Simp

It was a wierd one today. I caught all my small bass on a 10-14ft crankbait. My partner caught one on a senko and 2 on the buzz bait. All ran small today and we honestly hate fishing this lake. It's a very diffrent lake for our area and while it has some DD bass in it the average size is very small. Plus while it is very deeo at the north end you don't have to go far south to run into so many stumps they have made it eletric motors only on parts of it. I banged my crankbait off them for 6hrs with only three dinks to show for them :'(. I'm spoiled because I have a large pond I've been destroying the bass on in the dawn hours. I'm talking the average fish is around 3lbs and I knows it's a matter of time before I land a 7lb plus bass out of it. I've got to hurry though because they are draining it after september to build a better dam.

Ok so in about 2 hours or so I will be on the lake at around 9am. I prefer fishin at dawn and sunset (feeding times) but my partner can't fish until 8am. So I've been pooring over the map and weather conditions trying to predict where the fish (depth) will be at. The air temps around here (Southern IL) have been fairly steady range of 64 a low for the night and 81-85 as high. We just had some Tstorm pass threw yesterday and todays forcast is looking like a Blue Bird day with a high of only 81 and the low was like 63. It's a clear deep lake (86ft max) with stumps and some rock steps. I just read another local lake is at 78 degress but it's a very muddy lake that isn't very deep. I have a smartcast depthfinder that can give me a surface temp of the lake but I'm not great at reading a surface temp and saying oh they should be around this depth at this time. I guess I'm confused because it's well past spawn and they "should" be moving to deeper water, but it's not hot. Actually it seems to be about the perfect temps for bass right now. So any ideas??? My plan right now is to first hit a dock with Sinkos and jigs then move onto some points and the rock steps with a 10-14ft crankbait.

My pops used mine with the same color pattern as yours and got this 6lber.

Great post, but multiply that by 50 or 100 and plan to be at Kentucky Lake next April! 8-) BTW are we going to meet up on the KY side of the lake or on the TN side????

Yep these things happen and it's never fun(well actually it is). I personally "count" a fish if I get it so close I can touch it ;D. That doesn't mean I don't get dispointed when I don't have the chance to measure and weigh it though. I lost a catfish when I was younger that was at least +50LB when we got it to the boat but had no way to get it in LOL. BTW don't be surprised when this gets moved to the outings forum.

Well it's been an awesome morning and at times a ROFL type of day. Usually my morning fishing is done when I've been up all night. I have a crazy sleep pattern that changes and today was the fist day I'd be awake long enough to go sunrise fishing. I was debating going or not because I was getting tired but reading this forum at night always gets in the mood to go. So I left at 4am this morning, returned a movie to blockbuster and ate at Steak N Shake. After that I made my way to my favorite pick up and go pond at the Crab Orchard wildlife refuge. Some of you may have read my previous outing at this pond when I lost a big one in the slop. Well the slop and grass is only thicker but this time I came prepared with a new 7ft MH ROD!!!! I started out at a spot I had hit on a previous return trip. I had torn them up on a Storm Chugger at that spot with LONG casts on a Zebco 33. Now of course I eventually lost that lure that day with such light tackle, but four fish in the 3lb range was worth it. So today I started out at that spot with newly purchased chuggers and I just couldn't get the distance needed for that spot. So I made my way down to the spot where I had lost what would have been a PB in the thick vegetation on spinning tackle earlier this year. So I start making a couple casts and nothing and by this time I wondering what is going on here. I'm asking this because I'm seeing all types of action on the top of the water. I even tried a few casts with a Rage shad on my other baitcaster still nothing!! Well about this time even though it's only been about 45mins I'm thinking about going home. I'm tired and when there on at this pond they are just ON and if they are off you won't catch a thing. What told me to stay was the fact I saw allot of action on top and I needed to catch at least one fish to help my pride ;D. So I made another cast and I sped up the retrieve and boom! I've fished top water enough now (I LOVE TOPWATER!) that my instinct after a strike is now not to yank right away but to lower the rod tip reel up the slack and I say to myself "Be a big one". Then I set the hook hard!! I was impressed right away with the rod and the power it gave me to get the fish up on top of the slop. It was a good 2lb fish and it was just enough to get my juices flowing. I quickly reeled in another a couple casts later and I'm saying to myself all right I've found what they like now. Well it was the third fish that the ;D started. He hit and I had him on and I'm pulling and starting to reel him in like a mad man when my reel came off my rod. It happened violently and I landed right on my kisser , but I was still in full mission mode! I looked at my hands and saw the rod in my left and the reel in my right. After a quick "WTH happened" to myself moment I immediately put the reel back in it's seat and tightened it back up. I jumped back up and hauled him threw the muck for the wildest fish I'd caught in a while. I started LOL at the situation because it was my fault for playing with the screw part of the rod as a nervous twitch. I had been just slightly moving it back and forth with my finger and it didn't even occur to me that my reel was lose because I was so transfixed with working my lure perfectly. I couldn't help but laugh when I realized I must be related to Bill Dance after this blooper ;D. Well after I composed myself and checked my knot and line for any bad spots I started up again. I worked my way back to the exact spot I had lost what I considered the biggest Bass I had ever hooked. I made a cast and started working my retrieve when I saw and heard just the slightest movement and tiny noise where my bait was. My Chugger disappeared and my fist thought was a little one must have hit the bottom row of hooks on the tail and ran with it like a Blugill. The Chuggers bottom sits in a very vertical fashion and I've had this happen before. So I lower my rod tip expecting to completely yank the fish into the air possibly, but right before I do this I thought to myself "Well really big ones just suck it in so it could be big.". So I yank HARD and the dang rod almost came out of my hands! I then start channeling Shaw Grigsby and all I can think and say is "PIG,..PIG.., it's a PIGY!, it's a PIGY!!,PIGY!!!,PIGY!!!!". I pulled on that sucker and reeled my high speed baitcaster as fast as I could so I would get him up and on top of the slop and keep him there! I landed him and was just over joyed. Even some pretty tough thumb cuts from his teeth couldn't dampen my mood. He measured 21 or so inches and tipped the scales at 5lbs. Now what drove me nuts was for the second time this year when I had a 21incher (I caught one earlier this year but not as fat.) my camera batteries went dead! I had used a timer and taken photos with the other fish. What drove me nuts was I put in what I thought was fully charged batteries only to be left with taking photos with my crappy cell phone again!! Now I've got to unblock TEXT and PIC messaging from our account to get the photos on my PC LOL. BTW I know this isn't a huge fish to many on here but I've just recently picked up hunting for bass again. I grew up a Bluegill fishing and only threw the occasional lure for bass. I always considered myself to be a good fisherman but I never went after BASS the way I am this year. I don't even know if I went fishing last year to be honest. Now a day doesn't go bye that I'm not checking the weather and thinking about going out. Today was satisfying because my fishing partner landed a very good bass early this year. Then we took my dad out for fathers day and he lands a 24inch pigy! Then today I landed my goal bass at 5lbs or over and I can't wait to start working on a DD one!!!!

I usually catch 3 or 4 each time out. I fish usually from sunrise to about 10/11am or from 5pm to sunset but not both on the same day. The times I do more then that is when the bite is really on.

I'm swearing off the chatterbait jigs!! I bought my first 5$ one and lost it on like the third cast. Then I bought another and lost it after about 10 min of fishing. It's just been bad mojo I guess.

I let my pops use mine and a few casts later he brought in a 5 1/2 lber as well ;D.

Well I went back yesterday morning, but this time my Pops wanted in on the action. We had a cold front that came threw over night and slowed down the fish a little, but they came alive around 7am instead of sunrise. Here are the pics of each our big fish of the day. This is me with a 3 1/2lb bass. This my dad with a 4 1/2lb bass. I know it doesn't look like it in the photo but I weighed it with a good scale. So it seems the larger fish are feeding because I have yet to see a single dink the last couple trips. Now my fishing partner and my nephew want to go out tomorrow morning. So it went from me having a good fishing trip to then me and my dad, and now there will be 4 of us tomorrow morning. I guess this is how "the word" gets out about a spot ;D!

I was fishing in the Crab Orchard Wildlife refuge that has several ponds. I've been to 3 diffrent ponds in the refuge and I've caught good bass in each. As far the baitcaster goes with the frog. I can certainly cast it but i just can't get much distance with it. I plan on going by walmart before I go out today to pick up some weighted hooks for some distance. I see bass attacking shad in the morning out in the middle of this large pond. So I'd like to get some distance on my casts because I'm sure in this situation it is helping me catch more fish.

She certainly has the frog and 5/0 Gamakatsu hook LOL.

Well it's been a great night slash day so far. My sleep habit has been off the last few days and today I woke up at about 12:30am. My sister and her kids spent the night at my place last night and I woke up my nephew to look out at the stars with my telescope. Jupiter and four of her moons were just awesome in the dark night. We had a great time and then at about 3am I put him back to bed and jumped on Bass Resource.com! I sat on here reading and then I saw the clock and it was 4:50am. I then thought lets go fishing instead of reading about it ;D. I grabbed my rods and went to a local refuge pond since our boat is out of commission until the new trolling motor shows up. I had recently bought my first Ribbit frog the other day and had tried it out quickly on a crapy park pound to see it's action, but this was the fist serous fishing trip with it. Conclusion I LOVE IT!! I got there before sunrise but had some light. My only problem was my baitcaster just couldn't throw it far because I hadn't bought the weighted hooks they recommend. This was a problem because I needed to be able to heave it with about 5-6 feet of moss in front of me. So I put it on my spinning tackle that was a fairly light rod on 8lb test. I could throw the thing a mile with it. My first explosion was on about the 10th cast and yes explosion because a strike wouldn't be accurate it was a EXPLOSION!! It ended up being a nice 3lb bass and man it's fun with light tackle on these guys. Then 25 min later boom again and this guy got in the moss and he was tough to pull out. He ended up being a 2 pounder or so but a chunky little guy. As I got him in I said to myself man if I get a big one on I don't know if I would be able to get him up here. I said to myself well you will have to horse him on top of the moss and drag him. Easier said then done I found out. Then happened what we all look forward to and dread a possible PB! I said dread because I didn't have the tackle I needed to bring in a PB today. I had what I had to have to catch fish today and that wasn't enough for this gal. I had worked back to a spot I had already hit but it look to bassy not to hit again. The ribbit approached the moss and whomp fish on!!!! The one thing I like about the spinning tackle with the ribbit is the way a small amount of extra slack that is left on the line compared to a baitcaster. This prevented me from yanking the bait to soon. When I did set the hook I said WOW he's got some heft and then I though maybe he is just in the weeds/moss already. Then right out of a commercial she jumped with the rising sun in the background. It was a moment only the Lord could have given any one, but it was unfortunate that it was that moment I took his name in vane with a HOLY **** and a *** *** she's HUGE! ;D She then darted back and forth along the moss line and I thought to myself this is going to be tough. I tried to yank her up before she hit the moss and I pulled and pulled but I couldn't get her up on top. She then got herself (with my help) deep in the moss and she couldn't get out. I couldn't see her and it didn't occur to me she is in only 3ft of water go GET HER!! Then I yanked to hard and the line broke :'(! I was so mad and yet happy that I had that great moment. I'm now in the market for some braided line and a heavier rod . The one thing I regret is I didn't take photos. I love photos and I was too lazy today plus I was alone. I now regret it and wish I had. I recommend everybody take photos because they are even better then fish stories.

Yeah I just saw some youtube videos of some dude getting come monsters on the Huddleston. I've also found a thread from 2006 on here about swimbaits that MattLures posted. Does anybody have any feedback on his trout series??

I have local lake that is unique in our area in that it has a sustainable rainbow trout population. It's also stocked each year with more trout and the bass get very big for our area. I'm looking for a good trout swim bait to hunt for a monster . That said I know the prices on some of these things are crazy and there are lots of stumps that I can loose a lure on. So I'm wanting to keep the prices down. I fugure that probably means soft plastics, and I've found the Megabait Charlie Swimbait online (any opinions on it?). This area is very new to me and I'd love some feedback on this topis. Here is a good article about the lake from IL game and fish. "DEVILS KITCHEN LAKE Little, deep and clear, Devils Kitchen Lake in Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge boasts a good population of big bass. "Devils Kitchen is annually stocked with rainbow trout," said biologist Chris Bickers, "and when a bass grows large enough to eat these trout, they have the potential to grow fast and become a trophy." Bickers said largemouths in the 7- to 8-pound range are not uncommon on Devils Kitchen, and there are reports each year of bass over 10 pounds. During the 2005 spring survey, two monsters over 8 pounds were sampled. Tom Hayden, manager of Devils Kitchen Marina and Campground, said this lake produces some real "monsters." "Every year a number of 9- to 10-pound fish are caught," said Hayden. "It's nothing to find a 7- or 8-pound fish, and I know there's a 15-pounder swimming out there." Hayden said many of the biggest bass come from the lower end on the north side of the lake, and suggested fishing plastic worms and shad-type baits in and around brush to coax the big gals. Another possibility here would be super-sized tubes or 4- to 6-inch trout-patterned swim baits. "Just this year, I caught an 8 1/2-pounder," said Hayden, "and in its mouth was a full-grown 14-inch trout that it had swallowed headfirst." Devils Kitchen is about 10 miles south of Carbondale in Williamson County. There is a $2 user fee for the refuge. Boat launching is available at Devils Kitchen Campground. For more information, call (618) 457-5004. For travel and lodging information, contact the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce at (618) 997-6211."

WOW well that's just awesome!!!!!!! Did I mention I could use the winning loto ticket too? ;D

This is a great idea I'm game!!!!

When it comes to sunglasses I'm really cheap. I refuse to pay any more then $20 on a pair, because I either break them or loose them. Take my favroit pair I ever bought at walmart for $5! Two weeks ago I was fishing and it had got fairly dark so I took them off and put them on the bill of my hat. Then 10 min later it felt like something bit or stung the top of my head. So I had instictive reaction of jerking off my hat hard and smacked the tope of my head with it. Naturally the sunglassses went fling off into the water. ;D (look in my photo to the left) I can promise you if it had been a $100 pair I would have went swiming lol. In the end I just stoped by walmart and bought anouther pair for $5.

I love strikes on a big popr!!!!!

Great I'm only about 90min-2hrs away from KY lake! Now if only I could get my hands on something better then a 9.9 john boat. ;D

I really like that fishswanni website. It's kind of like a fishing myspace lol.

I have no problem doing this with bass. I mean come on they have a LARGE MOUTH!!!

ROFL ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

There is so much to love about it really. Like today while heading back to the boat ramp I had close to a full moon on one side of the boat and the sun setting on the other. The lake was like glass and not a cloud in the sky. That after a good days fishing is worth at least a year of good therapy lol.

Now thats more rare then getting bit by a snake! ;D