thediscochef

Idk if this thread has been started yet but I'd like to see everyone's best basses of 2024. This doesn't necessarily have to be LM or SM specific, just your most memorable and favorite catch of the year. Because ultimately the memory is what makes the catch, right? I'll start. I caught this one evening in late March, it was 7lbs 5oz on a bone choppo 75. Not even two months later, an EF3 tornado tore through my home lake and shut me down for a solid three months on this water body. The marina signs are still being held up by stacks of rubble. I digress. I was working the lure slowly, to a point where I could feel each turn of the prop in my hand. The fish hit super lightly, as if it just came straight up under the lure and just opened its mouth. It wasn't until I felt it pull and set the hook that "I Knew". It wasn't a particularly long fight, but on a medium light rod it felt like an absolute giant. Pulling it out of invasive milfoil with that light rod was a task. Of the 7lb fish I have caught, this one might be the most balanced and healthy specimen I've ever caught. It's for sure the biggest bass I've caught all year, but also the most memorable. My hand was cramping holding it for pics and weight. Time out of the water was maybe 60 second, but it's maybe the most memorable 60 seconds of the year. Let's see em

Man it was a pretty pretty day in Texas yesterday. Today? Today I may as well be in London or Seattle

Got into a dinkfest today, caught eight in about an hour and a half. Nothing big. But also the lake was busy and I caught more than anyone. And sometimes that's the real five pounder

I have a bass pro and a cabelas that are about the same drive from me. They have a different vibe, the cabelas is newer and it feels that way. They have a little bit different stock from each other. Bass pro tends to carry more of the expensive tackle, cabelas tends to have a better selection of rods. Both carry bps brand everything. I decide which one I'm going to based on what the internet says the traffic is like, because 99% of what I'm there to buy is present at both places. So it comes down to what the drive is gonna be like.

My best friend passed in the same way a couple years ago. At the time I had known him more than half my life and we weren't on the greatest of terms. Now that counter has started moving the other direction. Life is never really the same after

No

when i touch it and it's cold, then it's cold (moving baits slow down for me at 58 degrees and the jerkbaits come out at 52) wherever you our, they're your

This article basically outlines why I think Lake Fork hasn't produced 13+# bass like it used to. In its heyday, people were fishing for dinner out there. Doesn't happen that way anymore with LMs. Fact is that anyone who manages trophy ponds will tell you that you absolutely must thin the herd for your best trophy potential. Otherwise you'll have endless 13" bass. I don't see why the same wouldn't apply to larger water bodies. I would love to see slot limits back on more texas lakes and more harvesting of smaller bass

Isn't that what sports is really about anyway? I think my little league coach might have been on to something... Autocorrect chooses its moments better than any author ever could

Glorious exposition

Man that fight was an embarrassment to all of us, such an obvious cashgrab. I was impressed by Tyson keeping pace with someone half his age as well as he did. No other 58 year old I know could take hits like that. In my heart of hearts I wanted to see Jake Paul get humbled but as was said above, just unrealistic. Kudos to Mike. Would love to see Paul box someone under the age of 40.

Finally broke out of my dinkfest. I hooked a big spotted bass last night, it got away at my feet but that's probably the biggest spot I've seen on my line. I've caught a few 2-3lb fish the last week or so, and as many dinks as I could handle. but nothing that really motivated me to post. This morning I got out late, I'm not adjusting well to the time change. Hit a few spots with the lipless, caught a few dinks. Decided to hit up a rocky shallow with a big boulder pile in it, and got rewarded on a Rapala skitterwalk V with this 5lb bass. That lure has been doing good work for me lately. Underrated for sure. Also been doing work with the orange belly craw and green tomato red eye shads. It's always a treat when you get to see them stalk the bait before they come up and make a scene about it.

I'm so sick of losing my better fish I could scream. I took a few days off from the lake. Went back this morning and evening. Caught about 12 of these little super dinks throughout the day. Right about sunset I get hit with another brick wall of a fish. I get it within about 10 feet of me and she jumps and spits me. Looked like a solid 5-6. What a drag. At the very least I'm catching numbers with the dinks, and it's not like I'm not getting bit by big fish. It is without a doubt my worst year of missed big fish, but the last time I had a streak of luck like that I ended it with a PB. The idea that it may happen again is the salvation of my sanity, and what's left of my hair

Ivie is a funky place. The majority of the teeners and such that come out of there are FFS catches, if you have that you'd stand a solid chance. Not saying people don't pull giants there sans scope, but it's much less common. Also the most crowded place I've ever seen at times. I would second staying in east Texas somewhere for sure. Lots of great fisheries in that half of the state whether you go north or south you can't really go wrong.

Caught about a dozen super dinks on the dawg junior and the red eye shad today. Then these two slightly better fish, a nice chunky spotted bass and about a pound largie. Missed one really good fish but overall not a bad morning.

I'm biased but I'd tell you to come to Texas. It's a good time of year to be here. You could fish anywhere and have a solid chance at a giant

An update: the recovered red eye shad has now been repatriated to its final resting place at the bottom of the lake. Blanked on a topwater bite before that, had some blowups but all missed the bait

Well I caught bass today This morning went well, caught some super dinks on the surface then headed to the ripraps for a later morning bite. Hooked into some with a chatterbait. Went home for a nap and some pork belly mac and cheese. Went back for a sunset bite. Decided to throw the 3/4oz red eye shad around for kicks and giggles. Had some adventures with other people's cut/stuck line, eventually lost that lure. I tied on my other one and immediately ran into a brick wall of a fish. I wasn't able to land whatever that was, but I was positive I had a rock for a few seconds until it started kicking. Given that I've caught multiple double digit flatheads right there on red eye shads I'm almost positive it was that. I broke off again. Then I caught this trailer bunk, which held the second lure I'd snapped off. What is old becomes new. After that it was a few more bass on a chatterbait along the ripraps and a warning from the sheriff on the way home. All in all a much less expensive day than it could have been. I'm tired.

While we're griping about the bad manners of others, I would like to point out that the venn diagram of "people who cut their line instead of breaking it" and "people who eat their boogers" is a circle

bass pro neon grape has caught me fish on tough days chompers watermelon red with purple flake red shad flukes

Mono all the way Don't want fast sinking line with topwater

I spent a few hours casting around some shallows that I call the Devil Horns (cause that's what it looks like to me on navionics). Managed to run into a pretty solid sunset bite, but the fish and myself kept missing. I saw a couple that were big bass, 6+ for sure. Same place I caught that 7 back in spawn season. I had a 75% hookup ratio for the day going into that session, and I probably missed 4 big fish. Rough. Not only were the fish and I out of sync, but my favorite tournament pro started seizing on me. It took a dunk a few days ago and I hadn't cleaned it out. On my last cast, I backlashed and my line wound up in the tree. It was dark by that point and when I got it all out my line was a knotted mess. I decided to go home and clean my reel out. I managed to find the gremlin in my reel, sand in the levelwind bearings. Went ahead and cleaned/regreased everything, all good as new and ready for the meat of fall topwater fishing. All the bass are still warm to the touch, we are still just getting started. This was the best fish of the day, from my evening debacle.

It has happened to me again since. This time though, the guys were talking to me as they approached, before they put the TM down. We made good conversation for a second. They fished my spot and blanked, and then I went back to catching dinks right behind them. World keeps turning. I wouldn't ever choose to have anyone but a buddy or two around me while I'm fishing, but it's a public lake. I like to think I would conduct myself better than 90% of the boaters I see.