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As many of you know, I'm the General Manager for a hotel on a lake, so of course I tried to find a way to make fishing part of my job. I'm trying to promote the "guest experience" at our hotel with different family friendly events. Friday night was S'Mores night down at our fire pit and tonight was Fish with the GM night at the hotel. I purchased some cheap Zebco spin cast rods, some soft plastic grubs, and some night crawlers and redworms figuring the best bet was to fish for bluegills, bream, and crappie and maybe luck into a bass or two. I even bought some pond fish food to help chum teh water a bit. Fishing at our docks has been lousy lately. The water level is normally 4-6 feet around the docks, but the water level has been down by a foot lately. Other than one guest catching a 3 foot gar on Friday I haven't seen anyone catch any fish and I've been fishing elsewhere on the lake out in my kayak. Tonight was also really, really windy out making it even more difficult to cast those little Zebco's. So I set up the rods with tiny little hooks and instead of having the kids cast I had them punch the button and just drop the line and tiny bobber off the dock. It was slow for a bit, but I chummed the water and the kids had a blast catching bluegills. There were even a few tiny bass and tiny catfish caught out there. Best of all, every kid and even the adults that fished all caught something. I had made up some "Certified Angler Award" certificates for the kids and put their names on them along with my official signature. The kids and the parents loved it. I spent most of my time putting worms on hooks, teaching kids to fish, and showing the kids how to release the fish, but I did manage to take a few casts with some bass gear and I caught - nothing. Zip. Zilch. I was hoping to catch a decent sized bass to show the kids, but it was not to be. The little girl in the picture below caught 5 or 6 little fish and she was just thrilled with her evening out there. It looks like we'll be doing this on a regular basis as the kids and parents loved the event. As for me, I made fishing an integral part of my job!

*Living in Georgia I was able to ask reputable sources what is the current status of Zoom and both commercial sources who buy from Zoom shared the same news update : The original owner of Zoom passed away and the son is now running the company (for better or for worse) . For a number of reasons (COVID , economy , etc.) Zoom has lost a "substantial number" of it's work force (while I know the number - out of respect I'll simply say it's over 50%) . Additionally , like for other soft plastic & lure companies - obtaining raw materials has been a real challenge for Zoom (some fare better at developing new sources for raw materials than others currently) ... So , if you combine a greatly reduced work force and challenges in obtaining raw materials one can begin to understand Zoom's current business status . While there is always a "deal you can't refuse" out there waiting for an owner (i.e. Zoom) - this is not on the front burner as an active conversation currently . Vaccinations are up , COVID is in decline , unemployment benefits run out soon in Georgia , economic conditions will improve and raw materials will start flowing again globally so that Zoom's soft plastic production in Georgia can begin to crank back up once more to pre-COVID levels . Conversely , if in 6 ~ 12 months we do not see an improved Zoom presence back in the bass fishing market - then one would have to consider there are other reasons for Zoom's struggles (i.e. debt , difficulty securing funding , how the son is running the company vs. the founding father ran the company , etc.) Of interest to note : A competitor to Zoom (NetBait) an American BaitWorks company located just across the border in Alabama is doing quite well for itself ... NetBait is the maker of the T-Mac , C-Mac , Finesse worms , Paca Craws , Paca Chunks , Little Spanky , etc. and is developing a nice following for their soft plastics (just as YUM has done as noted by Bluebasser 86 and others here) . To end - just a courtesy public service announcement for bass fans here ... We all want to see our favorite bass fishing lure & equipment suppliers bounce back from the COVID / economic challenges we have all faced over the last 16 months ... Here's wishing Zoom a healthy return to the bass fishing market position they once held pre- COVID !

I fished Tepic yesterday. Fishing was good, but the afternoon winds were worse than normal, with peak gusts around 30 Knots. I did manage to land 3 big fish, as well as a few smaller ones. Biggest was 25 inches and weighed in at 8 lbs. The other two were 6.2 lbs., 6.7 lbs. and measured 23 and 23.5 inches I finally have a system down for landing, measuring, and taking a picture in my kayak while being able to release the bass quickly and un harmed. I have a lip gripper attached to a piece of rope. As soon as I land the bass I attach the gripper, remove the hook and put the bass back in the water while I get my camera, and scale ready. When I have everything ready, I pull the fish back out of the water, measure the length of the bass with marks on the top of my kayak, weigh the fish, then take a quick selfie with my phone. Bass is back in the water quickly and in good condition. Works great as long as I don't drop my phone in the water. If I lost my phone it would be a long time before the Bait Monkey would make it back to my house. The day did have its difficulties. I lost way more lures, than normal, and broke a rod tip. The wind made getting lures off snags, a nightmare. The bait Monkey is already knocking at my door.

Only got 3 in 2 hours yesterday, but two of them were pretty chunky . Booyah Popping Pad Crasher

This was best fishing day in a while. Finally got some rain after a long draught and hot spell as well as overcast conditions in the morning. All this seemed to help. Mi madre got two and I got 5. I’ll show my 5. Best ran at 22”. Used both live bluegill and senkos. Senkos have been the best artificial bait for postspawn so far. I don’t know why. If the first three photos show up messed up, hey idk man, I ain’t tech savvy.

Only when I want to catch fish

Peach lake Ogemaw county 4 pike total, 1 walleye, 1 bass. The one pike went 28-30. Had him out of the water to long so didn’t get a picture the pike all came on a spro little John MD chrome Olive crank walleye came on a zoom green pumpkin 4 inch tube. bass was swimming under the boat so I wacky rig baby bass general and caught him those spro little John md cranks have been on fire all spring. I only have two the chrom olive and the chartreuse blue

Friday, May 21st, I discovered that the camera I used for fishing had bitten the dust just before I was going to leave for the lake. Without a second thought, I took my Nikon 3200 DSLR in its place. I will revisit this subject momentarily. When I arrived at the lake it was cloudy and windy, and the water was a bit dirty so I grabbed my rod with a black and blue jig and started pitching and casting. Within less than two hours I had a feeling this wasn't going to be a normal day. A significant number of the fish I was catching were over 3 lbs and I already had one over 4 lb and one over 5. I would like to say that I spent some time figuring the fish out and that my skills in finding them and figuring them out made all the difference, but that wasn't the case. The fish were very cooperative allowing me to determine rather quickly that they were in 3 to 8 feet of water around wood and on humps with grass. Other than trying a spinnerbait and crankbait to test their productivity in the wind, throwing a 6 inch Senko after a couple of lost fish, and trying a different colored jig and trailer, I only used the black/blue or Okeechobee Rage Craw colors all day with a black/blue Siebert Outdoors Grid Iron Brush jig. If I couldn't get bit with a hopped or dragged jig, I would swim it slowly over the tops of the grass. All of these presentations resulted in good fish. The results were 22 bass, over half of which were over 3 lbs. The best 5 weighed 23 lbs 1 oz (5 lb 3oz, 4 lb 4 oz, 4 lb 2 oz, 3 lb 14 oz, and 5 lb 10 oz). Not to mention I lost a few on a jig that had a dull hook from previous use. While this isn't a record bag, nor did I catch anything near a PB, it was a very fun day. And then there was the camera. Within 15 minutes of putting the boat in the lake I had my first 5 lb fish. I placed it in the livewell and started to setup my camera when I discovered I had brought my old, small, crappy tripod that was less than perfect at holding the weight of my DSLR. Number two, it was cloudy and with my polarized glasses I couldn't see the LCD screen very well which I use when setting up photos with the timer. The glasses are prescription, and without them, I cannot see the LCD very well either. So, please excuse the poor photography. 5 lb 3 oz 4 lb 4 oz 4 lb 2 oz 3 lb 14 oz 5 lb 10 oz Pic 1 5 lb 10 oz Pic 2

Caught a few over the last week or so... Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits have been hot, runner up... Jigs. It been a tough bite in the boat, they are on the shad hard. Managed to get one decent one that got greedy.

Seems about right ~ A-Jay

Well landed a new pb today 4.71 pounds, caught her on a sexy shad walmart spinnerbait with a white 3 inch mister twister grub as a trailer. It took me 3 years to catch anything on a spinnerbait, and then boom, I have been catching a lot of fish. I also lost a largie that looked like she was pushing 5 but I guess the ones that get away always seem bigger.... lol. Sorry for the bad quality, I don't have a smart phone

We have been getting pounded here with rain and thunderstorms for two weeks. But it’s been almost two days since the last downpour so I figured I’d give it a shot this morning. Bad news. Fished for four hours and only caught one bass. Good news. It was on my new rig, a Daiwa Tatula 100H on a Dobyns Fury FR705CB. And caught it on a new squarebill- a 3/8 oz 6th Sense Crush 50X in tipped crawfish. Not that big, but always nice to catch something on a new rig it’s first time out.

What is boy? Is Timmy stuck at the bottom of a well??

Lake Erie kitty cat from this morning.

Hank was prepping himself for his patrol last night.

I wouldn't want to go boatless for the rest of the year. Get it now and start fishing.

I caught my 2nd Northern Pike ever yesterday! Went out at a different place and couldn’t get anything today tho. The place that I fished yesterday was a brand-new spot to me!

Decided to walk the bank today. Majority of the bass are post-spawn here, with many cruising the shallows and the bluegill bedding areas. Pulled out the spinning rod and went wacky - same setup I’ve described in recent threads. Picked off 16 total, all on a single bait I was still throwing when I left. Should be good for at least that many more ?

Sustained heat during summer transition will warm the water surface enough to start warming the water column. The affect is obvious with aquatic plant growth and algae blooms. Short heat waves that last a day or has little impact on the water temps and that is what matters to the bass. Summer period can be hot and uncomfortable plus adds more water contact sports and boaters. The big ecosystem changes are aquatic plant growth and thermocline developing, bass and abundant of prey scattering. Night is your friend. Tom

Night activity picks up for both the bass & me.

Some more stuff for my collection some jigs, trailers and a blade bait.

First off use a quality line, there are many good lines out there and some not so good ones. I have been using Trilene XL for for as long as can remember and I'm so old I can't remember back that far. I have no complaints with it but I stay away from Trilene XT, I have too much trouble with that line for the fishing I do. To help with loops and tangles don't over fill your spool with to much line. When fishing wacky or any "finesse" style presentation where you are jiggling or pulling the rod tip and releasing while reeling you must learn to mind your P's and Q's. Don't use too heavy a line, 10# test is the max for that light a presentation. Always check your spool after the cast to make sure your line is properly spooling on the reel done by applying a little tension before you start reeling. Do it enough and it will become a natural habit. If you do see a loop down in your spool, loosen your drag way back and hand strip the line off the spool with the bail closed until you get the loop out. Then tighten the drag back up and re-reel the line back on. This will work like a charm 90% of the time. If you open the bail and try to get a deep loop out by pulling the line off I can just about guarantee you a mess and the loss of about 20 to 30 feet of line.

If the boat is the one you want and fit your finances then I say pull the trigger and enjoy. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this one yet. The Perfect Storm

Went surf fishing yesterday with my son. Got this good sized sail catfish , which was the best fish of the day. Also caught around 10 small sharks , and a few whiting and spots.

If it pertains to bass fishing always stop and ask yourself WWWRB do.?

Manually close the bail! Put a liitle tension on the slack line with your fingers by holding the rod in front of the reel. Tom

I use Texas rigged worms every time I fish. I may start with something else but the worm always finds it way on to the hook.

I avoid crowds like the plague. Fortunately I can fish when I want. Some of you guys are talking about wake boats, jets boats, party boats, irate lake front home owners, long lines and mayhem at the boat ramp etc. I would not touch a lake like that with a ten foot rod. I don't want to hear anyone's music or a bunch of hoopin' and hollering. Then you have boats speeding all over the place, too many people with to much booze and a lack of brains. I've said it before, (generally speaking) show me 20 people and I'll show you 10 idiots in those kind of sittings ~ No thanks. I like to fish the gnarliest lakes and rivers I can where you'll seldom even see a bass boat much less a wake boat. Stumps are my friends. Fish all winter too when most people are sitting home or hunting.

Dang a lot of youngsters round here! H & H spinnerbait ?

Nobody wanted to fish today in a soaking rain so I decided to hit up a farm pond. Thought I would share as this is the first time I've personally caught 2 over 5# in the same day. Apologize for the poor photo quality, but this time of year in PA I try and get them back in the water ASAP. 5-12 and 6-6. Grateful for Gortex!

Got one on a frog at 5:30 am, no bites from then until 8. Then I got a nice one maybe pushing 3 lbs with a weightless worm against a cypress tree

All right, here's the picture. It looks small, but it was 10 I swear.

He’s a wizard, Harry.

Ever throw one of these?

Lift the rod up and take the slack out then manually close the bail.

If the boat you want is in stock, and you need a boat...1+1=2.

All the right things @12poundbass

What was I thinking letting my boat go with teeniebobers ?

I love those two movies.

50 is an all around size for functionality and casting. 30 if you want to get cute, 40 is you're specializing, and 65 if you think you're fishing for 15lbers out of the absolute worst slop humanely imaginable every time like too many people think.

Couldn’t resist the price. Saw someone on here post about buying direct which is what I wound up doing. Now I’m going to build a spooling station for it as my old Berkeley station is to small.

Red & white Hawaiian Wiggler #3 weedless spoon, the lure I learned to cast with in 1954.... Tom

Here's a diminutive Shakespeare 1740 Tournament freespool. From the late '30s, one of the rare prewar bait reels with an aluminum spool, shallow spool by design - it came with a factory balsa arbor. It's loaded with 4-lb silk braid. It will cast and fish 1/8 oz with modern BFS reels, but takes a bit more thumb to cast.

I used Norman speed clips on crank baits, chatterbaits, and others with a closed eye. Direct tie spinnerbaits and worms. I can swap a crank much faster than I can retie.

Just got back from a tournament Sunday on Lake X in Eastern Montana. Won our ABA with a one day weight of 26.72.......I can't wait to go back! Big fish was 6.23 We have a Montana B.A.S.S. Nation State Qualifier there in September

Went out Tuesday evening and managed about 12 from 630pm to 830pm. Biggest was 19in, 3lb 10oz, which was my PR on this lake (and HUGE for this lake as 98% of the fish caught are 10-12in, 1lb or less). Tight lines all!!

A bit breezy on Quabbin today but I managed to stay in the boat and find fish.

A squirrel swimming across the lake...