Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Great to see spring turning on some places!

 

You whisper the big girls. Once they're warm enough to hear your whispers, they'll be coming to you too. 

 

Pat, I added your 4.5-pounder to my post up thread. You're representing now!

[Team9nine]

Back out on the water after a couple wet, cold days. Over 3” of rain, but surface temps only dropped 4-5 degrees. Fish moved again, but we eventually landed on them and caught about a dozen and a half in 3 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

[FryDog62]

10 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Back out on the water after a couple wet, cold days. Over 3” of rain, but surface temps only dropped 4-5 degrees. Fish moved again, but we eventually landed on them and caught about a dozen and a half in 3 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice job, unfortunately a little more rain coming now. What depth/lures are you finding work best? 

[hokiehunter373]

Envious of you guys. I’m just up here staring at ice with highs in the 20s and half a foot of snow predicted next week. Sigh lol

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

Nice job, unfortunately a little more rain coming now. What depth/lures are you finding work best? 

Can’t get anything to eat on the bottom. Mostly jerkbaits and swimbaits or ‘jighead minnows’, with a few crankbait fish. Fish have been focused around shad schools on main lake from 1’-10’ ft. If more rain = more stain, I might finally get to catch them on a jig or Ned rig. 

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Can’t get anything to eat on the bottom. Mostly jerkbaits and swimbaits or ‘jighead minnows’, with a few crankbait fish. Fish have been focused around shad schools on main lake from 1’-10’ ft. If more rain = more stain, I might finally get to catch them on a jig or Ned rig. 

I haven’t fished SC in 2 months… been in FL and those swamp lakes fish very different than the reservoirs here. This is the one time of year I haven’t fished locally and it’s going to be a learning process. 

[Team9nine]

39 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I haven’t fished SC in 2 months… been in FL and those swamp lakes fish very different than the reservoirs here. This is the one time of year I haven’t fished locally and it’s going to be a learning process. 

This is only my second winter season of fishing here, and it’s been completely different than last year. High level assumption is that water clarity dictates the bite. If it’s clear, they are out (main lake) on shad mostly and feeding up, and if it’s stained, they’re up on structure and cover and feeding down.

[TnRiver46]

Water is coffee + creamer thick here, below a dam

somewhere might be my only chance 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Water is coffee + creamer thick here, below a dam

somewhere might be my only chance 

Straight chocolate milk here as well.    Almost sunk the S.S. Minnow, took like an hour to bilge out.     Gonna be awhile until fishing is good again sadly.  

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Straight chocolate milk here as well.    Almost sunk the S.S. Minnow, took like an hour to bilge out.     Gonna be awhile until fishing is good again sadly.  

Time to break out the red hot and lava red hot sauce colored Fogy Chatterbaits from Sieberts ! 

[Team9nine]

Bass didn’t like today’s cold front, but I didn’t blank, either. On the other hand, the crappie bite wasn’t bad (Other species catch thread), so there's that.

 

 

 

[thediscochef]

On 2/12/2025 at 9:16 PM, Swamp Girl said:

Behold what the BR crew has recently caught:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You guys sure can cowboy.'

 

And for the final beast, drum roll please....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have the smallest bass on this post, but it's honest work and I'm happy to be included alongside the other folks who catch fish for real 

[Swamp Girl]

6 hours ago, thediscochef said:

I have the smallest bass on this post

 

Nope. There are a number of us tied for the smallest bass, i.e. those of us who have yet to catch a bass in 2025. 

[thediscochef]

11 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Nope. There are a number of us tied for the smallest bass, i.e. those of us who have yet to catch a bass in 2025. 

Well you weren't pictured so you don't meet the judging criteria yet LOL

 

We'll wait for the first 75 bass of your season (probably less than two days of fishing) before you have a fish that fits on that post

[N Florida Mike]

Had a friend come over and fish from 3:30-6:30 .  Fished hard - they were not biting real good today but we managed 13. I got into a little flurry of activity and got 4 in the last 1/2 hour, including the big fish of the day.  Caught those 4 on the magnum speed worm. This was when we were nearly back to my house, fishing the northeast part of the lake. We each had a fish break our line , his broke 15 pound big game.  Still hunting the elusive big fish.

[Swamp Girl]

8 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

We'll wait for the first 75 bass of your season (probably less than two days of fishing)

 

Ha! I wish, but I started slowly last year and expect to do the same this year. It's hard for me to catch bass with the water is still c-c-c-cold! It's even harder when I stay close to shorelines because I don't want to be far from the shore if I were to tip, so I can't fish the whole pond/bog, but since you're often fishing from the shoreline, you might just want to play a tiny violin for my sob story.

 

 

Anyway, come the thaw, I plan to target big bass for once. I caught my PB last spring on a cold day. She was one of three bass I caught that day, which taught me that early spring is more quality than quantity. 

 

3 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

We each had a fish break our line , his broke 15 pound big game.

 

Break your line or cut it? I have pickerel cut my line, but I don't think I have more than one bass in a couple thousand break it. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

4 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

 

Anyway, come the thaw, I plan to target big bass for once. I caught my PB last spring on a cold day. She was one of three bass I caught that day, which taught me that early spring is more quality than quantity. 

 

 

 

Let's GOOOOOOO!    This makes me so happy to read!   

 

I just know a really special fish is in your future again this year.    

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Let's GOOOOOOO!    This makes me so happy to read!   

 

I just know a really special fish is in your future again this year.    

 

 

 

I hope so, Alex, but if I don't boat one, don't be disappointed in me: It won't be for lack of trying. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

You could never disappoint any of your many fans here including myself Katie!

 

I'm just excited to enjoy your unique fishing journey as always, along with seeing a new specific goal or chapter.   I think it just makes sense to focus on those outlier monster fish during the start of your season, then you have the rest of the season to target numbers that defy logic like every year  😎

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

6 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I think it just makes sense to focus on those outlier monster fish during the start of your season, then you have the rest of the season to target numbers

 

That's my plan. However, come fall, I plan to target big bass again. I caught a lot of four and five-plus-pounders last fall. Summer is when I'll kick back and simply catch bass.

[Rocky998]

Here where I am in North Carolina, pre spawn is JUST trying to start... But we've been having some cold front coming through ever so often, messing up their schedule...

But even in the cold I managed a few catches.

 

[N Florida Mike]

@Swamp Girl We dont have pickerals in our lake. There is a small gar population, but I have never had 1 bite an artificial bait before.

And my friend is a very experienced bass fisherman. I think maybe he had a little nick he didn’t notice . Still, 15 pound big game !! Hard to believe.

[Swamp Girl]

20 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Still, 15 pound big game !!

 

Did he get a glimpse of what broke it?

[Aaron_H]

On 2/15/2025 at 8:03 PM, N Florida Mike said:

Had a friend come over and fish from 3:30-6:30 .  Fished hard - they were not biting real good today but we managed 13. I got into a little flurry of activity and got 4 in the last 1/2 hour, including the big fish of the day.  Caught those 4 on the magnum speed worm. This was when we were nearly back to my house, fishing the northeast part of the lake. We each had a fish break our line , his broke 15 pound big game.  Still hunting the elusive big fish.

 

6 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

@Swamp Girl We dont have pickerals in our lake. There is a small gar population, but I have never had 1 bite an artificial bait before.

And my friend is a very experienced bass fisherman. I think maybe he had a little nick he didn’t notice . Still, 15 pound big game !! Hard to believe.

 

Only freshwater fish I've had clean cut me off was a bowfin, lost a pricey lipless to that one. Was also on 15lb Big Game, coincidentally.

[Pat Brown]

9 hours ago, Aaron_H said:

 

 

Only freshwater fish I've had clean cut me off was a bowfin, lost a pricey lipless to that one. Was also on 15lb Big Game, coincidentally.

 

 

I get cut off clean at least 4 or 5 times every year fishing mainlake structure where I catch my biggest bass every year.  It's always 15-20 lb big game and flipping baits and it's always instant and super clean cut on hook set. I was recently told our lakes have a ton of mudfish/bowfin in addition to huge pickerel.