OHBuckets

I O!!! I'm pleased to report my first rat fish - on a Baby Bull Rat Caught 3, lost 2, and 2 missed blowups. A lot of fun! Note the little guy with eyes bigger than his tum tums

Got on 6 nice fish this morning before my pepperjack omelet, bacon, hash browns and coffee Only took tubes as I thought it'd be a brief session before a downpour - a downpour that didn't happen

Search 'River Rock Custom Baits' - besides great colors, I like the scent too Best part about the morning was hearing people sadly say 'He caught another one.' Tubes, people! ha ha (then flukes)

A chainsaw

Just had a good morning, catching 6 nice fish - half were over 2 lbs. I packed light and was only throwing weightless pro tubes from River Rock - into and adjacent to pads. Came home to order more (didn't need any more!) and saw their 20% off Labor Day sale. Like I said, I don't need more, but their colors are awesome. IMO.

Reminds me of when I was a little kid, and my buddy's dad would coat pieces of ham with grape koolaid powder for fishing. I remember thinking "I'd eat that."

I too am a fan of Deep Creek Lures. FYI, if anyone's been waiting - FishUSA has stock of Drift Frys, 4" and 5.2". I just bought a handful because, because :)

Perhaps I'm late to the party, but I just saw Zoom's 'Winged Fluke' - seems to be their plastic's Sakamata Shad

Look how beautiful this thing is. It seems near perfect to me. Fast, slow, dragging, hopping, stroking, burning, low in the water column, middle of the water column, high in the water column, shallow, deep, in weeds, over weeds, in rock, over rock, through pads, in open water, multiple bodies of water, every combination of weather conditions... Not one single strike. Then I tie on anything else and catch fish. Why? Why??

I've hit Cowan several times - it is an easy lake to fish and you'll have a blast. Nice largies, packs of huge white bass, big pans, saugeye. I always have fun there, from the bank or my canoe. Go get em!

The Sakamata Shad is (another) one of those baits where I impulsively bought a ton, different sizes and colors... Was fishing them weightless, flukey, and was having a blast catching fish and watching the action. So good. Then I saw that they sold out, so I'm scared to fish any of the ones I have! How do I cure myself of this anxiety, just give them all away to BR members?

Yes sir - I fish the DShads weightless - they have great action. Other than that, staying shallow and fast, I like the 1/16th twistlocks for jerk shadz/super flukes/etc.

Funny bite this morning - ran out at 0630 to throw topwaters in the windy sprinkles before the real storm. Had the 'First Cast Curse' where this largie crushed my skimmer spook. Then proceeded to walk the bank and miss at least 6 - just rolling over it, zero hooksets. Then went for a spinach and feta omelet with hash browns, an english muffin, and a side of bacon

I just realized my first two fish pics are the same fish! I always take doubles and at quick glance this one was fat, then skinny In any case, here's another

What I love about musky fishing? Everything! What I don't love about musky fishing? I end up bleeding a lot I get shredded... Doesn't stop me from going though!

The Bassmaster Diary said go back out today from like 215-330 They weren't wrong. Lost a few, landed a few. Multiple lures were working - here's ones on a popper, ATV 2.5, and Ace Jig (craw trailer):

Got on a handful early this morning, then burnt time dragging the bottom before coffee. Here's a nice golden one Unfortunately one of my most recently productive rods bit the dust too - went to set the hook on a ~2lber (Agent E lure), and *crack*. Tip went down the line into the water, then I tried to handline the fish in for about 10 seconds before I lost it. Sorry wallet! [was a Tatula MH]

On durability, jeepers I put a Zman 4" scented jerk shad(z) on a weighted twistlock and fished the same one forever until I got bored with it. Those things outlast my attention span On the bait monkey, I just received a handful of the Zariganist Juniors and a pile of Missile Mini Magic worms. I look forward to switching over to those if I can't get on topwater early tomorrow

I hear several complaints about the durability of Bellows Gills, Shads and Sticks - I personally don't see it that much. I put them on an Owner CPS Twistlock and don't have many issues at all. Last Bellows Shad I had on caught me 8 decent largies, with nary a tear in the bait. Fished it the next day too until I cut it off to try something else (plus, scent was largely gone at that point). Also caught several largies on the 3.8 Stick, before a tear. But still, certainly more than one bite per bait My dog loves the smell I'd rather smell Geecrack than Missile or Gambler, but I like them too

I've had a ton of luck on the Bellows Shad and 3.8 Stick in the last week or so - awesome! I'm saving my Cue Bombs for a canoe day :)

Get a hand under that belly, give them a kiss, and send them off to grow big and strong.

I love them spinnuts! They get bit I have cover scats and bombas, just haven't put time in. I need to set aside one day to only fish poop baits

Bomb casted a mini magic worm on a weighted 3/0 swimbait hook - 20 lb braid to 8 lb leader (had just happily landed a 4+ lb LMB out of the rock bed), and this beast couldn't resist it - was thankful for a good leader knot and drag, because a few folks gathered to watch after hearing the drag go zzz zzzzz . Held it for a sec to smile for the camera, and back in they went - though I had some 'eater' comments from the peanut gallery. (28.25")

Last summer, when absolutely nothing else was working, I would save the session catching them with a small yamatanuki or a spinnut. Walking them early in the day, dragging/hopping them later. I need to put more time into the bigger versions - certainly can cast a mile.

Anything over an ounce gets the SDJ