First chance this year I've had to get out onto one of the lakes with a kayak.  Found a few 1-2lbers shallow, but that was all.

@Swamp Girl

 

Lost one off a bridge piling I've fished every time I've been to the lake in question when my drag was 3 clicks too loose on the hook set and she jumped a few times on the way in and came off 1 ft from the net.  Surprised she stayed on that long but easily over 7.

 

Lost the one that slipped through my finger tips in the 6 range that I went into the water to lip who then came off.

 

Lost one that sneak attacked my frog at a new spot and lifted her to the surface checking my line in the dark only to see she was an 8 + lb hulking behemoth in a pond I didn't realize had that kind of bass in it - only to have her thrash once solidly and swim away.  That one shook me up.

 

I think there's more but those are the ones that are sticking out right now 😂😂😂😂

 

 

Thankfully they were biting really nicely before the storm hit this afternoon and I managed a sizable fish on the 1 oz grass jig with the mag speed craw and my first big soft swimbait fish of the year on the Zaldaingerous which was very cool!  Another wacky dink and Jake with a mepps bass - a few panfish and crappie in there too!  😉

It's really quite remarkable how this thread follows the rhythms of the seasons......the thread roars back to life just like all the new babies and blooms do in nature during the Spring time.  

 

Way too many awesome fish catches and trip reports to comment on each one, but I truly enjoy seeing everybody able to get back on the water and chase these amazing fish we all love.   It always strikes me as unfair when mother nature locks out seemingly half this forum's members late in the Fall.    I guess the reward is having way more aggressive and less educated fish to pursue when you can fish for them.  

 

Congrats on all the great catches folks!   

24 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

It always strikes me as unfair when mother nature locks out seemingly half this forum's members late in the Fall.

I wouldn’t label it as “unfair.” It’s just part of living here. I accept it because I have other hobbies I enjoy partaking in, and I can avoid searing summer heat for months on end. Bass fishing is not my life, and it never will be.

 

Speaking of being locked out, I’m still prohibited from legally targeting a bass (or any other game fish) until May 10.

55 minutes ago, gim said:

Speaking of being locked out, I’m still prohibited from legally targeting a bass (or any other game fish) until May 10.

 

This is doubly sad because you're so good at catching bass.

 

Love what you wrote, Alex!

I don’t usually post pictures of catches on here but this time I had too. 
 

The boy was making his Ma and grandma a little nuts just being himself. 
I told them “we’re going fishin, see ya when we see ya”

I called a friend who owns a golf course that’s being redesigned around 3 existing ponds that have been there longer than anyone knows. 
 

I took his spinning rod and I grabbed my new Okuma Cerros combo.
First, The rod is a 7’0 rated as a M/XF coupled with the new Haikai DT reel. 
I own 2 rods that are also rated XF and both are nothing like this. 
The action ends more than a 1/4 way down which is more inline with almost every other fast action rod I have.  
Okuma has every rod in the Cerros lineup designated as a XF but in my experience it’s not. 
I spooled the Haikai reel with 12# Sniper. 

 

The Cerros, is as light as anything I have with the action being almost perfect for a Medium power rod. 
The XF rating not withstanding. 

The fit and finish is more than what I expected for a medium priced rod. 
Another thing I like is the first 4 guides are all double footed which is different from other rods I have in that price range and a more than comfortable molded grip. 
 

The Haikai DT reel which I’ve posted about a few times already on here continues to impress as it’s the only magnetic only brake reel I own. 
I’ve always refused to buy one as I much prefer a dual brake system or at least a centrifugal only, but this is so smooth being untouched out of the box it doesn’t matter. 
 

Anyway, we walked around a pond staying well off shore as there were beds with guarding males 2 ft in. 
I rigged a 4” Rage Cut R and handed it to him and told him where to cast which he did like pro. 
As he brought it to about a foot from the edge of the bed I told him to drop it as I saw a male turn and face out.
I knew he would see it fall. 

Sure enough he did and hit that thing hard!

He took a step forward to get his balance and yelled “PAPA”!!!

I yelled back…“don’t look at me, you know what to do”

 

His face says it all 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best post of the week @Mike L 

This ⬆️

Caught too many white bass and yellow bass to count, had a couple little SMB running interference as well

 

I fished a bog this morning, launching at 7:00 a.m. It was tough fishing, as it was cool, windy, and sunny. This is the bog that was reduced to a river last fall when they opened the dam for repairs. It's where I caught my PB bag. Well, the water is back and then some. It now looks like a lake:

 

 

I was worried that the bass might have been greatly reduced by the birds that feasted on them when they were squished into the river. The birds were still feasting this morning, as I saw both an eagle and osprey dive on bass. 

 

Twice,  my fingers were so cold that I had to stick them in my armpits so that I could use them again. Brrrrr!

 

My worrying about the bass was for naught. I hooked a fine bass, but lost it beside the canoe. Then I caught ten. Some were small:

 

 

And some were medium:

 

 

I caught most of them on a shaded shore and all on an underspin with my favorite chartreuse and white Zako. A spinnerbait, pink wacky worm, and popper all failed to produce. 

Nice trip @Swamp Girl! We humans worry about the bass and I imagine them just laughing and thriving and reproducing for thousands of years 

First largemouth I ever caught on a scrounger. Never fished it before but picked up some to try since Dustin Connell seems to absolutely whack em on it. Pulse fishing 3/8 oz. scrounger with a crush city freeloader on the back. The action on this little bait is unbelievable!

 

Visited the the same ponds at AEP I was at earlier this week.  Only difference was I fished them in reverse order. 
 

I got there at about noon.  Temps in the high 70s, cloudy skies, and winds out of the ssw at 8 mph.

 

I caught 27 between the two ponds. 13 at the first pond.  The first two on the stupid tube the rest on the green pumpkin mini max.  All of them were dinks these two being the only two worth a photo op.  

 The fist one I caught off the edge of a shallow flat and the second off the edge of a different shallow flat.  
 

I made my way to the next pond by way of a game trail down to the bank I had yet to fish.  The terrain was steep and difficult plus the vegetation was pretty thick.  I managed to locate two spots just big enough to stand on but my casting arc was severely limited.  Nonetheless I caught two from that bank, one from each spot. 

From there I moved on to the cattails which had yielded a few bigger fish the first time I was there.  I hooked one on my first cast.  As I was fighting to get it to the bank a second larger fish popped out from under the cattails.  I unhooked the first one snapped a pic and released him.

I immediately casted past the bigger fish and burned the vibrating jig right past its face.  As I hoped the fish hit it immediately.  I fought it to the edge of the cattails and as I tried to figure a way to get it through or over the top of them boom it was gone with shake of its head.  I was disappointed as it would’ve been my biggest of the day.
 

I continued fishing down the bank towards a point 30 or 40 yards away with a shallow flat between.  I cast along the bank and towards light and dark spots I could discern out in the middle.  I’m guessing the light areas are where the Chara that blankets the bottom didn’t take hold, and the dark spots were deeper holes in the otherwise shallow bottom of the pond.  I target the edges of these spots and came away with another few decent fish. 

Finally I made it to the other side of the point and continued casting towards the deep holes and bald spots.  Catching a few more before I called it a day.

 

21 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

This is doubly sad because you're so good at catching bass.

Thanks, I don’t have a whole lot of motivation to fish these days to be honest anyways.

 

However, I think there is a very good chance that this state will finally remove the fully closed season from late February until mid May and replace it with a C & R portion of the season. They finally realized the closed season was only in place to protect the sacred walleyes, and had nothing to do with bass from a biological perspective.

@bp_fowler: 27 bass caught from shore equal 54 bass caught from a boat.

 

 

Breezy with a threat of rain that never materialized to more than a sprinkle kept everyone at bay today. Always fun having the whole lake to yourself, even if just for a couple hours. Scattered bite, but scored 6 keepers; jig (2); crankbait (2); jigging spoon (1); dark sleeper (1). Best of the day (> 5 lbs.) on the jig.

 

 

 

 

I took my toddler out to the pond for a boy's fishing trip. He spent most of his time in the stroller, as he is fascinated with the water and I'm terrified of small children near water. But I did get him out and helped him hold the rod and reel in the bait a few times. 

 

Right as it started to rain us out, I hooked and landed a 15ish incher. The first bass my boy has ever seen in person. He petted it very gently on the head and then waved "bye bye!" as I released it. He then immediately asked for more, but the rain was falling hard, and his mother was eager to have him home. 

 

One thing is for sure -  @IcatchDinks catches nice ones with his sidekick nearby!

 

Great fish there @Team9nine  nice to see you getting into some quality!

 

@bp_fowler you're on em dude!  You're gonna hammer a great big one getting bit like that before long!

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

@bp_fowler: 27 bass caught from shore equal 54 bass caught from a boat.

Favorable weather conditions and small bodies were I have acres to the majority of the bank equals a great day.

Enjoyed my birthday. 

8 hours ago, IcatchDinks said:

I took my toddler out to the pond for a boy's fishing trip. He spent most of his time in the stroller, as he is fascinated with the water and I'm terrified of small children near water. 

 

 

 

I as well…Nothing scares me more. 
 

I don’t have a boat but doesn’t matter, I always make the smaller ones wear a PDF even walking around a pond. 
It’s bad enough if I slip and fall in and have to scramble out, not them!

 

Plus, hopefully it’ll be second nature to wear one when they’re older. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

@Susky River Rat Happy Birthday!

@Susky River Rat: Big bass!

 

@Mike L: When I tipped a couple summers ago, I was underwater so fast that it shocked me. I have no memory of losing my balance, going over the side, or even entering the water.

 

I was in the canoe and THEN I was underwater and my first thought was, "Oh, this is how people die."

 

@bp_fowler: Okay, 40 bass then, given the favorable shore fishing conditions.

@bp_fowler thank you sir!

 

@Swamp Girl I have been very lucky lately to get on them 

Fished a pair of smaller ponds today.  Mid 70s, partly cloudy and winds at 11 mph out of the SW. 

 

Heavy rains had added a little color to the water so it wasn’t its usual ultra clear.  Different ponds than yesterday and didn’t catch yesterday’s numbers.  Still got double digit dinkage and a handful of nice ones.  Same baits as yesterday, GP Mini Max and GP stupid tube.  Unlike yesterday the tube caught the majority of the fish.

 

 

The bank across from the on e that I was fishing look really bassy.  Over hanging bushes, lay downs, and under cut banks.  It was just close enough that I could get the tube into there.

 

After I had made one such cast I noticed a big fish cruising shallow right in from of me.  I burned my tube back towards killed it and let it fall about 2ft in front of the bass and she took the bait.  After I got her up on the bank I weighed her at 5.17lbs.  

I caught a few more dinks after that and headed back home.