Latest Catch Pics Thread

[roadwarrior]

[Biglittle8]

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Fished my second kayak tournament of the year Saturday. The wind was awful, and to make matters worse, the ramp where I wanted to launch was closed for repairs. So I had to launch 2.5 miles away, on the windy side of the lake, pedal across the waves, getting soaked by 60* water in the dark the whole 45 minutes, it was not fun and the wind only got stronger as the day went on. 

I started with a monster 9.5" smallmouth, along with a dozen or so 12+ inch crappie and was started to get a little concerned when an 18.25" smallmouth showed up to the party.

A disappointing drum, and several more crappie, were followed by another 18.25" smallmouth.

Shortly after this fish, I hooked another that looked to be larger than either of my bigger smallmouth, but I got in a hurry to stand and fight the fish and didn't keep the line tight enough, the fish spit my Ned rig back at me on the jump. Another disappointment, this time a channel cat, several more crappie, were eventually followed by a largemouth, smallmouth, and another largemouth that were all eventually culled, before I got a 15.5" largemouth on a spinnerbait, the only bite I had on it all day.

I worked over a bank thoroughly that I'd caught a few really nice smallmouth prefishing and came up empty. Switched to a tube and got bit immediately, but it turned out to be a 16.5" largemouth instead.

The entire time I was working one small cut, maybe 100 yards of shoreline total with 2 docks and a boat ramp. I think the fish spawn in it though and I also saw lots of shad flipping around. I worked it back and forth several times, switching baits each time and picking up small fish, crappie, and an occasionally drum. Finally, I pulled a 16.25" smallmouth off the boat ramp courtesy dock on a ned rigged 10,000 Fish Sukoshi bug.

This was about 10AM and my bite for quality fish just died after that. I had a pretty solid lead, but I had nothing else other than this spot, at all. I had a couple spots I'd done well in the past I thought maybe I could fish on my way back towards the ramp, but there was no way. I had waves rolling and crashing into my thigh on the way back in. I stayed as close to shore as I could and just held on tight. I should have just stayed and ground it out where I was protected instead of moving to the unknown. I found a little protected water near where I had launched, water I'd never fished before. I caught some small largemouth, nothing even close to helping. I've caught lots of fish off the boat ramp docks so I tried the one at the ramp I launched from right before taking out. Had a fish pick up my Ned rig and swim off slow. Set on a heavy fish that dogged me, no rolling and stupid catfish/drum moves. I had my cull, just needed to get her in the net. When that fish surfaced, there is no way to describe the disappointment. If I'd have lost it, I'd be telling you all now that I lost a 5lb bass that would have gave me the kicker I was searching for, instead I had to deal with this.

Being able to see everyone's scores is a different level of anxiety. I had a good lead all day, but losing that big one, and my bite drying up and having nothing to fall back on, had me nervous all day. I held big bass honors until the last 30 minutes, and 2 guys made good runs right at the end, but despite my less than perfect execution and not so great decision making, I got enough of the ones that counted on what turned out to be a really tough day on the water for the other 34 anglers.

 

Congratulations! That's 2 for 2 isn't it? (This year)

[Bluebasser86]

16 minutes ago, Biglittle8 said:

Congratulations! That's 2 for 2 isn't it? (This year)

Yes, ever actually. This is my first season fishing a kayak tournament circuit. 

[NHBull]

Not a big fan of the Ned rig but it's hard to deny the results.

[Bluebasser86]

Been on a consistent dink bite after work on the Shellcracker. This is by far the largest one I've got out of probably 20 the last few weeks. Usually get 1-4 in 30 minutes of spot hopping.

[TnRiver46]

tubin’

[TriStateBassin106]

Bite has been brutal but here is some the fish I got at the early part of May and Late April, also caught my first ever rock bass! 

[N Florida Mike]

Got out with a friend for a few hours on saturday. Bluebird skies, and started out windy. The only thing the fish seemed to want were yum dingers. 18 of the 20 fish were caught on them. i tried bigger fish baits off and on with no success at all, neither one of us caught anything over a pound and a half.

We really enjoyed being out there though. Beautiful day to be on the water!  

[hokiehunter373]

The wacky rig strikes again

[BrianMDTX]

Looks like a decent bass, hokie! 

[Biglittle8]

Couple more on Chatterbaits and jigs. I think I landed 7 on a Chatterbait. They were really hitting them in the steadily windy conditions. For about 10 minutes, the wind stopped and my jig was getting hit every cast as soon as it hit the water. Mostly small, but lost a real nice fish right at the bank.

[Alex from GA]

Threw a spinnerbait in a dock yesterday and thought I'd caught the lake record, not.  4.20 lb.

[Bluebasser86]

Made my first after work trip to one of the local lakes this morning, can't wait for my son to be out of school so I can go straight after work instead of waiting to take him first ?

Had a few swimbaits that I really wanted to try and get bit on, so I threw those a lot. I hadn't caught one yet on a swimbait from my kayak, but I had a skinny 17 incher fix that for me.

I had one more pop the Monster Jack without getting the hooks, and I stuck one for just a second on the Bull Shad glide that pulled off, but that was it other than a bunch of follows. It rained a lot for it not suppose to rain any too. I stayed way longer than I should have, picked a spot I wanted to fish to and quit. I was just about to it, fishing one of my homemade bladed jigs, when this fish ate it off my rod tip.

5.30lbs, probably would have eaten either of the swimbaits I had been throwing, but I'm glad she at least ate something I had tied on. 

[MIbassyaker]

The "Year of the 2-pounder" continues. A representative pair out of six this afternoon:

 

 

The only thing I could get bit on was a weightless Zoom Super fluke up shallow.  They wanted nothing that moved too much or fell too fast, and nothing on the bottom. 

 

Visibility in this lake goes to about about 12-15 feet, and I could see some massive roamers --likely females waiting to move up to spawn-- suspending at around 6-7 along the slope of a steep drop from 4 ft to 20.  I got one to follow a KVD jerkbait momentarily, but couldn't get it to commit, and otherwise nothing got their attention. 

 

[MIbassyaker]

On 5/8/2021 at 9:27 PM, PhishLI said:

Please share a link to the the air pump you use to inflate those smallies. TIA!

 

I believe this is the air pump:

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=713

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

I believe this is the air pump:

https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=713

Haha! Yep. When I was in northern Michigan the first thing I did was wade out into the water. Those little things were all around my toes everywhere I went, pretty wild 

[NYWayfarer]

First Largemouth Bass of 2021 for me. Can’t remember a year it took this long to get one. I was having too much fun Trout fishing I guess.

 

The Carolina rigged worm, dragged on the bottom was what they wanted. Got two today and a Pickerel 

 

[J._Bricker]

I had a really fun morning throwing a chatter- er a vibrating jig. The fish would knock a foot or two of slack in the line on the initial strike as opposed to stopping it in its tracks. I was able to put a 4.7lb, 3.9lb and a 3.7lber in the boat for some photos. And to think my first fish of the day was easily an inch shorter than the spook he decided to pick on....

[ABrugs]

1st bass/LMB of 2021 last Saturday! I caught it on a 6th Sense Provoke 106X in Smallmouth Rose @ Lake St. Clair. It was 1 lb 11 oz. I'm going again tomorrow morning and hope to add to this!

 

[keagbassr]

Kinda felt the 'vibe' so i threw the boat out for a few hours this morn. Before work. Fished 7-10 caught 7, 2 on a buzzbait and 5 on a frog with a couple decent ones in the mix that weighed 3-4 and 4-9.

[roadwarrior]

[MN Fisher]

Season opened yesterday here - got out for a couple hours this morning from shore. Caught a couple on a Rapala Jointed Shallow Shad-Rap 07 in Silver Shad. Not big - but the 'bass drought' is over.

 

First one was about 11"-12"

 

Second was a little bigger - and something had chased it at some point and took a bite out of it's tail.

 

So for me...at least the season has started.

[MIbassyaker]

Tough sledding this morning after some rain came through overnight (and continued in brief patches during my first couple hours out).  I managed three in just under 5 hours; The best one (below) gobbled a senko and went about 2 and a half. So the parade of two-pounders continues (still haven't broken 3lb yet this year...where are they?).  Two others bit on a green pumpkin/purple Siebert Fogy.

 

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, MIbassyaker said:

Tough sledding this morning after some rain came through overnight (and continued in brief patches during my first couple hours out).  I managed three in just under 5 hours; The best one (below) gobbled a senko and went about 2 and a half. So the parade of two-pounders continues (still haven't broken 3lb yet this year...where are they?).  Two others bit on a green pumpkin/purple Siebert Fogy.

 

Nice fish and Sweet rig 

[Black Hawk Basser]

Ten fish in 90 minutes this morning, then the bite seemed to really slow.  A weightless Zoom Magnum U Vibe Speed Craw did the majority of the work. Got a couple on a Max Scent Hawg, too.  Jig/craw just wasn't doing it for them today.