Other Species Latest Catch Pics Thread

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

By baitcooler, you mean your stomach....don't lie ?

Dude……. Funny you would say that

 

couple characters were launching boats while I was standing on the floating dock. Super nice guys, they thought they were messing up my fishing . I said I’m a boater and I am aware this is a boat launch and I’m the one messing things up haha……

 

so I’m walking back to my truck holding two skips and the ole boy launching a pontoon says “you ever put those on a smoker?” I figured he was joking and laughed a bit but he was serious, said it was tasty like a smoked mullet. I love wild game more than 99% of humans but in the words of meatloaf, “no I won’t do that”

[DitchPanda]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Dude……. Funny you would say that

 

couple characters were launching boats while I was standing on the floating dock. Super nice guys, they thought they were messing up my fishing . I said I’m a boater and I am aware this is a boat launch and I’m the one messing things up haha……

 

so I’m walking back to my truck holding two skips and the ole boy launching a pontoon says “you ever put those on a smoker?” I figured he was joking and laughed a bit but he was serious, said it was tasty like a smoked mullet. I love wild game more than 99% of humans but in the words of meatloaf, “no I won’t do that”

Got a buddy whose grandma used to smoke goldeye which are similar to skipjack. He said they were very good.

[TnRiver46]

39 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Got a buddy whose grandma used to smoke goldeye which are similar to skipjack. He said they were very good.

I’d believe it, I’ve had smoked whitefish many times in MI

 

but when it comes to a shad or herring, I’ll just have to wimp out and eat chicken. I’ve cut them up into bait and left them in my livewell a few too many times, shew 

[DitchPanda]

45 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’d believe it, I’ve had smoked whitefish many times in MI

 

but when it comes to a shad or herring, I’ll just have to wimp out and eat chicken. I’ve cut them up into bait and left them in my livewell a few too many times, shew 

I hope you take this as a compliment but this response surprises me. If anybody asked me - hey do to you know a guy daring enough to eat a goldeye? I would have responded do you know @TnRiver46?

[Aaron_H]

Got out yesterday, bass bite was okay numbers but no real size. Biggest one ~2.5lbs, but I did manage one nice 12" crappie on the jerkbait. I haven't caught as many of them this year as previous years, so it was a nice surprise even if it wasn't a spectacular fight.

 

And culled a few more tilapia. I should break 100 for the year pretty easily at this point, really hoping to get into some big 7+ lbers in the next few weeks or so. I'm still hoping I can break the IGFA world record, my PB is pretty close and there is one pond in particular that I know holds a lot of huge tilapia.

[TnRiver46]

[AlabamaSpothunter]

13 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Dang nice Blue kitty!    What did she weigh?  Bet she was close to 20 at least.    Cut bait or live bait?  What kind of setup do you rig for them?

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Dang nice Blue kitty!    What did she weigh?  Bet she was close to 20 at least.    Cut bait or live bait?  What kind of setup do you rig for them?

No clue on the weight. Cut up skipjack with a sinker today 

[Fishlegs]

On 11/27/2022 at 10:12 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Fat cat! Nice fish, brother!

[T-Billy]

6 hours with the A-Rig today = 5 muskie between 33" and 43" and lost another. Man I love fishin this time of year!!! All fatties too!!! Stuffed full of gizzard shad.

Started off with the orange hat because it's opening day of deer gun season. Wind picked up and I said to heck with it and broke out THE hat. ?

[roadwarrior]

Geez!

 

 

 

                                                           

[A-Jay]

31 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

6 hours with the A-Rig today = 5 muskie between 33" and 43" and lost another. Man I love fishin this time of year!!! All fatties too!!! Stuffed full of gizzard shad.

Started off with the orange hat because it's opening day of deer gun season. Wind picked up and I said to heck with it and broke out THE hat. ?

Man ~ That's a whole season for some guys !

Killer day.

Do you use a Musky size net or are you lipping these things ?

j/k 

Congrats

A-Jay

[T-Billy]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

Man ~ That's a whole season for some guys !

Killer day.

Do you use a Musky size net or are you lipping these things ?

j/k 

Congrats

A-Jay

I boat flip 'em. ?Lol.  

Actually I have two nets. One has a 20" or so hoop and is 36" deep. The other has a much bigger hoop and is 48" deep. Fish up to 40" or so go into the small net, get unhooked, then into the big net to recoup while I get the phone set up for pics. I landed the 43" with the small net today, but it was a tight fit. System works great, and the fish are rested and ready to go come release time.

 It gets more complicated with bigger fish that need to be netted with the big net. A- Rigs and nets don't play well together. It can be stressful for both me and the fish when I can only use the big net, but so far, so good, I haven't lost one yet. I give 'em plenty of time to rest and recoup before turning 'em loose. They've all swam off strong. They take handling much better in cold water, and I don't catch many when it's warm.

[A-Jay]

10 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I boat flip 'em. ?Lol.  

Actually I have two nets. One has a 20" or so hoop and is 36" deep. The other has a much bigger hoop and is 48" deep. Fish up to 40" or so go into the small net, get unhooked, then into the big net to recoup while I get the phone set up for pics. I landed the 43" with the small net today, but it was a tight fit. System works great, and the fish are rested and ready to go come release time.

 It gets more complicated with bigger fish that need to be netted with the big net. A- Rigs and nets don't play well together. It can be stressful for both me and the fish when I can only use the big net, but so far, so good, I haven't lost one yet. I give 'em plenty of time to rest and recoup before turning 'em loose. They've all swam off strong. They take handling much better in cold water, and I don't catch many when it's warm.

I get it - Thank you.

Either way that's some killer fun fishing right there . . .

 And rarely seems too cold when slaunch muskies are blowing up your A-Rig all day.

Wow ~ Congrats again.

A-Jay

[T-Billy]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

I get it - Thank you.

Either way that's some killer fun fishing right there . . .

 And rarely seems too cold when slaunch muskies are blowing up your A-Rig all day.

Wow ~ Congrats again.

A-Jay

Thanks brother. I'm pretty stoked. This was at my #1 lake, that's 15 minutes from the house. I don't go back to work until next Sunday. Could might maybe possibly be an epic week. Fingers crossed.

 I talked to our local guide at the ramp this afternoon. His clients got six, and a big saugeye today. He's expecting this bite to hold up for awhile.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

6 hours with the A-Rig today = 5 muskie between 33" and 43" and lost another. Man I love fishin this time of year!!! All fatties too!!! Stuffed full of gizzard shad.

Started off with the orange hat because it's opening day of deer gun season. Wind picked up and I said to heck with it and broke out THE hat. ?

LOL.....I hope you post these to all the Muskie boards and tell them they are nothing but by catch ?

 

Epic stuff, very pretty fish!

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

I boat flip 'em. ?Lol.  

Actually I have two nets. One has a 20" or so hoop and is 36" deep. The other has a much bigger hoop and is 48" deep. Fish up to 40" or so go into the small net, get unhooked, then into the big net to recoup while I get the phone set up for pics. I landed the 43" with the small net today, but it was a tight fit. System works great, and the fish are rested and ready to go come release time.

 It gets more complicated with bigger fish that need to be netted with the big net. A- Rigs and nets don't play well together. It can be stressful for both me and the fish when I can only use the big net, but so far, so good, I haven't lost one yet. I give 'em plenty of time to rest and recoup before turning 'em loose. They've all swam off strong. They take handling much better in cold water, and I don't catch many when it's warm.

How do these fish fight?   Everybody refers to them in length, but what's the general weight on these fish when they get big like those in the pics?

[T-Billy]

3 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

How do these fish fight?   Everybody refers to them in length, but what's the general weight on these fish when they get big like those in the pics?

Dunno what they weigh. Never weighed one. I don't want to injure one by hanging it on those little clamp jaws. As far as the fight goes, they tire quickly in warm water, and don't take handling well. This time of year, they pull hard, don't give up easily, and they are FAST for a freshwater fish. They're also much more tolerant of handling when it's cold. Water's in the low 40's right now.

[Aaron_H]

I was right about the bigger tilapia coming out to play soon. Not close to the size I'm after, but my biggest of 2022 so far. Came it at 6lb 1oz, got it on a 1/2 oz RES 2-tap in chrome sexy shad.

[gim]

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

Dunno what they weigh. Never weighed one. I don't want to injure one by hanging it on those little clamp jaws. As far as the fight goes, they tire quickly in warm water, and don't take handling well. This time of year, they pull hard, don't give up easily, and they are FAST for a freshwater fish. They're also much more tolerant of handling when it's cold. Water's in the low 40's right now.

Bass anglers could learn a lot about properly  measuring, handling, and releasing a fish from muskie anglers.

[txchaser]

5 hours ago, T-Billy said:

6 hours with the A-Rig today = 5 muskie between 33" and 43" and lost another. Man I love fishin this time of year!!! All fatties too!!! Stuffed full of gizzard shad.

Started off with the orange hat because it's opening day of deer gun season. Wind picked up and I said to heck with it and broke out THE hat. ?

I didn't think it was possible to feel bad about living in Texas. But wow, this is epic!

[T-Billy]

The wind flipped 180 degrees from yesterday, and so did the fishing. Only had one bite all day, but this obese 40 incher smoked my rig close to the boat and put on a show. No shortage of attitude with this one. 

[roadwarrior]

The muskellunge, often abbreviated to “muskie,” is a sharp-toothed, aggressive fish that can grow to more than 50 inches long, and it is often considered the ultimate challenge in freshwater fishing. Because muskies are so difficult to find and catch, they have earned the nickname of “the fish of a thousand casts.”

 

Guess not for you...

CONGRATULATIONS!

[T-Billy]

8 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

The muskellunge, often abbreviated to “muskie,” is a sharp-toothed, aggressive fish that can grow to more than 50 inches long, and it is often considered the ultimate challenge in freshwater fishing. Because muskies are so difficult to find and catch, they have earned the nickname of “the fish of a thousand casts.”

 

Guess not for you...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks. I struggled to find 'em today, but the local guide didn't. His client caught six. He's got me talked into buying a FFS in the spring. Not 100% whether I'm going Lowrance or Garmin, but leaning Garmin.

[Jar11591]

Whenever I see @T-Billy‘s name come up on the Other Species Catch thread I know I’m about to see a big muskie. 

[T-Billy]

7 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

Whenever I see @T-Billy‘s name come up on the Other Species Catch thread I know I’m about to see a big muskie. 

Only if the water's cold for the most part. I hardly ever catch 'em in the summer. The A-Rig has been a game changer. This is my best year ever for them. I used to get bit off more often than I landed them. That is no longer the case thanks to the rig.