Well, thanks. At a certain point since the fishing was bad, I just started trying to educate myself on how to deal with those type of conditions. It’s definitely fishable but less than comfortable and limiting.

[BrianMDTX]

3 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

You’re not kidding! I was out there today. Didn’t do any good. Battled some high curling waves by the afternoon

It’s one area where an inflatable does suffer. Although it did conserve battery power and I was making 5 kts easy!

[TnRiver46]

Had some time on the water this weekend, the smallmouth were biting 

 

Saturday: Got out in the kayak around 9. I had some nightcrawlers and had also saved some shad I’ve been catching on some random stops at creek mouths near home.  It was really windy so I had to get stuck up against rocks or trees to slow down enough to fish. Tossed one of the dead shad up against a deep rock cliff and it got hit hard, swing and miss. Rebait, same thing. This happened 4-5 times and I finally hooked it, a big ole smallie jumps and dives down into the tree I was up against. It finally swims free and tows me out to deep water. It got way down deep up against the cliff and got me wrapped up in something else. I tried to free it for 10 minutes paddling in circles around it in the waves, it was plum stuck. I finally had to break the line. After that I got a couple fish with nightcrawlers, one smallie in the 2 lb range and a spotted bass that I brought home to eat. 
 

 

Sunday: took my motor boat out with a couple buddies. Prior to fishing I went downtown to crackhead creek early this morning and netted about 100 threadfin shad for our excursion. It was 26 degrees my hands froze but they were worth it, smallies loved them. We started fishing around 10:30 and it took a while but Craig caught the first one, nice thick SMB.

I then hooked one that got stuck in a tree but it finally came loose, Rich captured the escape on film. I was using 33 lb braid and 12 lb  seaguar pounce leader, it held thru the ordeal. I had tied the leader knot yesterday in the kayak and forgot to check it today, still going strong 

 

The offshore action slowed so we hit some cliffs, I picked up a couple more 

 

 

went back offshore on the way to the truck and Rich got 2 19” fish within 10 minutes of each other 

 

 

fun times, good scenery, and of course the lucky loon wss

swimming around us 

[Swamp Girl]

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It was 26 degrees my hands froze

 

BRRRRRRRR! Tough guys catching big bass!!!

[TnRiver46]

@Swamp Girl, that was when I was catching shad near home  early this AM. It was up into the mid 30s by the time we got to the lake and was almost pleasant by afternoon 

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@Swamp Girl, that was when I was catching shad near home  early this AM. It was up into the mid 30s by the time we got to the lake and was almost pleasant by afternoon 

 

I stand by my post. I secretly took some footage of you warming up to cast the net for shad:

 

[Pat Brown]

A lil guy 

 

 

A big guy 

 

 

A sunset 

 

 

A happy family 😊

 

[Bluebasser86]

Went a little further south on Sunday to a small, cold water lake, another one of my usual winter lakes. It's very shallow with fairly clear water and lots of grass, which seems to be key for a good winter bite. I caught a couple off the dam on a crankbait, but it was obvious that the grass was obvious starting to grow. I was hoping that was going to be a good thing, but it was not. The bite was very sporadic, with long lulls in between bites and then a few spots that were loaded up with fish. I was hoping the flatsided crank and bladed jig would be working good, but they accounted for a total of 4 fish combined.

So basically, Ned ruled the day. The fish were mostly small, but a couple were better sized fish. I decided to give the Seaguar Pounce leader a real test, so I didn't retie all day. I caught 2 fish on a flatside, 2 on a bladed jig, 2 on a Money Badger, 1 on a Texas Rig, and 34 on my Ned rig with 8lb Pounce leader, without retying or breaking off once. I do swim my Ned a lot on this lake with the abundance of grass, but still the abrasion of the bass' teeth will wear through a leader that size after a while also. My biggest bass of the day was also in the end of a tree and rubbed on the limbs, and it still held up.

Then right as I was paddling up to the bank to end the day, I found a $20 bill floating right next to the shoreline.

[Blue Raider Bob]

On 3/1/2025 at 11:47 AM, lunkerboss923 said:

after work every day.

My theory is we need to swap jobs!

[Team9nine]

Finally got to change lakes to a much shallower, almost muddy water lake today with water temps in the low 50s (51-53). As I thought, I found active fish fairly shallow despite the lake being down 2-3 ft below normal. Was a nice change of pace from the past 2 months of fishing.

 

 

[Team9nine]

Returned to the mud today and expanded on the bite from Tues. Ended with a double limit caught on a mix of cranks and jigs in 51-53 deg. water. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Team9nine: Thick bass, buddy!

 

You are scoring and I'm living like Uncle Rico.

 

 

Here's why: I found about two feet of open water today. I kid you not, if coach had only given me a rod and reel, I would have cast at that patch of open water and I would have caught thick bass like yours! No question about it.

[FryDog62]

Shout out to @Siebert Outdoors. Until today I had ZERO confidence in red Chatterbaits. Ordered a couple recently and whattayouknow - 24 inch 7.35 pound LMB. “Hot Sauce” is my new favorite color

[Swamp Girl]

@FryDog62: Yee-haw! I'm so excited to use my @Siebert Outdoors's spinnerbaits too. 

 

It looks like you're tight to the shore, Mr. 62. Was she tight to the shore too?

[FryDog62]

22 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

@FryDog62: Yee-haw! I'm so excited to use my @Siebert Outdoors's spinnerbaits too. 

 

It looks like you're tight to the shore, Mr. 62. Was she tight to the shore too?

Just out from shore in 4-5 fow… 51 degree water temp pre-spawn.

 

It was a cluster of a time. Net got caught in a rod/lure behind me, went to net it and the entire rod/reel went in the drink. Still stuck on the net though, but I couldn’t get the fish scooped up. Fish then dove and the line got caught on a notch in my paddle.  Pulled that loose and I grabbed her jaw as the paddle floated away. Couldn’t get the camera in the cradle to take a photo. I heard a voice of someone that had floated up to me and watched the whole thing. He snapped a few shots from afar as I tried to unwind everything and release the fish. Doesn’t look like a 24 incher, picture doesn’t do it justice but I put it on the scale at 7.35.
 

I did not deserve that fish, I need a different net with a shorter handle in close quarters in a kayak, this has happened before where I lost the fish..  - - 

 

[Swamp Girl]

30 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

It was a cluster of a time.

 

Been there, done that.

 

I'm just glad you got to hold her!

 

31 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Just out from shore in 4-5 fow…

 

I catch so many of my bass at that depth close to shore. 

[Bankbeater]

I went out yesterday for about six hours.  Started off at a pond fishing with jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and lipless crankbaits.  Never got a bite.  After about three hours I headed over to pond #2.  I got my first bass of 2025 on my third cast with a creature bait on a free rig.