AlabamaSpothunter

I fear for those Menderchuck big brown Bass, there is a storm coming there way ?

What a toad, almost messed around and got a new PB ? Fantastic fish, and 73 degree water sounds like summer to me ? Most impressive Dad! A dad who gives his son the gift and love of fishing is an incredible blessing, if your son doesn't now, some day he'll realize how lucky he is to have an old man who loves to fish. We might set a historical day time high temp this week.....on Thursday it's forecasted to be 85......EIGHTY-FIVE DEGREES in Feb ?

Second deal is very weird, have no idea on that In regards to brake dial.......these are zero adjust reels, you don't need to do the slow drop dialing in thing. That's one of the big selling points to these reels.

Nice ones, burned through my emotions lol. I find it cool though that we are both fishing for the same species, yet you are wanting my conditions and I'm wanting your conditions. Clearer water, less wind.....yes please ?

That's why you're a real one Bob, only true Bassheads will go through all the effort to go fish during a time they know fish won't be biting.......it's madness, but you have to admire it ?

I'm sure your brother loves the fact you got him hooked on high dollar awesome big swimbaits ? Just a matter of time until your posting pics of awesome fish with outrageous big swimbaits, I remember the first time you posted some fish you caught on that big ole' rat ?

Kudos to you Bob, I wouldn't have even gone and fished those conditions. Everything I've read and experienced first hand tells me that you had a tough go because of the conditions, not the angler. Muddy cold water that is up, with 30mph winds......that one dink is equivelent to a DD ?

Took me 6 months to finally make the pieces come together with SideVu/ClearVu, catching fish offshore on electronics only is an addiction unto itself I've now found. The only way to get good on these things are to stare at them constantly, and experiment with the info you are getting in real time. After months of doing that, it's hard to stop especially if you have some solid days or fish using it like that finally. Calling your shot like Babe is tremendously fun. Now I see people bank beating in a boat and I'm like, "must be a poor who's fishing blind".....I know it's wrong ? I'd waste 90% of my time on the water for months at least if I had FFS, that said I'm itching to buy it. I saw a deal recently for $1800 turn key Garmin setup.

I get it Katie, I think any great Bass angler is always trying to speed up the process, reduce the stress of the fish, etc. The day I don't feel I'm striving to handle these fish better, learn better ways to hook them, fine tuning baits with smaller hooks at the expense of less hookups, and ultimately even throwing a highly successful bait out because of ethical concerns. Talk about soul crushing if that fish I caught earlier didn't return in essentially the same condition she came to me in......imagine knowing you are responsible for losing not just her, but all those thousands and thousands of precious genetically very important eggs. I'm stopped following the OH Ivie awesome action for the most part once I realized they knew and eventually did kill a Sharelunker fish bringing them up from 50+. Knowing that's a possibility and still fishing for them is seriously questionable in my book. Especially doing so with a highly refined, and technologically enhanced technique. Finding the right balance is tough that's for sure, I battle with it honestly as much as I battle with catching the fish themselves.

My man ? ? Thanks friend!

Katie, I honestly wouldn't be shocked if you caught a bigger Bass than that in Maine.....yes I know, but I also know the places you fish, the work you put in, and those two combine for perhaps the most important factor......unpressured fish. Now that we got that squared away because the truth matters ??, I'm blushing by another reply of yours and I could never stay away too long given how many truly special human beings I've been fortunate enough to already meet here. I'm not wanting to put any pressure on you now, but after learning you too recently started back hardcore Bassin, I couldn't miss when you fire up the paddles and most importantly that NEW SCALE. I see you easily getting a new PB, how soon is the real question. That's the great thing about PB, it's all relative, and it only really matters to you. Fishing is a personal thing to me. I'm not competing against anybody but myself, and my goals. Josh Jones and Coons on Ivie would drive you crazy if it wasn't like this. I see that recent 17lb fish, and I think the fish I caught today would almost have double in size.....WHATTTTTTT? I'm ready for all my friends to be fishing though, it's not nearly as much fun posting when perhaps the majority of the thread are iced in.

My goodness that's an incredible year. Two DDs is wild! Three weeks ago I felt like my hand was on the pulse as good as I've ever had it, arrogantly even started to put a tripod in the boat for a selfie with the White Whale.......then something just happened these last two weeks where I couldn't get a single fish over 4lbs and was really working hard to find the fish each time out as they'd move so fast. Today was much the same, then WHAM......I thought I was going to catch this fish three weeks ago no doubt, today at noon I honestly wasn't sure If I'd catch another 5lb fish again. Fishing is a mind you know what, or at least sadly it is with me. I take it too seriously because I love the black and white goal you can strive for within the sport. You can focus so hard, you can pursue a fish so intensely, it will drive you a bit mad......and I'm well into that realm ? Once the pre spawn ends the FOMO will leave and I can relax hopefully. That was the first big pre spawn fish I've ever caught, the FOMO is easily justified I see now, it's a cheat code with the right timing. I'm stoked to see what 2023 brings in for you, you don't have those results by chance. You set a really high bar.

I'm discerning even when it comes to Daiwa or Shimano reels......only a handful of models from each company are truly JDM. Many other great reels offered by them are from Vietnam, Maylasia, and yes ironically enough China. The biggest disappointment I've found since coming back to the sport is that almost no/few JDM rods are actually made in Japan, or ones I can find. When an American company creates a Made in Japan Daiwa or Shimano performance, quality, and overall track record of dominance reel in the marketplace, I'll be at the front of the line. Lastly, Digitaka is an absolute model of perfection when it comes to internet retail sales. It takes 3-5 days for Digitaka to send me a new Zillion, try getting most domestic tackle shops to ship that fast with the "free option"......that's how all these American retailers get you, sure it's free, but it's on their timeline which can truly be ridiculous. I buy with great confidence when the label says "Made in Japan or Made in Germany", I'm rarely disappointed. I'm not even sure I was alive when America made the things we use in our daily lives sadly. I'm an admitted Daiwa reel fanboy......just something about them to me.

Yeah but I remember reading in a thread about the year you had last year......what was the best 5 of 2022?

Just maybe it's the start of a run like you've been on.....who am I fooling ?? Seriously though Aaron, really appreciate the kind words! What a toad friend, congrats! If its gotta be your first of 23, might as well go big ? Bought a new OG Tiny 4 three days ago, get home and the bill looks like it was glued on by a 5 year old......fool me once Rapala.

Much like Pat I caught the definition of a big pre spawn female earlier. One of those fish you know is at the height of her power, a pinnacle of health, and a true apex predating Largemouth. Clearly full of eggs and heft for the soon to be Spawn. Mine was bouncing around from 8.15-9.5 and locked twice briefly on 9.1, so that's what I'm calling her. I was shaking like a leaf at that point as usual lol. There was brief moment that I thought I accomplished a lifelong dream. At the end of the brief video, I'm glad I forgot to end it as it captured perfectly the indescribable flood of emotions and adrenaline that overtake you and make you clutch for your knees once you see her swim away. Most here I'm sure will know this feeling, Pat felt it for sure. Terrible day with chocolate milk colored water, caught 6 small fish from about 10-1pm........drove back to the dock, pondered quitting, took a 30min break and then went back out. 30mins from coming back out, I caught her. She moved up shallow from nearby deep water into about 8-10fow on a pinch point, and was holding on a fantastic piece of cover. I ran a naked Chatterbait with a 3.5" Live Magic Shad right into the cover, it deflected, and wham she smoked it. You deserve it friend, love to see somebody catch such a magnificent fish that truly appreciates her.

Wow Pat, that's a fish of a lifetime, but what makes that fish so special in my book is that it came from your pond! Huge congratulations! I've got some catching up to do, but this was the first thread I clicked after taking a break, and then I see this monster ?

Much respect seriously! All you can do is put in the work, the universe has to pay it off sometime......that's what I repeat over and over after days like today where I caught 1 little fish. I also like to repeat...."eventually a big fish is just gonna run into your bait" ? Drilling ice seems like digging holes down where I live in thick clay soil.....sucky ?

You got big fish of thread since I joined in August brother, until that changes you aren't allowed to complain at all! ?? You'll blow past 3lbs by 2.5x before you know it, there be monsters swimming in those waters I tell ya. That's a fat pretty toad for sure!

Some people just want to watch the world burn ? Whistlin Dixie is another mad man that half the viewers hate.

Yeah Bob those deer feed on hard work, the harder you work on a landscape or garden, the more they get fed ? I watched a 8pt from my window last night chase a doe....he must have been 20ft away at one point. Amazing how women make men lose all rational and logic ?

Thanks Bob! Agree on the Damaki Axe Blade and Vault. OP's scenario sounds perfect for those baits. Find that bait, make sure you got fish actively feeding on it, and then just count that sucker down to them and bring it in on a slow steady retrieve with the occasional rod pop for followers. I vertically jigged it 4 days ago and caught a cpl as well, but I think casting it out was far more effective.

Sat caught 7, Sun caught 5, today caught 15 Incredibly beautiful, and increasingly warming days, today was 70+. I'm as tan as I've been in my life on my hands and face only lol. 54spf and face covering from here on out. Third day without a fish over 3lbs. It turned on at the end of today but I was getting torched by the sun and stupidly didn't prepare accordingly and called it. Caught a few on th 110jr +1, and Berkerly Stunna 112+1.....but the Axe Blade and Flashback Mini continue to be the preferred baits. Caught another big Crappie, I swear when I'm trolling now I'm hoping it's a Crappie because I never catch a small one, only big ones hit this thing apparently. I'm sure I've seen one before and didn't realize it or care enough to snap a pic, but I can mark seeing a Bald Eagle off my bingo list. Also saw the Redfox I posted a pic of awhile back again as well. Super cool animal. Cpl of pics over the last few days....on the electronics you can see where somebody within the last week or two thought they had a secret, and draw your own conclusions on the last shot ? 110jr +1 in GG Threadfin with well over a 100 fish on it, the finish is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen ? Damaki Axe Blade getting close to 100 fish, but has done so much quicker.

I fish Zoom mag lizards heavily in the summers......even when one of those little legs gets bitten off, new lizard time. Those little legs and such on creature baits matter big time imho.