Latest Catch Pics Thread

[TnRiver46]

Fun evening after work, even got a striper with a hellgrammite

 

[LrgmouthShad]

I hadn't been on the water for almost two weeks. Just had stuff going on. So after work today, I spontaneously decided that I was going to go, and I was gonna take the kayak too.

 

Went out to Stillhouse and fished for 2 hours. Finally got the quality bass I'm looking for. I really like 5+lbers. They just make me happy. So today was the first. Got a 5 even and a smaller one too.

 

Bass are so weird, y'all. I threw a worm the most, because that's what they've primarily liked recently. For this trip, I brought 3 bags of worms and one spinnerbait. I should have brought two spinnerbaits. It's what they wanted. I actually broke off a great sized one and I think it was because I missed something in the line. That kinda hurts, but I ain't gonna beat myself up about it. This was just a spontaneous trip to make myself feel better.

 

Still so much I want to say, but I'll try and keep it brief. That 5lber was the absolute spunkiest bass I've caught. It leapt 4 times vertically out of the water. Just directly upwards, y'all. Head pointed to the sky. It thrashed in the boat a ton and left my left thumb bleeding. 

 

Okay last thing. That 5lber and the one I broke off were really really shallow, and the water is 90 degrees or just under in some places. I was still structure fishing.

[IcatchDinks]

Caught nine fish today. All on either the spinner or a gold spoon. Not like I didn't try other baits. They just like flashy stuff right now, I guess. Also, because I shut the tip of my main bass rod in the car door, I was using a five foot ultra light with four pound test. Even the dinks I caught felt like monsters! 

 

I love Michigan sunsets. It's views like this that remind me how glorious it is to be alive:

[TnRiver46]

@LrgmouthShad, that LMB laying on the kayak looks like it’s about to bite your hand off, don’t end up like Chubbs 

[LrgmouthShad]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@LrgmouthShad, that LMB laying on the kayak looks like it’s about to bite your hand off, don’t end up like Chubbs 

??? 

 

She left a mark. I hold ‘em by the side of their mouth out of habit. Downside is holding em like that can get me tore up sometimes

[TnRiver46]

Maybe one day I’ll catch one big enough to bite my hand off 

[hokiehunter373]

On 7/17/2023 at 8:43 AM, hokiehunter373 said:

This year I have not wanted to slow down and fish a TR, WR, or jig much.  Having to post these dinks after @Pat Brown pig may make me change that lol.  The pond I fish has become flush with algae and the fishing is tough.  Just been wanting to fish fast and enjoy the blowups in the limited time I have.  Got out for about an hour last night and wanted to start in the mucky corner.  Buzzbait was a disaster in there so I figured I'd work under it and try the sleeper.  Caught this little guy on the 1st cast.

 

 

That was it for the sleeper.  One thing I've learned about this pond is they don't like white buzzbaits but that's all I've got right now til I restock.  It wasn't getting it done so I switched the trailer to black and blue.  Instant success

 

 

Stuck 3 on that until the sun was down and the bugs were up.  Dragging a worm next time!

 

 

Back at it last night for another hour and a half.  Started off with the PopMax.  0 interest in it and then broke it off.  Switched to the buzzbait.  Wasn't much happening until I ran it by this tiny little stick protruding from the water in the middle of the pic below.

 

 

Zoomed in

 

 

Tiny fish but just showed they hang on to any little piece of cover they can and I enjoyed that.  I had 0 action anywhere else until I bumped that stick.

 

 

Finally figured I'd tie on the TRig and get to work.  Got out my assortment of worms and was ready to rip some lips!  Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived.  Cast after cast of not even a nibble.  Switching worms.  Switching colors.  Then I was stupid and careless and got quite possibly the worst birds nest of my life.  The kind where you just put it away to deal with at another time.  The kind that make you question why the heck you even go out and sweat your butt off while getting eaten alive to catch some stinky stupid tiny fish.  Yeah, I wasn't very happy with the evening, but figured I should fish on so I switched to a wacky worm.  Caught another little one.

 

 

Fished it a bunch more and was not having much luck.  My dog was not pleased with me that he only got to smell two tiny fish lol so I told him I'd get him one more.  Finally got one that, while not much bigger, put on a much better fight.  Peeled some drag and felt some head shakes.  It was fun and took away the evenings frustrations.

 

 

I won't be able to get out many more times this year.  Starting to coach our high school football team, plus my sons flag football team, plus hunting starts in about 50 days... who's counting?!  Hoping I can just get the kids out once more at least.  Good luck to everyone else this summer.  Keep catching giants, and most importantly, having fun!

[Pat Brown]

I'm certainly getting very very excited for hunting season but probably not for the same reasons you are ???

 

For me personally fishing gets really fun in October ???

[TnRiver46]

Same here but it’s December not October 

[LrgmouthShad]

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Same here but it’s December not October 

I’m considering taking Sep and Oct off from fishing to hit the ground running Nov

[TnRiver46]

Well now that’s just crazy talk 

[hokiehunter373]

49 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I'm certainly getting very very excited for hunting season but probably not for the same reasons you are ???

 

For me personally fishing gets really fun in October ???

Haha, I get it.  Every once in a while I get out in the fall and I love it when I do but (for me) nothing is better than being in the woods in the fall.  Enjoy less traffic on the water and some fat fall bellies

[LrgmouthShad]

It was 108 friggin degrees when I launched the boat last night. It’s like being in a toaster

[Pat Brown]

@LrgmouthShad I compare it to fishing inside of a labrador retrievers mouth that just got done playing fetch.  At least here in NC, that's how it feels.  Bring 4 large canteens of ice water and lots of sunscreen and you still end up burned and dehydrated.  It's downright dangerous.

[LrgmouthShad]

@Pat Brown yeah y’all get generally more humidity too. A day in the triple digits in NC is not something to just disregard

[T-Billy]

This morning was a grind. Got started just after 01:00 finished up at 11:00. Only managed a couple on the chatterbait but they were both over 2#. Z-Man GOAT Toad put five more in the boat. Ended up catching 11, with the best five going about 12#, anchored by this chunky 3.22#. I caught it pitching a Mag II into a hole in a hydrilla mat in the early morning light. Only managed a few dinks after that. Slick calm, sunny and 6' visibility left 'em not wanting to play after the sun got up.

[Bird]

Got on the water at daylight and nothing hit top water so went to a flickShake " Cola " 1/16 VMC wacky and caught 8.

Cloudy, calm, water temp 83*

[MIbassyaker]

I was expecting a typical midsummer morning of topwater & plastics.  That turned out to be a little bit right, but mostly wrong.

 

3 hours in, I had gotten exactly three bites: a couple of buzzbait dinks and a 2lb frog fish:

 

I had seen basically no surface activity. But nobody wanted a worm or jig on the bottom either, at any depth.  Nor a senko, a flipping craw, a chatterbait...what to do? 

 

A warm, sunny, dead calm July morning doesn't exactly scream "spinnerbait" to me, but why not?  Maybe the sun flashing on the blade could get me a reaction bite or two...

 

Well, that did it - the SB produced 8 more bass over the next hour before I had to leave, all keeper size (14") or bigger including this 2.30lb and 3.00lb:

 

(That's a 3/8oz Pepper Baits Bleeding Bluegill gold double willow...today's hero)

 

When in doubt, try something out!

[Fishlegs]

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

It was 108 friggin degrees when I launched the boat last night. It’s like being in a toaster

I'll have the Texas toast with a side of 5 lb bass please. ?

[galyonj]

24 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

When in doubt, try something out!

 

That's the hardest thing to teach my baby engineers.

[Swamp Girl]

I had my third frustrating session in a row. For a few months, I was hooking AND netting fine fish (for me). Now, for the third straight trip, I lost a big bass. I did catch ten fish, but I was fishing a quality bog hoping for a big, ol' gal and I hooked her and lost her. I set the hook (T-Rigged 7" Green Pumpkin Senko) with both arms and immediately knew she was a slab, because it was like setting a hook into wood. She jumped right by the boat and I saw her gorgeous length. Then she plowed through some reeds and peeled free. Argh! From time to time, I weigh lesser bass to get an idea of what they weigh. The last bass was 2.88 pounds. 

 

 

[A-Jay]

32 minutes ago, Bird said:

Got on the water at daylight and nothing hit top water so went to a flickShake " Cola " 1/16 VMC wacky and caught 8.

Cloudy, calm, water temp 83*

Looking good Sir.

A-Jay

[PhishLI]

22 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I had my third frustrating session in a row. For a few months, I was hooking AND *** (for me). Now, for the third straight trip, I lost a big bass. I did catch ten fish,

Look at it this way. If you fished where I fish, that would qualify as a smashing success even on a great day. I'm digging deeply to summon tears for you, and in order to get them flowing I went back to the moment when I found my childhood hamster Evel Knieval stiff as a board, but they just won't come. It's all good, yo. ?

[crispychurro17]

Went out yesterday and threw the 250 for the first time ever, not a giant but wasn’t expecting a bite on my first trip out. Super stoked!

[galyonj]

I squeezed red onion juice directly into my eyeballs. That worked.