AlabamaSpothunter

Everyone has alluded to the problem.....the free sliding t rigged weight wraps around object on the retrieve. I use to fish them a lot more when I was younger, but depending on the bait you're using, I think a jobee style hook would be great. I had a lot of success using them in the same way I'd fish a T rigged bait, so I didn't have to change anything other than the separate hook/weight

Nice fish, and hello fellow Alabamian. I'm in Hoover, nice to see a fellow member relatively close by me. I just went out for about two hours because of the crazy drop in pressure and pickup in wind. Caught one little spot. I like to fish these extremes thinking I'm going to figure something out.....nope, never do lmao

I mean War Eagle, but what an absolute legend!

Night fishing is the ultimate red pill for folks like us I found years ago. I honestly hate seeing people when I'm out fishing, I wish I didn't but I do. I'm selfish in that way, I want the peace and quiet more than the fish.

Imho their behavior would have to be affected by having less noise, vibration, and lures presented to them. Every other living thing I know of is this way. Why do we buy farms if we are forced to live in a city? Does our behavior change once we scoot off to the hunting camp/fishing camp for the weekend? Mine certainly does, I go into relaxation mode, and my defenses aren't nearly as up. Another angle to this is my own attitude and confidence when I show up to a lake and it's either desolate or packed with people. My golden rule of fishing is confidence.....it's my crutch, demise, and equally my gift. Seeing lots of people on the water certainly affects me, and my confidence. If I feel I'm not gonna catch a fish....I manifest destiny 100% of the time.

The guys who have great success offshore are "professional" level fisherman. In order to fish offshore you have to utilize technology, and do so effectively. A fraction of Bass fisherman I've met in my lifetime truly utilized and understand sonar and fish finders. Your plan sounds solid.

Just got back from fishing under a bluebird sky for a few hours...caught some small ones on finesse stuff during the first two hours, but like a switch clicked, I caught two high quality fish within 10 minutes of each other right before dusk. Both on a fat free fingerling, targeting points and riprap or weedless stretches of bank with deeper water nearby. Only weigh fish I think are over 5lbs, so the hawg got weighed and was 6.1oz, and the second fish/pic was b/t 3-4lbs if I had to guesstimate. The bigger girl gave me such an incredible fight.....one of those fish where you pack up and just grin ear to ear on the ride home thanking God or whomever for such an opportunity. That adrenaline rush is so, so very good and addictive. Forgot just how much of a rush it is to be back into fishing. Who still shakes while trying to take a pic after a hard fight and nice fish....this guys sures does haha

I'm gonna do some reading tonight, appreciate the resource.

I'll do some research and see if I can find some concreate data or studies on this. Would especially like to see them on Lay. It's important to remember that these fish are specifically native to the Coosa River system....not sure how they could be invasive to their native territory like Lay Lake. I'm no biologist and always have an open mind. Spots have always existed since I've fished, it's only been recently that the newly classified seperate bigger, meaner Alabama Spot has stirred up controversy. I never remember reading about people complaining about Spotted Bass in the late 90s and through 2010 give or take.

I don't believe that bit about Spots ruining LGM or Smallie habitats. Sure research has shown the Alabama Bass to be the dominate and more aggressive among the three, but there are actual lakes in Alabama alone that are public and produce trophy class Alabama, Smallmouth, and Largemouth Bass....most notably Pickwick. 25 years ago I took Alabama Bass from across the big public lakes and put them in a 200-300acre lake I've fished since I was a kid. This lake produces two things.....almost all quality to big LGMs, and Alabama Bass of all sizes to include trophy ones in the 5-6lb range. Before any of the stocking me and another man did......this lake produced the exact same numbers of quality and big fish. It's never been a numbers lake. Perhaps if it was a numbers lake then the Spots might cut into their populations. Hard to argue against Spots when all public lakes around me have Crappie, Bream, and Channel Catfish....all of which are heavy predators on Bass fingerlings. I'm biased though, a 6lb Alabama Bass is a far greater prize than 10-11lb LGM. If it's not a 4-5lb+ LGM, it's not much different than catching sunfish, or crappie. Spots are just fantatic angling fish imho, only matched by much bigger LGMs To be fair, I see Bass every single time I go fishing that won't hit a bait.....think of how many fish you see bust something up top, then you throw a topwater at it.....and nothing. Same with a shad pod that's being busted up by a large Bass, rarely do I get one to actually hit a bait. Seeing them and catching them is still different in my book. I just wish I had the tech, and knew how to use it haha Imagine once AI and algos start mapping Bass behavior in real time, and build up large data sets....yeah that will absolutely change fishing forever. Doubt it could be applied as easily in saltwater fishing though

Momma hiding her two fawns, you can't really see the other one as it was laying down in the marsh.

That's awesome. The surprise and usually the size of fish below dams makes it easily some of the most exciting and fun fishing. I've gotten myself into some super hairy spots fishing below dams. Also we don't have those cool long slender yankee looking fish.....you're lucky

Just got back into fishing....obsessive type fishing at least after decades off due to adulting. Sold a Nitro Bass boat years ago, but I grew up on the same private lake I'm finally able to fish again as an adult. Got the little jon boat setup sans the most important feature a high quality sonar unit. Anyways, first quick trip a few days ago.....a few bites, nothing hooked. Then I get up early on thurs. morning to fish a few hours.....few bites, 3 fish lost at the edge of the boat (2 because of weak hooksets, 1 big fish because he broke the treble hook he was on). This afternoon I sneak 1.5 hrs in and boat a nice little Alabama Bass, and chunk 5lb LGM. Weeks leading up to this I was fishing the smallest of areas of this lake by bank at night, and caught 50+ fish b/t Spots and LGMs.....half a dozen 5lb fish, one 6lb fish, and a 8lb fish ten days ago that really lit the mania in me haha. After the 8lb hawg, I knew I was going to sell my soul to a neighbor if I had to in order to gain boat access. I forgot just how hard so many aspects of fishing are, specifically fishing out of a big or especially a smaller boat. Fishing in a jon boat in 3-5mph will give you a thousand-yard stare. My goal for the next 12 months now that I'm peanuts deep into this madness we all chase is a 10lb LGM, and a 5lb Alabama Bass. I have lots of work to do, but somebody is going to have do it From today's breakthrough session haha....

So Tom you are of the opinion that 20lb fish aren't nearly as likely to exist as 25, 50, even 100 years ago? With management, smaller purpose built trophy Bass lakes, and just the massive amount of scientific knowledge we know about the Black Bass species in the last half century, hard not to think WRs are gonna be broken in the future, but I yield to vastly more knowledgeable people than myself. It appears to me that you think this is on a genetic level at this point? Gem of a post thanks. What a great thread!

Okay so this post got me going down a serious rabbit hole as I had no clue who Josh Jones was, or what he was doing. Found a news article that even mentions his Garmin Live Scope usage. After the rabbit hole journey, and reading about Josh Jones, how do you not make the connection that he's using this new tech to seemingly and quite specifically target any lakes biggest bass. For a non fisherman layman, it sure seems like he basically has the ability to see underwater. You combine that with the fact that he's likely already a great fisherman with a couple decades on the water, yeah he's using something extremely clever and technologically based to do what he's doing. 2 things that really make this clear to me at least.... First, when asked why he wasn't a tourney fisherman he gave some answer like too much pressure, and he can make more guiding (second part simply isn't true based on his rate and the days in the year). If I had some groundbreaking technique using cutting edge tech, I certainly wouldn't be using it in high dollar Bass tourneys that are super scrutinized for cheating, or unfair advantages which this clearly would be if they caught on to it's potential usage. Secondly, he can go to any lake, and seemingly catch the largest Bass in the lake, moreover he catches multiple of the largest Bass in these lakes. He's seeing them first. I don't think it's unfair or cheating, he's simply more clever than not only the Bass, but more clever than every other Bass fisherman currently. I do believe he's been paid to guide big name tourney anglers. There doesn't seem to be much luck in how he fishes, and that's quite the statement. Oklahoma angler Josh Jones is the hottest fisherman in the country (oklahoman.com)

Very nice collection! TDXs are such tanks....Daiwa builds super robust reels

Yeah any reel over a hundred or two should include them, and most do....but I have them on all reels.

Where I've fished for them, trophies come from both calm and raging waters......I've caught 5lb+ below Wheeler dam when they were running like 3-4 turbines IIrc. It was hard to imagine any fish could maintain itself where we fishing.....we'd motor to the dam, then drift back a thousand or two yards back. Wish I lived in a place where I could catch them more, but I wanted to add a data point to your thread

Well then that makes perfect sense. Trout seem to be one of the magical ingredients for producing WR/SR sized Bass. In that video right above the trophy small lake is a very small holding pond that is stocked with Rainbows. My guess is that the lake manager then uses the trout to selective stock/feed into the lake. Why they don't just order/dump a bunch into the lake is the real question I have. I think they also say they only keep it stocked in winter, and that is Northern Alabama. Here in central Alabama, you might get a few months where you reliably hold trout in a small pond, but not many. Extremely fascinating subject, stuff that has always fueled my imagination and curiosity. Super informative post! Thanks. As a kid in 90s Castaic lake was the magical mythical place I read about in Bass rags, and heard stories from. I should have figured it would be run over by fisherman if a kid in Alabama dreams of fishing it. Another common thing I keep hearing from western Bass anglers is how Stripers have killed so many once thriving and amazing Bass fisheries. Following the Lake Mead stuff, and a couple of guides now just show the lowering lake levels, and have said that even before all that the Stripers were killing the Bass reservoir. Stripers are killing one of Alabama's most treasured Rainbow Trout run ironically enough below a dam. One thing most folks don't realize is how hard it is to strike a balance in a lake between sunfish, Bass, catfish, stripers, and then forage like threadfins. Too many Brim, your lake is screwed, too many Catfish, your lake is screwed, etc. It's hard to re create mother nature.

Now that's very interesting, can you tell me why the Cali lakes aren't the mecca for WR sized Bass anymore, what happened that changed the trajectory of these lakes? I mean they still get to eat a primary forage that supersizes them. Don't know what OH lvie or Bois D'Arc is, so off to google

Great replies, thanks! Given the little boat I'm using, being a total rookie on fish finders, I'm leaning towards the Striker Vivid 4CV. At it's price it will allow me to learn and find structure/mark it, but be cheap enough that I can upgrade to a better unit once I get the hang of it.

Second Spot is what made me fall in love with them, imho that's the most beautiful freshwater fish at least in North America. Great job! ETA: disregard as I noticed your hat, War Eagle haha

The next world record if it doesn't come from some Cali lake will come from a smaller private lake/pond that has been built and extensively managed for trophy bass. Not my YT video or channel, but this video gives a great insight to where the next Alabama state record will come from, and how it will be caught. To me the asterisk is just likely to come from catching the WR on live bait, or baiting/feeding a particular fish, and then catching it when it's big enough to get the record. Both things are happening at least in my state.

Fantastic post, and what a God send it was to find a tech forum like this still alive in 2022.....these are the posts that made the internet a game changer for hobbies, DIYers, and people that wanted to learn the tech behind hobbies, sports, etc. before social media killed most tech forums. Been a really enjoyable thread to read. Thanks to all!

Starting 25 years ago as a kid, my fishing mentor and myself would transplant every Alabama Bass we caught at the major lakes like Lay Lake, along with myself continuing it when catching them in a very close river. Today this little 200-300acre lake has both 5lb+ Alabama Bass, and huge Largemouths. It fills me with great pride every single time I catch one. I catch them at about 5 LGM : 1 Spot rate, but I'm targeting them specifically many times out. Without them, I would have never realized how good a BIG bass bait 8" Magnum lizards are. In the beginning I was just using them to target the Spots, but after years I've come to realize it's just big bass bait. The beauty of a Spot is just a chunky pounder like this one tonight will leaving you grinning ear to ear, they absolutely hate you, and show it at every chance. You always know the moment you hookup whether it's a Spot or LGM too. These two fish were caught within 10-20yds of each other