Bluebasser86

Looks like an awesome time! I'd love to catch a big sturgeon like that on light line. I remember my dad catching an 18lb channel cat on 6lb test when I was 5 to this day. I'm sure your boys will remember you catching that thing forever too. That biggest smallmouth is an absolute pig!

I hate fishing holidays but a few years ago Memorial day fell on my normal days off so we went anyways. My brother in law and I went out before dark and fished until 9 or 10 and just slayed them. Later in the day I'd had all of the party boats in the cove we were in so we trolled over to a nearby gravel bank I've done well on before and started tossing a crankbait. After only 30 minutes my wife and I had put several nice bass in the boat that were hiding in the mudline stirred up by all the boats and jet skis. Not that they weren't driving me crazy still but the fish still have to eat

I meant the fish were thumping the bait, swimbait guys know the bite I'm talking about. My presentation was to cast it out and let it sink to the bottom and then reel slowly. It was super clear when I was there too, at least around the dam was. Most of my fish were coming from 15-30 feet of water with 20-25 being the sweet spot. When I started putting any extra movement into my bait, like stroking the bait off the bottom, I started catching walleye instead of bass. Not a terrible problem to have but not what we were fishing for.

Common courtesy is no longer common man. I fish out of a 16' aluminum bass boat and get cut off all the time like I'm not even there. So now I make a habit of fishing close behind those guys and catching fish behind them.

A few more scenery pictures from our trip.

Yep, in Bluffton. It's a beautiful place, really feel like you're going back in time boating through some of those canals and see all the thick trees and wildlife, even saw a couple little gators while we were there. We almost had a chance to go chase cobia for a half day but the guide didn't end up having an opening like he thought he would. I was really hoping to get to fish the salt but didn't want to do it from shore. Not sure if it was a model at one time or not? The lot number was a single digit so I'm assuming it was one of the first houses built.

To end my fishing marathon (fished for at least a little bit every day from Tuesday the 14th to Friday the 24th) Cbass12 and I fished Olathe from 11-2 today. We killed them for Olathe. Had probably 25-30 fish, mostly on shakyheads but a couple on jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and a power minnow. Biggest surprise was we got onto the saugeye on a shakyhead?? We caught 4 keepers and I hooked a giant on a power minnow that felt like it cut my line like a pike almost. I set the hook and got several big, heavy walleye head shakes before the line just parted like nothing. I'd just tied it and checked the knot so it had to been cut by something sharp. Sure would have liked to have seen that one. Ryan and his wife should get a couple good meals out of it though.

When we got back from South Carolina I was just going into days off so what else would I do but go fishing? My buddy Tony and I hit Lake Wabaunsee and tore them up. Tony caught his first ever smallmouth and it was an absolute giant! One of my first fish was a 13.5" crappie that hit a 3/8oz chatterbait. Apparently I was disappointed with catching a monster crappie? We caught a bunch of keeper (18") largemouth and a couple smallmouth that were close but no real big ones. I did jump off a 5-6 pound largemouth on a jig though. Nice one on a spinnerbait. 17.5" smallie on a senko skipped under a dock. I caught a 17" or bigger smallmouth out from under 3 docks in a row starting with this fish, all on a senko in about 3' of water. Just another ho hum 18-19 incher on a jig next to a dock, and Tony's finger. Not sure how many Tony caught but I had 62 bass plus several crappie and sunfish.

The wife and I spent last week on a private lake, Lake Hampton, in South Carolina with a friend that lives there. The lake is awesome and it has Tiger Bass in it. They look just like largemouth but are more aggressive and grow twice as fast. We didn't catch any of the monsters that have come from the lake but more 3 and 4 pounders than a person should be allowed to catch in a week. There isn't a spot on the lake that doesn't look fishy. This is the view from Jack's backyard, I don't know how he ever gets anything done around the house. His customized pontoon with a livewell, down imaging on the front and back, 70lb trolling motor with remote control is what we fished out of. I liked their docks on the lake, they're built into the bank instead of being built out into the lake. Lots of fish where pulled from the dock stalls while we were there. Arrowhead plants lined the banks everywhere along with cattails and various other kinds of vegetation. Lots of bass came shooting out of these weeds to destroy my frog. I caught more frog fish last week than the rest of my life combined no doubt. A few of these bridges cross over the lake. Nicole caught a lot of her fish out from under the bridges. Where do you start when all the banks around you look like this? Nicole caught a 3 pounder that threw up a foot long eel so I put on a Yum Mightee worm and caught this fish my first cast. The last day I got onto them good with a 5" Optimum line through swimbait I got from the Fishmas exchange. Sight fished this one and the next with the swimbait, awesome. Nicole and I with our two biggest the last day. Her was her new PB, which beat her previous PB that she'd caught 2 days prior. She caught it on a 5" black blue flake BPS stick O, wacky rigged, which is what she caught all of her bass on. It weighed 4.58 pounds and was the biggest fish of our trip. Probably would have been almost 5 but it threw up an eel that was probably 14" long while she was fighting her. My biggest was 4.51 pounds and was the very first fish of the trip for me, it ate one of my home made brush jigs under an overhanging tree. Trip was an absolute blast and Jack and his wife are the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. You know it was a good trip when you have bass palm!

Nobody has been fishing?? The wife and I spent last week on a private lake, Lake Hampton, in South Carolina with a friend that lives there. The lake is awesome and it has Tiger Bass in it. They look just like largemouth but are more aggressive and grow twice as fast. We didn't catch any of the monsters that have come from the lake but more 3 and 4 pounders than a person should be allowed to catch in a week. There isn't a spot on the lake that doesn't look fishy. This is the view from Jack's backyard, I don't know how he ever gets anything done around the house. His customized pontoon with a livewell, down imaging on the front and back, 70lb trolling motor with remote control is what we fished out of. I liked their docks on the lake, they're built into the bank instead of being built out into the lake. Lots of fish where pulled from the dock stalls while we were there. Arrowhead plants lined the banks everywhere along with cattails and various other kinds of vegetation. Lots of bass came shooting out of these weeds to destroy my frog. I caught more frog fish last week than the rest of my life combined no doubt. A few of these bridges cross over the lake. Nicole caught a lot of her fish out from under the bridges. Where do you start when all the banks around you look like this? Nicole caught a 3 pounder that threw up a foot long eel so I put on a Yum Mightee worm and caught this fish my first cast. The last day I got onto them good with a 5" Optimum line through swimbait I got from the Fishmas exchange. Sight fished this one and the next with the swimbait, awesome. Nicole and I with our two biggest the last day. Her was her new PB, which beat her previous PB that she'd caught 2 days prior. She caught it on a 5" black blue flake BPS stick O, wacky rigged, which is what she caught all of her bass on. It weighed 4.58 pounds and was the biggest fish of our trip. Probably would have been almost 5 but it threw up an eel that was probably 14" long while she was fighting her. My biggest was 4.51 pounds and was the very first fish of the trip for me, it ate one of my home made brush jigs under an overhanging tree.

The water willow along the banks hold tons of fish and my biggest fish are always either inside the weeds or just on the edge.

I'll still take that ride over the spray. Taser hurts more for the 5 seconds it's on but at least it's over when it stops cycling. Spray is the gift that keeps on giving.

I use a 7' M/F Mojo with 14lb mono.

I just flew Delta last week and carried on my tackle bag with all my worm hooks up to 6/0 and big swimbaits with large trebles like a Mattlures hardbass and other than scanning and digging through my bag a lot I didn't have any problems.

I don't own any silent baits. Like J said, the place the wind is hitting the hardest is sure to be the most productive area.

I was fishing a YUM Mightee worm on a 5/0 EWG hook last week and having no problem hooking up. I used to use Owner's Oversize worm hook for some custom poured 17" worms with good success. They make them in a 7/0 or a monster 11/0 which is what I used for my monster worms.

I use them for white bass or walleye in snaggy rocks so I don't lose my expensive rattle baits. They work just fine for bass too though, just not my preferred bait.

I like the grass pig on a football head with no weedguard. Either a straight retrieve or stroked along the bottom or over weeds. Put a whole one on the back of a spinnerbait or swimjig for a good big fish presentation.

Rage Craw and Yum Craw Papi

My biggest largemouth from my home state is 7lbs 14ozs on a Yum Wooly Bug in a brushpile. Biggest ever is this one at 10lbs 2ozs from Lake Comendero, Mexico on an 8" Zoom Lizard. I'm stuck on 5lbs for smallmouth, I've beat the odds and caught 3 smallmouth that weighed exactly 5 pounds. 2 from Milford Lake, KS, one on a Lucky Craft Slender pointer 97MR and one on a Zoom Trick Worm on a slider head. The most recent was this one from Melvern Lake, KS on a Lucky Craft CBS Zero

When I was down at Bull a few weeks ago the big females were out deeper on gravel banks and thumping a Keitech Swing Impact on a 1/4oz darter head. Electric shad was my best color. Caught some really nice largemouth, smallmouth, and walleye also. I was fishing mine with 8lb Nanofil and a 10lb test Seaguar leader.

Ever felt a craw right after it molts? They're super soft and happen to be one of a bass' favorite meal items when they can find them. The craws know this though and rarely emerge from the rocks right after shedding it's shell.

Well it sucked again tonight. 16 boats, 4 fish weighed in, 2.10 pounds won it. We caught probably 25-30 and none even very close to measuring.

Lots of big fish in East Lake. Just have to sort through the dinks. The island is probably my best big fish spot.

I've looked all over for the stuff and can't find it in the 6, 8, or 10 pound test sizes. I'm looking for some to put on my wife's rod. I thought I'd found some but a couple months after placing my order the store I ordered from finally decided trying to find some was more work than it was worth and canceled my order and refunded my money. If you know where I can find some let me know.