Bluebasser86

I was most disappointed by the fact he was fishing with his kid, so the behavior is going to be passed on to him most likely. My buddy and I had just been talking how it was cool they were fishing together and if anyone beat us that day, we'd hoped it was them. After that exchange we no longer felt that way.

Fishing with my kids, fishing a body of water with few big fish, or when I just feel like catching a lot of fish.

The drama and egos have turned me off to tournament fishing a lot. The last little bit bigger tournament I fished, we were boat 16 of 18 on a 2,600 acre lake that has limited productive areas. I checked on Google maps after the tournament, we'd started nearly 3 football fields down the shoreline from the closest boat and fished towards them, leaving them all the water behind us for them to cover. I caught our first keeper of the morning about 50 yards from when our paths crossed and that must have been too much because when we crossed paths the boater, who was the dad and the backseater was probably a 10-12 year old kid, asked us "You guys fish many tournaments"? I answered honestly and said I don't. His response was he could tell because if we did we'd know better than to cut someone off like that. I was dumbfounded by his comment and didn't even realize what he'd said until my buddy repeated it to me after we were out of earshot. We caught 2 more keepers (18" lake), and ended up winning. At weigh in, we had our 3 fish that were all just keepers, not big fish, and the same guy says "Are those even keepers?" I'd a like to have smacked him in the face with one. I saw him flipping a laydown after tournament hours inside the off-limit area and I thought hard about turning him in for it because his 1 fish was big bass and my other buddy had second big fish for the day. I had to laugh when the TD was handing out checks and the guy got his BB check and the TD said "I think this is the first time you didn't finish in the top 3 in this thing". I know that had to chap his backside. I'll be looking at getting into tournament kayak fishing instead next year I think. Doesn't seem that there is the same egos and drama in those.

I've had a busy week, enough paperwork already for me, I don't need any more. All that for $2,500? Going to split it 2 ways too I assume? So not even a house payment in that area?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Kendrick https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Jean_Underwood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofía_Vergara

I like a pegged weight for fishing wood. If it's really thick, I switch to a slither rig.

I ordered last week and it's supposed to be here tomorrow even with the holiday with free ground shipping. A day or two slower, but I'm not complaining.

How old is the pond/fish population? If it's a new pond, or the fish have recently been stocked, then they might not have time to grow large yet. Catch some nice brown trout or sewer bass maybe.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Looks like a saugeye to me. Has the splotching but still has the white spot on the bottom of the tail.

You can buy those exact trebles if you like. https://www.captainhookswarehouse.com/products/mustad-tg76npbn These are very similar and a little cheaper. https://www.captainhookswarehouse.com/products/mtg76oembn At any rate, 100 packs of hooks actually get you somewhere instead of buying 8 packs. These are the worm hooks I use. $14.55 for a 100pk of 4/0 EWG hooks. https://www.captainhookswarehouse.com/products/el098bp

Zoom Magnum Finesse worm and Berkley Ribsnake are 2 of my favorites.

It just opened a couple years ago, does it have any larger fish in it or are they all small? If you're dealing with mostly smaller than 13" fish, then a 7" worm is probably a better option. For standing, pole timber, I try to pitch right up against the trunk of the tree. With laydowns or bushier trees, I'll hit the outside edges first before pitching into the center of the tree.

Smallmouth bring a certain extra satisfaction with catching them to me. Maybe it's just that I've caught a lot more largemouth, but every smallmouth I fool is a little extra special, and a big one will leave me smiling for days.

Right now, while the water is still warm, the timber along the edges of the creek channel should still be good. A 10" worm or jig would be worth trying. Any good cover on the flats near the creek channel should hold fish also. Looks like a smaller lake so you should be able to cover a lot of it in a day and try several different types of baits in different areas.

Injuries happen to fish and some manage to survive to adulthood like that one. I had one similar earlier this summer.

Academy here is sold out of everything. You couldn't make 1 whole aisle out of either store. Barely a sinker left, very few hooks. It's just slim pickings right now if you're a hardcore in person shopper.

Yeah it looks like the Big Show worm from YUM.

About 15 packs of Owners with 8-5 hooks per pack, didn't go very far. Thankfully that Captain Hooks place has EWG Mustad trebles similar to the KVD's for about $25 for a 100pk, so I use a lot of those too.

Captainhookswarehouse is a good place to bulk order hooks too. I order my Eagle Claw EWG worm hooks there. It's less than $20 for a 100pk of hooks from them.

The 3/4oz Crock-o-Gator has a gigantic prop but compact body. Churns up a bunch of water like a big injured baitfish on the surface. The heavy, compact body counteracts the huge blade on the cast too.

That's a healthy looking channel. They're fun when they get that size. The spiny little 1 pounders I catch on Ned rigs all the time are a pain.

A correctly set reel is very difficult to backlash. Put some cheap mono on a quality reel and get some practice with it. Use baits that cast fairly easily and get some confidence before trying to skip a jig or cast a buzzbait into a stiff wind. If you blow up the cheap line, cut it out and respool.

How deep of water are you fishing them in? For shallower water, I'd go with an Owner Flashy swimmer that can be T-rigged and fished around shallow cover easier. For deeper water, I like a 3/8oz underspin with a 3.8 Fat Impact with a slow, steady retrieve.