Just one - but a good one

[Koz]

I fished in a local kayak tournament this weekend where we could pick the lake. @Hook2Jaw suggested I try Ocmulgee PFA. This is a very interesting managed fishery and I will definitely head out there again soon. 

 

There are a lot of areas with Cypress trees and a ton of submerged branches and a ton of branches above the water. It's definitely challenging to navigate and fish. Thankfully, with the steering pedals and the iPilot controls on my AP120 I can make some tight turns. It was calm for most of the day on Sunday, but I imagine it would be really tough to navigate on windy days. Many areas were just too tight to try and spot lock.

 

It was also blazing hot out there. Temperatures were in the upper 90's and the heat index was well over 100. But I will say this - the KastKing UPF 50 moisture wicking hoodie I was wearing was incredible. The one I was wearing that day was orange and black and my body did not come close to overheating. My head got hot a bit with the hoodie on and my boonie hat over it, but not too bad. Oh yeah - this hoodie has a built in gaiter and the thumb holes in the sleeves so your hands stay mostly covered. Best of all, it was only $33 on Amazon.

 

I caught this 21" bass early on in the day on a green pumpkin / chartreuse tip trick worm.  I didn't have my scale, but this girl was a fatty so I'm guessing 6 - 6.5 pounds. I saw a few other bas and had one other weak strike, but once the sun started beating down the bass went into hiding. And wouldn't you know it, just at the 2pm time limit hit I saw a few more as I was heading in for the day.

 

The spot where I caught this one was loaded with baitfish and had a lot of sticks and a ledge (take a look at the FFS screen in the picture). I should have just camped on that spot and waited for one or two good bites an hour. But instead I spent time cruising around using my FFS. I was surprised that I didn't find bass or baitfish around the Cypress. And I checked every single one of those on this small lake. I feel lied to by every Bassmaster and MLF broadcast I have watched!

 

To add insult to injury, I got a 1" deduction for the mouth being open. I thought that was a bit harsh because that's as closed as I could get it. Oh - and the big bass of the tournament was just over 21".

[TnRiver46]

Awesome fish! It’s hard for me to keep their mouth closed also, especially with SMB 

[Swamp Girl]

I feel badly about your one inch deduction. They were too fussy. Bass are ornery, strong-willed creatures. They do what they want to do. Deducting a full inch for something that might have given you 0.03 millimeter advantage doesn't serve the spirit of the law and certainly doesn't protect bass. Do they want you to wait another minute for the bass to be so oxygen-deprived that it's more pliable and submits?

 

As far as pounding the cypresses, I would have done the same thing. I've watched videos of guys fishing those trees and have dreamed of doing it because they...look...so...bassy.

 

Anyway, congrats on the biggest bass. As far as I'm concerned, you tied for biggest bass. 

 

An inch?

 

Sheesh. 

 

Here's an example of being pro-bass. When I snapped the photo below, the bass was thrashing, as they often are. I looked at the pic immediately after taking it, saw that I didn't capture her full length, but shrugged and let her go because she was drowning in air. The rules should take into account that bass aren't putty and not push anglers to deprive them of even more oxygen:

 

[Koz]

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

I feel badly about your one inch deduction. They were too fussy. Bass are ornery, strong-willed creatures. They do what they want to do. Deducting a full inch for something that might have given you 0.03 millimeter advantage doesn't serve the spirit of the law and certainly doesn't protect bass. Do they want you to wait another minute for the bass to be so oxygen-deprived that it's more pliable and submits?

 

As far as pounding the cypresses, I would have done the same thing. I've watched videos of guys fishing those trees and have dreamed of doing it because they...look...so...bassy.

 

Anyway, congrats on the biggest bass. As far as I'm concerned, you tied for biggest bass. 

 

An inch?

 

Sheesh. 

 

Here's an example of being pro-bass. When I snapped the photo below, the bass was thrashing, as they often are. I looked at the pic immediately after taking it, saw that I didn't capture her full length, but shrugged and let her go because she was drowning in air. The rules should take into account that bass aren't putty and not push anglers to deprive them of even more oxygen:

 

It does take some time to unbutton the fish, set up the Ketch board, grab the phone, open the app, and snap the picture.

 

This fish took a while to unbutton because the hook was in between the cheek membrane and I was trying not to rip that membrane apart.

[gim]

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It’s hard for me to keep their mouth closed also

 

I agree.  I'm not in any kayak tourneys but the way this photo is set seems pretty anal about it.  To me it looks like the mouth is closed.

 

I guess as long as they're consistent with all the entries then its fair.

[Swamp Girl]

19 minutes ago, Koz said:

It does take some time to unbutton the fish, set up the Ketch board, grab the phone, open the app, and snap the picture.

 

This fish took a while to unbutton because the hook was in between the cheek membrane and I was trying not to rip that membrane apart.

I heard one angler encourage other anglers to hold their breaths as soon as they remove a bass from the water as a reminder that the bass isn't breathing.

[gim]

23 minutes ago, Koz said:

It does take some time to unbutton the fish, set up the Ketch board, grab the phone, open the app, and snap the picture.

 

I could definitely see that.  Best thing you can do is just be ready with everything you need to be as effecient and quick as you can.  It sounds like you already do this.

 

Unfortunately not everyone has the same mindset though.  You see people digging around for tools and scales and cameras after they caught a fish and it takes way too long sometimes.  30 seconds or less is what I try to stick to.

[TnRiver46]

I have a buddy that fishes livewell tournaments and he tried a kayak tournament. He said “that’s way too much work trying to get the photo” and never fished another one

 

for as much as they champion releasing the fish, they could release it dead and nobody would ever know 

 

the only reason I try to close their mouth is to see if I can legally eat them 😂 

[Swamp Girl]

5 hours ago, gimruis said:

30 seconds or less is what I try to stick to.

 

I admire this.

 

5 hours ago, gimruis said:

Best thing you can do is just be ready with everything you need to be as effecient and quick as you can. 

 

That's the ticket. When I net a bass, I keep it in the net until everything in my canoe is ready to unhook it, take a photo, and release it, so I position the pliers and even open them and turn on the camera. If I'm going to measure the fish, I have the bump board ready too. I bet I do 30 seconds or less too. 

[gim]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I have a buddy that fishes livewell tournaments and he tried a kayak tournament. He said “that’s way too much work trying to get the photo” and never fished another one

 

Placing a bass on a measuring device and taking a photo is not rocket science, especially in a bass boat.  I could see it being slightly more difficult in a kayak.

 

I'm not even in yak tourneys and I do it when I'm by myself as proof of how big the fish was.  They tend to lay in there pretty nice and rarely do they flop.  Be organized with your gear.  That's what it comes down to.

[TnRiver46]

Laying it there is easy, getting it to hold still with its mouth closed after you let go is what I can’t do. Easy to hold the mouth closed and get a measurement but as soon as you let go to take the pic they go wild and flop all over 

 

if you leave the mouth open they just lay there still on the board.

[king fisher]

My problem is they don't open their mouth to begin with.

[Koz]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

They tend to lay in there pretty nice and rarely do they flop.  

You must be catching those domesticated bass 🤣

 

I’ve lost multiple fish in a single tournament. Spotted bass are the worst. They tend to be hyperactive.

 

I have started putting my net standing up next to the near end of the board since that’s the direction they usually flop.

[TnRiver46]

Spotted bass diet is purely crack cocaine and Marlboro reds 

[MN Fisher]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Spotted bass diet is purely crack cocaine and Marlboro reds 

Russ, don't forget the White Lightning.

[TnRiver46]

😂 

 

I caught a spotted that had been on a moonshine bender once, I barely lived to tell about it 

[Zcoker]

Great catch! Sorry about your deduction. I've had big fish DQ'd for optical illusions, all in the way the judges looked at it. I knew for a fact the details but I couldn't justify it with the one photo submitted. Nothing you can really do but having a few photos at different angles of the same fish has saved me a deduction or two or even a DQ. As far as the mouth goes, you need to firmly plant their face against the board using your entire hand to keep the mouth tightly shut. Looks like you were only using a couple of fingers. Also have to anticipate them flopping off the board into the water. Raising that hand to take a pic can mean bye bye. Positioning the net between them and the water has saved me with a few jumpers. Many fish cooperate but I've had some that are pure terrors to keep under control on the measuring board. 

[gim]

@Bluebasser86 is able to put his hand on the fish while its on the measuring board in the photo.  Seen it dozens of times in his yak tourney posts.

[TnRiver46]

As long as your hand isn’t near the tail that’s a legal move. The post is on here somewhere of a guy in TX that kept a bass tail in his gear and made the fish appear longer in photos, thus that rule was born 

[Zcoker]

20 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

As long as your hand isn’t near the tail that’s a legal move. The post is on here somewhere of a guy in TX that kept a bass tail in his gear and made the fish appear longer in photos, thus that rule was born 

 

Here it is. Everything wrong here. 

 

[Bluebasser86]

I’ll be the critic here, your fish’s mouth is very clearly open and you didn’t help yourself by taking the picture at an angle towards the belly of the fish. I lay my board so the bridge is down on the bottom of the boat and the end is on the side of the kayak so the board is at an angle. By doing this, it allows gravity to push the fish into the bridge of the board and then you can always put your hand on them also. 

[Hook2Jaw]

That's an awesome fish, @Koz.  There are many there of that size and bigger.  It's probably the toughest place to fish in middle Georgia, but a big limit is very much possible.

 

As for the open mouth, it can be difficult, but I completely understand the 1" deduction.  Leeway has no place when judging fish, and I'll bet that GAKFL always cuts an inch if a mouth is more than a quarter open.  I'm going to bet the pectoral fin on the opposite side of the fish was bent the wrong way.  They'll often not close their mouth when that's the case.

 

At any rate, we need to get together out there!

[TnRiver46]

Those 6-7 lbers in cypress trees definitely love a trick worm!!! Got one that way myself years ago similar size to the one @Koz caught down in south Alabama 

that’s about the only thing I can fish in a cypress jungle without getting hung up . Tried flipping jigs inbetween them and lost like $20 worth of them in an afternoon 

 

[Zcoker]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

 I lay my board so the bridge is down on the bottom of the boat and the end is on the side of the kayak so the board is at an angle. By doing this, it allows gravity to push the fish into the bridge of the board and then you can always put your hand on them also. 

I agree with this...to an extent. Because I used to do it all the time but not anymore. Just had a nice big fish DQ'd because the angle of the fish (head down bottom of yak, tail up on rail) gave the illusion that my left pinky knuckle was slightly tucked under the tip of the gill plate. And I know for a fact that it wasn't but there was nothing I could do or say to convince the judges otherwise. Had I taken a shot with the fish strait across from rail to rail, there wouldn't have been any issues. So now I take all my shots rail to rail, camera vertically centered, net in place, hand firmly centered on fish, multiple shots...no room for error. 

[Koz]

4 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

 

At any rate, we need to get together out there!

I’m ready when you are. I can move my schedule around to fish weekdays as well.

 

There are a few more PFA’s I hope to try this year as well.

I’m not upset about the penalty. I’m more disappointed with myself.

 

It took me a while to get the hook out and that led to me rushing the picture. And despite my net barrier, I was a little gun shy after having two flop overboard in my last tournament.