Keeping it in sight rod tip high near surface and even waking or breeching periodically - little twitches - set the hook with the reel! Mega fun stuff.

 

 

 

I also got 2 more bass and 2 bluegill on the shallow shad rap but was too far from the wife for a picture.

A pretty good morning back on the lower Grand River Bayous -- 26 bass in four hours, jerking around a DShad in two feet or less of water

 

Some representative 2lbers:

. 

 

A couple a little better, about 3:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bass on black & blue jig.

Blue cat on WP 120 bone.

 

 

 

 

 

Some smaller ones 

Water temps now up to nearly 80 degrees and slightly stained. Scattered the fish after 3” of rain, but caught a handful. They aren’t much, but I’d be near the top of the leaderboard at Sabine 😉 😝

 

On 5/1/2025 at 11:29 AM, IYAOYAS said:

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!

 

Thanks for this.  Tried a scrounger with a Freeloader and you're right.  Great action.

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

Thanks for this.  Tried a scrounger with a Freeloader and you're right.  Great action.

Glad I could be of service!

Went to Freeman Lake, met a guy there that was fishing with a crawdad he caught.

 

 

He had a glide bait and he caught a 3lb and 1.5lb while I was there. He said he was just checking it out. Pretty interesting to see a 3lb largemouth get caught at the same spot everyone else fishes. 

 

I got this little guy on a roostertail.

Little evening trip turned out nice!! Really just needed to get the boat off the trailer to put new U bolt hangers on the winch post a la @gim, but a 20” 3.6 lb smallie showed up to eat my buddy’s wal mart jerkbait again. Also found crappie largemouth sunfish and catfish 

 

Have been taking my SUP out in morning chasing schools of busting bass.  Catching em on whats left of my Clone Fry supply and Fluke Jrs fished weightless C hooked. 

 

I decided to change it up today and do some creek wading even though it’s a little early in the year.  I ended up catching a bakers dozen.
 

To start off I worked the feeder creek of the Crappie Hole about a quarter mile upstream.  

 

I caught nine on a Ned rig.  Mostly 8-9 inches.

 

 

After I had gone as far as I was comfortable I doubled back I fished where the mouth of the creek.  I casted into the Eddie’s where the clear water from the creek mixed with stained water of the pond and caught another couple dinks.

 

 

I also caught another two fish that were substantially larger including one that I’m pretty sure is the largest fish I’ve ever caught with a Ned.

 

 
I caught one more near the riser by where I parked and called it a day.

 

@bp_fowler: I like where you fish.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

@bp_fowler: I like where you fish.

I like it too.  My opinion only, but I believe that that South Eastern Ohio is the most beautiful part of the state.

@TnRiver46 that's slightly different than mine but the concept is the same.

 

Nice brown bass BTW

I was showing the boy some refinement on his fluke technique. Hooked him on the first cast while I was instructing. Then I let the boy reel him in.

 

I fowl hooked this thing, but what the heck.

 

The boy's fluke technique is improving.

 

 

 

This one had really pretty gold rings around his eyes.

Got this one out back with a uv speed worm…

2 hours ago, bp_fowler said:

I like it too.  My opinion only, but I believe that that South Eastern Ohio is the most beautiful part of the state.

No doubt about it.

Happy to see this cold snap, water temps have been skyrocketing up here over the past week. 

@Goby: FAT BASS!!!

I decided, for fun, to fish expensive today (expensive being relative - no Roman Made:)) - had 90 minutes to see what would happen. Bank bashing, 3 locations. Note: The lures may be pricy, but my rods and reels are not 

 

(good breeze, no clouds at the time-but storm brewing, moon still high, >3 ft visibility)

 

Grass Piece = 0 fish (2 unbuttoned)

Beeble = 0 fish

Citizen Micro = 0 fish

Flat Force = 0 fish

Sakamata (weightless) = 0 fish

Gunfish 95 = 5 fish (all keepers, but <2 lbs)

 

So I guess I'll throw everything in the trash except the spook?

 

--I'll add, last time I was out I caught 6 on a tube

4 minutes ago, OHBuckets said:

 

So I guess I'll throw everything in the trash except the spook?

 

If you fished a Sakamata Shad, keep fishing it. It's a great lure. 

Oh I love the sakamata - I have a ton in various sizes and colors. I fish them weightless - it's a confidence bait, with the DShad for fluking. Love it!!!

 

Aside, had a recent long weekend vacation and fished plenty. My two best came out of the same river bend! Short-hopping a tube:

 

 

I was surprised that Largie didn't just pop like a balloon

 

Today was a lazy day for me.  Didn’t feel like driving far or loading the canoe up.  Especially not on a Saturday when everyone else would be out in the water.

 

Went to the Crappie Hole which is my closest spot and usually isn’t crowded.  
Low 70s, partly cloudy and windy (30+ mph gusts).  
 

Caught one about 15 minutes in with the Ned.

She was hanging out under this tree.

 

Unfortunately I broke the last 6 inches off my Sellus getting her to the bank.  So I had to end the day early since I only brought one rod.

My daughter had a birthday party today. The community library is 5 mins from there. So I dropped her off and headed over there. Only had about an hour. It’s been windy the last two days. Steady 15-20 with larger gusts. Nice lake behind the place. A couple fly fisherman out. The water was like chocolate milk though. I figured great day for a spinner bait. I threw a war eagle finesse spinner bait around for a while no strikes. Could see bluegill all over. Finally on the way back to the truck I walked the bank with a white swim jig. Finally got this guy literally dragging the 5/16 swim jig slow on the bottom. Never actually felt him bite. Just load the rod.