shimmy

a white perch, aka the nemesis

Catt, you know what would make good reading literature is you posting some of your logs! It would make for a great read. While you discuss some of your catches in the Toledo Bend thread, i would greatly enjoy reading some of your daily logs/statistics.

I recall back when Catt discussed the different water columns and how bass will live in certain water columns year round not limiting yourself to seasonal patterns. I always grew up targeting bass in less than 8 feet of water year round and only fished 8+ waters occasionally in the summer and fall. After hearing of his success and how monster bass are predominantly caught in the 8-15 foot range year round (more specific to lakes with less depth - not like lake Amistad depths), i gave it a shot and it has changed my fishing. He emphasized how another big bass population lives 15+ deep year round as well. The reality that big bass prefer certain depths year round was a big wake up call and i then started targeting depths that were less targeted for specific lakes. While this is not to say a bass that lives in 20+ waters won't come up shallow to feed here and there, it means they live deeper most of the year than other big bass that prefer shallower depths. For example, one lake i hit is hammered by fisherman hitting the 8 feet and less zone year round. I Stopped fishing the shore and points and learned about subtle structure changes (also learned from Catt and WRB) in the 8-15 foot range that other anglers failed to recognize and started killing the bigguns on that particular lake. Wanna be a better angler and get the most out of the original topic here, I suggest bookmarking any topic with Catt and WRB pitching in and you will become a better angler.

No one is arguing, just writing about fishing. On a fishing forum where you post pictures, you have to anticipate people responding to your posts. It is the cause and effect of writing on a fishing forum; and especially when you claim a fish to weigh something that is many moons away from reaching that particular weight. Just saying, seeing the purported weight and the reality of it makes it kind of funny, that's all.

Oh wow. No doubt pictures can be deceiving bud, but man, i am curious what you measured the length with...a couple of leaves? The second picture looks like the old "fish choking on a hot dog" pic. But, the important part is you enjoyed it.

In Minnesota, you are in a very special fishery where the jig is THE lure at all times. There have only been a handful of times in the summer time where i have seen it outfished by a worm or fast action plastic for the big fish. The jig is very easy to use out there. In the fall, i would definitely tie that puppy on and make it the priority. If they don't bite the jig, consider a lipless crankbait and rip it off the existing grass. If there is literally no vegetation like you are hinting towards, dig a crankbait out there. And of course as the water is getting colder out there, the jerkbait (hard or soft like a fluke) will work. But if you want the giant, the jig is just the smartest way to go. If you watch any MN bass fishing videos online, people will use the jig with more success there than other states. The jig will catch you nice fish anywhere, but in MN, i think it is even better. There are just so many lakes out there that if you are frustrated with Tonka, fish elsewhere, get a guide on Tonka (my brother in law did that and loved it and learned a lot), or spend more time studying the contours and structure of Tonka and just put your time on the water. Fish the jig jig jig jig jig jig jig jig. Like those infomercials saying the same word over and over again. jig jig jig jig jig jig jig jig.

Agreed. Furthermore, instead of worrying about where other people are catching big fish at particular depths, realize that MN lakes differ drastically from one another. Certain lakes will be on fire in the shallows while other adjacent lakes may be better deeper. A lot of factors involved. I think what would help you is picking one particular lake and asking for help from the members here to get info. Perhaps provide a map, describe the conditions, and you will get great feedback pertaining to lures, presentations, and places to fish on the map.

Deep fished 8 inch huddlestons that caught him his bigguns. But, he did go months without any big fish doing so. The 8 inch will work, but you have to be patient and learn where to throw them. Guys like SPEEDBEAD could help you out since he does a lot of big swimbait fishing for northern strain bass and fishes up north.

Way to go man! What an absolute giant. That lake produces some big bass.

Always about where the big bass is...until time goes by and i start daydreaming about who knows what. I do know that i always end up singing or whistling something stupid or some tune that i hate and is obnoxious but gets stuck in my head.

Hey Drew, perhaps the video was mine. Beaverdam is a fun lake for those who have spent a lot of time on it and a nightmare for those who are blind boogying on the lake. I would use the search engine on this website to see previous posts on Beaverdam. As for starters, you need a depth finder. I would only fish the coves or points early in the morning or late in the evening. Aside from that, i don't even touch the shoreline unless it is in the spring. I stay 8 feet and deeper throughout the year on that reservoir. Even though i have fished the lake for 4 years, i know i am missing some hot spots which is just part of the game. During the summer, i would focus fishing from mt hope road and north. There are very few spots i fish south of mt. hope road during the summer months. The better spots will be north. A depth finder makes a big difference out there. These fish are always moving. I would start taking mental notes of all the places you see your depth finder light up. Most likely there is some type of contour or structure change on the bottom and the bass are relatively close by. This has been a tough year for numbers for me but then again i have only gone about 10 times. I do feel like it has been more difficult to catch numbers this year more so than others. And, there are only a select few places i have fished this summer that have produced fat bass. They have been skinny this year. I would follow the creek channels and start fishing when you see balls of baitfish. Even then, this lake will still be difficult. Good luck out there and keep us posted. I went last week and in one spot had a 5 fish limit at 22 pounds 2 ounces within 15 minutes. The lake will beat the crap out of you for hours at end and then suddenly you can hit a hot spot. Just keep following the channels till they give you something to work with.

and the reality of the thread here is if anyone endorses doing otherwise, the thread will be shutdown.

I did! I played football at BYU and served my time out west and then me and the wifey moved out east for graduate school. We only were able to hit Sand Hollow a handful of times each year but almost always had success. Here is a guy i have kept in touch with for a bit who just destroys them out on Quail and Sand Hollow. Watch his videos and see if you can pick up on some of the spots. He's a great guy but sticks more 7's and 8's out there than anyone else i know. PM him, he will give you great advice and maybe even take you out if you get lucky. http://www.youtube.com/user/brettrtrophyhunter Here is another video with my uncle fishing with the Hooked on Utah crew. Using the rapala crank, they have good footage of hooking into a 7 and a half pounder. Fun series if you get the time to watch.

much obliged, thank you sir.

Hey all, i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a guide on Lake Falcon. Preferably one that is known for putting people on big bass. Thanks

I used to and it worked just fine. One of my batteries died so i haven't done it recently due to only having one. The boat is so light and it just glides that an extra battery does not cause problems. My batteries were roughly 50 pounds each. Yeh, Beaverdam is not worth a 2.5 hour drive and barely worth the 1 hour drive i take to get there, nevertheless there are some decent size fish in there and the lake is slowly producing bigger bass than it has the past 8 years.

the mouth. My goodness. That just gets me excited.

Sounds fun. I used to fish Sand Hollow a lot. There are more 7 pounders getting caught out of there than ever. Only a matter of time till this lake produces the state record. There are so many 5+ pound bass in that reservoir. Problem is there are always a ton of boats out there. We have had several 25+ pound bags out there. Never used the swim jig though but sounds like it would be great. Congrats to the wife. I still have footage of when my wife stuck a 7 pounder on Quail Creek. Those are great bass. Keep it up!

i took my inflatable out on Burke with no problems. Even easier to launch when the water is down. Haven't gone in over a year. I hit Beaverdam reservoir and lake frederick for 2 years and had no problems. It is very stealthy and was much quieter than my 10 foot jon boat. One thing i do advise, get a boot for your inflatable. With hooks flying around and hitting unexpected rocks and trees, a boot is a life saver. I would not launch without one. Not worth it. I always kept an anchor with me. However my anchor was a rusty old hammer but that is neither here nor there. I'd mention other lakes but these two are the only ones i have hit. I also advise creating your own floor boards and placing them in the bottom. Made it possible to stand in the boat and not worry about fish fins on the bottom and hooks. I had the fish hunter 360 sevylor which was nearly identical to what you have. I had the floor boards sanded off and everything so it would sit nicely in the raft. It was an awesome boat and only traded it to cut down on inflation and deflation time when hitting a lake. I also used a 30# thrust and it handled heavy winds like a charm.

no...unless our man here is an oompa loompa. She looks filled out. Mouth the size of a typical 6, but i am guessing it is a longer fish due to Florida and it is filled out. Have to be between 6-7.5. Curious to hear what she went. Great fish regardless.

in terms of numbers, we have had more success in MN (ottertail county) using 6 huddlestons over the 8; however, we have not put the excess time needed with those big baits on the water. Nevertheless, smaller swimbaits will obviously catch more fish than others. The problem are the pike out there. It is just too expensive to fish with unless you have a good leader that does not affect the action too much. I have had good success with the BBZ 8 inch swimbaits out there since i have thrown those more but i have yet to catch anything over 6 pounds with 8 inch baits. The typical worm, spinnerbait, jig, etc tackle catch bigger fish for me. Then again, it could be a time thing. I am only there for a few weeks out of the year and don't want to fish night after night without a bite. There is no reason an 8 inch hud wouldn't work but from what i always hear, are you willing to put your time into it and only fish swimbaits?

once you join this site, you can never leave. Great fish, i am excited to see what you learn from this site and the many great anglers who so readily give advice for fishing conditions similar to yours. You will get that double and PB in no time. Welcome aboard

However i would add that it is too close to the camera. The full palm extension always adds a few extra pounds. This one is 3-4 pounds tops, 7-8 pounds during the spawn. Was this a catch and release or did you do the duplicate mount? Was the bite subtle, did you let her take it for a while, or did she ambush it as she hid behind the pebbles near the shore? I wouldn't worry about the weight. Lesson learned though, buy a scale.

i just couldn't get past the beard. It just demands so much respect. I look at that photo and think that the bass is probably thinking the same thing, "look what i caught!" Both are things of beauty.

Monster!!! Well done! Great fish man