I got 3rd place overall in the tournament today. 3 fish Limit tournament. I had 8.14 lbs. Winner was 9.5, second 8.75. 
 

I also got second place big bass at 5.65lbs. I lost two others between 4 and 5 pounds but that’s the way It goes I guess. 
 

 

1 minute ago, Cbump said:

 

I got 3rd place overall in the tournament today. 3 fish Limit tournament. I had 8.14 lbs. Winner was 9.5, second 8.75. 
 

I also got second place big bass at 5.65lbs. I lost two others between 4 and 5 pounds but that’s the way It goes I guess. 
 

 

Nice fish and good finish!

 

What are those fish doing? Talk to me. Has the rain pushed em up? You got a lot of shad spawning?

No Shad spawning at all on this lake. The two big bass caught were not spawned, didn’t see any beds but the wind didn’t help that. Water was 62 degrees. Everything was still prespawn pattern it seems. We haven’t really had any rain out here. This lake is 8’ low. 

1 minute ago, Cbump said:

No Shad spawning at all on this lake. The two big bass caught were not spawned, didn’t see any beds but the wind didn’t help that. Water was 62 degrees. Everything was still prespawn pattern it seems. We haven’t really had any rain out here. This lake is 8’ low. 

Okay. Our lakes have experienced vastly different weather then. Kinda surprised by that. My lake has come up about 3.5ft from the rain. Water temps last I was on the water was hovering around 70. That was two weeks ago though. Pretty far southeast of you. 

this is Hubbard creek. 

1 minute ago, Cbump said:

this is Hubbard creek. 

Oh yeah. That's decently far. I'm talking Somerville

I need to go fish some east/southeast Texas lakes. 

Thanks, @T-Billy, for the thorough explanation. I understand...I think. 

 

Well fished, @Cbump!

1 minute ago, Cbump said:

I need to go fish some east/southeast Texas lakes. 

Man I was a trigger pull away from heading to Conroe. But the wind made me cancel those weekend plans. I'll just be back at Somerville tomorrow. 

I’m fishing a tournament on Richland Chambers tomorrow. I don’t have any spots out there so not super confident. 

 

First couple nice fish on a glide bait yesterday evening and this afternoon and then a nice chunky fish on the Stunna before sons soccer game.

 

Tight lines folks ???

13 minutes ago, Cbump said:

I’m fishing a tournament on Richland Chambers tomorrow. I don’t have any spots out there so not super confident. 

You know the ol' Texas historical Google Earth imagery trick? Go to around 2011-2013 drought period and look around? 

 

Thought that it was a secret but I discovered that it's talked about enough that it's not really a secret. Plus only seems to work around Texas cuz we get big droughts

I basically had 2 different days today.  I caught 11 bass between 6:45 and 10 am.  None between 10 and 3.   I also hooked 2 longnose Gar.   The first was small,  maybe 18 inches long.  It was hooked in it's toothy mouth.  It jumped a couple times, more than it's body length out of the water.  I got it up to the boat and was trying to decide how to deal with it, and it got off.  I caught a 14 inch Bass the cast before the first Gar.  So, I came up with a Gar plan.  I decided if I hooked any more I'd get them up next to the boat, take their picture then try to shake it off.   The next cast I hooked a decent sized Gar in the back.  It pulled like a tug boat.  It didn't jump, probably because it was hooked in the tail.   I got it next to the boat but it got loose before I got a picture.   I'm guessing it was 30 inches long, but stuff looks big in the water.   It rained a BUNCH Thursday and Friday morning.  The South Fork River had a flood warning.  (One of the main tributaries).  The lake was really muddy, with stuff floating everywhere.  I never got over 10mph.  There was high dollar bass boats zipping through the muck.  The sound of the stuff hitting their hulls sounded like firecrackers going off.   I caught all of my Bass in the middle third of one creek.   It wasn't as muddy or debris filled.  After I had fished it out I went to several other creeks but they were already "blown out"    

24 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

You know the ol' Texas historical Google Earth imagery trick? Go to around 2011-2013 drought period and look around? 

 

Thought that it was a secret but I discovered that it's talked about enough that it's not really a secret. Plus only seems to work around Texas cuz we get big droughts

There’s a guy that studies those and sells the waypoints. But he talks about the entire lake on YouTube. So I’ve sat many hours zooming in on his video and marking the spots manually on my navionics lol. 
 

I stopped though because It took forever and I never actually found anything good from his spots on the water. 

3 minutes ago, Cbump said:

There’s a guy that studies those and sells the waypoints. But he talks about the entire lake on YouTube. So I’ve sat many hours zooming in on his video and marking the spots manually on my navionics lol. 
 

I stopped though because It took forever and I never actually found anything good from his spots on the water. 

Yeah he's the guy I learned that from. I will continue to do it. But once he talked through how it's done, I just found and entered everything myself.

 

And oh yeah, it takes hours. 

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

Shorts and flip flops?  How freaking warm is it there?  Its still winter-like to the west of you lol

LOL. It was mid-60's all week. Chillier today tho. My friend who lives in northern WI still has some ice of most his lakes. I swear it's like a different country up there.

3 hours ago, Cbump said:

 

I got 3rd place overall in the tournament today. 3 fish Limit tournament. I had 8.14 lbs. Winner was 9.5, second 8.75. 
 

I also got second place big bass at 5.65lbs. I lost two others between 4 and 5 pounds but that’s the way It goes I guess. 
 

 

Congratulations to you sir ??

3 hours ago, Cbump said:

 

3 hours ago, Cbump said:

Edited April 30, 20233 yr by Eric 26
Stupidity

After three days of hard fishing we finally found some better fish down here in Orlando fishing canals. The first one we tried was real shallow and covered in fish, but they were all small. The second was deep and had much better quality. My brother caught a 19" and I got a 21" and another between 18-19". I think my scale is broken (It's a cheap H20 one) because according to it the big fish only weighed 4-7. I could see a 21" bass weighing that if really skinny, but this one was just average. According to the length/girth calculator on here it was 5.8. I've caught a 21.5" that was 6-12 (that was a fatty), so I'm fairly certain my scale is messed up and my fish was probably low 5's. 

4 minutes ago, Micaiah Lindquist said:

After three days of hard fishing we finally found some better fish down here in Orlando fishing canals. The first one we tried was real shallow and covered in fish, but they were all small. The second was deep and had much better quality. My brother caught a 19" and I got a 21" and another between 18-19". I think my scale is broken (It's a cheap H20 one) because according to it the big fish only weighed 4-7. I could see a 21" bass weighing that if really skinny, but this one was just average. According to the length/girth calculator on here it was 5.8. I've caught a 21.5" that was 6-12 (that was a fatty), so I'm fairly certain my scale is messed up and my fish was probably low 5's. 

Nice ones!   That bigger fish is over 5lb with almost certainty.    Get a 10lb barbell weight to periodically check your scale.    I've had two digital fishing scales, and they always weigh it at 10lbs.   

I don't usually get that excited over a 4 pounder, but we'd been fishing for 3 days without catching a single bass that would break 2lbs, so we were pretty ecstatic about finally getting a decent one lol

 

7 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

  I've had two digital fishing scales, and they always weigh it at 10lbs.   

 

Mine get's stupid when the batteries get low.  Sometimes it's low, sometimes it's high.  The 11 pound Blue Catfish I caught a couple weeks ago weighed 19 pounds on my digital scale.  I knew it wasn't 19 pounds so I weighed it on my mechanical scale.  When I got home the batteries were so dead it wouldn't power up.  With fresh batteries my 10 pound weight was 9 pounds 15 ounces.   

 

Nice Bass @Micaiah Lindquist regardless of what it weighed, or what your scale said it weighed.  

2 hours ago, Woody B said:

Nice Bass @Micaiah Lindquist regardless of what it weighed, or what your scale said it weighed. 

 

^That's^ the best attitude. 

15 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

LOL. It was mid-60's all week. Chillier today tho. My friend who lives in northern WI still has some ice of most his lakes. I swear it's like a different country up there.

Most of the lakes north of about Brainerd here still have ice too.  There is some question as to whether some of these bigger lakes up north may still have ice come opener on May 13.  The lakes around me have been open now for about 10 days, but the weather has been just raw.  Definitely not summer apparel.

 

At this point the spawn isn't going to be until July 4 here.

On 4/29/2023 at 7:37 AM, ol'crickety said:

Yeah, I fished a Whopper Plopper out of desperation and it caught my only bass.

Back in January I had caught several early, deep on an A-rig.  All of a sudden the bite turned off.  A few hours later I saw bass, right against the bank, in the Sun.  I threw my tackle box at them.  They didn't spook, or respond in any way.  Finally I threw a Devils Horse.  I caught several of them.  That's the first time I'd caught topwater bass in Jan. and it 48 degree water.  Perhaps a topwater lure that's a little more subtle than a Whopper Plopper would work.  The Devils Horse I use is 3/8 ounce.  I can make it land like a feather when I cast it.  Isn't a W Plopper much heavier?  Perhaps a small popper, or small prop bait like Heddon Torpedo would entice them.  Even though they don't scurry away when your lures land perhaps they're spooked enough to not bite.  

Great ideas, Woody! I can't wait to try 'em, but it'll have to wait a few days. It's crazy windy and wet there right now. More than three inches of rain today and tonight. Tomorrow the high will be in the forties and the wind will gust to the forties.