Latest Catch Pics Thread

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Electric fishing again today, but atlas after several weeks without a 5lb+ fish I got one today.

 

A super rare day when I got Katie numbers, somewhere I'd say around 20 Bass, and 5 big Crappie.   Biggest was 5.3, several solid 3lb fish, and at least half dozen 2lb class Spots.    

 

This is the biggest fish I've caught that was offshore chasing shad like the 1-2lb school sized fish.

She hammered a 6th Sense Crush Flat 75x in Shad Scales.   She burned the drag so much I thought it was another dang big Cat.    This is the second big fish I've pulled off this bait in the last 2 months.    The other was a 5.8.        Great affordable bait that produces.    

 

 

Spots.....

[roadwarrior]

 

 

                                             

[Swamp Girl]

I'm thrilled for you, Alex! That big bass is big from its mouth to its tail. I'm also thrilled that it was so powerful. I love when they take line. Hey, thanks for the lure tip! 

 

Woody, the drought-stricken folks of California, Kansas, and Utah will pay you big bucks to arrive and doff your raingear.

 

Tririver46, that smallmouth looks like an Olympian. All muscle, no fat. Or an NFL wideout. What helps me count is that I'm in the boat by myself and on the lake by myself. There's no one to distract me. 

 

 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I'm thrilled for you, Alex! That big bass is big from its mouth to its tail. I'm also thrilled that it was so powerful. I love when they take line. Hey, thanks for the lure tip! 

 

Woody, the drought-stricken folks of California, Kansas, and Utah will pay you big bucks to arrive and doff your raingear.

 

Tririver46, that smallmouth looks like an Olympian. All muscle, no fat. Or an NFL wideout. What helps me count is that I'm in the boat by myself and on the lake by myself. There's no one to distract me. 

 

 

 

 

It was a fast fish! I was alone in the boat today but there were 7,400 yachts and pontoons again haha. Pretty leaves and 80 degree sunshine will do it, still seeing 65-67 degree water 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It was a fast fish! I was alone in the boat today but there were 7,400 yachts and pontoons again haha. Pretty leaves and 80 degree sunshine will do it, still seeing 65-67 degree water 

It was over 80 here today and the water temps were as high as it's been in weeks, I saw 68 at one point.   Shellcrackers are awesome, I don't need to tell somebody like you who enjoys eating fish that though.   Very feisty fish too. 

 

This weather is supposed to hold for a couple of days, has me excited, but that's usually when the pattern dies lol ?

 

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

It was over 80 here today and the water temps were as high as it's been in weeks, I saw 68 at one point.   Shellcrackers are awesome, I don't need to tell somebody like you who enjoys eating fish that though.   Very feisty fish too. 

 

This weather is supposed to hold for a couple of days, has me excited, but that's usually when the pattern dies lol ?

 

Yes sir! Just got done eating it with the 2 catfish mmmmm. I caught a similar sized shellcracker in the morning but I let it go, didn’t know I was going to luck into the cats 

[NorcalBassin]

Little fella but I'll take topwater for as long as I can from pretty much any fish.

 

 

This little fatty hit the 175 like a freight train.

[Bluebasser86]

Got my oldest out for a rare November trip today. The fish were very cooperative, really eating a Duo Rozante and Megabass Nanahan jerkbaits. My big bass of the day was 5.74 on a rock crawler though, only bite I had on it.

Fishing with dad is hard.

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

47 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Got my oldest out for a rare November trip today. The fish were very cooperative, really eating a Duo Rozante and Megabass Nanahan jerkbaits. My big bass of the day was 5.74 on a rock crawler though, only bite I had on it.

Fishing with dad is hard.

 

You're on a roll catching giddy kitty sized fish.  

 

I don't know what it is, but once they hit 5lbs they just feel so special.   

 

That handsome young man is truly blessed if he enjoys fishing, I can't imagine having a dad who was a diehard Basser.   Lucky young man!  

[PhishLI]

During the 5 months of drought we had here there was rarely wind either, so when wind was in the forecast I was always amp'd up. Sadly, the wind rarely came at all no matter what was in the forecast. It was weird. Fishing here is a grind in good times, so without a few positive elements in play it can be brutal.

 

The drought is well over now, and they said we'd have good wind on Friday night, but no, it never came. Deja vu all over again. Luckily the poachers showed up with their mega-candle-power headlamps which prompted my early exit.

 

Southern winds were kicking nicely all day on Saturday, but that was no guarantee they'd hold up through the night. By some miracle the wind stuck around, then cloud cover rolled in nicely to counteract the giant beaming moon that's been hanging over the lake until 2:00 am. Joy!

 

I scouted out a few of my more productive areas in search of baitfish clinging to the shore, but found little. The floor of the lake is now covered in leaves, so it was really hard to tell. What I did find was that the trout stocking agency had been back and dumped in about a zillion 6" Megabass Magdraft sized trout. They were everywhere. This isn't good for bass fishing in the short term as it's hard to compete with a bunch of dumb and very eatable farm fish, but they grow the big ones, so we bide our time. The chance of catching a plus-sized bass around here is real, so grind or no grind, the anticipation is ever present. If pals are around when that happens, it becomes an even bigger event.

 

It just so happened that I ran into one of my best wading buds who's been missing for most of the year due to life issues, so we ended up doing as much BSing as fishing. Other than one smack on a Bullshooter that missed the hooks, he just couldn't find the bite, and he's one of the most fishcatchingest hombres I know. I ended up with some short fish, and even though they just slurped my wake baits they fought hard afterwards, so it's all good.

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

I love the way you write, Phish. It's distinctive, creative, and playful. My suggestion is to recatch that third fish in five years. The way it's eating now, it'll be huge down the road. 

 

Regarding Blue and his giddy kitty-sized fish, here's my plan:

 

1. Buy a canoe trailer.
2. Load my canoe on the trailer.
3. Tow the canoe to Blue's house.
4. Hitch my canoe to Blue's boat trailer. This will require installing another tongue and ball.
5. Wait in my canoe for Blue to go fishing.

[PhishLI]

44 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Regarding Blue and his giddy kitty-sized fish, here's my plan:

 

1. Buy a canoe trailer.
2. Load my canoe on the trailer.
3. Tow the canoe to Blue's house.
4. Hitch my canoe to Blue's boat trailer. This will require installing another tongue and ball.
5. Wait in my canoe for Blue to go fishing.

6. Find out if he's open to adoption.

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

I love the way you write, Phish. It's distinctive, creative, and playful. My suggestion is to recatch that third fish in five years. The way it's eating now, it'll be huge down the road. 

 

Regarding Blue and his giddy kitty-sized fish, here's my plan:

 

1. Buy a canoe trailer.
2. Load my canoe on the trailer.
3. Tow the canoe to Blue's house.
4. Hitch my canoe to Blue's boat trailer. This will require installing another tongue and ball.
5. Wait in my canoe for Blue to go fishing.

 

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

6. Find out if he's open to adoption.

Ya'll need to look at my comment on the "Brag about your state's bass fishing", before you do anything crazy ?

 

@ol'crickety I've laid my kayak on top of my boat and hauled it that way, no extra trailer needed. I don't think you'd enjoy our wind in your canoe though. A 15mph wind is pretty light here.

 

Here's the video of some of the fish from our day yesterday.

 

[Swamp Girl]

15 mph would be way too much for me. I'll stick to fishing in the Land of Trees, aka Big, Green Windshields.

 

However, since you do take your kids fishing and you do have a big boat, I am open to being adopted. Being old, figure on me napping on the way home too 

[Choporoz]

End of year kayak tournament:

Nov 5; smallish, hill-land reservoir with blueback herring; surface temps 55-59; air temp 62-73; winds gusting over 20; 8 hours; 5 fish limit, min length 12".

Numbers: 25 of some of the better anglers in the state; 17 fish submitted....Total.  12 anglers caught 'scoreable' bass.  Winner had 2 fish @ 29.25".  

  I've never fished a tournament this tough.  New lake to me.  I got out there twice in last month and struggled, but did find deep point bottom bites. Saturday, I went looking for shallow fish off the bat and missed two bites within an hour of start.  Didn't get another bite for next 5+ hours.  Marked fish in main channels at 18-23', nearly all suspended.  Wind was coming straight up the middle of the lake.  I threw deep jerks, shallow jerks, deep cranks, jigs, soft swimbaits, blade baits, swimming worms, spinnerbaits, traps, Rage Bugs, grubs, chatterbaits and probably a few I am forgetting.  If I got bit deep, I never knew it.  The wind was nasty enough that unless they had choked down a treble bait, I would never have known.

  Finally got one up shallow while i was taking a break out of the wind; I almost had to stretch him to cross the 12" marks.  Followed that with a 10" short fish and that was it.  Four bites.  2 fish, only one of which was legal.  13 anglers zeroed.  Wish I could say it was fun.  Hard to have the patience needed for suspended lmb in those conditions.   I wouldn't mind trying again without the wind, but honestly not in a hurry to get back there.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Another big numbers day yet the big LGM eluded me today.    Today's high was 84 degrees, and at one point I saw 70 water temps.    

 

Close to 20 Bass, and a dozen or so big Crappie.   Biggest Bass was a 2.6 Spot taken on an Alabama Rig....absolutely murdered it lol.   The Flashback Mini accounted for most fish, crank took a few fish.    Most fish were in the 1-2lb range.    Almost all of them had large to extended bellies, and a number of them puked shad up on me.  

Took a few months to crack the Crappie code, but over the last several days I've worn them out like I've heard people do when they get on a hot Crappie bite.   Fun fish to catch, but certainly not like Bass.    

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

Congrats on another fine fishing trip, Alex. That first spot is beautiful and that third fish is on its way to becoming one of your beloved five-pounders. You can safely consider it a pre-five-pounder. The lm in the second photo too!

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

Congrats on another fine fishing trip, Alex. That first spot is beautiful and that third fish is on its way to becoming one of your beloved five-pounders. You can safely consider it a pre-five-pounder. The lm in the second photo too!

Thanks Katie!    I really thought the Spot was beautiful as well.   something about them pleases my OCD.  They are rather perfect fish in comparison to LGMs.  

[Swamp Girl]

You and I really get into the shapes and colors and patterns of fish. Of course, we both love them big and fat, but there's more to enjoying a bass than simply its size. You once compared gardening to fishing and as a gardener, I would be silly to only treasure my biggest trees and bushes. Sure, I love, love, LOVE a big tree, but I also enjoy my lesser-in-size trees, but greater in color and form trees. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

21 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

You and I really get into the shapes and colors and patterns of fish. Of course, we both love them big and fat, but there's more to enjoying a bass than simply its size. You once compared gardening to fishing and as a gardener, I would be silly to only treasure my biggest trees and bushes. Sure, I love, love, LOVE a big tree, but I also enjoy my lesser-in-size trees, but greater in color and form trees. 

Absolutely Katie.   I've always been fascinated by fish since a boy.      It's the start of Camellia season in Alabama, our state flower.   Lots of variety within the genus.  I love all the blooms, big, small........all equally beautiful just like Bass.     

[thediscochef]

This hit a 10" Ol Monster this morning, as soon as it hit the water. Water that was rising. My boots are soaked. First ever ribbontail fish. If there was ever any doubt. Bass of all sizes eat mag worms.

[The Bassman]

Been giving it my best shot before the weather turns. I've been trying to crack 6 lb. after a banner season with several 6's and even a 7 last year. Really can't complain, though with many above 4 like this one today. Have had a blast the past couple of months with a 1/4 oz. Booyah One Knocker. I catch some of my biggest bass well into Dec. if the weather lets me. This year's gonna be different though with knee replacement surgery in two weeks. Highly unlikely I'll get any fishing in until after New Year so this will be the first time in several years that I won't be able to brag about twelve months of bass. Been a heckuva season this year as far as numbers and average size, though.

[TnRiver46]

Had about 1.5 hours to fish, my buddy got a nice 18” that was jumping like crazy and I got a super dink with and orange fin tip and orange eyes 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Another day with 15-20 fish, and a few big Crappie, however the highlight was getting on the hottest Buzzbait of my life after being inspired to throw them just last night reading about a guy who caught 1100+ 10lb fish on them.   

 

Got most of it on film.    Got a 3.3lb Spot to start the party off.    Lots of 2-3lb fish followed.   Had two come loose that looked to be in that 3lb range as well.   

 

[Blue Raider Bob]

12 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Another day with 15-20 fish, and a few big Crappie, however the highlight was getting on the hottest Buzzbait of my life after being inspired to throw them just last night reading about a guy who caught 1100+ 10lb fish on them.   

 

Got most of it on film.    Got a 3.3lb Spot to start the party off.    Lots of 2-3lb fish followed.   Had two come loose that looked to be in that 3lb range as well.   

 

Had a blast watching your video! I was a nervous wreck watching you work that buzz and I felt like I was in the yak with you cheering you on. Thanks so much for sharing!