2023 Season Recap

[Jar11591]

The 2023 season is about wrapped up for me. Even if we have a nice day before ice-in, a wrist injury I got going on probably kills any hope of getting out one last time. So I figured I’d make a 2023 Wrap Up report.  
 

I was able to get out a good amount from April- August until I started full time college in late summer. As a 32 year old with full time work and full time school it made my fishing time dwindle. So most of my good catches came from early spring until mid summer. 
 

As well as a couple river trips, I kept my fishing to two lakes this year. One lake is a new lake to me that I moved with in 15 minutes of last year. Shallow, extremely weedy, and wide gaps in between contour  lines. Not my favorite kind of lake but I did well in it. The other lake was my favorite little mountain lake that is always so kind to me. 
 

Big fish of the year weighed 5lb 2oz, and came out of my mountain lake shortly after ice out in early April. She was hiding in some shoreline brush and munched a Siebert Outdoors brush jig and Paca Chunk trailer:

 

Top 3 Baits 

1. Popper 

2. Spinnerbait 

3. Senko

 

The popper was back on top of the bait leaderboard. It’s been tops like 5 out of the last 7 years. The fish in my lakes can’t get enough of topwater lures, and I’m thankful for that. Last years winner, the spinnerbait, fell to second. 
 

Good numbers of high 4s and low 5s. These are some of the better catches from the year:

 

 

My main goal was a new PB largemouth, specifically in the 7lb class, so I mainly targeted the green ones this year. Didn’t catch any PBs though. It’s now been 6 years without a PB, but every year my determination grows. All in all it was a decent season, and if I had been able to get out consistently the later part of it, it probably would have been one of my better seasons of the last decade. The grade I’ll give it is a B-.
 

So for the next few months I’ll be living vicariously through all you southerners who get to fish all year and endlessly scrolling through the latest catch thread. 

[Swamp Girl]

I like the year-end reports because we get to see a bunch of fat fish. I too have good luck with Senkos and poppers and I really, really need to start fishing spinnerbaits. I think of them as pike lures, as I'd use them to catch pike in cabbage. Of course, they're great bass lures too as @TnRiver46 will tell ya.

[roadwarrior]

On 11/17/2023 at 3:17 PM, ol'crickety said:

 Of course, they're great bass lures too as @TnRiver46 will tell ya.

 

                                                   

[Blue Raider Bob]

Those are outstanding fish and beautiful lakes as well. I love the shoreline scenery. Hope your work and school schedules change so you can fish more next year. I solved that dilemma  by quitting school.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

 I solved that dilemma  by quitting school.

No wonder you know how to do everything! We were stuck in the classroom learning useless algebra while you were outside leaning how to build 

[Blue Raider Bob]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

No wonder you know how to do everything! We were stuck in the classroom learning useless algebra while you were outside leaning how to build 

     I was learning useless Algebra as well. Wish I would have paid more attention to geometry. To this day I can't figure out how x+y=z.

     I bet Katie knows! She was a school teacher. Like to know how she responded to her students asking, "How am I going to use this in life?"

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

"How am I going to use this in life?"

 

I kid you not, Bob, when I say that I was never asked that question. 

[RipzLipz]

@Jar11591:

Just noticed that it appears like you fish from a Crawdad like I do the majority of the time. Awesome boats for small waters or when fishing alone or dragging from one body of water to another. I wish that Coleman still made them.

 

Curious if Humminbird still makes that fish finder mount you have or if you could give any details regarding it?  PM is fine if you wish. In the process of converting my Solix SI unit into a portable option.

[Jar11591]

@ol'crickety I agree, you do need to start using Spinnerbaits. In your lakes, you’d slay them!

 

@Blue Raider Bob Thanks Bob. I hope so as well. Next year shouldn’t be as busy so I should have more time on the water in the fall. 
 

@RipzLipz Yep that is a 1987(?) Coleman Crawdad. It has served me so well. Even when I upgrade to an outboard, the Coleman will still see a ton of use. As for that fish finder mount, it came with the fish finder. I bought it back in 2014, so it isn’t exactly the same but it’s very similar to this one right here:

 

Humminbird 140C Fishin' Buddy 3.5-Inch Waterproof Fishfinder https://a.co/d/iG561iZ

 

Its very crude and basic, so i more use it for depth and temperature rather than actively looking for returns. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Definitely missed your presence and reports brother, but I'm proud of you for improving your station in life, I'm sure in a decade it'll yield more fishing, and more money for the tackle monkey.

 

Awesome fish, never gets old seeing the health and beauty of NLGMs.   

[RipzLipz]

17 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:
 

 

@RipzLipz Yep that is a 1987(?) Coleman Crawdad. It has served me so well. Even when I upgrade to an outboard, the Coleman will still see a ton of use. As for that fish finder mount, it came with the fish finder. I bought it back in 2014, so it isn’t exactly the same but it’s very similar to this one right here:

 

Humminbird 140C Fishin' Buddy 3.5-Inch Waterproof Fishfinder https://a.co/d/iG561iZ

 

Its very crude and basic, so i more use it for depth and temperature rather than actively looking for returns. 

Thanks for the info @Jar11591! 👍

[Jar11591]

46 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I'm sure in a decade it'll yield more fishing, and more money for the tackle monkey.

Heck yeah man, that’s what’s motivating me. That and the fact that my girlfriend and I are in the very beginning stages of having a house built in the mountains. This degree will make it a lot easier. And even when I’m done with school in 2025 I’ll have a lot more time to spend on the water. School and work at the same time makes it really difficult. 

[Swamp Girl]

A mountain house? Atta, boy! I'd fish your lakes. I see those undeveloped shorelines and go, "Ahhh, that's the place."