Latest Catch Pics Thread

[The Bassman]

49 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Finally, some really nice weather. Steady south wind at 8-12, occasionally gusting to 20+ with highs near 75 and pretty decent cloud cover. Made one pass on a pond and then kept hopping back and forth between the two windblown corners. Ended the afternoon with 26 fish on a small mix of baits. Supposed to be similar but a little more windy tomorrow, so hopefully another good bite if I get out. They had just treated this pond, rather indiscriminately IMO, so may need to let it rest until the compound spreads, mixes, and stabilizes more.

 

 

 

 

Do you find that ponds with the blue colorant are less productive or is it all in my head?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

Bite was tough again today. 10hrs of grindin produced 5 fish. The muskie bite has really died off. Been around lots, but getting bit is tough to do. Put down the rig after about an hour and a half today, and decided to go bass fishing. I promptly caught two little muskie pitching a sweet craw to shallow rock piles. Go figure. Managed two LM and a SM too. All off sandstone chunk rock. The second LM was a nice chunk, 3.54#.

Tim says the bite is tough.......what's a great bite look like then ?

 

Man those are some really healthy and beautiful fish, the variety is just awesome.

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Finally, some really nice weather. Steady south wind at 8-12, occasionally gusting to 20+ with highs near 75 and pretty decent cloud cover. Made one pass on a pond and then kept hopping back and forth between the two windblown corners. Ended the afternoon with 26 fish on a small mix of baits. Supposed to be similar but a little more windy tomorrow, so hopefully another good bite if I get out. They had just treated this pond, rather indiscriminately IMO, so may need to let it rest until the compound spreads, mixes, and stabilizes more.

 

 

 

 

Nice ones!  

 

Looks like blue holes down in FL.   

[Team9nine]

36 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

Do you find that ponds with the blue colorant are less productive or is it all in my head?

Only one I fish that gets treated this heavily. It will be blue-blue for the next 6-7 months. They still bite great in that water color once they get adjusted. “Junebug” works like a charm. I’d say it’s in your head ? or it’s just a less optimal pond to begin with. 

[BigAngus752]

This one slammed my chrome Cotton Cordell today.  What do you guys think?  Skin mount or replica?

 

[Bassin Bruce]

My first day out on the lake today water temp was 44* and the wind was around 12mph which is usually a no for me in the kayak but I just wanted to get out finally.

Didn't get skunked but only got three, this was the first.

 

[Swamp Girl]

@Team9nine, good numbers!

 

@T-Billy, good tenacity and fine fish!

 

@Bassin Bruce, you're on the board! 

 

@BigAngus752, I'd do both. For sure. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 more hours of dedicated buzzbaiting, 8 fish.....double that on blowups which I think are just bucks blowing it off their bed area.    It's not hard to trust the "Pat Cullen" plan, few baits are as fun to fish as a buzzbait.     I will likely stroke out if I get the white whale to blow one up at night this summer.

 

Need inspiration: 1,113 Giant Bass… And Counting – Georgia Outdoor News (gon.com)

 

Perhaps last big wave of spawn with the full moon tom and weds. night, best fish was only about 3lbs, but haven't seen a porker like this since winter, see/he reminded me of the good ole days, the winter.   

 

Lastly, this might be the most magnificent, and regal Heron I've seen.    I feel like I spend more time with Herons than humans since starting back heavy.   

 

[thediscochef]

On a road trip with my woman, stopped at Inks Lake for about 45 minute. Threw a weightless fluke around where I saw something eating something in some shallows near some reeds. Bass ate fluke. I took a picture, released it, and kept on my way to where we're staying, about an hour away. It's probably the biggest first catch at any lake I've been to, I'm guessing 3-4lb but probably closer to 3. I didn't take the time to weigh it. Pretty, thick fish. Super fun, should be a fun week. Hoping to catch another Guadalupe but we will see.

[NorcalBassin]

Got a break in the weather. Water temps still cold for this time of year (49-51*), but we have a warming trend starting later this week that should start getting the fish to move up. Can't wait!

 

Pops got us started off with a little fella.

 

Well, at least it was legal. ?

 

Best one of the day.

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

  I feel like I spend more time with Herons than humans since starting back heavy.   

That's not a bad thing IMO. I know some people who behave like herons. All they do is eat, poop, and squawk a lot. LOL.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

10 hours ago, NorcalBassin said:

Got a break in the weather. Water temps still cold for this time of year (49-51*), but we have a warming trend starting later this week that should start getting the fish to move up. Can't wait!

 

Pops got us started off with a little fella.

 

Well, at least it was legal. ?

 

Best one of the day.

Awesome, and pops won the day, that's a really nice fish. 

 

Big believer in that sig line, we're in the last cycle imho.  

[hokiehunter373]

13 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

few baits are as fun to fish as a buzzbait.   

 

Truer words have never been spoken.  I enjoy that bite more than a frog bite.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, hokiehunter373 said:

Truer words have never been spoken.  I enjoy that bite more than a frog bite.

Me too because buzzbait usually hooks the fish 

[TN bassmaster]

15 hours ago, BigAngus752 said:

This one slammed my chrome Cotton Cordell today.  What do you guys think?  Skin mount or replica?

 

fish that big  have different genes, for a giant of that size for sure go with the replica! 

[The Bassman]

Experienced my best day so far this year. Had steady action on a KVD 1.0 squarebill that I found a couple of years ago but never fished. These were my two largest. Left my scale at home so don't have a weight on the big one. What set today apart was that my numbers were backed up with size. I caught several 2-4lb. along with plenty of smaller ones. We're on the warm side of a big storm system so that coupled with being near peak of pre spawn certainly helped.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

Experienced my best day so far this year. Had steady action on a KVD 1.0 squarebill that I found a couple of years ago but never fished. These were my two largest. Left my scale at home so don't have a weight on the big one. What set today apart was that my numbers were backed up with size. I caught several 2-4lb. along with plenty of smaller ones. We're on the warm side of a big storm system so that coupled with being near peak of pre spawn certainly helped.

Well at least you didn't leave without a camera.   If I forgot those things, 100% I'm catching a big fish lol.  

 

Man that first fish is magnificent.   Fat bellies make the world right.  

[The Bassman]

Just now, AlabamaSpothunter said:

   Fat bellies make the world right.  

I guess I'm doing my part then. lol

[Blue Raider Bob]

20 hours ago, BigAngus752 said:

This one slammed my chrome Cotton Cordell today.  What do you guys think?  Skin mount or replica?

 

That is one BAD little dude! When he grows up, I'd stay away from that lake! Wouldn't let my dogs swim in it either!

[Blue Raider Bob]

22 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Finally, some really nice weather. Steady south wind at 8-12, occasionally gusting to 20+ with highs near 75 and pretty decent cloud cover. Made one pass on a pond and then kept hopping back and forth between the two windblown corners. Ended the afternoon with 26 fish on a small mix of baits. Supposed to be similar but a little more windy tomorrow, so hopefully another good bite if I get out. They had just treated this pond, rather indiscriminately IMO, so may need to let it rest until the compound spreads, mixes, and stabilizes more.

 

 

 

 

They didn't put much effort into spreading the dye. It may take a few days for coverage. I have to do mine about twice a year to inhibit the algae.

[Blue Raider Bob]

21 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Do you find that ponds with the blue colorant are less productive or is it all in my head?

If I may answer this one as well? I have to use a colorant dye in my pond due to algae growth. My pond gets gin clear in the winter, and before the water warms enough to produce an algae bloom, the filamentous, and Chara, totally dominate. The combination of algaecide (which is toxic to zooplankton and invertebrates), and pond dye do a decent job of algae control, but is not the silver bullet pond management companies would lead you to believe.  Algae survives, but is further restrained  by the spring plankton blooms. The pond is treated in sections so there will be invertebrate and zooplankton survival.

     As far as fishing conditions, after treatment I have not noticed any reluctance on the part of the pond fish to behave any different than before treatment. I will say that after treatment, it is much harder to view the fish, which If my sight penetration is diminished, then the fish must experience a similar effect.

[Swamp Girl]

@The Bassman, I wish I'd caught that first bass. I love big bellies!

 

@Blue Raider Bob, thanks for the pond info. I'll likely never own a pond, but I still like learning about pond management. 

[BigAngus752]

19 hours ago, thediscochef said:

On a road trip with my woman, stopped at Inks Lake for about 45 minute. Threw a weightless fluke around where I saw something eating something in some shallows near some reeds. Bass ate fluke. I took a picture, released it, and kept on my way to where we're staying, about an hour away. It's probably the biggest first catch at any lake I've been to, I'm guessing 3-4lb but probably closer to 3. I didn't take the time to weigh it. Pretty, thick fish. Super fun, should be a fun week. Hoping to catch another Guadalupe but we will see.

Pretty fish!

[Eric 26]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

@The Bassman, I wish I'd caught that first bass. I love big bellies!

 

@ol'crickety Katie you set yourself up with this one?. You should have mentioned big bellied bass?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

8-10 fish on the Buzzbait again today, best fish was close to 5lbs, had that beat up tail, and caught her at a major staging area, but still very shallow.    Looks like most of eggs and winter heft were gone.   Watched an amazing fish biologist on the big Bass podcast YT channel last night.......fish biologist says 10% of a Bass's weight (eggs, not winter heft) can/will be reduced during the spawning.  Then add in whatever heft they lost during the energy intensive spawning process, maybe 15% of a big fish's weight is reduced over 6-8 weeks.    Really great info on big Bass, and what it takes for a Bass to reach trophy sizes.    

 

I just threw this 5.5" Spunk Shad on there because of the big profile I was looking for while I found something I really liked.    Not sure I'm gonna change the game at this point.  I'll buy some night fishing colors and run with it.  It has almost no action.   I tried a trailer hook today with it, and it drove me crazy.   I'll take missing some blowups as opposed to constantly messing with the darn trailer hook.    

 

 

 

[thediscochef]

Vacation continues, a fun day capped off with some great fishing. Caught the chubby little bass at the Blanco State Park area, to the east of the bridge. I missed probably two or three other swipes. Then back at the rented cabin, throwing tubes into the extremely clear water of the lake, tried a few colors before they went absolutely nuts for the bass pro "Puke" color. 5 bass, a bluegill, and I believe this to be a hybrid LM/Bluegill in about 45 minutes just before sunset. Bats are out eating bugs. What a great day.