Other Species Latest Catch Pics Thread

[MN Fisher]

Did some pier fishing for panfish this evening...just cause it's been a couple weeks since I could get out - hot weather and me do NOT get along. Spent more time pulling weeds off what ever lure I tossed than actual fishing...but didn't get skunked!

1/32oz jig with a 2" Berkley Powerbait Ripple Shad in Orange/Pearl under a slip bobber set to 4'

[JMac603]

Forgot to post this from a week or so ago. Caught on a TRD Ticlerz Green Pumpkin. Bought it home and ate it.

[thediscochef]

Too bad they don't come out of the water with fries next to em

[T-Billy]

Couldn't find any big's but boated three today, and we had 13 more followers. Clear water and little wind have them spooky. They won't chase into the 8. They just leave when they see the boat. Unforunately the wife didn't hook up, but she raised 5. She just couldn't get the bait moving fast enough to trigger the bite. They wanted that thing MOVING. We were burning Llungen .22 shorts over submerged milfoil and coontail beds.

Didn't measure the dink, the other two were 33" and 36". Also caught a highly ambitious little LM. 

The new RS Nets Muskie Mag is sweet, and worth every penny. Sure makes dealing with them boat side easier.

[TnRiver46]

@T-Billy, now that’s a fine hat!!!!!

[gim]

7 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Didn't measure the dink, the other two were 33" and 36".

Really nice color on those fish.

[T-Billy]

6 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

@T-Billy, now that’s a fine hat!!!!!

Autographed by Bill even. I bought it from his website. I had a nice conversation with his daughter Pamela about how I'd been watching his show since I was a kid. Used to watch it after Saturday morning cartoons and before big time rastlin. LOL. She said she and her brothers used to do the same. Hat arrived a few days later with this written on it. It's my hot weather fishin hat.

[VolFan]

That post made my morning - I used to do the same thing, back when Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Hart were local. 

[Fishlegs]

I love that cold weather hat @T-Billy, but an autographed Bill Dance hat is even better.

[TheSwearingAngler]

Without question my PB bluegill… hit a booyah pond magic spinnerbait. They chase it all the time but this guy could actually get it in his mouth.

[T-Billy]

What a fun morning!!! 34-35-38 in the net. Lost a mid 30's while trying to net it, and had a 40ish come off just a few seconds after I hooked it in the 8. Had another dozen or so follows. Water temps are down a couple degrees, with some cooler weather on the way. Fish are really starting to move back into the bays.

I've found a couple of spots where they're stacked up in milfoil and coontail in 10'-13' of water. I've been burning a Llungen Lures "Chad Shad" over the tops of this stuff. My guide buddy (who designed this crank) says this pattern is just getting started and will get hotter, and hold up clear through October. My fall bass numbers are going to suffer greatly. LOL. These slimers are highly addictive, and may well drive me to the poor house. I'll be slime covered, with aching elbows, wrists and hands, and grinning from ear to ear when I get there. 

 

Chad Shad in "Tiffany" color pattern. I like it, and the fish seem to as well. It's natural looking, but with all the glitter in it, it throws a ton of flash in the sunshine. 

[A-Jay]

20 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

What a fun morning!!! 34-35-38 in the net. Lost a mid 30's while trying to net it, and had a 40ish come off just a few seconds after I hooked it in the 8. Had another dozen or so follows. Water temps are down a couple degrees, with some cooler weather on the way. Fish are really starting to move back into the bays.

I've found a couple of spots where they're stacked up in milfoil and coontail in 10'-13' of water. I've been burning a Llungen Lures "Chad Shad" over the tops of this stuff. My guide buddy (who designed this crank) says this pattern is just getting started and will get hotter, and hold up clear through October. My fall bass numbers are going to suffer greatly. LOL. These slimers are highly addictive, and may well drive me to the poor house. I'll be slime covered, with aching elbows, wrists and hands, and grinning from ear to ear when I get there. 

 

Chad Shad in "Tiffany" color pattern. I like it, and the fish seem to as well. It's natural looking, but with all the glitter in it, it throws a ton of flash in the sunshine. 

Nice.

Muskies on a crankbait.

Bet that's no fun at all ! 

Congrats

?

A-Jay

[Fishlegs]

@T-Billy It might just be the lighting, but that first picture reminded me of a barracuda with the silverish color. All cool looking fish!

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Nice.

Muskies on a crankbait.

Bet that's no fun at all ! 

Congrats

?

A-Jay

LOL. When I set the hook on that 34", the first thing it did was launch into a 5' high backflip, then three more jumps. Three of the five hooked today were on the 8. Some big time fun.

[gim]

17 hours ago, T-Billy said:

When I set the hook on that 34", the first thing it did was launch into a 5' high backflip, then three more jumps.

I've experienced this a few times too.  Really gets your attention when a 3 foot fish goes airborne.

[T-Billy]

6 hours ago, gimruis said:

I've experienced this a few times too.  Really gets your attention when a 3 foot fish goes airborne.

Roger that. They get air smallmouth can only dream about. I had a 45" do a backflip last fall, then come right back up and tail walk like a tarpon. It gets real crazy when they go ballistic like that on a foot and a half of line after biting on the 8. 

 It was a much tougher bite today. I caught this nice thick 36" on a bucktail early on. I lost another about the same size that bit a Llungen .22 Short crank a little bit later while reaching for the net. It's hard to stay tight on em and get that big net ready at the same time. Had five other follows, but they were back to bolting when they saw the boat. Wouldn't have anything to do with following into the 8. Water's really clear. I could see bare spots on the bottom in 12'.

Gonna get the wife out again tomorrow morning. Hopefully they're in a more cooperative mood.

[gim]

2 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

It's hard to stay tight on em and get that big net ready at the same time.

Oh yes.  Its a real challenge.

 

Catching a muskie, losing another, and having 5 others follow is still ridiculous.  Only YOU would call that a "tougher" bite.  I'd call that a fantastic outing.  Maybe not wearing the Bill Dance Tennessee hat jinxed you.

 

 

[T-Billy]

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Oh yes.  Its a real challenge.

 

Catching a muskie, losing another, and having 5 others follow is still ridiculous.  Only YOU would call that a "tougher" bite.  I'd call that a fantastic outing.  Maybe not wearing the Bill Dance Tennessee hat jinxed you.

 

 

Hmmm... Could be. I'll be sporting the T tomorrow. ? 

 We are blessed here in my area as far as muskie fishing goes. Five lakes within an hour of me that have them. My favorite lake is only 15min from my house. They don't successfully spawn in most of our reservoirs so the ONDR stocks them. The last survey I saw, my favorite lake has a population density of about one per acre.

 The bay I've been spending most of my time in lately has about 20 acres of weeds in the back. I haven't been seeing many big's but the 30 somethings are really stacked up in the deeper milfoil and coontail. Bigger fish will move in as the water cools.

 I was just looking through my pics. I'm currently at 16 over 30" on the year, and the fishing's only gonna get better from now till iceover. Fingers crossed for an epic fall. 

[gim]

We have a lot of lakes that have them too but they are not easy to catch here.  They receive a fair amount of pressure.  The number of adult fish per acre is much, much lower too.  Some bigger lakes are listed at one adult per every 40 acres.  That's a heck of a lot of water to cover.

 

We actually have a closed season for muskies too, so the time frame in which we can legally target them is far more limited.

 

My record is 8 in a season.  I caught 7 last year.  Only 1 so far this season.  I've only been muskie fishing twice.  Its been way too warm lately.  Water temps at 80+ is too warm.

[T-Billy]

10-4 @gimruis. Our fish get a TON of pressure, but our densities are much higher than yours for sure. My #1 lake is only a little over 1100 acres and is probably the most popular in the state for muskie. There won't be a parking space left by 7am tomorrow. People drive hours to fish there.

Lately speed has been the main factor for getting bit. The cranks I'm throwing are small by muskie standards. I'm burning them just as fast as I can make that reel go round, and the IPT on all those reels is 30" or over. The tendinitis in my elbows is on fire, and my hands and wrists are thrashed, but I'm catching more than anyone I've talked to other than my guide buddy. I'm outcatching those guys simply by outworking them, by a wide margin in most cases.

[gim]

15 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Lately speed has been the main factor for getting bit. The cranks I'm throwing are small by muskie standards. I'm burning them just as fast as I can make that reel go round, and the IPT on all those reels is 30" or over.

Good to know.  I will try it next time.  Thanks

[Woody B]

3 hours ago, T-Billy said:

The tendinitis in my elbows is on fire, and my hands and wrists are thrashed,

 

Voltaren is your friend.  The label says it's just for arthritis but my Dr recommends it for my shoulder and elbows.   When the tube runs out I notice it.  

[RyAxion]

Went offshore off NJ earlier this week and boated my first yellowfins: 50 and 65 lbs.!

[T-Billy]

Awesome morning on the water with my bride. @gimruis nailed it. The big orange T got'r dun this morning. We fished from 6 till 11:30 and went four for four. Every fish that bit went into the net. We had 8 more follows, but it was two fish that followed four times each. They were both acting aggressive, but just wouldn't commit. 33-36-40 for me, and the highlight of the trip, getting to net my wife's 38". I was so happy to see her get one!!! As I mentioned they want the bait moving FAST lately and she just doesn't have the strength to generate as much speed as I can. She had five follows and zero bites last week, but the Lord blessed her with a nice fish this morning. 

 

 

[T-Billy]

5 hours ago, RyAxion said:

Went offshore off NJ earlier this week and boated my first yellowfins: 50 and 65 lbs.!

Congrats!!! That looks like a TON of fun!!