Mid-Summer Summary

[gim]

Summer, I guess I would consider that from June 1 until now so far.

 

First half of June was a bit of a struggle.  Still caught good numbers, but lacked quality I was catching in May prior to the spawn.  Nothing bigger than about 17 inches until the end of the month.  Lots of males in the 12-16 inch range.

 

Late June and early July, things changed.  The fish moved into their "summer" patterns and I started doing better.  I went three mornings in a row around the 4th of July and did very well.  Put some quality fish in the boat again.

 

Starting this weekend, the heat dome that has been parked over the west will be moving east.  It looks like it may stick around for a week or more, so I won't be fishing in that sultry nonsense.  I plan to go tomorrow and Friday before the heat arrives.

 

We've had a stunning spring and summer so far.  Only one day when it hit 90 degrees, and no drought.  Lots of comfortable days here.  I think that is about to change, unfortunately.

 

Here's some fish from my 3 days on July 4, 5, and 6.

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

@gimruis: I just love how bass have such different shapes. Those are swell ones.

[TheRodJerker]

1 hour ago, WackyWormNedRig said:

Even public ponds? I get private ponds and lakes but some public ponds are just as pressured as the big lakes.

Good question and I haven't really ever thought about that. I guess public ponds could be included. I've been raising these two ponds for 25 years now and hand-fed them every day. To me, that's like shooting a 12 point buck at a deer farm then claim it's from a real hunt. Just isn't fair(to me that is). I just assumed everyone thought like that.

[The Baron]

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 I looked at the area north of Kingston and there are countless lakes and logging roads.

That map is interesting - haven’t seen it before.  I checked a few small lakes that are on my radar and it doesn’t list fish species.  I’ll take a better look on the computer this weekend. 👍🏻

 

But, unfortunately, there aren’t many logging roads in south/eastern Ontario, with very little crown land other than the various Parks.  There are gravel roads, but not many uncharted lakes.  Certainly could be better fishing on some of those smaller lakes, but there’s very few without cottages or even landlocked by private land so it would take some time to search out the hidden gems.  Northern Ontario is a much different story, but too far away for me to day trip (I’m not a camper).  All that said, I like fishing from our boat and there’s no reason I shouldn’t be doing much better on the lakes I’ve been fishing - just seem to be struggling this year.  Still lots to learn and skills to acquire.  

[Swamp Girl]

@The Baron: Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed that your fishing picks up!

[casts_by_fly]

On 7/24/2024 at 7:17 AM, The Baron said:

I’ve found myself actually coming home angry about fishing, but I know that’s dumb and maybe I just expect too much.  I actually think I fell into the social media trap this year, seeing everyone else’s photos and thinking I’m the only one who sucks at fishing.  

 

I fell into this trap also.  When we first moved to NJ I joined all of the local/regional groups because I didn't know anything about the area or the lakes.  At first I was excited to see all of the fish around that people were catching knowing that I was going to be fishing those same lakes.  Then after a while that turned to FOMO when I couldn't get out and others were catching fish.  Then when I did get out I was angry that I wasn't catching the big ones or the numbers or even any when others were doing so.  I found I was enjoying the earliest season trips the most because I had no expectations to catch anything and could just kick back and enjoy the world around me (often with no other people on the water).  After a while I realized the problem and have unfollowed all of the groups that were driving me down. Every now and then I'll pop in and see what's going on, but now I just do my own thing and not worry about others.  (also why I have no interest in tournaments)

 

[Swamp Girl]

18 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

At first I was excited to see all of the fish around that people were catching knowing that I was going to be fishing those same lakes.  Then after a while that turned to FOMO when I couldn't get out and others were catching fish. 

 

^This^ is why I like when other anglers report on ALL their trips, not just the ones when they land a big one or lots of bass. In the early spring and late fall, I have 0, 1, 2, and 3-bass trips and I report those numbers to convey a full sense of my angling life. 

[Bankbeater]

I can sum up my summer with one word, grass.  The bass have either been in the coontail, or around it.  The larger bass have been down toward the bottom, with the smaller ones up near the surface.  They haven't been chasing, but if you can get the crankbait close enough they will jump out to ambush it.

[Zcoker]

Summer has been "hot and wild" down my way. With very low water levels, the bass fishing is almost surreal. I actually have to change my bait selections to stay AWAY from catching so many fish. Can easily knock off 75 bass in a few hours, one right after the other. Sometimes the fish run in wolf packs, which makes the fishing even more exciting. I've had days (and even nights) where 200 inches for 10 bass came within 30 minutes. Going with bigger baits, making my own Jitterbugs, stuff like that, all in an attempt to stay inline with the bigger fish has been my overall summertime goal. 

[Swamp Girl]

6 hours ago, Zcoker said:

Summer has been "hot and wild" down my way. With very low water levels, the bass fishing is almost surreal. I actually have to change my bait selections to stay AWAY from catching so many fish. Can easily knock off 75 bass in a few hours, one right after the other. Sometimes the fish run in wolf packs, which makes the fishing even more exciting. I've had days (and even nights) where 200 inches for 10 bass came within 30 minutes. Going with bigger baits, making my own Jitterbugs, stuff like that, all in an attempt to stay inline with the bigger fish has been my overall summertime goal. 

 

That's a four-to-five-pounder every three minutes with no fish lost and every fish unhooked in seconds. Do you ever wonder if you're the world's best bass angler? I catch a lot of fish, but never eight-pounders back-to-back-to-back like you've shared you do. If you start filming your catches, you could monetize your fishing since, to my knowledge, no other angler alive catches what you do. 

[Zcoker]

10 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

That's a four-to-five-pounder every three minutes with no fish lost and every fish unhooked in seconds. Do you ever wonder if you're the world's best bass angler? I catch a lot of fish, but never eight-pounders back-to-back-to-back like you've shared you do. If you start filming your catches, you could monetize your fishing since, to my knowledge, no other angler alive catches what you do. 

 

Yep, like I said, the glades can get surreal with numbers, but it’s only usually when water levels get very low that it gets like that. There’s a lot of guys on here like @Captain Phil who know the glades very well and who can certainly vouch for the sheer numbers of fish when the water levels get low out there. It’s not uncommon to get  100 fish or more each outing. It’s not uncommon to get a bunch of bigger fish, either. The average length that I’ve seen back-to-back on them is a consistent 20 inches. So it’s all out pedal to the metal and it even gets crazier when the water starts flowing! 

[N Florida Mike]

On 7/21/2024 at 9:23 AM, ol'crickety said:

In a short paragraph, what's your mid-summer summary? 
 

Well Katie, I’m definitely not topping you in numbers. In all fairness to myself though, Ive only been out in the boat twice all summer. This is because all my early mornings are busy , mostly with work. I don’t afternoon fish much in the summer here. Both the trips I did do resulted in numbers in the teens, which is good for my lake in the summer. I did get a 6 pounder in the church pond and one over 4 in my lake . fish over 4 pounds have been few and far between for me in the last few years anyway.

I see things going in a good direction though. Ive caught a lot of 2 -3 pounders this year. My lake is definitely rebounding after the “ otter chaos” 😊

[GRiver]

@ol'crickety I think you’ve smoked us all in the numbers. My summer is going slow, I said I was going to do more crank bait fishing…… I haven’t been even taking plastics out with me, and I haven’t been doing so good, they ones do catch have small when I do catch them. I think I need more practice and figure out what they want as far as crank baits go.

[Captain Phil]

8 hours ago, Zcoker said:

 

Yep, like I said, the glades can get surreal with numbers, but it’s only usually when water levels get very low that it gets like that. There’s a lot of guys on here like @Captain Phil who know the glades very well and who can certainly vouch for the sheer numbers of fish when the water levels get low out there. It’s not uncommon to get  100 fish or more each outing. It’s not uncommon to get a bunch of bigger fish, either. The average length that I’ve seen back-to-back on them is a consistent 20 inches. So it’s all out pedal to the metal and it even gets crazier when the water starts flowing! 

 

Years ago the Miami Herald Newspaper ran an annual fishing contest.  The contest had many categories, some you would expect and some a little odd.  One of the categories was total number of bass released.   One angler always won that category. The number of bass he claimed to have caught and released was in the hundreds a day.  It got so crazy, some locals complained and sought to have disqualified for cheating.  The newspaper sent out an observer to verify his claims and they gave him the prize.  This man only fished the Everglades.  The Everglades is 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long.  Part of the year, the area is a flooded swamp only a few feet deep. In the spring dry season, the flats dry up and all the fish concentrate in the flood control canals which are about 15 feet deep.  When the water is high, the fish are scattered and difficult to find.  When the water is low, the fishing is incredible. It is nothing to catch over 100 bass a day during a drought.   In June, the rain starts and the water rises. The small fish are first to leave the canals.  This leaves only large fish left in the canals.  Some are double digit fish.  Bass fishing in the Everglades is nothing like anything I have ever seen.  Often there are so many bass in those canals, the wildlife people remove the limits.  I once won a night tournament during one of those times with over 100 pounds of bass. You have to see it to believe it. 

[Blue Raider Bob]

14 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Years ago the Miami Herald Newspaper ran an annual fishing contest.  The contest had many categories, some you would expect and some a little odd.  One of the categories was total number of bass released.   One angler always won that category. The number of bass he claimed to have caught and released was in the hundreds a day.  It got so crazy, some locals complained and sought to have disqualified for cheating.  The newspaper sent out an observer to verify his claims and they gave him the prize.  This man only fished the Everglades.  The Everglades is 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long.  Part of the year, the area is a flooded swamp only a few feet deep. In the spring dry season, the flats dry up and all the fish concentrate in the flood control canals which are about 15 feet deep.  When the water is high, the fish are scattered and difficult to find.  When the water is low, the fishing is incredible. It is nothing to catch over 100 bass a day during a drought.   In June, the rain starts and the water rises. The small fish are first to leave the canals.  This leaves only large fish left in the canals.  Some are double digit fish.  Bass fishing in the Everglades is nothing like anything I have ever seen.  Often there are so many bass in those canals, the wildlife people remove the limits.  I once won a night tournament during one of those times with over 100 pounds of bass. You have to see it to believe it. 

I really hope that if reincarnation is real.....I come back as Captain Phil!

[Swamp Girl]

4 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

The number of bass he claimed to have caught and released was in the hundreds a day.

 

I've had many 100-bass days fishing the Canadian Shield and a couple days with over 250 bass.

 

4 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

The Everglades is 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long. 

 

Yeah, the Canadian Shield is big too, stretching about 2,000 miles by 2,500 miles and has so many lakes that thousands of them are unnamed. I'm guessing that thousands of its lakes have never been fished. I once interviewed a couple who explores Ungava, which is most of Labrador and northern Quebec. Hudson Bay is its western border. Anyway, they took a couple world-class canoeists on an expedition with them and on the second day, the two world-class paddlers activated their Personal Locator Beacon for a premature extraction. They weren't hurt. They simply didn't want to die. So, whereas the Everglades has its perils and challenges, as I told @Zcoker once, there are far wilder, more challenging places. 

 

I interviewed another couple guys who paddled Ungava and they had a polar bear stick its head in their tent. 

 

"Was that the scariest moment?" I asked.

 

"Not even close," they immediately replied. 

 

However, it's breathtaking in the best ways too.

 

 

4 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

Bass fishing in the Everglades is nothing like anything I have ever seen.

 

The Everglades has great fishing, but go far enough north and you'll find more great fishing.

 

4 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

You have to see it to believe it. 

 

I'd like to fish it one day, but it's so gosh-darn far away and in the wrong direction. I'm a north woods angler. No moose, no Crick. 

[Swamp Girl]

Another aspect of the Canadian Shield, Imagine yourself doing this portage:

 

[TnRiver46]

55 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Another aspect of the Canadian Shield, Imagine yourself doing this portage:

 

Just tie the rods to the canoe and hang on…….

[Swamp Girl]

42 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Just tie the rods to the canoe and hang on…….

 

Ha! However, I suggest climbing into one of those barrels they used to ride over Niagara Falls. 

[Captain Phil]

14 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

I really hope that if reincarnation is real.....I come back as Captain Phil!

 

I suggest you come back as young Captain Phil. The current one is pretty worn out. ☺️

[Swamp Girl]

41 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

I suggest you come back as young Captain Phil. The current one is pretty worn out. ☺️

 

Me too, Cap'n. I roared when I was young, but I'm a sputtering jalopy now. 

[DogBone_384]

Winter and Spring were very good.  Late Spring and Summer have been dink-city with perch outnumbering bass.  I've not been out as much as usual in June & July.

 

I've focused on jigs a lot more this year, with moderate success, but the jerkbait is my #1 lure by FAR (thanks @Saltysmalljaws).  I have a FeelFree Lure and troll a jerkbait, snapping it frequently.  It's very effective in locating fish.

[Pat Brown]

16 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Years ago the Miami Herald Newspaper ran an annual fishing contest.  The contest had many categories, some you would expect and some a little odd.  One of the categories was total number of bass released.   One angler always won that category. The number of bass he claimed to have caught and released was in the hundreds a day.  It got so crazy, some locals complained and sought to have disqualified for cheating.  The newspaper sent out an observer to verify his claims and they gave him the prize.  This man only fished the Everglades.  The Everglades is 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long.  Part of the year, the area is a flooded swamp only a few feet deep. In the spring dry season, the flats dry up and all the fish concentrate in the flood control canals which are about 15 feet deep.  When the water is high, the fish are scattered and difficult to find.  When the water is low, the fishing is incredible. It is nothing to catch over 100 bass a day during a drought.   In June, the rain starts and the water rises. The small fish are first to leave the canals.  This leaves only large fish left in the canals.  Some are double digit fish.  Bass fishing in the Everglades is nothing like anything I have ever seen.  Often there are so many bass in those canals, the wildlife people remove the limits.  I once won a night tournament during one of those times with over 100 pounds of bass. You have to see it to believe it. 

 

 

Makes me want low water conditions more often!  Keeping notes!

[Woody B]

My Summer has been pretty much like my entire year.   I'm not getting great numbers.  It's been a while since I've been skunked though.  I have been doing pretty good catching big(for me) Bass.  I've caught at least one 5 pound Bass every month this year.  For, and the waters I fish I consider them to start getting "big" at 5 pounds.   My PB Spotted Bass came in June.  It was 5,26 pounds.  One night trip in July my only Bass was a 5.02 pound Spot.   I consider a 5 pound Spot to be huge.  The NC state record is just over 6 pounds.   

I've found the Bass this Summer to be scattered, and moving around quite a bit.  The water a couple weeks ago was the hottest I've ever seen here.  (89.9 degrees per my graphs).   The thermocline has been changing every day......and even every hour.  When I've located schools of Bass they've been "micro Bass"   12 inches or less.  When I catch 2 that size I move on.   I don't believe the Bass I'm trying to catch will be hanging around with "micro Bass".   I have considered getting either an ultra light or BFS set up to battle the 10 inch Bass with when that's all I can find.  

[TnRiver46]

I’ve heard there is widespread flooding back home, I’ll see tomorrow but I bet the second half of summer will be a challenge. I’ll probably be cutting grass non stop until Halloween