Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Kirtley Howe]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

If you don’t have a motor, only a flashlight is required to have on board for signaling (it’s hard to plug your lights into a wooden paddle.)

When I owned a wooden rowboat, I mounted lights front and back. The rear all-around white light was powered with 2 D batteries. The front Red/Green lights were powered with a small 12v battery. I am not sure what the rules were, but I did not want to be invisible to other boaters. I also put 3M reflective tape on my oars, and down the sides of the boat just below the gunnels. 

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, Kirtley Howe said:

I am not sure what the rules were, but I did not want to be invisible to other boaters.

 

98% of the time, I'm the only boater and if there is another boater, 99% of the time, it's another paddler, so a collision would be a bitsy bump. Still, a flashlight makes sense, maybe a tiny, but high-powered LED flashlight that I can wear.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

98% of the time, I'm the only boater and if there is another boater, 99% of the time, it's another paddler, so a collision would be a bitsy bump. Still, a flashlight makes sense, maybe a tiny, but high-powered LED flashlight that I can wear.

A game warden buddy of mine said even a cell phone  flashlight counts. 

 

I was driving up the dead center of TN River  one night and saw a blinking red light in the middle. I idled over to see what it was and it was two people on two paddle boards. It takes a village……

 

[Swamp Girl]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I was driving up the dead center of TN River  one night and saw a blinking red light in the middle. I idled over to see what it was and it was two people on two paddle boards. It takes a village……

 

[throttleplate]

8 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Y’all ain’t gonna believe this one……..

I was piddling around downtown and saw some shad flicker . Chucked the spinnerbait over there and a smallmouth ate it. Still in shock today……. I even took two pictures just in case and the fish looks totally different seconds apart haha

 

 

[thediscochef]

Caught a couple at Purtis Creek today. Then went and saw a teener at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center where they breed the sharelunkers. Good times. Toledo Bend tomorrow. 

[thediscochef]

16 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Y’all ain’t gonna believe this one……..

I was piddling around downtown and saw some shad flicker . Chucked the spinnerbait over there and a smallmouth ate it. Still in shock today……. I even took two pictures just in case and the fish looks totally different seconds apart haha

Glad you found one man, always feels good to get that pull. I know what that's like and it really makes me appreciate each fish. Here's to hoping that turns into 2 next time, 4 the time after, 8 the time after that. Get em!

 

???

[T-Billy]

On 5/10/2023 at 10:43 PM, PhishLI said:

One fat night chunk will get your mind right, and quickly.

Preach on brother!!! I'll be going nocturnal soon. Water's up 7 degrees in the last five days. 62 yesterday morning, with lots of shallow cruisers and few biters. They have love on their minds. FINALLY getting some weed growth. Saw a couple shad schools on the bank. The night bite will be on in a couple weeks, and I'll have the lakes nearly to myself.

23 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Y’all ain’t gonna believe this one……..

I was piddling around downtown and saw some shad flicker . Chucked the spinnerbait over there and a smallmouth ate it. Still in shock today……. I even took two pictures just in case and the fish looks totally different seconds apart haha

[TnRiver46]

@T-Billy, possibly the greatest cartoon ever 

[gim]

3 hours ago, T-Billy said:

The night bite will be on in a couple weeks, and I'll have the lakes nearly to myself.

Floaters will soon be in play!

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Preach on brother!!! I'll be going nocturnal soon. Water's up 7 degrees in the last five days. 62 yesterday morning, with lots of shallow cruisers and few biters. They have love on their minds. FINALLY getting some weed growth. Saw a couple shad schools on the bank. The night bite will be on in a couple weeks, and I'll have the lakes nearly to myself.

Bawahahahaha, how did you put me in cartoon form ?

[Swamp Girl]

I went fishing again this morning. I rose at 3:45 because the Sun is rising sooner and sooner, but the fish weren't hitting when I launched. I didn't start to catch fish until the Sun was well up. I caught 15, a mix of LMB and Pickerel with one Pumpkinseed that hit a bass popper. Maine bass tend to be fairly good-sized, but I caught mostly bitsy bass this morning and photographed three of them. I also caught a 17.5" 3.21 lber. and lost a four to five-pounder that came completely out of the water to break my heart. I was surprised to see lily pads. I think they're 2023 pads, as I don't think the 2022 pads would look so fresh after a winter. What do you think.

 

I caught fish on a Senko, a paddletail, a lipless crankbait, a popper, and the ol' Whopper Plopper.  

[AlabamaSpothunter]

6 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I went fishing again this morning. I rose at 3:45 because the Sun is rising sooner and sooner, but the fish weren't hitting when I launched. I didn't start to catch fish until the Sun was well up. I caught 15, a mix of LMB and Pickerel with one Pumpkinseed that hit a bass popper. Maine bass tend to be fairly good-sized, but I caught mostly bitsy bass this morning and photographed three of them. I also caught a 17.5" 3.21 lber. and lost a four to five-pounder that came completely out of the water to break my heart. I was surprised to see lily pads. I think they're 2023 pads, as I don't think the 2022 pads would look so fresh after a winter. What do you think.

 

I caught fish on a Senko, a paddletail, a lipless crankbait, a popper, and the ol' Whopper Plopper.  

If the fish are relying on me getting up at 345am in order to catch them, they got another thing coming, and it's called Katie ?

 

That Pumpkinseed is so beautiful.   Sunfish really are the most beautiful fish.

[TnRiver46]

Nice fish Katie, can’t help with the pad question, unfortunately they kill anything cool like that on my waters 

[Eric 26]

Beautiful fish Katie especially that pumpkinseed ?As far as getting up that early I’m right there with you but by 3:45 I’m heading to work not my local ponds ?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Nice fish Katie, can’t help with the pad question, unfortunately they kill anything cool like that on my waters 

Same here for the most part......makes me sick, they finally let some grass come back on Wheeler, and it's absolutely exploded.  5/20lb bags are common now.   I always forget these lakes are managed for power and other things, last is fishing.  

 

Doesn't seem that way in Texas, they seem to value Bass fisheries more than we do in other states for Bass. 

[Texas Flood]

On 5/11/2023 at 8:04 AM, hokiehunter373 said:

Had an hour to get out last night and took my new best bud with me.  First cast ever with a Berkley MaxScent Flat Worm and this little 1.5-2# male inhaled it.  5# mama wasn't as stupid as he was though.  Sun got down and air cooled down quick and that was all she wrote for the night but it was great to just be out.  Hopefully some longer and more productive sessions soon.

 

 

 

It's tough work when dad doesn't let you chew on their tales like you want to

 

We need more photos on this site of good boys and girls.

[Swamp Girl]

Regarding my losing the four-to-five-pounder that jumped, I'm making an equipment change. I was using a paddletail with a big hook, I think 5/0, with 10 lb. mono and a medium light rod. I'm switching to a medium rod and BRAID. After I lost that fish, I replayed how I played it and lost it and I think that I just couldn't stick that big hook all the way into its mouth with stretchy line and a wimpy rod.

 

I don't know if you remember the 5.5 lber. I caught early this year, but it was also on a paddletail with a big hook and when I had her in the net, that lure fell out of her mouth. Tension alone kept us connected. I was doing a good job maintaining tension with this morning's fish, but she dove into some zombie weeds right beside my canoe. I hesitated a half sec, thinking about how much pressure I should apply, and she used my hesitation's slack to pop free. 

 

Private Katie reporting for duty in the Straight Braid Brigade, General @T-Billy!

 

P. S. - I like that you guys like the Pumpkinseed. I loved it too.

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

I was surprised to see lily pads. I think they're 2023 pads,

They're new, and they are your friend. Since you'd encountered them way past this stage last year, their stages of growth will allow you a ton of new opportunities. Fish in and around them diligently and you'll probably hit some solid males and big girls during your prespawn period. They're a magnet for all species.

[Swamp Girl]

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

They're new, and they are your friend. Since you'd encountered them way past this stage last year, their stages of growth will allow you a ton of new opportunities. Fish in and around them diligently and you'll probably hit some solid males and big girls during your prespawn period. They're a magnet for all species.

 

Thanks, Phish. I love fishing pads. I just didn't expect them to pop up so soon, so I didn't know if they were exceptionally healthy looking zombie pads or not. 

 

I went back and looked at this morning's bass photos and laughed at the last two. The water drop on my camera's lens makes it look like I fuzzed the faces of the bass to protect their identities. 

[Mbirdsley]

Fished muskrat lake which, is a small lake In Clinton county.  Water temp was 70 F.  Fish were in the emerging pads chasing shad.  I caught one 15 incher fliping a yum dirt purple lizard.  I had hooked about 3 more but, lost them in the pads.  Caught the 2nd fish on a yum sonar minnow with a 1/8 jig head.  Sonar minnow is showing promise. 
 

lost a bit of terminal tackle in the pads.  Havnt done that in a while. 

[Pat Brown]

Lost an absolute giant tonight at the bank.  Too big to flip on to the bank and when I tried to go in for her I gave her too much slack and she came off.

 

She bit the swim jig.

 

Not my first big fish to come unbuttoned right at the boat/bank but my first in a long time and she was the biggest fish I ever lost.

 

Hurts.  Just needed to share with people who understand these sorts of things.

 

I'd have traded all my 4 lbers last week for seeing this fish out of the water tonight but it just wasn't in the cards.

 

Sun was a little too low in the sky for me to really see what I was doing and I had my pole with 15 lb line instead of 20 lb line on and I think that was a mistake in hindsight.

 

Also probably should have just risked it for the biscuit and tried to flip it even though it felt impossible.

 

So many what could have beens.  But I guess that's what keeps us coming back to the water!

 

Gosh I'm glad its the weekend hopefully I can get some redemption between now and Sunday night.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Sorry to hear about that Pat!   The silver lining is that you can't lose big fish if you don't hook big fish.   The law of averages comes into play with 5+ fish, they just have the size, tougher mouths, heavier weight, better instincts when hooked, etc.   

 

I've lost three since Jan., everyone is as painful today as when they happened, two are on film lol.    I won't stop caring until I achieve my goal.   Anything worth doing in life, is worth doing to the best of your ability.   If it doesn't hurt, it didn't really matter, and if it didn't really matter, what the heck are we doing out there....that's my take.   I wish I could be a zen like fisherman, I take it personal, I want to catch every fish that hits my bait.   

 

Let it vent, it matters!  

[Pat Brown]

5 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Sorry to hear about that Pat!   The silver lining is that you can't lose big fish if you don't hook big fish.   The law of averages comes into play with 5+ fish, they just have the size, tougher mouths, heavier weight, better instincts when hooked, etc.   

 

I've lost three since Jan., everyone is as painful today as when they happened, two are on film lol.    I won't stop caring until I achieve my goal.   Anything worth doing in life, is worth doing to the best of your ability.   If it doesn't hurt, it didn't really matter, and if it didn't really matter, what the heck are we doing out there....that's my take.   I wish I could be a zen like fisherman, I take it personal, I want to catch every fish that hits my bait.   

 

Let it vent, it matters!  

 

 

I think from now on I'm just gonna walk em up the bank and hope my line does it's job, and normally I KNOW that but tonight with that 15 lb I think my confidence was JUST lacking enough to make the wrong decision in the moment.  She felt DD.

[PhishLI]

11 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Lost an absolute giant tonight at the bank...Not my first big fish to come unbuttoned right at the boat/bank but my first in a long time and she was the biggest fish I ever lost.

Take it as a sign of good things to come. Back in July of '19, this happened to me twice from the bank. Two absolute slobs lost. I had waders on, but hadn't gone in yet, and slack line during the transition into the water doomed me. After the second time in a week, I put the hoodoo on myself by cooking up the idea that I was hereby cursed, and that this was a sign no big fish would be granted to me for the rest of the year. I chalked it up to some type of untraceable karmic vengeance. I'd been a jerk on occasion in the old days, so this made sense to me. By October of that year, I'd landed a freak, so perhaps I wasn't as bad as I'd imagined, or maybe I was simply being a superstitious moron. A similar thing happened 2 years ago, but I came out on top yet again. It 'aint over til it's over, brother. Keep the faith.