T-Billy

Release to the grease. Olive oil actually, after a good heavy dusting of Zatarans blackening seasoning. I save the breading for other species. LOL. Couple weeks ago I was going down a steep bank in the wee hours, fishing parallel to an outside hydrilla edge, and a big ol whitetail doe jumped to her feet and started bawling me out at a distance of about 20'. Darn near jumped clean outta my shoes. LOL.

Hit the water at 01:00 again. Was gonna go earlier but we had some storms roll through. It was a tough bite, as expected, lightning often shuts 'em down for awhile IME. Only managed six in the dark. Four dinks, a 4.09# LM and a 5.21# saugeye. Those two came about ten minutes and 30yds apart. Same spot that produced last weeks 4+ LM and that long skinny SM. This morning was only the second time I've ever fished this little stretch. I'm liking the quality coming from it so far. We'll see if it holds up. Only managed three more dinks after daylight. Called it at about 10:30. Hopefully they're more cooperative tonight.

My wife's reaction time is around three minutes. Lol. She has virtually no hookset and she probably misses less fish than I do. She gives them PLENTY of time to get the bait good.

Sprinkling the entrance with sevin dust will also kill 'em, but again much less fun than a gasoline mushroom cloud.

Pour gas in the hole at dusk. Pour a trail away from the hole. LIGHT IT!!! Not lighting it will kill them but is MUCH less fun.

I'm with @BigAngus752 on this one. I have zero doubts about it.

Congrats on a solid day while feeling sub-par. Hope ya feel better soon.

It thins our herd, but I'LL still be out there!!!

Nothing to lose. It may break on the next hookset, or it may go for years. The crack you see may just be in the clearcoat. I've never had a rod just crack a little. Every one I've broke snapped clean off. Last one was right in front of the first guide. Exploaded, sounded like a .22 shot.

You're not out anything other than maybe a fish if it breaks on ya. Or... you can throw away what might still be a perfectly good rod. Your call.

No. Fish it till it breaks, or... doesn't. One of my flippin sticks made some horrendous sounds a few years ago while playing tug-o-war with a giant flathead in a laydown. It's still going strong. In fact, it landed the majority of those muskie last fall, including the beast you see in the corner of this post. Try it and see if it works for you. Personally, I'm in the opposite camp, but I can't argue with Tom's success landing GIANT bass. Simply a matter of different strokes for different folks. Don't be afraid to experiment and see what works best for YOU.

With the exception of short range, more vertical presentations like flipping and pitching, I sweep into them, then try to maintain steady pressure with the rod tip close to, or in the water, and just winch on 'em. None of that lift and reel down nonsense. With the warm temps, my local bass have been very acrobatic lately also.

VMC has some lighter wire flippin hooks from #1 on up. The package will just say flipping hooks. The Ike approved or HD are not the ones you want. I've been very happy with em for a few years now.

I lost a cousin to a heart attack seven years ago. Similar symptoms as your neighbor. She thought she had the flu or something. She called her daughter, and asked her to check on her in the morning. She didn't make it through the night. Definitely a different deal for women.

Careful, it's addictive. Cool and comfortable, and hardly anyone else out there. I often have the lake entirely to myself, and the big girls come shallow looking for a meal. I adapt to the heat by staying out of it as much as possible. Loved hot weather when I was young. Not so much anymore.

I put a beatdown on 'em this morning, or vice versa, my thumb is thrashed and my first knuckle on my reeling hand is busted wide open. That knuckle used to stay that way from March until December until I finally wised up and put BIG knobs on my flippin reels. Fished from 01:00-10:00. Didn't keep count but, we're talking @ol'crickety kinda numbers.? Lots of dinks, but quite a few 1.5#-2.5# fish also, and I lost half again as many. The majority of 'em smoked the chatterbait from behind and kept coming. I was having a heck of a time catching up with 'em and getting any kind of a decent hookset. I got my cardio in, running to the back of the boat in an effort to stay tight on most hooksets. All the lost fish was frustrating, but the nonstop action made for a heck of a good time. Best fish in the dark was this bone skinny SM. 20 3/8" and only 3.22#. I kinda felt bad for catching it. It's in bad need of a meal, but got a 5/0 to the face and boat flipped for it's efforts instead. Once the lights came on, I went to pitching isolated patches of hydrilla outside the main weedline in the same areas I'd been fishing the chatterbait. That was a really good bite from 5:00 until about 7:30. Then it shut off and I only managed a few more dinks. Flippin rig with a black 4" senko and a pegged 3/16 was money. Best fish flippin was this 4.18# LM. The chatterbait also put this 3# eye in the skillet. I'll post it here instead of the other species thread just to rattle @gimruis's cage. ? Had a blast, and FINALLY found some decent numbers on that flat where all the late night mayhem went down last July. High hopes for that spot next week. Gotta work the next four, then I'll be off for four.

Prayers for you and your family @Dominat0r. @BigAngus752 my wife doesn't like pitching heavy cover with me due to the risk of flying fish, and tungsten missles incoming at mach 2 when I miss one.

This morning was a grind. Got started just after 01:00 finished up at 11:00. Only managed a couple on the chatterbait but they were both over 2#. Z-Man GOAT Toad put five more in the boat. Ended up catching 11, with the best five going about 12#, anchored by this chunky 3.22#. I caught it pitching a Mag II into a hole in a hydrilla mat in the early morning light. Only managed a few dinks after that. Slick calm, sunny and 6' visibility left 'em not wanting to play after the sun got up.

Ha!!! I always thought you just have HUGE hands!!! ?

May 1976.

Times change, people don't.

OH state record is 13.13#. It was caught from a farm pond about 20 miles from my house. I'd be VERY surprised to see it broken. https://majorleaguefishing.com/archives/2014-02-04-record-breaker-the-story-of-roy-landsberger-s-ohio-state-record-largemouth-bass/ This fish definitely fits @Pat Brown's Northern LM description.

Yup. I get out when I can and fish the conditions the best I know how. Bass are bass and haven't changed any in the four+ decades I've been fishing for them.

Happy birthday Tom!!!

THIS ∆∆∆ I'm confident that's why the sweet craw on a flippin rig is my best big fish producer. I'm fearless putting it places a jig would hang up, and other anglers won't put a bait.