Other Species Latest Catch Pics Thread

[Team9nine]

High pressure getting closer; blue skies, cooler air temps, a north wind, but snuck in 2 hours late this afternoon and was rewarded with a limit of crappies, including a pair of 1.40 lb. fish 

 

[RipzLipz]

@Team9nine You’re gonna need a 2nd freezer for Christmas!

[T-Billy]

I tell ya folks, fishing in 18 degrees, with a nice 10-15mph breeze blowing, is every bit as fun as you would imagine it to be!!! 😂 I was actually comfortable, my reels... not so much. Level wind locked up on one, and the other was getting close to that point when I left after four hours. The first had thawed out in the pocket of my bibs by then, but I'd had enough. I'm off the next four days, and temps will be at least a bit above freezing most of the time. I'm gonna put in a full day tomorrow.

Ended up with this fat 34" and lost another about the same size. 

 

[gim]

@T-Billy

 

Either your balls are frozen or they're made of solid rock. 

[T-Billy]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

@T-Billy

 

Either your balls are frozen or they're made of solid rock. 

I actually had taken a layer off just before catching that fish. I bought a Striker Ice, Trekker series coat. They make ice fishing coats and bibs that are super warm, light weight, and provide floatation for up to 2hrs if you take a dunking. The trekker is the lightest they make and it's PLENTY warm for my excursions. I bought the coat last week, and really like it, so I ordered the matching bibs this morning.

 

Edit to add

: https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrFNJDf1GdlctMDjUhx.9w4;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1701332319/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fstrikerbrands.com%2fcollections%2fice-fishing-suits/RK=2/RS=ugugWYvFCn7CrntGth.TL2JsQlw-

Anyone who fishes cold water might wanna look into these. They provide protection from the weather and also keep you afloat should you take an unintended dip.

[ATA]

[T-Billy]

Solid day today. 3 for 5 and a 28"ish dink . Second one I lost was BIG. Set the hook, loaded the rod clear into the butt section, and thought CRAP, set into a log, then a few BIG, SLOW headshakes, and gone. 🙁 CRAP!! Muskies make me say that a lot. Lol.

Ended up with a 36.5", a 38", and a 41". Best day in awhile.

Rain coming tomorrow and the winds are supposed to lay down some. Hopefully they'll still be chewing. My buddy's clients got 12 today, including a 48" and a 45". Father and son each got their new PB.  

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Awesome job Tim!   

 

I'd guess your guide buddy uses FFS?   

 

 

[T-Billy]

3 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Awesome job Tim!   

 

I'd guess your guide buddy uses FFS?   

 

 

Yeah he does, but with or without it, the guy's an absolute hammer. Sure glad I met him and we hit it off last fall. He's a super nice guy, and he's really helped me out a lot. You can check him out on FB. Ohio Muskie Guide Service.

[Team9nine]

On 11/28/2023 at 11:06 PM, RipzLipz said:

@Team9nine You’re gonna need a 2nd freezer for Christmas!

Lol - all catch and release, especially the big ones.

[RipzLipz]

11 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Lol - all catch and release, especially the big ones.

Atta boy. Nicely done.

 

We are, on occasion, able to sight fish for crappie in one of the pits I fish when they move up to spawn. Was very interesting seeing their beds the few times they made nests on bottom. No giants but good eaters. Zero pressure other than us so 10-15 per trip hasn’t seemed to reduce number or size since we first transplanted them in there back in the early 90s.

[Team9nine]

Couldn't help myself - one more crappie trip in the books today. Best of the day was a 1.45 lb. fish. Fat bellies from gorging on shad, and some great fall colors on a 60 degree day. Also got another bullhead, but didn't take a pic. Three days of rain, then at least 3 days of 15-25 mph winds, but the next time I get back on the water, I'm going to chase bass (I think)  

 

[The Bassman]

9 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Couldn't help myself - one more crappie trip in the books today. Best of the day was a 1.45 lb. fish. Fat bellies from gorging on shad, and some great fall colors on a 60 degree day. Also got another bullhead, but didn't take a pic. Three days of rain, then at least 3 days of 15-25 mph winds, but the next time I get back on the water, I'm going to chase bass (I think)  

 

Nirvana when compared to Cataract and Racoon, no?

[Team9nine]

4 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Nirvana when compared to Cataract and Racoon, no?

I enjoyed both those lakes, especially Cataract. These fish have been a bit stingier, but the size, both in general and on the top end, has definitely been a nice change. Curious to expand out to other lakes in the area and see what they have to offer.

[gim]

16 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Lol - all catch and release, especially the big ones.

Wish more crappie anglers would do this. Most don’t. At least around here they don’t. People don’t understand that a 12 incher is never going to get to be a 15 incher if you constantly throw it in the bucket.

 

Props for releasing a fish that the majority of anglers wouldn’t even think twice about doing.

[Team9nine]

15 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Wish more crappie anglers would do this. Most don’t. At least around here they don’t. People don’t understand that a 12 incher is never going to get to be a 15 incher if you constantly throw it in the bucket.

 

Props for releasing a fish that the majority of anglers wouldn’t even think twice about doing.

Yeah, fish with a ‘harvest mentality’ mindset like walleye and panfish are at greatest risk of their big fish populations being destroyed with the help of the latest tech. Sadly see it most everyday on various social media outlets. By the time the science (studies) documents it, and fisheries regs adapt to it, it will already be too late. 

[Fishlegs]

22 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Second one I lost was BIG. Set the hook, loaded the rod clear into the butt section, and thought CRAP, set into a log, then a few BIG, SLOW headshakes, and gone. 🙁 CRAP!! Muskies make me say that a lot. Lol.

You make the muskies think that too. When you break out the hat they know they're in trouble! 🤣

[T-Billy]

1 hour ago, Fishlegs said:

You make the muskies think that too. When you break out the hat they know they're in trouble! 🤣

Not today. They mocked and laughed at me. I think I was the only person there to get skunked. 

[Fishlegs]

 @T-Billy Unfortunately, it happens to us all. They're still scared because they heard you say these words as you were leaving...

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Close to 2lbs, but not cigar.....still the biggest one I've caught since about this time last year which was my PB, a 2.7lb one.    

 

I don't fish for them, but they're always a fun surprise.   

[T-Billy]

I hear ya @Fishlegs. The challenge is part of the addiction. It really makes you appreciate the good days. Muskie are harder to find and get to bite than our other fresh water fish, and they come unbuttoned more often than other fish thanks to their power and bony mouths. They'll teach you patience and how to handle rejection that's for sure. LOL. But brother, when you get on a hot bite... There's nothing else like it in fresh water. Having a four footer rocket up from the deep and just absolutely smoke your bait in the 8 is something every angler should experience. 

 I'm going back out after 'em here in a bit. The number of trips left in my 23 season is very likely a single digit number. 

[TnRiver46]

Went out in the pouring rain today , had some nice catfish bait on ice so figured why not. Missed 1 million bites but finally got a nice blue right before lightning and thunder ran me off. Also, The waterproofing spray worked for my raincoat after the third try 

 

 

 

 

 

[T-Billy]

It was a grind again today, but I managed to boot the skunk out with this thick 37.5". Lost another that felt about the same size, and had three other hits that I didn't connect on. Two of them smoked it from behind and knocked a ton of slack in my line. By the time I caught up they were gone. The other miss clobbered it, loaded the rod up, and came unbuttoned a split second later. 

These warm fronts in the late fall really bugger things up. The giant shad schools have broken up, and the fish are scattered and suspended all over the main lake basin.

 Five days until I can get out again. BOOO!!! This working for a living thing really gets in the way of my fishing.

 

[T-Billy]

12 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I hear ya @Fishlegs. The challenge is part of the addiction. It really makes you appreciate the good days. Muskie are harder to find and get to bite than our other fresh water fish, and they come unbuttoned more often than other fish thanks to their power and bony mouths. They'll teach you patience and how to handle rejection that's for sure. LOL. But brother, when you get on a hot bite... There's nothing else like it in fresh water. Having a four footer rocket up from the deep and just absolutely smoke your bait in the 8 is something every angler should experience. 

 I'm going back out after 'em here in a bit. The number of trips left in my 23 season is very likely a single digit number. 

Hmm... First time ever quoting myself. Seems odd, LOL, but @A-Jay liking the above post made me realize how much of it applies to those giant brown bass he and @Dwight Hottle spend so much time seeking out. Catching some smalljaws is no great feat. Catching giants with the regularity those two guys catch 'em is a whole nuther story. Props to ya, y'all are a couple hammers. I always enjoy seeing those big brown sows.

[RipzLipz]

4 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Hmm... First time ever quoting myself. Seems odd, LOL, but @A-Jay liking the above post made me realize how much of it applies to those giant brown bass he and @Dwight Hottle spend so much time seeking out. Catching some smalljaws is no great feat. Catching giants with the regularity those two guys catch 'em is a whole nuther story. Props to ya, y'all are a couple hammers. I always enjoy seeing those big brown sows.

@T-Billy I agree 100%.
 

If I may add, I also tend to think anglers who have been through the ups & downs with fishing & have at some point achieved any sort of angling goals have a very deep appreciation when others catch trophy class fish, often regardless of species. Their results (and many others not mentioned) make it possible for other anglers to set higher goals - not just one PB but a stringer of trophy class fish or gaining a level of understanding where that is repeatable on a consistent basis. Putting it all together, so to speak. That whole process, at least for me, is part of the angling brotherhood & one reason why many of us have never met each other in person but often hit it off immediately. We’ve shared in the struggle.

 

Don’t sell yourself short as far as the hammer category - you’re obviously right up there or you wouldn’t be posting pics practically every day.👍