Blue Raider Bob

Dang Katie! That dammed stream has got you all worked up! I just want the blocked vehicles out of the way, not pulled into the water permanently, but don't give Tim any ideas, else we may have to raise some bail money!

I do too! That's what I wanted to say but I didn't want my BR friends to see how deep the red runs in my neck. I've got two straps and no tolerance for fools. Glad to know I am not alone!? I would also venture to guess you have some back up!

Actually Katie, your bog is haunting me too! All of us here on BR cheer for each other in such as way as to become emotionally involved. I await with an abnormal state of anxiety for news of your success on this particular bog.

They're fish stealing squatters!

Pretty soon you're gonna need to tow a tackle barge behind that stealthy, scuffed canoe!? I know, I pull a muscle everytime I lift my tackle box, even though I only use 2% of what's in there.

So true Alex, I used to worry the herons away but over time I came to realize that they are a part of this same as me. Now I have come to appreciate my resident Blue Heron (Harold), and understand that what he does is natural and necessary. However, I will continue to chase away otters. They got Maggie, my 5-3 LM. That was heartbreaking. Fortunately, they only come by in the winter and since I blocked the under the dock access, they don't stay long.

Totally disrespectful. Adults teaching kids to be disrespectful as well. Vicious cycle. I would put a knot on any kid of mines head if they were to treat others that way. Also I would toss the boombox! This krap makes me long for Katie's quite waters and WayNorth Guys unpolluted streams, far from the corruption of Jet Skis and other unholy inventions. Durn, you got me wound up! Katie, I've fished some dammed stream beds too but they don't produce like the one your mad at! ?

Unreal! That's akin to blocking an emergency room entrance.......well, almost!

What kind of a knothead parks in front of a boat ramp? That beats all I've ever heard! The redneck in me would want to leave them a sour note on the wind shield. Thanks for the easy access pal!

Durn! With all the rough fish out there, this Osprey bags a Smallie. I feel cheated!

I'll volunteer! I have lots of experience explaining to my wife why I need to fish again so soon! I have very little experience getting away with it. ?

That is an amazing story! Glad you were able to retrieve the Dinger and save the bass. It's always a special thing to catch one that is hampered by a plastic. It's happened to me twice. Both times, saw the worm while unhooking fish, gently tug, and outcomes the worm. Neither time did the worm have a hook. Must have bit off the worm and missed the hooks. It's amazing your hook didn't gut hook the bass.

My fishin' buddy from my youth recently spent a few days on the river with me. I'm tossin' what I like to toss and he's tossing a 2" Chartreuse and white curly tail. He's catching fish and I'm offering my Ned Rigs. He's still catching fish, I'm not but I'm still offering my Neds. Next day, more of the same. He caught double what I caught but I'm the brick skull that was determined that he fish what I liked to fish instead of what he liked to fish. Never have outgrown stubbornness.

So nice! Don't forget the coons! I had a big pile of something unappealing on my dock yesterday so I baited the trap. Caught this bandit in the trap this morning but........she had three little balls of fur with her and they tried to hide under the dock. One even got in the pond. Well, I'm certainly not going to haul off the mom and leave the babies helpless, so I opened the door and she ran away. I guess I'll have to wait until the babes are independent before taking them to live somewhere else. One of the little ones made an appearance but quickly joined the others under the dock.

This is fascinating stuff to me! We do not have Pumpkinseeds down here but we do have several other species of Sunfish, such as Bluegill, Greensunfish, Longear, Redear, Warmouth, and Rockbass. One thing I can say for sure from personal knowledge from hours of observation is that the Bluegill swim faster than anyone can imagine. I have seen dozens of LM attacks on groups of BG and the BG can move as fast as bullets. I'm sure the Northern Pumpkinseeds are just as fast, which leads me to believe the primary forage in your area is something much slower. Just my two cents. Attached is a photo of my fish/crawfish traps. I place these in local streams to catch different species for my pond. I release Greensunfish and bullheads, but I keep most. It's a lot of fun just to see what's new. Its also another way to avoid farmwork and honeydoo's!

Katie what is/are the principal forage fish in the bog ponds? I've never seen fatter bass. The bass down here are long and skinny. You must have an abundance of a really meaty, slow preyfish. AJ credits the Goby for his pot bellied Smallies but I'm sure that probably is not the case in the bogs. Have you ever set out baited fish traps? One of my pastimes is setting out homemade traps for crayfish and creek minnows, then transferring them to my pond. It's just another excuse to play in the water.

That's not tiny.....this is tiny!

Katie you are absolutely crushing it this year! So glad you didn't let Pepe plant a kiss! Thanks for the pond photos, you are indeed fishing in paradise. I imagine that's what Heaven looks like! Beautiful vistas and six pound bass!

Couple things I have found interesting about my ongoing pond observations. The first is the feeding habits of gamefish during a rain. Lately we have been having summer afternoon showers during the time I decompress on the dock. I have noticed that during a shower, when I toss out feed, there is a much greater lapse between the time the feed hits the water and the feeding activity begins compared to a non-rain afternoon. Example is on an average afternoon, the BG rise to the pellets within a few seconds this time of year. During a shower, it could take as long as a minute or more. Conclusions could be the BG just cannot see the surface as well when the water is disturbed. When the activity begins, they will feed normally until feed is consumed. We always associate soft rain with better fishing. This observation does not dispel or dispute this, but it does add one more layer to our quest for knowledge. The second observation of note is the behavior of LM when the BG are feeding. I will often notice a LM enter the feeding zone of my BG when they are using the floating pellets. The LM will softly enter the area showing no signs of aggression. The BG get sort of comfortable with the presence and continue their feed. Often the LM will spend a considerable amount of time gently moving around before an attack. The movement scatters the BG but they will recover almost immediately and resume the feed. This also adds a layer to what we know about gamefish behavior that may be helpful when we are on the water, albeit this is a still water pond. LM behavior could be quite different and probably is, in a moving water or impoundment environment where school fish are the primary forage.

Definitely post worthy!

Yep....Ned rig on medium light spinning gear. 8lb mono while bass fishing. I'll never see a 23lb bass but I saw a 23lb Carp up close! Katie will commend your poetry!

You mean one of these! This river monster tested my reel warranty! This was a wild ride as well. I can relate to your experience!

Katie, that big blue cat was bigger by far than all the twenty bass combined. She gently bit the Ned Jig and got really angry when it bit back. I though I'd hung a ski-boat! When the drag finally quit screaming it turned into a war of wills. I'd gain some and she'd gain some as I floated down the river. Got her up and got her lipped and over the side. Only kept her long enough for a picture and back she went. Glenda said, "It only looks big 'cause your holding it out to the camera!" I said "BS"! I ain't strong enough to hold that fish out! It's straight up and down! Durn Tim! That bass looks like it ate a boat seat!

I'm also guilty of the fish pictures that are not of bass.....but.....this big girl sure put a stretch in my 8lb mono! Slow bite and hot day on the river. Caught twenty but only two over 3lb. and this one big river monster.

West Tennessee Cypress Swamp.....can't believe I actually waded and swam in these as a youth. You couldn't drag me in there now! These are old channels of the Hatchie River in the Hatchie National Wildlife refuge near Brownsville TN