SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 19, 2007 Posted June 19, 2007 Hey everyone, I'm back and I caught "THE BIG ONE"! ;D First let me begin with my bait. I had been using live night crawlers as my bait of choice because the bass in my lake and canal just loved them. But since March they have lost all interest in them and seem to be on the constant hunt for the juvenile blue gills and myan cichlid that are coming out of the reads and grasses now. Well these little suckers were the only fish that were enjoying the worms and they would pick and nibble my worms right off the hook. So I decided to switch hooks to the smallest I had and started catching these little guys and keeping them in a bait bucket for bait. With my other rod I had a 15lbs line & a 2.0 worm hook that is thin and light but strong with an old fashion ball float on it. I had just caught a 5 inch myan cichlid, when I see some dark shadows cruising in from the lake. They were three bass at first, about a foot long and then right behind them was a 2 footer and then this BIG mofo right behind that one. So I hooked the cichlid through the upper lip and out the nostril with the bigger hook (on the other rod) and threw it in the middle of the canal. As he struggled in the water it caught the attention of the bass that began circling it like sharks (bass are awesome like that). The floater was going back and forth, up and down, as the cichlid was being tagged by the smaller bass. The big ones just watched and waited as one of the smaller ones actually bit the cichlid sideways and tried swimming off with it towards the reeds. I knew it was too big to for it swallow it so I yanked it back out his mouth. The poor cichlid made one last run for freedom straight towards the big ones mouth, and he just inhaled it in two gulps. I know it's frowned upon to let a bass swallow the bait before setting the hook but I have the bad luck of always having my line break when I catch these big guys and I wasn't going to have it happen this time. So I gave it a little slack and waited until it started to swim off before I set the hook. What a fight! I listened to advise I got from these forums and made sure that I loosened the drag on my reel and wait for the fish to tire itself out first (it defiantly helped.) It jumped about five times before I reeled it to shore. It was HUGE! I don't have a scale but I had measuring tape. It was 32 and a little more then a 1/2 inches long. I had to do some major surgery though to get the hook out. It was hooked through the stomach or gullet lining and the cichlid was still attached to it. I took the cichlid out so I could have some room to work with and even though the mouth was so big I could put my fist in it, I couldn't get the leverage I need to pull up the hook with my pliers. So I cut the line and push the hook through, pulling it up by the barb. I didn't have much time as the fish was out of the water for about 5 minutes, so I did my best to set my camera on a rock and take three pictures hoping one would come out well. Before I put him back in the lake I grabbed the cichlid and pushed it back down his throat, he deserved it after all that. ( below was the last shot I took and the only one of the three that shows most of the fish.) 8-) Quote
tallydude Posted June 19, 2007 Posted June 19, 2007 Beautiful fish! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I kind of wonder if she survived due to the shock. Quote
alhuff Posted June 20, 2007 Posted June 20, 2007 That is awesome fish man.......... Before you get hooked on using the cichlids check to see if it is legal. Alfred Quote
deadeye32. Posted June 20, 2007 Posted June 20, 2007 i bet that chichlid tasted great after that experience :-?. I sure hope that bass survived. It sure looks like a nice one. Quote
SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 20, 2007 Author Posted June 20, 2007 Quote Beautiful fish! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I kind of wonder if she survived due to the shock. I put her in gently and waited till she got some oxygen running through her gills. When she "caught her breath" she took off. I can see the fish swimming in the lake from my 3rd floor apartment and saw one 3 days later that I am sure was the same fish beacuse it was swimming in a similar group of bass. Quote
Super User T-rig Posted June 20, 2007 Super User Posted June 20, 2007 Nice fish but why would you push the cichlid down it's throat. That wasn't a very smart thing to do! Actually that was a pretty stupid thing to do. Sorry! Quote
deadeye32. Posted June 20, 2007 Posted June 20, 2007 Quote Nice fish but why would you push the cichlid down it's throat. That wasn't a very smart thing to do! Actually that was a pretty stupid thing to do. Sorry! exactly Quote
SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 20, 2007 Author Posted June 20, 2007 Quote Nice fish but why would you push the cichlid down it's throat. That wasn't a very smart thing to do! Actually that was a pretty stupid thing to do. Sorry! I hear what your saying and in hindsight, it porbalbly wasn't the best idea. I just wanted to give it something back for all the trouble I guess. Also, it wasn't like I forcefully crammed it down her throat. Once the tip of the cichlid touched the throat, it opened up by reflex I guess and took it down in two glups. I held it steady more then anything and the whole thing took less then 10 seconds. The fish is safe and sound, to be caught another day. Quote
NJfishinGuy Posted June 20, 2007 Posted June 20, 2007 i hope thats not the only picture you got... id be ticked if it was me and that was the only pick of a monster like that Quote
SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 20, 2007 Author Posted June 20, 2007 Quote i hope thats not the only picture you got... id be ticked if it was me and that was the only pick of a monster like that Yeah I know, the camara I used was an old, crapy digital camera that has a 1 x 1 screen. It was really sunny that day so it was difficult see the pictures after I took them on that tiny screen to see if they came out. I was rushing so I had to prop it up on a rock, put it on the timer and took three pictures. This sorry picture was the only one that actually showed the fish, it's better then nothing I guess. I did get a great picture of the top of my head and one of the sky though. ;D Quote
SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 20, 2007 Author Posted June 20, 2007 Quote That is awesome fish man.......... Before you get hooked on using the cichlids check to see if it is legal. Yeah I checked it out and it's legal to use the bluegill if I am the one who caught it. The cichlids I couldn't find anything about but I use the blue gills more anyway. Quote
FivePoundBluegill Posted June 21, 2007 Posted June 21, 2007 Your lucky they are so slack on the fishing laws where you live. In california its a $50 fine if your caught throwing bluegill or chichlids. I follow the law and dont use them because I cant afford a $50 fine most of the time. I think the reason for the law is because throwing bluegill makes bass fishing too easy and allows people to catch and take home more bass easily greatly reduceing the bass population. Quote
Taliesin Posted June 21, 2007 Posted June 21, 2007 Quote Your lucky they are so slack on the fishing laws where you live. In california its a $50 fine if your caught throwing bluegill or chichlids. I follow the law and dont use them because I cant afford a $50 fine most of the time. I think the reason for the law is because throwing bluegill makes bass fishing too easy and allows people to catch and take home more bass easily greatly reduceing the bass population. And you are luckier that us in Missouri. Illegal baits bring a $150 fine here. True story: Fellow put out 2 trot-lines. He put his grandfather's information on the second trot-line (trot-lines have to be labeled with name and address, and you are limited in how many hooks you can have in the water). His grandfather got a ticket in the mail for $1050 for 7 uses of illegal bait (crappie). Luckily bluegill is still legal (<5") and i use them all the time for catfishing. I have caught a LOT of (bigger) bass while doing this, including my PB in Missouri. Quote
SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 21, 2007 Author Posted June 21, 2007 Quote Your lucky they are so slack on the fishing laws where you live. In california its a $50 fine if your caught throwing bluegill or chichlids. I follow the law and dont use them because I cant afford a $50 fine most of the time. I think the reason for the law is because throwing bluegill makes bass fishing too easy and allows people to catch and take home more bass easily greatly reduceing the bass population. Maybe they are not as plentiful in Cali as they are down here but in my lake and all the other surrounding lakes, there are more of them then anything else. As for reducing the population, for me it's strictly catch and release. Quote
OBX-BASS Posted June 22, 2007 Posted June 22, 2007 thats an excelent fish man!!! im sure she survived if she took off on her own while you were reviving her...again congrats on a great fish!! Quote
Bass Mekanik Posted June 23, 2007 Posted June 23, 2007 I'm pretty sure its legal to use mayan cichlids and bluegill as bait as long as it was caught by hook and line out of the same water you are using it to fish in. There is no limit on Mayan cichlids or Talapia because they are non-native fish in Florida. Peacock bass were introduced to keep the numbers of exotic fish down without hurting the largemouth population and they just can't get enough of those Mayan cichlids. I need to setup my fish tank again and put some baby peacock in there. I saw a pair of peacocks today that were guarding their fry that were good size to start raising(about 300 3" babys). Quote
thunderstruck Posted June 23, 2007 Posted June 23, 2007 Very nice fish! I have never tried fishing with sunfish fry in my neighborhoods private pond, but I have been hearing that it works well. I live in CT, and here there is no minimum length or daily creel limit for panfish (yellow perch, bullhead, and sunfish). My dad has a minnow trap and I assume it's legal to use fish caught in there, so I went to the DEP (Dept. of Envi. Protection) and I can use any of the fish I catch in there as long as they are within the regulation limits. Well, I'm off to use some sunfish, glad to hear you caught you biggest bass yet, too. Recently, on my 4 acre pond I caught a 16 inch smallie =D. Quote
Cephkiller Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 If you insist on using live bait for bass, you might want to invest in some circle hooks and research their proper use. A hook set is not required and it is nearly impossible for the bass to swallow it. Congratulations. That must be one tough fish. Quote
FivePoundBluegill Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 Quote Quote Your lucky they are so slack on the fishing laws where you live. In california its a $50 fine if your caught throwing bluegill or chichlids. I follow the law and dont use them because I cant afford a $50 fine most of the time. I think the reason for the law is because throwing bluegill makes bass fishing too easy and allows people to catch and take home more bass easily greatly reduceing the bass population. Maybe they are not as plentiful in Cali as they are down here but in my lake and all the other surrounding lakes, there are more of them then anything else. As for reducing the population, for me it's strictly catch and release. In california bluegill is the most common fish in all the lakes I fish. Yet its still illegal. However in most lakes you are allowed to keep up to 5 bass each time you go out. If you throw bluegills you can catch your 5 bass and maybe more very quickly. That is my guess why its illegal. Yeah its kind of a bummer for all the people who like throwing live bait and throw bass back. However its good for keeping a big healthy bass population in the lake. Quote
SouthMiamiBassMan Posted June 24, 2007 Author Posted June 24, 2007 Quote In california bluegill is the most common fish in all the lakes I fish. Yet its still illegal. However in most lakes you are allowed to keep up to 5 bass each time you go out. If you throw bluegills you can catch your 5 bass and maybe more very quickly. That is my guess why its illegal. Yeah its kind of a bummer for all the people who like throwing live bait and throw bass back. However its good for keeping a big healthy bass population in the lake. True. Dude, is that a Koi in your Avatar? Quote
Super User Bassn Blvd Posted June 24, 2007 Super User Posted June 24, 2007 nice fish but the background is making me sick. Quote
FivePoundBluegill Posted June 24, 2007 Posted June 24, 2007 Quote Quote In california bluegill is the most common fish in all the lakes I fish. Yet its still illegal. However in most lakes you are allowed to keep up to 5 bass each time you go out. If you throw bluegills you can catch your 5 bass and maybe more very quickly. That is my guess why its illegal. Yeah its kind of a bummer for all the people who like throwing live bait and throw bass back. However its good for keeping a big healthy bass population in the lake. True. Dude, is that a Koi in your Avatar? Yeah its a koi. I did a report on that catch in other fish species if you want to hear more about it. I released the big koi as well. Quote
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