AlabamaSpothunter

Shush, I was hoping he would slip up and leak the coordinates to Menderchuck......he'd have fools from Alabama making the pilgrimage up there for SMs like he catches 🤣

I don't doubt it, I was just listening to a podcast discussing the fact that SMs, and SM bags seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I think this is supported by evidence as well. B/t the Gobys and Zebra Mussels, along with in some years, a month longer growing season because of increased temps, it all adds up to growing bigger fish. Not sure if Andy is fishing a place that has those things though. Either way, incredible catch and fish, congrats!

This was why I was especially excited for you to buy that place......such a talented angler as yourself getting to know a single body of water as well as you have, and certainly will going forward would yield exceptional results. Now that you know the quality is there, it's going to get ridiculous in regard to your ability to specifically target the biggest fish in your lake. You're building a puzzle that doesn't reset every time you go home, you can come back to your "saved" game the next day or week and build on your progress. I know you love your variety, but seeing you really flesh out one fantastic fishery is really exciting to me. We're gonna know what really lives in that lake soon enough 😎

Can't imagine a more secluded dream of fishing hole than yours Katie, and I definitely can't imagine anybody more deserving or appreciative to fish it than you! I was thrilled when you told me you were looking at property.....even more thrilled when you bought it, but now to see you fully enjoying it, and seeing how awesome of a fishery it is really brings it full circle. Dreams are possible, Katie and her paradise are proof of that.

The "front" in your example would be the hours leading up to the increased wind, slight drop in air temp, drop in pressure, and ultimately the rainfall on Tuesday. Weds. would be post frontal + 1 day, and so forth. The common thought is that the best time to fish is leading into that front, so the hours leading up to that rainfall event, and during it given it's not to dangerous to be out in. The more I fish, and I've spent about 300 days a year over the last two on the water......the more I realize there is no definitive answer to "when's the best to go fishing based on weather/fronts". Perfect example, 5/31-6/1 I was on the water hours leading up to and during the perfect pre front and actual frontal event the other night. Textbook conditions for a big fish bite, 3.8lbs was my biggest that night. Just got home from getting a 7.1 and a 5.9 on just another "post frontal" night fishing the exact same time frame, and milk run. The best time to fish is when you can!!!!!!!!!!!

Well said! I really hope I get to see another 25lb LM in my lifetime, but I highly, highly doubt that will happen. Ken Duke said it best, when she was caught every Bass angler in world went "I didn't know they could get that big"

I believe this is 100% accurate, and have always questioned the folks who wait a significant time between bite detection and hook set. I've seen enough underwater videos to know that the biggest fish many times simply inhale the bait and spit it out the fraction of a second they realize it's not legit. It was either Dave Mercer or Tactical Bassin that said how often they observed a fish put an entire crankbait inside their mouth, spit it, and the whole time never detected the bite. In my own observations many times when you observe a fish moving your line before you actually feel the bite.....it's a big fish. Sometimes it's a competitive or spawn deal, but more times than not that's a big ole' slaunch doing it. I think the smaller, dumber fish will hit the bait harder, and hold on to it longer thus allowing the delayed hookset to work well.

The afternoon before they snagged her, they offered another guy who was sitting on top of her a couple thousand dollars to turn over the spot......the other guy declined. They made sure they were first in line when the lake opened the next morning, and that's when they snagged her. All three worked at Casinos IIrc, they worked nights, and fished during the day for her.

Most of the problems people have with knot failures on FC can be boiled down to when they cinch the knot up imho. It's fickle if you don't go slowly and smoothly, and ALWAYS wet your knots when cinching them down. I use the palomer for small diameter FC knots like 8lb FC, and also use it for heavy diameters when fishing bottom contact stuff where I'm hitting them with a huge hookset. For whatever reason I find it handles the shock better than my other knots. For everything else I use the San Diego Jam knot because it's faster and easier to tie than a palomer. Occasionally if I'm lazy I'll tie the improved clinch knot as well. FC has come a really long way since it's inception and when it most likely got a bad rep for knot failures. The modern day higher end brands are pretty awesome. While I don't love Shimano Mastiff, it specifically has nano ridges that aid with knot tying and strength.

I'm glad you posted that first pic especially Katie, now I understand what you're talking about when you say pencil reeds. I've never fished around anything like that. My home lake has Water Willow which is native, and Alligator Grass which is "invasive" even though it's wonderful vegetation for fish. It's very thick stuff, and you can only really fish the perimeter of it. If you lay the hammer down upon hookup and move the fish from the edge, it's not a problem at all. I can see how those would be heart break fuel, sparse enough to fish effectively, yet clumped up enough to catch a treble outside a fish's mouth, or all together wrap your line up. I haven't seen anybody get to fish 100% unaltered nature like yourself. To me the idea of fishing water that hasn't been altered or effected by mankind is priceless, and something that we don't really have down here. You're already getting your money's worth on that property, love to hear that. It always amazes me no matter how remote a piece of nature I find down here, I always find at least a piece of trash.

So many awesome fish, and this thread really comes alive when the folks up north finally get back on the water. You guys sure do make up for the lost time during the winters. I love seeing the fishy places you folks fish, @MIbassyaker and @ol'crickety look like they fish in a Thomas Kincade painting.

A guy I follow closely named Jimmy Zinker has caught 5 DDs this year on Orange.....he fishes almost exclusively at night with a Muskie Jitterbug and Pat Cullin's black Buzzbait. Some great info on the Big Bass Podcast about his techniques, and the way he modifies the Jitterbugs. I'd give it a go at night. Good luck, hope you catch a DD! Nothing more tragic than state "management" agencies destroying Bass fishing through spraying. One of my biggest pet peeves.

Lol, exactly.......if you look at them wrong they sink to the bottom 😂

That's horrific! I got caught in a massive storm night fishing a few weeks ago, I had to hunker down under a boat dock roof and prayed for about two hours, boat almost sank, and I've never seen so much lightning. It ruined about $300 worth of electronic equipment but I'm hear posting about it. Tater Reynolds is quite well known, he seems to win lots of local derbies on TB and other lakes down there. Prayers for the family, and for Tater.....this will likely weigh on his conscious the rest of his life. Very sad.

When stressed Bass can turn pinkish in certain areas, you'll see this at weigh ins quite often. Poor critters really get thrown through the ringer during the spawn. Better than being a Salmon I guess though 😁

Great stuff Bob, and you should check out some of Shiner Sam's videos on youtube. Dude hand feeds teener sized Bass with Shiners. Crazy stuff. I have no doubt Bass learn faster than most anglers realize. I've observed this with baits no doubt. I'll hammer them on a particular bait for a month or so, and sometimes I can never get them to eat that bait again in any significant manner. The more violent the action of the bait, the easier it is for the Bass to learn it. This is why I think things like a Whacky Rig, or a Free Rig work so well time after time. Very subtle action that's hard for the fish to remember. Your observations are correct based on the biologists I listen to in regard to sense usage. According to the info I've learned, Bass are primarily sight feeders, and use their secondary senses like lateral line detection, and smell as a final decider in whether to strike or not.

Sounds like a bargain, that's a ton of work for $5k. I'm so happy you're making this all work, outside of family, friends, and pets......there is nothing more valuable than land imho. The only problem is land can be so, so expensive.

Looks like paradise Katie! I know you're enjoying it, and that makes me happy.

I thought the third picture was going to be Tim in a bikini based on the first two pics...I was afraid to scroll down 🤣 Awesome fish Tim, congrats! Nice to see your hard work pay off.

If I don't see the fish, I have no clue how big the fish was......it's not even a question in my mind. Could have been a big, but just as easily could have been a smaller one that was foul hooked, or just pulled more than its weight class. A 3lb fish hooked in the back will pull like a monster. The only fish that hurt are the ones you actually see. I can't tell you how many times I've heard pros say "giant", then the fish jumps and they say "naw just good one". I'm the same way, and so is every other angler.

Dang that's about as heartbreaking of an event as you can imagine for Poche He had $200k in his grasp. Could have won both big fish and the derby. Jordan Lee earned it, congrats to him! Congrats to KVD on the big Bass!

One of the more exciting derbies I've seen since coming back to the sport. The format, the coverage, the names. Great stuff, I can't believe I'm saying this about a MLF event.

Big Bass Dreams has an amazing video on this subject on their YT channel.

Lol, yeah said he jumped over a lil' sandbar 🤣 Said he knows nobody has been back there, or is coming there

WOW, watching Poche most likely just win $100k on with that 6.15 was incredible. BASS really needs a big fish type event. This is one area that MLF gets it right. eta: screw it, now I want Poche to win......I wanna see something magical happen. Amazing how bite windows open across an entire lake at the same time.