Blue Raider Bob

I call the Mepps Aglia my "Secret Weapon". When all else fails it will get bit. Only thing for me is that it is a hang up machine. If you fish laydowns, forget it! I ALWAYS have one tied on! I especially like it because of what you just described, it is multi species. It catches everything that swims. I even caught a big grass carp on it.

Sometimes on the rivers I fish, I can't get a bite so to salvage the day I troll. For some reason on the Tennessee River, trolling deep Shad Raps and Bombers in 14ft of water often brings results. Not always, but often. I also love to watch a quill type bobber disappear when bream fishing. Everyone is different but we share this addiction to fishing.

Katie, I can just see you with me way,way back in the day, waist deep in a Cypress Swamp, roll casting a short flyrod with a popping bug under the Cypress limbs for big Bull river bream, when someone says, "Hey! You oughtanot be out there in the swamp!". And you look them in the eye and say "We ain't skeered!"

OMG! That Smallie knows where the buffet is! We don't see those down here,(at least I don't). Ours looks like track stars, while your look like Sumo Wrestlers!

Cumberland River in middle Tennessee two miles downriver from Cordell Hull dam. Thanks thediscochef! Appreciate you sending me the picture. Now I have it on a large canvas in my home! There are so many stunning photos on this thread that if I'm not carefull I'm going to cover up all my walls!

What an "EPIC" day! Bet you got a bad case of the "raw thumb". Congrats! I am greener with envy that the big LM you are sharing with us. Whopper plopper ruled today! It just doesn't get more fun than that!

Durn what a hoss!

Wait, She has a pond on her property and you want to take it slow? Dude, you need to speed up!

She's a Swamp Girl Dwight! She'll fish wet or dry. Don't matter to the fish and don't matter to Katie! Although I'll bet that Maine water is a little cooler than what we've got down here! ?Brrrrrr!

Yeah, but you got your flip flops cleaned! Mission accomplished!

I've been fishing since the first day of the year and she's already passed me pound wise. She's probably pass me numbers wise by this weekend!? I caught a dozen yesterday but end to end they weren't longer than my tackle box!

What an adventure! Glad it all worked out. Sounds like you got your exercise in and that's a good thing. Was the bottom hard enough to walk on or did you sink into the muck? 49 Bass and I'm as green with envy as the slop! Thanks for the pictures! It is beautiful country.

Never tried the Johnson Silver Minnow. How fast do you need to retrieve to keep from sinking?

Personal pond observations show the males guarding nests and fry. If the male is removed then that entire hatch is destroyed by Bluegills and yearling bass. I would rather leave the male to do his job and concentrate on deeper fish. Females are not involved and are probably driven away from the fry as well.

The bottom of the tail is not damaged so it probably is a female. Your instincts are probable correct. It may be a spawned out female.

We have clear and stained. In middle Tennessee we have clear highland lakes such as Dale Hollow and Center Hill which I struggle to catch fish, then we have rivers which run from stained to fairly clear which I have much better success such as the Cumberland, Tennessee, and a smaller river called the Duck.

That is totally Awesome!

I won't be much help as our waters are not clear enough to see fish. I would have been thrilled just to view the bass and observing their movements. I do know on my own pond, the males won't touch a thing while they're guarding the fry, but as soon as they complete that responsibility, they become aggressive to the Bluegill. Clear water is a foreign language to me. Hopefully some of our northern friends can help with this as their water is so much clearer.

I wish I had this picture as a full wall mural! I could stare at it for hours.

Bluegill are bedding and the Bass are getting active chasing the Bluegill, especially at feeding time. When the Bluegill begin to gather in large numbers under the feed, there will be an occasional explosion. The BG scatter and return shortly. Molly, the turtle, sees me approach the dock and comes running.........well, actually I can't call that a run, but she does make her way to the dock to be hand fed. She has been here fours years now we have bonded. Not to the point of me actually letting her take food from my hand, but she would if I would let her. I just don't want her to clamp down on a finger and then I'd have to wait "till it thundered", before she would let go, if you believe that old woodsmen tale. I'm not takin' chances. I'll let her get within an inch but then the food gets dropped on her head! I chickin' out every time.

Gosling update! Gigi's bunch are growing and starting to feather out. Unfortunately she is also taming them to accept the presence of people. She brings them up to the house every day to raid the chicken feed and lounge in the yard. Also, they continue to do a great job fertilizing the yard, drive, walkway, deck, ect. My wife loves them so they get to do what they please. Got to really watch where you step around my place.

21.5 is a monster down here! Can't help you with the curly tail although Kalins and Mr. Twister may have something in the same color, just not with the appendage. Were you Texas rigging or using an exposed hook?

Weatherman said 90% chance of rain so I said, "I'm in"! Started out Fishing Lake Nickajack in the hope of catching a few Shellcracker to put in my pond. Looks like I was late because I only caught two little ones and burnt up half the day. There were only three boat trailers at the ramp and that's like only three fans at a Yankee Game.....it just doesn't happen! I practically had the lake to myself on a Saturday! Well, I soured on the Shellcracker so I loaded the boat for the short trip below Nickajack Dam to get to my beloved river. Once again, nobody on the river all day. It rained and drizzled all day but as you can see in the pictures, I have an enormous umbrella over my boat. I stay mostly dry in the rain, and I am in the shade on the sunny days. Didn't take long for the Smallies to find my Zoom Speedworm in the light current. Wish I wouldn't have wasted most of it with the Shellcrackers but the two hours I did have were magical. Got my first 20+" Smallie of the year, as well as one over 18. Caught several other good fish and lost a couple others before the wind picked up and the bite stopped. The umbrella is great for vertical rain but not so much when it blows horizontal. Ended up in a storm and rain in the face for three miles as I motored back to the ramp. Umbrella pole bent and one frame member snapped. Drove home soaked but that is what we do! Used to keep a change of clothes in my truck but somewhere I got away from common sense. Need to re-visit! Worked on umbrella Sunday and am ready to go!

Katie that is so above awesome! I am several shades of green envy right now! That's more quality fish than I've caught all year! Can't wait to see your pictures when the weather warms up and they start really eating! The bottle opener in the last picture reminds me of my fishing trip with Roadwarrior Wednesday. He had a bottle he really wanted to open but did not have an opener. He persisted with a pair of fishing pliers until he "Got 'er DONE"! Good for a real good laugh! Of course the drink wasn't cold by then but he really didn't seem to mind!

I used to wade the Cypress swamps back home. Loved it! But I'm not wading there!