@Pat Brown way to go man what a nice bass to end the year on. 

Nice pig @Pat Brown! Yes, you have had a terrific year & you’re probably going to have a great 2024 as well!

Heck, yeah, it is! And thanks, Pat, for all the support you extend to other anglers through BR.

After Christmas I have struggled to keep up with the winter school I usually follow.Yesterday I paddled a few extra miles upstream until I relocated them.Caught half dozen.I went back today to pick the place apart.Managed 2 smallmouth 1 spot 1 largemouth.My official last fish of the year was caught on a dinger 2.6 lbs.Not the best day but could have been worse.

 

 

Just hoping that at 0734 on the 1st I'll have the first one on the board of the new year 😄

 

First trip of the new year. 

 

@Dwight Hottle, just do what @TnRiver46 does when he sees a literal skunk. He grabs it, sticks it in his truck, and then goes home to catch 21" smallies. He's a lemons-to-lemonade kind of guy.

Stink bait for smallies 

You're so far ahead of our time. I'm guessing in a decade or two, most of the smallie greats will be stink-bait fishing too, but for now, it's just you and your fishing buddies. 

Started my 12 months of bass for '24 today. Nothing exceptional but grinded out six in three hours. Just being outside rather than parked in my easy chair makes it worthwhile in spite of the slow bite. For me this form of fishing takes a measure of focus and with the cold my edge starts to wear off after a while. I'm thinking more about a hot shower and tonight, a big bowl of chili.

Bass #1 of 2024 for me and Jake both caught tonight on the gizzard shad color 1/2 oz Red Eye Shad!  Not giants, but we got fish in January taken care of and broke the seal on the first day of the year which felt good.

 

Jake has first for the year.  I have biggest for the year so far and we are tied for numbers.  😎😎😎😂😂😂

 

Jake has one more day of break and we are gonna hit a pond for the majority of the day.  Looking forward to it!

 

Tell Jake that the first fish counts as a hundred bass. You're behind, Dad. Waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy behind. 

Caught 18 today, almost all on the Blade Bait.   Really fun start to the New Year.  Had two 1 in a million events happen today though.

Firstly I caught the biggest freshwater fish of my life......guesstimating a 50lb+ Carp that was 3.5-4ft long, I swear I thought it was a Tarpon at first.  I can't ever remember seeing a bigger Red Carp in person or in pics.   Incredibly the Carp ate the Blade Bait, was hooked right in the mouth.     Sadly I didn't get video or a pic of the fish, it all happened so fast.      

 

Now to the 1 in a billion event.........I managed to snag a 3lb fish that had been engulfed by a 5lb fish, and sadly both were dead.     Couldn't have been dead for too long either.      I try to think about the odds of this event, has to be greater than catching my White Whale.     I bet it's easier to get struck by lightning, or at least I hope that's the case, very sad to see two fish that had already beat the longest odds to reach those sizes.      

Dang dude that snag is wild!  Couldn't have been dead very long to be in such good shape.

 

I have caught some giant carp fishing for bass and it's fun every time!

4 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

First trip of the new year. 

 

Right there with you brother, hobbled out onto the pier with my messed up knee cartilage and came home all stanky

I agree Pat, that's the wildest thing I can remember seeing Bass fishing outside of the time I watched the last duckling in a line get absolutely inhaled by a monster Bass.  

 

I had no idea that a Carp would eat a Shad.   Figures you'd have caught some as bycatch, you got that big fish radar 😎

I've caught a bunch of carp, but I've never caught on bass fishing.   Decades ago a 15 year old kid I took fishing snagged a 28 pound carp in the tail while bass fishing.  That experience turned him into an avid carp fisherman.   I always thought carp were herbivores but he says they're actually omnivores.  I suppose their small mouths keep us from catching many or any small ones while bass fishing.   

Caught an 18lb carp on 4lb test while vertical jigging for crappie in a big laydown. Had to follow it around for a few minutes in the boat before it finally decided to come up off bottom. Clear blue Stren for the win.

 

Oddest thing I’ve seen regarding bass was my dad bringing one in around 2lbs that had recently engulfed a muskrat head first. The tail was still sticking out of its mouth. I’ve also seen smaller bass (under 3lbs) with a similar sized bass stuck in its gullet before - dislodged one from another & the assailant eventually swam off albeit quite slowly.

On 12/31/2023 at 2:23 AM, T-Billy said:

That's kind of a scary question given your occupation.

 

To catch the skunk, one must be the skunk...

Went out for about 3 hours yesterday morning. Water temp was in the 42-44 range. Got on a school of crappie and shortly after found the Bass. They weren't very active but I got a few to commit. Here's my first for 2024.

 

 

 

Here's the last of my 2023 bass, caught 10 or 12 of them on 12/26.  Biggest fish was a 3 pounder so nothing too exciting... but I did catch almost all of them on topwater so it was a fun time.  Most fish came on a Megabass Pop Max, also caught a few on a Don Iovino Splash-It.  Topwater pickerel was an interesting bonus.  He slammed it hard!  

 

 

@Carolina Pines, a three-pounder is a strong fish. Well done. Say, what's in that clear waterproof bag? It looks like my ditch kit, i.e. my change of clothing and fire-starting items in case I tip.

19 hours ago, RipzLipz said:

Oddest thing I’ve seen regarding bass was my dad bringing one in around 2lbs that had recently engulfed a muskrat head first. The tail was still sticking out of its mouth.

I want that fish!

Thanks @ol'crickety, it was the second fish ever on my new Pop Max... I was originally doubting that the pop max would get bit at all since they were going for the much smaller Splash It, but I was glad I tried it when it got slammed repeatedly!  I should have started the afternoon with it.  

 

I use my bag same way you do... I keep a dry towel in there, a small lighter, a small pair of channel locks, and a few other tools.  I also keep my phone and scale in there until I catch a worthy fish.  I'm not fishing areas as remote as you are, but I was a boy scout for many years in my youth and I was always taught to "be prepared" because you never know... 

 

 

1 hour ago, Carolina Pines said:

I was a boy scout for many years in my youth and I was always taught to "be prepared" because you never know

 

Heck, yeah!