Alright now, this is gonna be one of my longer posts, esp. the pictures because it deserves what it is.....Me and Uglystick Jim put in a 12 hour day today......It never gets old.....I had a good feeling about today before we rolled out, something cool was gonna happen, didn't know exactly what it was gonna be, but just felt something.....So we started out at 6:30am and I told Jim, let's hit my usual 1st spot........Couple casts in....BAM!!...I nail a nice Smallie and it comes unglued....I don't understand is with me lately?.....smh........continuing forward I show Jim a secret bait and 1st cast....BAM!!....1st chunk of the day.....

 

.....we drift a little down and Jim yells HE'S ON!!  I told him don't horse him in, play the fish. and asks me to net him...After a nice fight,Finally put Jim on to his best smallie of the year.....this was all I wanted to do is see him catch something nice all day.....and he started out great!!....

 

 

We both continue the day with a few more fish , bass, snot rockets and perch......bite was defiantely on plastics all day long.....

 

 

 

 

We hit this one weed edge and I have a good feeling when my line gets a slight bump, I set the hook, and this bruiser comes flying out of the water......

 

 

The day was shaping up to be pretty decent for the both of us.........we both caught fish......time for some lunch.....Mmmmmmmmmmm.......Grilled Chicken Cutlets with Lettuce,Tomato, and Red Onions on Fresh Semolina Bread with Salt Pepper, and Oregano, red wine vinegar and olive oil, and a lemon squeezed over the cutlets after I grilled them.....The Holy MotherClucker sandwich is what I call it....

 

 

Jim hooks into another nice one later in the day......Ugly stick Jim  gets it done!!!

 

 

So we end up going around this one point ad all day I've been saying to Jim about how I've seen bears so many times this year, and this is time for them to come out more often, and all this bear talk, we're fishing and I look to my left and there he is!.........EL OSO GRANDE!!!!!!....I love these animals so much. They are so incredible to see, with their fluffy, shiny black fur and beautiful face....To see them with your own eyes and think people kill these just for fun breaks my heart......They are one of God's most beatutiful creation's in this world..He just sat there on his butt , not one bit afraid of us and let us get very close to him....like probably @ 50 feet or so(we were in the boat off shore and had the gas motor ready in case of an emergency)...We just sat there quietly and watched him as he just looked at us  probably thinking, "I wish these guys would just go back to fishing and leave me alone, this isn't the zoo!!!".......AFter  about 15 minutes or so he wandered off slowly and we returned to fishing again, I know for me and Jim, was the icing on the cake to a beautiful day on the water...Here's a few pics we snapped...I did video also but not going to load it up here.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice fish Mitch great pics of the bear too

I like bears but being a bank fishermen, so no boat, I pray I never get that close to a bear because I'm sure he would prefer all this dark meat over some little fish lol

Some days you get the bear & some days the bear gets you.

Great day and story, Mitch. Thanks for sharing it.

Very cool. Could that perch be any more textbook perfect?! Great fish all around.

Thanks everyone for your comments!...Tight lines and FISH ON(ALWAYS!!)

Sounds like you guys had a blast! Thanks for the cool pics.

You keep bringing sandwiches like that and you'll have more than just bears show up.

Those are some Jersey Lunkers.  Good Story and nice scenery.