Bluebasser86

I put a few of these wipers in our tiny little pond a couple years ago, never expecting them to survive, but when I drove the whole family back to the pond to feed the fish and toss my throw net a few times to see what had survived the winter, I got a big surprise when this guy was stuck in my net. Not only surviving, but appeared to be thriving. I also netted a large gizzard shad, so he had at least one more big meal swimming around in there for him as well as several 6-8 inch crappie. Lake was really excited about the big "Fwhopper" as he calls any big fish.

To add to this, a lot of the time people fishing prepared baits for catfish are just casting into the middle of the lake and hoping a fish happens along, which often works for catfish because of their many senses capable of honing in on an easy meal. However, the big fish are predators, and just like a land predator, they cruise edges, stalk the shadows, basically the same thing a big bass does. That's why bass anglers will often encounter them and such large individuals compared to a novice bank angler targeting catfish, we're putting a bait, although maybe not an optimal one, where the fish lives and hunts. I've tried so many times, as recently as Tuesday, to explain to bank anglers that they were casting past the fish they were after when I had already caught several catfish right against the bank that were obviously pinning craws and baitfish against the shorelines and in an aggressive feeding mood, they just refuse to believe me that their slow moving, bottom feeding fish could be swimming right under their noses I guess.

Try downsizing to very light spinning gear. I light to target carp with light spinning gear and 6lb test. Often have to use a reel that is what we'd normally consider too large for the rod though. Carp, as you now know, fight nothing like a bass. Make a decent cast with a reel that holds say 110 yards of 6lb test, then hook a 20lb carp, he'll dump that spool of line on you in no time. Carp have very soft lips, so they're more likely to rip a hook out than they are to straighten one. Those soft lips are also very sensitive, so it pays to use a thin, supple line to prevent the number of fish that blow your bait back out after the initial take. If you really want a challenge, try flyfishing for surface feeding carp. It's easy during berry "hatches". It happens around here especially when the mulberry trees along lake shorelines start dropping berries into the water and the water will froth from carp and catfish fighting over the fruit.

Maybe it wasn't bass chasing the minnows. I've seen gar and catfish both chase minnows just like bass do.

They make bunk slicks you can screw onto your existing bunks, or look into Ultimate Bunk Boards. I had them on my previous aluminum boat, I have them on my johnboat trailer, and when it comes time to replace my bass boat's boards, I'll put them on there as well.

Smoked one in our back field last night. My mom was visiting and spotted him just standing out in the grass. Proned out on the deck with an AR-10 and gave him 2 from about 200 yards. Big dog, one less fawn eater roaming around.

They have a very distinct roll/slap when they attack a bait. The slime coat on my line didn't hurt either.

It was warm out this week, but I didn't think it was warm enough to play in the water, Finn didn't agree with me.

Had a rough trip for bass after picking up my boat from the shop, but calm winds, sunny skies, and super clear water doesn't usually make for good bassing. Lots of little guys, although I did get to see some big cruisers, before I found the mother load of beds right at the end. Not the beds I was looking for, but I grew up chasing gills in creeks and I still enjoy catching them now, and sight fishing for them makes it even more fun.

Here's what happens when a catfish is hunting right along the shoreline and tries to slam a bladed jig.

Channel cats have deeply notched or "V"d tails whereas bullheads tails are rounded with no notch. It's a bullhead for sure, what kind of bullhead is hard to tell. My gut says brown bullhead, but I wouldn't put money on it.

If I could pick one bait from the Rage line up, it would be the Menace. Nobody makes anything else like it and it's super versatile.

Burning trash isn't a good idea, it releases lots of nasty things into the air, (take a look at China's air pollution problem). I take mine to a retailer that has a recycling bin for line or to one of the lakes that have the recycling tubes set up by the state. It's a tiny bit of a hassle, but fishing line last forever if not recycled.

I fish a #5 shad rap a lot during the winter with a 6' 8" M/F spinning rod, a 25 size President and 8lb mono.

Love my Presidents, also have and have had good luck with the Sharky II from KastKing, and the Revros from Daiwa.

Birds of prey are your likely suspect. A Great Blue Heron would be my guess if it's only on one side since their strike is a stabbing motion instead of a grab like an eagle or osprey. Turtles leave V shaped marks usually. It could have been a prop if gas motors are allowed on the lake.

Only one good bass bite this weekend, but it was one of my favorite ways to get them. The shad are spawning and the big girls are just getting done spawning and are hungry. A Savage Gear Shine Glide off a dock corner brought this one screaming out and hit it so hard going away from me that I couldn't even set the hook, just cranked like crazy.

Uh yes waiter, I'll have the light limit of smallmouth and a glass of water please. Still looks like a nice day to me.

I TRD is only 2.5" and about impossible for smallmouth to pass up around here, maybe something to try.

Welcome!

Yes, but I've caught a ton of whites there, never caught a single wiper yet.

I don't believe much of what the government says, and I work for the government ?

There was no less than 50 boats in the parking lot the next day with the majority after crappie, his fate could have been much worse. He'll just be about half an inch longer than what he was supposed to be at this point in his life and I mean, what guy wouldn't want that?

My MIL had one come out of the tree line at our house growling at her, while she was next to the fire pit at our house with a fire going. I was inside about asleep when she called me saying a coyote chased her to her car. Our neighbor to the south has a not so smart, not so friendly dog that is kind of a merle colored mutt that might be mistaken for a yote in the dark by someone who doesn't know better (she doesn't), and she had my .22 revolver so I sprinted to the deck afraid she was going to shoot the neighbor's dog. Nope, there in her headlights was very much a large coyote growling and barking at her car. I ran back in and grabbed my .40 but by the time I got back out it had moved far enough out of her headlights that I didn't feel comfortable taking a shot. Never in my life would I have thought a coyote would be that bold. Only thing I can think is it was around breeding season and maybe they had a den nearby with pups? We hear them constantly be have no luck calling them in. I've managed to get a few that were just passing through our field and I spot them with my night vision spotting scope all the time in our field, but no way to shoot them using it.

Beautiful work Tim. Mine will never make it to looking that nice, it was never meant to though. It's for going to the bad places I don't want to take the bass boat to. @NHBull I had a shop that shall remain nameless, cough, Midas, cough, put new back brakes on my S-10 when I was in my mid 20's. Drove off and it was driving really rough. Called my then girlfriend and said something, she said to call them and ask what the deal was. They told me the brakes would have to wear in a little, but I told them they shouldn't be wearing in while I wasn't braking. I was actually going to turn in my application for the department I'm at now. When The vibration just kept getting worse, and I'd planned to just drive back to the shop so they could try again, when I turned into the parking lot, my back end slid like I hit an ice patch. I limped into a parking spot and got out to take a look. I had a single lug nut barely holding onto what was left of the last couple threads, all the other holes were wallowed out from the wheel flopping around. I'm a calm person, but I chewed that shop owners backside for probably 10 minutes about how close he just got to killing me and maybe someone else, and at the end he wouldn't even refund me because he was "Barely breaking even after having to replace the wheel and tire and pay for a rental". That line earned him another 5 minutes or so of ranting about how if they'd done it right the first time, they wouldn't have to be doing any of it. I can feel my blood pressure raising even now. All the dangerous situations I go through and a guy with an impact wrench almost did me in.