Latest Catch Pics Thread

[thediscochef]

2 hours ago, Team9nine said:

It’s especially good late fall into winter because it’s one of the last weeds to die back; usually around long after everything else has croaked…it and coontail.

I wasn't sure if maybe the smell was off-putting to the aquatic life but that makes sense, it's for sure the last green thing I pull out of the water before it gets cold for realsies 

[T-Billy]

3 hours ago, thediscochef said:

I wasn't sure if maybe the smell was off-putting to the aquatic life but that makes sense, it's for sure the last green thing I pull out of the water before it gets cold for realsies 

I've never caught much out of it. Broadleaf pondweed stays green late into the fall around here, and isolated patches of it can be lights out after everything else has died off. 

[The Bassman]

11 hours ago, Team9nine said:

 ? It has a very distinct garlic/pepper smell to it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll stick with real garlic and pepper lol. To me it definitely smells about the same as when I know a skunk was nearby when I walk out my front door in the morning. Never really have mastered keeping it off my hook. 1/16 oz. is probably too heavy but helps with casting. At least it's easy to pick off. When the weed guys zap the stuff it definitely puts the bass out of sight. Makes one think that something's gone wrong in the pond.

[thediscochef]

1 hour ago, The Bassman said:

I'll stick with real garlic and pepper lol. To me it definitely smells about the same as when I know a skunk was nearby when I walk out my front door in the morning. Never really have mastered keeping it off my hook. 1/16 oz. is probably too heavy but helps with casting. At least it's easy to pick off. When the weed guys zap the stuff it definitely puts the bass out of sight. Makes one think that something's gone wrong in the pond.

It's easier to fish through than the invasive milfoil, that's for sure. That milfoil will kill anything under 8lb line 

[gim]

6 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I've never caught much out of it. Broadleaf pondweed stays green late into the fall around here, and isolated patches of it can be lights out after everything else has died off. 

Yep, same here. Any green weeds that are there into October are often holding a variety of fish here too.

[Team9nine]

In these micro-lakes, it’s pretty rare to find some of those pondweed species; they just don’t seem to establish well outside of a single plant here and there. Fun to fish when you can find it, though. I see it a bit more in some reservoirs around here, though still not in crazy amounts.

 

Chara is a favorite of crawfish, so not unusual to find good Chara ponds hosting large crawfish populations. It stays green into Nov/Dec here, even January during mild winters, so it attracts a lot of bass. In those ponds that just contact spray, it’s often ‘out of sight, out if mind,’ and so often escapes some treatment efforts out in deeper water. When that happens, you get a great post-spawn/early summer bite in the stuff…and it simply gets overlooked by a lot of anglers, so those fish that use it regularly see less pressure in my mind.

[Woody B]

I struggled today.  In reality is was a skunk but I did snag a tiny Shad.  This is a latest catch picture thread, so I posted the shad.  I couldn't find active bass today.   All of the shad schools I saw on sonar were in loose schools instead of balled up.   I've had success before following shad until the school balls up, then casting.   I followed a school for an hour today.  The school stayed loose, and nothing attacked them.  I saw plenty of fish on sonar, they just weren't active.  Some would follow my lure (my entire tackle box) for a few feet.  Most showed no interest at all.   I didn't break any rods today, so that's good news.   

[Dominat0r]

Figure the last fish would be a peacock....but streak is done....Goal reached!!!!! I am sooooo ready to give my back a break, but glad I made it through this long. Got this guy off a Ned rig, actually, this is the first fish I got on a Ned rig ever. I am going to go back out after the sun goes down, now I am hoping it rains to block out the flaming ball in the sky. 

 

[Dominat0r]

On 8/19/2023 at 7:22 AM, ol'crickety said:

@Mbirdsley: I love Frankfort. Whadda town! I love that top bass too. Whadda brute!

 

 

Actually, Dom, fishing kayaks are pretty stable. And Royalex canoes, like Old Town canoes, are pretty stable too. However, Kevlar canoes like my 15' 6" Bell Rockstar, are built for ease of carrying and speed and they do flip. My canoe is like a sports car, i.e. fun to drive, but it can take you down as it takes you down the road. 

 

 

It's just the opposite here in Maine. We're suddenly cool. Heck, I only caught 11 and 16 fish the last two mornings and whereas that's a lot of bass in a lot of places, it's not many in my little-fished water. Something changed and suddenly. However, five of them were four pounds or more, so the big bass are still active and one of them was this girl (I don't know if I love her mouth or her belly more.):

 

 

 

Heck, yeah, get off the bank! @thediscochef and others catch BIG bass off the bank, but where I fish, you couldn't even bank fish. It would be impossible. You'd either have to cast over 30 yards of reeds or scramble on boulders. Imagine bank fishing this:

 

 

If I lived in Florida, I'd kayak fish the Everglades. I'd need a Garmin so I wouldn't be lost forever, but I'd plunge into the Everglades and fish the salad just like I fish here. I've seen other kayak fishers do this and I saw one, another paddling woman, land two DDs in a row there. Buy a kayak, Dom!

 

 

You getting all these nice fish is really making me think. I know I could tow a kayak with my car , I just have the need for speed. Haha. Loxahachee is a a good place too. Just a lot of gators. Last headwaters trip, there was a gator that followed us the entire way through our trolling session. Like 45 mins of trolling the weeds edge.  He was a waiting for an easy meal. There are some really big gators down here too. The biggest we saw out in headwaters, judging from the head and back out of the water. Was about 13-14ft. I do see kayaks out there. Not too far from the ramps, just never thought about getting one. I would for sure need a motor on that haha. 

[thediscochef]

8 hours ago, Team9nine said:

In these micro-lakes, it’s pretty rare to find some of those pondweed species; they just don’t seem to establish well outside of a single plant here and there. Fun to fish when you can find it, though. I see it a bit more in some reservoirs around here, though still not in crazy amounts.

 

Chara is a favorite of crawfish, so not unusual to find good Chara ponds hosting large crawfish populations. It stays green into Nov/Dec here, even January during mild winters, so it attracts a lot of bass. In those ponds that just contact spray, it’s often ‘out of sight, out if mind,’ and so often escapes some treatment efforts out in deeper water. When that happens, you get a great post-spawn/early summer bite in the stuff…and it simply gets overlooked by a lot of anglers, so those fish that use it regularly see less pressure in my mind.

This will change where I throw craws...I know where the chara starts on my rip rap spots and that could be really valuable insight. It's interesting how the depth and light conditions seem to dictate where each the milfoil, chara, and long leaf pondweed grow in the same few acres 

[NorcalBassin]

Been a strange summer for me with a lot less fishing and a lot less catching. Might have to make up for lost time in the fall!

 

[Swamp Girl]

3 hours ago, Dominat0r said:

Figure the last fish would be a peacock....but streak is done....Goal reached!!!!! I am sooooo ready to give my back a break, but glad I made it through this long. Got this guy off a Ned rig, actually, this is the first fish I got on a Ned rig ever. I am going to go back out after the sun goes down, now I am hoping it rains to block out the flaming ball in the sky. 

 

 

After what you've achieved, InDomitable might be a better screen name for you. Tens of thousands of Florida fishers catch bass from kayakers. None have been bitten. Buy a kayak!

[IcatchDinks]

Went on a long wading expedition this evening. I caught five fish total. I'll put a dedicated thread to my evening in "Fishing Reports" after I type this up. Here's the prettiest Smallmouth I caught:

[thediscochef]

Didn't get to stay as late as I hoped but that's OK. Did enough to keep the smell of skunk away for another day 

[thediscochef]

?

 

As they say, it has to get worse before... it continues to get worse lol

 

Killed my distance casting combo today, the mag brake inside my reel seems to have let go. Immediately engages. I hit a skunk on the way to the lake. Snapped off two 3/4oz red eye shad. I just blew through my record for most expensive week like the dang kool aid man. I really should have stayed in bed.

 

Oh and I hooked one heavy fish. But my drag was loose and it got away. Felt like a 7+. PB gizzard shad for consolation prize. I'm straight up having a bad time lol 

[thediscochef]

37 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

?

 

As they say, it has to get worse before... it continues to get worse lol

 

Killed my distance casting combo today, the mag brake inside my reel seems to have let go. Immediately engages. I hit a skunk on the way to the lake. Snapped off two 3/4oz red eye shad. I just blew through my record for most expensive week like the dang kool aid man. I really should have stayed in bed.

 

Oh and I hooked one heavy fish. But my drag was loose and it got away. Felt like a 7+. PB gizzard shad for consolation prize. I'm straight up having a bad time lol 

Upon further inspection, this is why I think reels with the least amount of plastic will retain their value the longest

is it usable like this? I was afraid of taking it apart at the lake so I haven't tried. But I get the feeling the imbalance may cause a problem

 

[Swamp Girl]

I had a grand plan this morning:

 

Rise at 2:50.

 

Launch at 4:15.

 

Paddle a couple miles to a river mouth I'd never fished.

 

Catch big bass.

 

Sadly, at 4:15, as I was about to step into my canoe, I saw I'd forgotten my paddles.

 

It took 1.5 sad and mad hours to fetch my paddles.

 

By the time I returned to my canoe, I'd lost the dark and my focus. I did catch 19 fish. Two were pickerel and the rest were bass. Mostly mid-sized bass. I lost one big one that made my drag squeal. Soft plastics worked best.

 

The bass were skittish today. My soft plastic would hit the water and a nearby bass would bolt. When they did attack, I'd see them coming, which is always exciting.

 

I like the river mouth and plan to fish it again.

 

[thediscochef]

5 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I had a grand plant this morning:

 

Rise at 2:50.

 

Launch at 4:15.

 

Paddle a couple miles to a river mouth I'd never fished.

 

Catch big bass.

 

Sadly, at 4:15, as I was about to step into my canoe, I saw I'd forgotten my paddles.

 

It took 1.5 sad and mad hours to fetch my paddles.

 

By the time I returned to my canoe, I'd lost the dark and my focus. I did catch 19 fish. Two were pickerel and the rest were bass. Mostly mid-sized bass. I lost one big one that made my drag squeal. Soft plastics worked best.

 

The bass were skittish today. My soft plastic would hit the water and a nearby bass would bolt. When they did attack, I'd see them coming, which is always exciting.

 

I like the river mouth and plan to fish it again.

 

Sounds like we're all having a Monday. Nice bass! 

[Team9nine]

Officially hit 90 here today with a dewpoint in the mid 70s and almost no wind - but we do have good cloud cover, so made a quick pass on the closest spot with a drop-shot and caught 3. Pretty bad when you drip with sweat from just standing in one spot shaking a worm - lol. Up to 99 by Thu., so trips will be few and short this week.
 

[Swamp Girl]

@Woody B was skunked. I feared that @Team9nine would also be skunked. Nostradamus foretold that if Woody B, named "Man of Oak" by Nostradamus, and Team9nine, named "Lover of Multiples of Three" by Nostradamus, were both skunked, then the world would be swallowed by a flaming tortoise. 

[gim]

19 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Pretty bad when you drip with sweat from just standing in one spot shaking a worm - lol.

 

[The Bassman]

I've been lazy about posting fish pics for a while. Decided to go out with less than ideal conditions this afternoon (heat, no wind). Actually did better than I expected with two this size and a half dozen smaller. They came on a Rapala Skitter Walk and a bladed jig. 90's+ the rest of the week.

[MIbassyaker]

I wanted to show off a big smallmouth, but I didn't catch any of those today. So here are a couple tiny ones instead:

[Swamp Girl]

@MIbassyaker: Mepps Black Fury! I so rarely know the lures you guys use that I'm thrilled when I recognize one.

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

@Woody B was skunked. I feared that @Team9nine would also be skunked. Nostradamus foretold that if Woody B, named "Man of Oak" by Nostradamus, and Team9nine, named "Lover of Multiples of Three" by Nostradamus, were both skunked, then the world would be swallowed by a flaming tortoise. 

Well... That would certainly be something to see. I'm kinda hoping they both get skunked next time out now!!!