This year I caught my PB. It was larger than any lmb I ever really expected to catch in NY. I have pretty much solely been fishing for LMB the last 2 years. I fish because it's relaxing but I also give myself a goal, to catch the biggest fish of whatever species I am targeting. After catching this hog, fishing for lmb just doesn't seem the same. I feel like I have peaked. So I decided I am finally going to start targeting other species, mainly trout and small mouth bass neither which I have ever caught. Lucky for me I have multiple creeks within a couple miles of my house that are stocked with browns and have smallies as well. 

 

So I just wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone who have replied to my posts furthering my fishing ventures and introducing me to SWIMBAITS! My largemouth addiction is finally over, now time to splurge on light tackle and maybe a fly rod.

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations on completing your goals! I hope you catch your trophy trout and smallmouth on the same trip! Haha

Wow! now that's a bucketmouth!

JESUS WHAT A FISH! ABSOLUTE MONSTER!

Wow i never knew that lmb get that big up-north. Great catch. My addition of bass will never go away. You were close to the New York Record, the current record is 11.4. That bass you are holding there, come back 2 years later and that fish might be pushing the record weight. Do tell no one about that spot.

I guess I can't say its finally over lol, it's just on the back burner at this point. 

Nice Bass ~ Congrats !

 

 Good Luck with your next adventure and your new goals with trout & smb.

 

 But since you've already admitted to the Bucket Mouth addiction - and you say you're going to just walk away; I'll offer that it might not be that easy.  Oh you'll be OK - at first. 

As you're targeting beautiful trout and great fighting Bronzebacks, there may still be that little voice, way down deep in your soul that says, "Hey Man, Let's throw a swimbait around a bit, just for a while - just to see what happens"  Oh you'll try and resist it, try to ignore the voice.  But it will be persistant.  And it may get louder and louder as time passes.  Sooner or later, you'll have to cave - you know you will.  The urge and desire to lay a tight thumb hold on a big fat bucket mouth will just be too much  . . . .you'll have no choice.  It's OK though - who could blame you right ?  After all, it's an addiction and it's in your blood.  You were meant to do it.

 

But hey, what the heck do I know . . . . I could be making this all up.

 

Signed A-Jay  (Completely Addicted)  

 

refer to post right above yours ; ), and you sir are probably most definitely correct. 

Holy crap, that's a nice bass!

Challenge yourself & catch a trophy smallmouth to go with your trophy largemouth. Then you can concentrate on the trout species. 

That's photoshopped!

Just kidding. Beautiful fish. Have fun targeting other species.

Finally over?

Don't kid yourself.

I went the opposite way, started with smallies and trout, now I'm on to largemouth (even though I prefer smallmouth to largemouth). My main suggestion with trout is to not fish spinners or little crankbaits, get some gulp minnows of various sizes and some jigheads of all different sizes if you want to target big trout.  

Lol I just picked up a ton of inline spinners/rooster tails. I'll look into Gulp Minnows.

Where in the Hudson Valley are you from? I lived there for 47 years.

Target big trout with jerkbaits!!!

Jeff

WOW - nice catch.  Good luck on your future goals. 

Go on a hunt for musky, don't forget about stripers too

Grab a long pole (no reel), try carp fishing like they do in Europe. You'll be back to bass fishing in no time

 

Awesome fish, though, seriously. That would push me on to fish for yet another lunker. There's always a bigger one out there for ya to catch.

Throw that dink back in the water- until you break the world record- you aint done doo-doo!!!

This year I caught my PB. It was larger than any lmb I ever really expected to catch in NY. I have pretty much solely been fishing for LMB the last 2 years. I fish because it's relaxing but I also give myself a goal, to catch the biggest fish of whatever species I am targeting. After catching this hog, fishing for lmb just doesn't seem the same. I feel like I have peaked. So I decided I am finally going to start targeting other species, mainly trout and small mouth bass neither which I have ever caught. Lucky for me I have multiple creeks within a couple miles of my house that are stocked with browns and have smallies as well. 

 

So I just wanted to give a huge thanks to everyone who have replied to my posts furthering my fishing ventures and introducing me to SWIMBAITS! My largemouth addiction is finally over, now time to splurge on light tackle and maybe a fly rod.

 

 

Photoshopped...

 

That's some fish. I don't think there are too many bigger swimming in NY. I got one just under 9 in the Catskills a while back, and it didn't look nearly that big. Are you sure that's a bass and not a bowling bag...

Good luck man Trout fishing can be a blast

Where in the Hudson Valley are you from? I lived there for 47 years.

Hopewell Junction, I caught that big boy in Putnam County.

That is a great bass.

I can understand trying your hand at something else, once I moved to Florida my interest in freshwater fishing waned considerably.  I still bass fish and enjoy it but the passion isn't what it used to be.  My passion fishing for other species has greatly increased.