Latest Catch Pics Thread

[T-Billy]

12 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

@Blue Raider Bob

If you have any friends from Louisiana, otters are enough like nutrea. 

anything is good after a day on the smoker

Carefull!!! Yer gonna get @Catt riled up with that kinda talk. 

[Blue Raider Bob]

2 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

@Blue Raider Bob

If you have any friends from Louisiana, otters are enough like nutrea. 

anything is good after a day on the smoker

Dang!   I'm saving this picture for tomorrow's PBJ at lunchtime.  Please tell me there's some apple pie somewhere round there!

[ScottW]

Went back down to the pond again this afternoon in between loads of laundry (wife can’t climb the stairs) and managed to catch this fella on a weighted 3/0 hook with a Big Bites Baits Russ Lane - Coontail Worm in Hematoma (who comes up with these colors??) on a medium power spinning setup that made the fight well worth it. Beautiful skies again but the winds gusting up to 22mph made the mid 40s feel like low 20s for this southern boy. ?

I slow retrieved it as slow as possible to tease the lethargic bass into going for it and it worked! Wish I had more time but I’ll take what I can get.

Edited January 26, 2023 by ScottW
Typos - R - Us

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Took yesterday off after a heavy rain and cold front, lake was still up a couple feet today, and the wind won the day in the end.   Outside felt temps were 38-44, and water temp dropped a few degrees to 50.   Brutal wind, that type of wind and surface conditions where you still feel like you are on the boat hours after on land.   

 

5 fish, one really nice Spot, and one little fatty that made giggle.   2 on the Flashback Mini, and 3 on the Blade bait.    

 

The day was not lost however as I was able to get a follow up data point on the Blade bait in regard to mud flats as I went to another location with a similar mud flat and caught the nice Spot, and then decided to try and use the electronics in deeper water with it, and to my surprise I was able to catch one like that.      Nothing on the A-Rig, finesse football jig, or Jerkbait.      

 

You can't always tell what's what on the electronics in regard to predator activity on bait balls, but when you get both predator returns inside the balls, and the shape of the ball reflects said predator fish diving in, it's usually a surefire indicator that fish are actively feeding.      I want FFS so badly lol.  

 

Note the difference in water clarity.....one pic is from deep main lake body water, the other was at the mouth of a creek.  

5 minutes ago, ScottW said:

Went back down to the pond again this afternoon in between loads of laundry (wife can’t climb the stairs) and managed to catch this fella on a weighted 3/0 hook with a Big Bites Baits Russ Lane - Coontail Worm in Hematoma (who comes up with these colors??) on a medium power spinning setup that made the fight well worth it. Beautiful skies again but the winds gusting up to 22mph made the mid 40s feel like low 20s for this southern boy. ?

 

Look at that chunky boy ?   Love to see it, they are eating good on something in your pond.

 

Same weather, SAME WIND ?

[ScottW]

3 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Note the difference in water clarity.....one pic is from deep main lake body water, the other was at the mouth of a creek. 

The 2nd pic is what our pond looks like. Would love it if it were clearer but not happening.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 minutes ago, ScottW said:

The 2nd pic is what our pond looks like. Would love it if it were clearer but not happening.

Wonder how much the heavy winds for 48hrs has to do with besides rain alone.   Seems to me that it might take longer for it to "settle" with such heavy surface commotion from the winds.  

 

I can fish in any kind of conditions sans strong wind.    At about 15-20mph winds I got to use speed 5 on the TM and that just drains it, not to mention the boat is essentially a sail with those high gunnels.   I want to pull my hair out fishing in the wind, I hate it with every fiber in my body ?

[ScottW]

16 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Wonder how much the heavy winds for 48hrs has to do with besides rain alone.   Seems to me that it might take longer for it to "settle" with such heavy surface commotion from the winds.  

I’m sure it has some impact on the sediment. We have several natural drainage paths from the top of the mountain behind the house that feeds the pond from different directions. I’ve seen fish hit the surface in front of most all of them eating baitfish that were there for insects, grubs, etc. Kind of a smorgasbord for the bass.

[T-Billy]

59 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

  I want FFS so badly lol

Me too. I was planning on picking up a Garmin soon, but the transmission started slipping in my old Tundra today so...... 

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 I want to pull my hair out fishing in the wind, I hate it with every fiber in my body

 

I've paddled, backpacked, and cycled thousands of miles and I heartily agree. The wind has been my lifelong enemy. I've had it knock me down atop a mountain and rip my paddle out of my hand. However, I once had a tailwind while biking and it blew me about 20 mph without my pedaling. That was fun, but that night I paid for the pleasure when it flattened my tent. 

 

Anyway, nice, fat bass by Alex and Scott!

[AlabamaSpothunter]

16 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Me too. I was planning on picking up a Garmin soon, but the transmission started slipping in my old Tundra today so...... 

I'm so sick and tired of life getting in the way of fishing ?

 

You'd kill it with FFS, but you likely wouldn't catch bigger Muskies ?

5 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

I've paddled, backpacked, and cycled thousands of miles and I heartily agree. The wind has been my lifelong enemy. I've had it knock me down atop a mountain and rip my paddle out of my hand. However, I once had a tailwind while biking and it blew me about 20 mph without my pedaling. That was fun, but that night I paid for the pleasure when it flattened my tent. 

 

Anyway, nice, fat bass by Alex and Scott!

Thanks Katie!

 

I think about you when it blows like this and I'm crying out there with a TM ?

 

 

 

 

[T-Billy]

14 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I'm so sick and tired of life getting in the way of fishing ?

 

Ain't that the truth.

14 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

You'd kill it with FFS, but you likely wouldn't catch bigger Muskies ?

It would probably get me a few more, but I'm happy with my success last fall. My guide friend averaged four per day through that bonanza with FFS. I wasn't far behind with 24 in 7 trips without it. 

We took different aproaches and fished to our stengths. He and his clients mostly fished offshore, targeting fish feeding in the big shad schools, and caught a bunch that he located and targeted with FFS.

I mostly fished structure from the shoreline out to the first break in main lake basins. 

 

[roadwarrior]

8 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

...but I'm happy with my success last fall.\

Yeah, I think you have it going on!

                

 

                                              

[thediscochef]

well i finally got a fish over 10" 
you can't see it but I have two Vision 110 barbs in the hand + glove that is holding up the bass. best pic I could manage given the circumstances.
second fish of the year in only 22 outings ??☠️☠️
things can only improve

[Swamp Girl]

Sorry to read you got stuck, @thediscochef. That happened to me twice this year. The first time, I poked the hook all the way through to flatten the barb with pliers. The second time, I had hook cutters with me. 

 

Anyway, 2 fish in 22 outings tells me that if I ever go to war, I hope you have my six. You're a never-quit Honey Badger.

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

50 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Sorry to read you got stuck, @thediscochef. That happened to me twice this year. The first time, I poked the hook all the way through to flatten the barb with pliers. The second time, I had hook cutters with me. 

 

Anyway, 2 fish in 22 outings tells me that if I ever go to war, I hope you have my six. You're a never-quit Honey Badger.

 

That honey badger video on youtube is so funny, can't post here but if you want a laugh it's there.

 

I'd agree wholeheartedly, I'm equally impressed by the angler who gets up and keeps going after 2 fish in 22 outings, as I am the person who's catching 200 fish in 22 outings.

 

You can't control the fish, but you can control your attitude and motivation which is incredibly hard when the bite it tough.  

[JWall14]

On 1/25/2023 at 7:36 PM, Eric 26 said:

@AlabamaSpothunter I’m with @ol'crickety & @Blue Raider Bob on this one, seeing all the dang fish you’re catching on the mini chatter bait has me setting my sites on getting ahold of quite a few of those along with several bags of trailers for my favorite retention pond come this spring. All I can say is thank goodness I’m smart enough to know I can’t afford a Daiwa Zillion as there are enough of you guys talking those up as well. 

My friend just found a basically new zillion on eBay listed for $16”. Offered $120 and the seller took it!

[thediscochef]

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

That honey badger video on youtube is so funny, can't post here but if you want a laugh it's there.

 

I'd agree wholeheartedly, I'm equally impressed by the angler who gets up and keeps going after 2 fish in 22 outings, as I am the person who's catching 200 fish in 22 outings.

 

You can't control the fish, but you can control your attitude and motivation which is incredibly hard when the bite it tough.  

I honestly had to step away for a week and get my head together. I've fished probably 5 different water bodies in those 22 trips. Things are just extra slow unless you can get off the bank and into a boat, which just hasn't been in the cards. Usually I do better (as yall have seen) but with bass being mainly in 20-30+ft of water and moving SLOW, it's hard to work a lure from shore in a way that makes sense to those fish. I have exactly one local spot where I can do that in those depths, and that's where the two have been caught this year. 

[TnRiver46]

Lunch break 

[thediscochef]

3: another little dude

[TnRiver46]

15 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

3: another little dude

That’s bigger than little. Smedium

[AlabamaSpothunter]

27 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

3: another little dude

Might only be three, but it's a beauty brother!

 

Just keep reminding yourself it's not you, it's the fish......I still vividly remember your 7.8 you posted not too long ago off the 110jr.      

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Lunch break 

Literally lunch................break, I bet you ate them like sushi ?

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Might only be three, but it's a beauty brother!

 

Just keep reminding yourself it's not you, it's the fish......I still vividly remember your 7.8 you posted not too long ago off the 110jr.      

Literally lunch................break, I bet you ate them like sushi ?

I even tried to give the crappie to the guy fishing next to me , he declined 

[thediscochef]

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Might only be three, but it's a beauty brother!

 

Just keep reminding yourself it's not you, it's the fish......I still vividly remember your 7.8 you posted not too long ago off the 110jr.      

ha that's been the mantra "it's not me, it's the weather" and it's true. can't control the water. that one at least looks like it's been eating, which is nice. Had some skinny fish up in that spot for a bit. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Your arrogant narrator 4-5 days ago: 

 

"I'm finally tapping into the secret truth of the Bass fishing universe"

 

"She's coming any cast, what are you going to do when you catch her"

 

Two days of brutal wind and deep fish, your now humbled narrator:

 

"what the heck am I'm wasting so much time and effort for, you suck"

 

"Just don't lose a bait at this point and go home"

 

"my hands are freezing, what am I doing out here"

 

There will never be anything as rewarding and as equally frustrating as Bass fishing.   It's an exercise in sheer madness, it's a disease, it's a drug, it's a complete journey through one own's ego.  

 

5 hours being blown around like a top for 4 fish in the 40s.    Back to back days where the fish beat me down.  Thankfully the Flashback Mini fooled three, and a runt hit the A-rig.    They might just win for a third day in a row, I'll have to find out though lol ?

 

I'm blessed to have caught 4 or 1 fish in all reality, I'm blessed to be fishing, that's all that matter.  We're all so blessed to catch these amazing creatures that have colors Crayola couldn't dream of.

 

[keagbassr]

Got out for a couple hours yesterday morning and a couple more hours this afternoon. Caught 4 each session. Nothing huge just  some nice chunks.  1st 2 pics from yest.  2nd 2 pics from today