Blue Raider Bob

Sounds to me like you are sneakin' in to fish! 🙂 You've got a lot of BR readers pullin' for ya! Wish I was still young enough to rip & run!

10 is great for mere mortals Alex. Swampy is from a galaxy far away! 👽 She's working on 500 for the year so far. I'm working on five, but I'm not jealous........😞 Honest I'm not.....🤢

She's already got an out-of-stater that will be surrounding her canoe Sunday! And I know where it is!

Save some for me Swampy! I'm right at one week away from pointing the Ram north!

Wolf River Bottoms Moscow Tennessee

Observations from yesterday. Bass behavior that I find interesting and would be unknown to me without frequent study is as follows. Bass of similar sizes travel together in small groups around the perimeter of pond in eternal search for food, this is well known. What may not be well known is a steady source of food at a consistent area will change bass behavior. The bass have a pecking order just like horses, goats, dogs, ect. the bass change from cordial companions to biggest dog gets the porch. When I toss creek minnows, crayfish, and wet weather creek bluegills that get stranded, into the pond from my dock, the bass attitude changes and stays that way, long after source of food ends. I have one of my largest (maybe 3 lbs) guard the dock and chase away any, and all bass from her spot. No longer is she a member of a roving pack, but has adapted a sedentary lifestyle and will not tolerate company. This make me wonder why bass are ever in close proximity with others of their kind knowing that primeval instincts override other considerations. Just food for thought. One thing though, is a constant. Molly showed up Tuesday and without hesitation, approached the dock for supper. I do not know where she goes for months at a time but she has made my pond a stop for the past eight years. Sorry about the poor picture quality but the sun and shadows did not cooperate.

Save some for me Swampy! 45 days and counting! Hopefully your hand will be healed and my shoulder will be healed enough to be your net man! Dang....it's a B word to grow old! ☹️ Oh...and hopefully the water will warm up by then. Us West Tennessee swamp boys get hypothermic below 60!

2nd place with 26lbs! 😮 Can't wait till I can head north!

That is such a nice letter to post. Thank you so much. I sit daily at my pond just staring sometimes. I had a terrific life as well, just too selfish to let it go. Mainly I feel disappointment for her. She deserved so much better. She lived her life for others. Thank you for sharing your love of family, marriage, and life in general. Hold her close and live your life with no regrets! Thanks friend!

In 2' of water, I'm sure you could see the wake the bass made while pursuing your lures. That is always a huge thrill as you tense up for the contact! Sounds like a day spent in wonderland. Thanks for sharing!

Yes, the plants are going on third year this year and my algae is bad but so far not as bad as last year. The bottom of my entire pond is covered with Chara. It is a plantlike algae that thrives in hard, alkaline water and my pond is fed through a deep well in limestone. The Chara clear the water up to the point where I can see the bottom, but it also interferes with phytoplankton blooms, so I don't get the green water that is so healthy for ecosystems. I guess it is a tradeoff that doesn't require my permission. I have clear water but nothing to start the food chain. OK, here is a new one on me. Witnessed more spawning activity in the plant barrels this weekend with more than one male with the female at the same time. The bass would come and go but would be mingled together at times. The female would lay on her side and gently shake while surrounded by males. This dispels any notion of competition between males. There was no aggressive behavior at all. Also this weekend, I saw my first free swimming fry. The male was constantly trying to keep his bunch together while fighting off anything, including bass, that ventured to close. Shellcrackers still acting broody, but BG nowhere near ready for beds.

Bass are finished with the spawn but I saw something yesterday, I have never observed. The water is still clear enough for me to see the bottom in most places, and the area by my dock with all the water plants has attracted some Redear (Shellcracker). Yesterday, three of them were milling around in what appeared to be a war of wills over a spot and they were flaring their gill cover flaps out at a 90 deg. angle. The gill cover flaps are vibrant red this time of year and it seemed as though they were used in some sort of a threatening gesture. Unfortunately, there are only males in the pond because it was late May last year when they were caught from the Tennessee River, and only the male were guarding the beds. Really hoping to get out there in a couple weeks to catch some females. I never knew that they competed for nesting spots and how they did compete. The pond is a lifetime of learning. I'll try to get a picture but they are in over 3' of water. Back to Bass, I have a wet weather creek that runs beside my pond and it flushes farm ponds upstream during periods of high water. I have dug out a trench a foot deep to allow refuge when the creek dries up. The past couple days I have been rescuing fish from the trench as the water level drops. I toss these survivors into my pond and I have learned some habits from our friends the LM. The Gambusia top minnows are only pursued by the young Bass but the small BG's are the target for the larger Bass. I have one that waits for me pondside and follows me wherever I go. I toss BG's in the pond and he instantly reacts. This may sound cruel but my choices are either toss in pond where they have a chance to escape, or leave them to be dead possum dinners in the dried up creek. I also get crawfish and Darters. The point of all this is to show how quickly the Bass can become conditioned to a food source...AND almost totally loose the human fear factor. Speaking of which, the BG's are even less fearful than the LM. When I am standing in the water, pulling worms off the Lotus leaves, the BG will actually take the worms from my hand

Thanks J! I totally understand how you mean your wife "IS" your best friend. That's how it was with us. As the years went by, I feel our souls just bonded more and became one. It is an emptiness that will never fill. Hold her tight J.

Saturday afternoon, Billy is still on the nest after 8 days and no sign of eggs of fry.......sigh! Temp 64deg and falling after a strong cold front with heavy rains last night. I feel bad for the dummy but it is looking more and more like this spawn was a failure. He may not have any young'ins to look after but he still has a high gear for the BG that come too close! Still hoping that some eggs are under the algae and get to hatch. This brings up another observation, if the fry do hatch, they will have trouble getting past the algae. I watched Billy try to swim through a thin veil of algae and he had a heck of a time getting rid of it. Took forever for him to rid himself of the algae from his body and his mouth. It was wrapped around his gill covers and tormenting him.

It's going to take a lot more that a few screws and sewed up tendons to keep me from out trip!

Hope you break your funk soon. I'm in a medically induced funk right now.....rotator cuff surgery. Tendon was sawed almost in two by a big bone spur. I'm depending on you and the others to keep my spirits up while I moan and wallow in self-pity for the next few months.

Sounds like you overcame adversity and made a great trip out of it!

There has also been an explosive growth of filamentous algae in the past few days which may be masking the view of the surviving eggs. Wednesday 3-11, went to pond after supper and observed. When the feed is dispensed, the BG start feeding. As long as this is not near Billy there is no issue. If the wind moves surface feed in his direction, here is what happens......if BG's get in a 4' to 5' distance of his nest he will make a quick rush and will pursue as far as 16' from nest only to quicky circle back to guard. As long as no BG venture to close, he is OK with the feeding disturbances.

Tuesday PM after supper. It has been 4 days and there is a noticeable absence of eggs. Hope they begin hatching soon or this spawn will be a failure. Eggs can hatch in two days with water temps over 70 but will take longer the cooler the temps. My current temp is 68 so I'm hoping in the next day or two. Billy does a great job fending off attackers but I'm guessing he is getting overwhelmed at night.

Friday March 6th. Air temps 81 water temps 67.8 Afternoon before supper I observed beginning of spawn. The bass like to use my half barrel planters by my dock so I get unusually good viewing opportunities. Went back out after supper and she was gone, but the proud papa was holding tight to thousands of light grey colored eggs. Sunday I noticed another barrel with a guardian of eggs, and another that is scraped bare with a hopeful showing off his talents for the girls. There must be something safe feeling with the elevated half barrels. Not all bass use them, but several do. They sit in 36" of water but are suspended 16" of bottom by two rows of 8" concrete blocks. The bass are only bedding in about a foot to 16" of water.

She may have laid eggs but there are no other crappie. The eggs aren't self fertile. Also, the creek can't overflow the pond, at least it hasn't and we've had some serious flooding since I started this. I guess maybe I had a senior moment and thought I'd only brought one home. Not likely, but I've done stupid before! 🤨

Thank you Functional for getting me back to this! I needed this. Before this weekends Polar Vortex, the pond temps had gotten to the upper 50's and the fish have come alive. Last years young'ns hold tight to the dormant Lotus while the LM ease through. The water lilies have already begun their growth and provide lots of nursery cover. The Spring Peepers are out of control and singing their little cold butts off, and the Bluebirds are checking out the nesting boxes. It is on the way!

Yep. I got that. do not want Crappie in the pond but how the heck did the smaller one get in? No way someone is going to volunteer one. My daughters dog is 118 lbs and growing, and does not smile at strangers! Here is her other pup laying on the pond ice a few weeks back. She may look fearsome, but she is a loveable clown who will break ice to get to swim. We have to close the pond gate to keep her out until the water warms.

Strange phenomenon that I can't explain. I thin about thirty LM per year in late spring to reduce population because the LM have successfully spawned each year and overcrowding is evident. The profundity that I battle is this......with gin clear water, I can see everything that happens for a distance, and I can watch the LM chase the lures. Here is the issue, the LM will spot the lure, give chase, and hit the brakes inches from lure. As soon as the lure is determined to be non-food the LM will ease away, never to be tempted again. It is not a case where the Bass see me and scatter. They practically eat out of my hand when I toss Shad or insects. They follow me around the bank. The bass act aggressively until they don't. Obviously, this is not always the case because I caught seven, but I saw at least forty attack and then change their minds. Witnessing this begs so many questions. What is the trigger, and what can we do different? How many fish get really close to our offerings while we are on the water and do not commit? Changing lures may have helped because two were caught on small swimbait and five were caught on Mepps spinner but so many more just got close and backed off. What are your experience with scents? Would that cause the commitment? I have never used scents but then, I have seldom witnessed what I witnessed Saturday of mass refusal. One other profound profundity, several year ago I caught a nice pound size or better Crappie and took it home for the pond. Year before last I partially drained pond to repair multiple muskrat holes and caught the crappie again. It had grown and was at least 14 inches or better, Saturday I caught a 9 inch Crappie on the swimbait. I did NOT put more than one crappie in my pond! What the heck! I got into my Rodin's thinking man pose and pondered that one!

It seems that is has been a crazy kind of winter this year. My pond temps went from 39 to 55 in one week. I went from fishless viewing to crowded water. I'm hoping you have a different kind of luck next trip and send us some hog pictures!