Fishlegs

Got to fish for a little while after work a couple of days last week. In about 2 and a half hours I managed 3 largemouth, 3 smallmouth, and a catfish that wrecked my favorite spinnerbait. My little one got one too so that was fun.

Glad it went well for you. My mom had eye surgery a while back, and had a similar experience. I was amazed at how much it helped, and how quick the recovery was. Medical technology has come a long way in that area.

Hang in there, man. Keep throwing those lures in the water, and I the fish will come.

When I go out on a longer period I've started wearing shirts specifically designed for fishing like the one in the link below. One feature that I like is that the sleeve is longer on top than it is on the bottom so it covers the tops of my hands. It has a little built-in loop that you put over your finger to keep it in place. This gives the top of your hand some sun protection without having to wear gloves. It may not work for everyone, but I don't like gloves so it's great for me. https://www.academy.com/p/magellan-outdoors-mens-fish-gear-angler-long-sleeve-hoodie?sku=caviar-large

Any of my trips that are remotely comparable to yours are very good days for me @Swamp Girl. The last two trips I've been on with this friend has put over 70 fish in the boat. As stated earlier, it's good for the soul.

I'll keep the busy boat theme going. My last trip started with a white bass on the first cast. I thought the first cast curse was going to get us because the second fish was a rock bass, followed by a small crappie. The next fish was the smallie that got us going. From there on the day got much better. My friend got the big fish of the day with the 4 lb 13 oz smallmouth below. We caught 31 in all, with over half of them being smallmouth. They released over 90,000 cfs all day long so there was a lot of water moving. Most of our fish were caught behind current breaks in about 12 feet of water. I didn't catch any big ones, but perfect weather, and a busy boat always makes for a good day.

Kent told me that one while we were fishing near where it happened. A-Jay might have lost one in his lifetime too. Those guys have superhuman skills. There are others on the site too, but they were the first two that came to my mind. Kent has been kind enough to let me fish with him many times in the past few years, and I've always been blown away at his knowledge, and skill. If it's on his line, I'm 99.9% sure he's going to land it. He's coached me up a lot. My landing percentage is better than it used to be, but I still lose more than I'd like. I've told Kent I hope to be a fisherman like him when I grow up.

Smallmouth are a different class of fighter than largemouth IMO. I love largemouth because they get bigger, but when I land a big smallmouth I feel like I've made a higher level accomplishment. I lost a 4 lb+ smallie my last time out that was an impressive acrobat. It shot out of the water like a missile several times so we got a good look at her. It eventually jumped against a wooden pier that the wind/current had pushed the boat too close to, and broke my line. It's disappointing, but it happens to us all. Nobody lands every big smallmouth...except maybe @A-Jay and @roadwarrior. 😉

Congrats on the 5 pounder, and a day full of fat Maine bass!

Congrats on the PB @Pat Brown! Beautiful fish! Love the new boat @The Baron!

This post is from 2010, but it is still great info. Like you, I don’t have much experience fishing offshore. I’d love to learn more about it too. Spot lock is a game changer IME, but people were fishing offshore long before it existed so it can be done. The Tennessee side of the lake does have a lot of docks, but the Alabama side has far less. It’s more current, and underwater cover/structure oriented. You may be focused on the Tennessee side because of the license. If you have an Alabama license you can fish the whole lake. A Tennessee license gets you access from Pickwick dam to the Bear Creek/Waterloo area. https://www.outdooralabama.com/freshwater-fishing-licenses/ala-miss-tenn-reciprocal-fishing-license-areas

Pickwick is a beast. It can produce glorious days, but it can humble you too. It's possible to catch fish any way you want, but Pickwick changes by the hour. Just when you think you have it figured out...everything changes. Part of it fishes like a current driven river. Part of it is shallow grass & structure. Part of it is a deep lake with feeder creeks that are like rivers on their own. Part of it is untouched nature. Other parts are lined with yachts, and McMansions. The depth can rise/fall by 8-10 feet in a couple of days, and flow ranges from 5,000 cfs to 180,000 cfs depending on the amount of rain in the area (the area being east Tennessee to northeast Mississippi). You can be cruising along the edge of the channel in 40 feet of water right next to a gravel bar, stump field, or rock ledge that's 1 foot deep, and not even know it. Not to mention that there are hundreds of boats pressuring Pickwick all day, every day...winter, spring, summer, and fall. These variables make it quite a challenge. All of that to say, don't get discouraged. It is not easy to learn. I have fished Pickwick from beginning to end with @roadwarrior who's a legend on this site (at least that's what he tells me 🤣). I've learned so much from him, but Pickwick makes a novice out of me most of the time. Even the best fishermen get beat by Pickwick. You have to adjust as it does, and keep with it. You will eventually have one of those glorious days, and you'll see why so many love Pickwick.

$5 well spent @Bluebasser86. That is a cool catfish. I like that it put on the tuxedo for your family. 😂 @king fisher we’ve seen the fish you catch so we know your skills are not the problem. You’ll figure them out.

I caught this one in a friend's pond. My scale said 5 lbs 1 oz, which was less than I expected, but it's what it said. My friend bought this property 3-4 years ago. We were actually on the boat fishing when he was talking to the agent. The first time I went with him to see the pond after he bought it there were thousands of tiny bream, tadpoles, and frogs everywhere, but zero evidence of anything else. He had tried fishing with lures, and live bait, but caught nothing. He decided to pay someone stock the pond with catfish, crappie, and some type of small minnows. The next year he decided that we should catch a few bass to release into the pond...which we did. He wanted to transfer smallest bass that were legal to catch (15") because he didn't want a lot of big bass eating everything he had stocked. We did put one healthy 3 pounder, and one 5 pounder in there to make sure there were a couple with good genes in there. We've caught catfish to eat out of the pond, but this is only the second time I've fished it for bass. I'd say that they are doing well. We fished less than two hours and caught 8-10 small bass, 10-12 large bluegill (one big enough to get a 3/0 EWG inside its mouth), 4-5 catfish (a couple close to 5 pounds), one crappie, and the big bass right at the end. I caught the big bass running my favorite spinnerbait past a laydown, and everything else on a weightless, tx-rigged purple-ish zoom z-craw. My friend used a bobby garland baby shad the whole time. I'm happy to see his pond is doing well. We actually talked about how we should probably start culling fish to keep it from getting overpopulated. Looking forward to our next fish fry.

I’m with you on that @Swamp Girl. I may start saying “dewee” every time I catch a fish now. 😊

That’s a wonderful post @IcatchDinks. One thing I learned with my kids is that they don’t really care what they’re doing as long as they get to do it with you. Keep loving your kids, stay involved in their life, and they/you will be happy, and blessed.

Looks like a little slice of paradise. Beautiful place @TOXIC.

Yes, ma’am! There is what we’ve all been waiting for! The ice has been broken, and the floodgate of bass catching is about to begin.

Sorry you're having to deal with this, but I hope everything goes well, and they find the best treatment for you. Be strong!

We may be on the board before you, but after about three trips you’ll put more bass in your canoe that most of us will catch all year. Hang in there @Swamp Girl…your day is coming soon, and we’re all looking forward to that day.

I heard from him last week @WRB.

I bet those look irresistible wacky rigged. Nice work!

@softwateronly, if you keep catching and posting fish like that we may end up in a bidding war to see how much it takes to get those coordinates from @Swamp Girl. 😂 Congrats, again!

First jerkbait, huh?