Wouldn't touch a frog today.  All on a Zoom Ol' Monster.  Clicker said I caught 16.

Al, I tried the Zoom Ol' Monster a couple times recently and didn't get the merest nibble. I'm glad your bass were biting it!

Whew, rec traffic has really increased again lately and it’s so sad how people treat our waterways. I’m stubborn and

punished myself a couple trips, but it was a really tough grind. Couldn’t fish more than five minutes before some uncoordinated tourist comes flopping around in a kayak or a boat blowing through full step. These hard, frustrating days make me so eager and ready for a good bite day. The wind has also been a huge pain in recent days. I did get some beautiful, quality fish, but low low numbers. Bass around 16-17” for big fish, so nothing major. Also a few good 8-8.5” big river gills on one of my favorite big gill baits; 1” gulp minnow

 

12 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Al, I tried the Zoom Ol' Monster a couple times recently and didn't get the merest nibble. I'm glad your bass were biting it!

Katie, I don't have much experience with clear water like you have but in the shallow, dirty water I fish a bigger lure is usually better, I think.

53 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

Katie, I don't have much experience with clear water like you have but in the shallow, dirty water I fish a bigger lure is usually better, I think.

 

That makes sense to me, Al. 

Best of last night. Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow in junebug and a 5" Strike King Shim-E-Stick in black/blue flake/blue tip got all the attention. Both rigged on an Owner Twistlock Light 6/0.

 

 

50 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Best of last night. Big Bite Baits Jerk Minnow in junebug and a 5" Strike King Shim-E-Stick in black/blue flake/blue tip got all the attention. Both rigged on an Owner Twistlock Light 6/0.

 

 

 

good to see you back at it

Got a late start on Roosevelt this morning, pretty slow bite. Got a 3.32, a 3.20 and a couple of dinks before it got too hot to enjoy (106 today). All came off a couple of ledges between 25 and 35 feet. 
 

Went up to visit my 88yo. Dad this weekend.  He’s still doing great, living alone in a place on the Ottawa River.

 

Wes is my adventure buddy, so was up for the 3.5 hour drive, sharing a double bed for two poor nights’ sleep and enjoying some very mediocre fishing.  Saturday morning the weather was lovely, and we caught about 10 pretty stereotypical smallmouth casting along the shore over a period of almost four hours.  We tried a couple shoals, but no luck.  Still haven’t figured out much on the Ottawa River smallies, and I’m told there’s not much to figure out - the fishing isn’t that good.  I find it very hard to believe there aren’t any bigger ones, but after 1/2 dozen trips in as many years we still haven’t caught any over about 3#.
 

I was done with the river, so Sunday morning we tried fishing Corry Lake which is on the Chalk River just west of Petawawa.  It was a very efficient outing, with two fishing trips to this lake in the same day - our first and last.  After almost two hours Wes figured out a bit of a pattern and we finally put seven in the boat - Wes’ first was maybe 2# and he threw it back said no photo needed.  I convinced him to let me take a pic of his second fish, because I had a feeling we needed record for this double trip before we fled the area.  I’m a very sharing fisherman though - PM me if you want the GPS coordinates for the boat launch.😂

 

Oh well.  Good to see family and boy I love that Wes is up for anything involving the new boat. ❤️ 

On 8/23/2025 at 6:07 PM, JonB2 said:

Whew, rec traffic has really increased again lately and it’s so sad how people treat our waterways. I’m stubborn and

punished myself a couple trips, but it was a really tough grind. Couldn’t fish more than five minutes before some uncoordinated tourist comes flopping around in a kayak or a boat blowing through full step. These hard, frustrating days make me so eager and ready for a good bite day. The wind has also been a huge pain in recent days. I did get some beautiful, quality fish, but low low numbers. Bass around 16-17” for big fish, so nothing major. Also a few good 8-8.5” big river gills on one of my favorite big gill baits; 1” gulp minnow

 

     Terrific pictures as always. Couldn't agree with you more about the pleasure boaters. Yesterday, On Old Hickory Lake, a jet skier actually drove between me and the bank! That really happened! How can you not have the awareness that is just not a great thing to do? Sigh, but I'm proud of myself......the Glock stayed in the holster!

@The Baron: I'm always happy to see Wes and you fishing together, whatever you catch or don't catch. Then when Pops is part of the pic, well, that's a perfect photo. 

I know fall isn't officially here yet but yesterday in Iowa it was a perfect fall-like day.

 

Temps were down, good wind, perfect day for a spinnerbait.

 

Went to a local lake with one pole in hand, left the kayak at home.

 

Just an absolute beautiful day to fish.

 

Fished for about 2 hours and caught probably a dozen.

 

Left with a torn up left thumb and a sore heel pad on my hand from cranking so much. 

 

Moving baits are just so much fun.

 

Nothing huge but a few really solid fish. Here's a couple:

 

 

8 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

a jet skier actually drove between me and the bank! That really happened! How can you not have the awareness that is just not a great thing to do? Sigh, but I'm proud of myself......the Glock stayed in the holster!

Man, they’re the worst by far. Always just seem to be the most ignorantly selfish people we have around. They crawl up and through any bit of water and rip all around places that just scream “don’t do that”. I just don’t get it at all…

 

Did a relaxed, peaceful kayak float in the stubborn WNW winds. Man has it sure switched to fall feel. Been looking like it for a bit, but this last week has that sky and feel. I typically kind of skim my way down and fish back up. I tried to stay with a t rigged creature and worm, but it was really off feeling in that wind. I did stick a good fish on a pit boss right off the bat, but the back fish with ol’ stinko senko was good and just made sense.

 

It clouded up shortly before I began fishing back, and like usual it sparked them. I landed 11 good, solid keepers and maybe 3 dinks. Most fish were 14-15” with 3 good fish @19”, @19”, @17”. I alternated between my 7’ MH spinning rod and caster. Was glad I had both to switch up with. The second good fish was mean and waked out from some wood after my senko and bit as soon as I let it fall. I could tell by the wake and bite it was a good one

 

 

 

A lot going on here, combined with pretty poor fishing, has made there be no reason for me to leave any reports. I've gone the last 2 weeks to a local reservoir where our next tournament is to try and remember how to catch fish there. I've been catching fish, but a lot of them are small or the wrong species. The boat traffic has been terrible as well, I had a jetski do donuts around me as I was crossing the lake 2 weeks ago and had a few boats go flying by me close enough I could have underhand pitched my bait onto their deck, all pontoons or wake boats. Not my idea of a good time.

 

I did finally get into some smallmouth pretty good last weekend, but they were all 13-16 inches, not anything that is going to win a tournament, but they were fat and healthy so I had fun catching them anyways.

 

I also caught a new PB Sauger. Seems to be the year of the toothy fish PBs for me as it was just a few weeks ago I broke my Saugeye PB. Absolutely smashed my homemade micro football jig that I'd been catching my smallies on. Just over 19" and a little over a pound off the state record.

Bite has been tough here, windy and water temps in the mid 80's.

Averaging about a fish per hour 😳 and nothing over 2 lbs.

This was a decent fish on a spinnerbait this morning in the fog.

Clayton, your mouth pic of your PB Sauger is cool. 

47 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

Clayton, your mouth pic of your PB Sauger is cool. 

 

Yeah she choked that thing!

6 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

 

If you know you know.   

I'm fishing my pond tomorrow morning for 3.5 hours. The bass aren't long, but they're thick and strong. The longer bass at my pal's pond have been off-shore, but I'm going to start tomorrow morning casting to cover on the eastern, shaded shoreline and start with a popper. Then I'll work some drop-offs with underspins and a crawfish. Fingers crossed I find some fighters! Then I'll troll the deep water and cast if I hook one.

On 8/25/2025 at 2:46 PM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I know fall isn't officially here yet but yesterday in Iowa it was a perfect fall-like day.

 

Temps were down, good wind, perfect day for a spinnerbait.

It’s been absolutely stunning here for the past few days too. It’s cool at night and in the morning, and daytime highs around 70-75. Sweltering humidity is gone. No more Canadian wildfire smoke either.

 

My kind of weather

 

6 minutes ago, gim said:

It’s been absolutely stunning here for the past few days too. It’s cool at night and in the morning, and daytime highs around 70-75. Sweltering humidity is gone. No more Canadian wildfire smoke either.

 

My kind of weather

 

Same down here.

 

70’s last week and 70’s this week.

 

It’s go time!

Well nothing to report haha. I’ve been out a few times. Very short trips. Caught some dinks. I’ve been tying jigs at home. And sticking up to tie a lot this winter when it’s ice out. Resting up the elbow. Kiddo started school and I start a new job next Tuesday. So closing out the chapter at my current job. Hoping to get one a good bite as it starts to cool off here. 

No bigs today but the fish were active on Hartwell. This was the biggest one of the day hitting a fluke as soon as it hit the water under a rock overhang

I did something weird this morning.  I quit fishing at seven a.m. Why? Well, I hope to fish my pal's pond this evening and I only have so much energy in a day and my hands were soooooo cold. Plus, I caught as big a smallmouth and as big a largemouth as I've ever caught at my pond, both on the surface. I didn't measure either and neither was willing to sit still for a photo, but both are north of 18" and maybe nudging four pounds. The largemouth had a big head that doesn't really show in the photo:

 

 

 

When I decided to quit, I trolled back to my dock and caught this fine solid fish:

 

 

I caught seven total, giving me 1,032 for the year. 

 

I know that @Joedodge can understand why I quit early. He caught his PB this year and has been less driven. Well, catching my PB smallmouth and largemouth for my pond this morning sent me home happy...and early.