Woo-hoo, FryDog!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ran into a long one this evening , thought I had a drum but it launched itself airborne. Turned out to be a very nice smallmouth. I should have gotten a better measurement but I think it was pushing 21”+, definitely over 20”. I got it with a smaller watermelon fluke on a jighead. First photo courtesy of @galyonj, he and his wife also slayed SMB the whole time, and some mooneye. 
 

 

Not just long, but a dark beauty!

19 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

Al, I often reflect on how you and I were born into the sweet spot in human history. We didn't die in our early thirties. We didn't have to dig peat in a bog to heat our hovels. Instead, we're a codger and a crone catching bass in bogs!

YES, Katie!!!  And loving every minute of it!

I fished my pond this morning. I love walking through the woods to the pond, but was surprised to see ice on my canoe. I started the morning  with three fine bass, all caught by trolling T-rigged Rapala purple crawdads in open water:

 

 

Then the bite died. I tried working cover on the sunny shore with a popper and spinnerbait. Nope. I did catch another five casting to cover on the shady side, but they were all small. Like this:

 

 

So, I returned to hunting bigger bass, but couldn't find any. Bass be tricksy!

 

I'm at 1,228 for the year. 

 

 

Congrats to @FryDog62 and @TnRiver46 on some dandies!!!

Hope I’m not getting annoying, but today was great. No numbers, in fact only five keepers and five dinks, but man, I got on size again. First one was bucket mouth, but really scrawny. After that it was thick, stout fish that fought real well. When they’d get near the kayak, they’d power off with authority and really push some water. The big ones jumped often today, but I kept them pinned. I did lose a few fish, but the wind made it difficult to feel bites at times.
 

I fished a new bait to me, Crush City Free loader and of course senkos. The free loader got two big fish and both ate that thing. One I had to cut the hook, but no blood and much better chance of survival. Cold front conditions with gusty E winds and rainy/cloudy/sunny skies. My time is limited as I saw the first few salmon of the fall, but I’m gonna get on these big fish while I can. I really went into stealth mode today, I was impressed…might’ve been near Swamp Girl level lol

 

After my cold fishing this morning, I launched again for the day's final hour and boy-oh-boy, am I glad I did. I caught two Nerf football smallies that I didn't photograph and four largies that I did:

 

 

Then I caught what I'm pretty sure is the biggest bass I've ever landed at my pond. I photographed her straight on first:

 

 

But then I rotated her a bit so you can see her girth:

 

 

I'm at 1,234 for the year and so many of them have been quality bass. All the evening's bass were caught on purple, T-rigged Rapala Cleanup Craws, half casting and half trolling. One of the bass I caught casting felt just like I'd snagged some weeds: slight, steady pressure. No tugs. No line going left or right. However, the pressure was just different enough for me to set the hook and BINGO!

 

 

P. S. - Those are beauties, @JonB2! I've never fished the Freeloader. I own a lure that looks like it, but I've never understood how it wiggles enough to trigger a bite. I see you used an EWG hook. Did you use a weight too? Regarding stealth, when I bump into a bass with my canoe because they didn't hear me coming, that's almost as good as catching one. Sometimes I'll paddle over lily pads just to watch bass after bass swirl and scoot.

@Swamp Girl I didn’t use any weight, but only because my weighted hooks were one size too small. The spots I used it with success were 2-3’ flats off the main flow with thinning but still viable weeds clumps. I could see several nice fish laying tight to bottom right in these weeds when I floated down, so I purposely kept it moving so I could creep back up later when they’d settled again. It worked as I pulled 4 of my 5 big fish in this area. They seemed to perk up as the day went on and moved up out of the weeds I noticed when I was fishing. It’s funny sitting there while an 18” bass comes patrolling in, looking at you like “does that belong here or not?” Lol

36 minutes ago, JonB2 said:

I could see several nice fish laying tight to bottom right in these weeds when I floated down, so I purposely kept it moving so I could creep back up later when they’d settled again.

 

Smart. You took note and circled back. Musky anglers use the same tactic.

 

I do something similar if I spook a bass. I'll note where that bass was and cast to similar-looking spots. 

 

Did you consider T-rigging your Freeloaders? I prefer T-rigging to weighted hooks. Weighted hooks tend to be thicker than the thin EWGs I buy. I need every hooking advantage, as I'm old and setting the hook from a featherweight canoe that shifts under me. Since you're younger and far stronger, you might be able to power through whatever the hook.

37 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Smart. You took note and circled back. Musky anglers use the same tactic.

 

I do something similar if I spook a bass. I'll note where that bass was and cast to similar-looking spots. 

 

Did you consider T-rigging your Freeloaders? I prefer T-rigging to weighted hooks. Weighted hooks tend to be thicker than the thin EWGs I buy. I need every hooking advantage, as I'm old and setting the hook from a featherweight canoe that shifts under me. Since you're younger and far stronger, you might be able to power through whatever the hook.

Yeah, I know better than to kick fish, then turn right around and fish them. Not ideal and often turns them off for later even. I was already expecting them here as I saw them last trip, but there were more bigger fish this day. I even waited 10 minutes or so after landing one to allow them to settle as they often are predatory-curious when it’s just a fish struggling versus a human fumbling around.

 

I want to keep the mostly horizontal fall the Freeloader has, so I’ll keep it Texas rigged weightless, but may try a 3/0 weighted screw lock. I had a good bass follow a retrieved senko in, but stall when I stopped it. So I put the Freeloader on and gave it a go. I understand your reasoning on lighter gauge hooks from your perspective. I’m a skinny guy, but very strong. I have to be disciplined on hooksets because I’m trying to do as minimal damage as possible. I’ve lost fish this season because hook didn’t penetrate plastic; oh well lol

A few bass from September.

My buddy threw a popper by a laydown and a fish made a massive splash trying to grab it but missed completely. He threw back in and got it the next cast with the same popper! “Follow up” bait can be the same one twice. 19” SMB 
 

 

I launched this evening for a sunset cruise. I wrote "cruise" because it was too windy to cast. I hooked and lost two bass that felt heavy. I did catch four small lmb and this well-shaped smb in 1.25 hours:

 

 

My 2025 total is 1,239. I'm nickel and diming my way to 1,500.

43 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

 

 

My 2025 total is 1,239. I'm nickel and diming my way to 1,500.

Missed the past several weeks due to a fractured rib. Happened at PT while they were working on my back. My ex-cousin-in law through marriage who's a chiropractor said he's popped a few ribs in his time working on clients, so it happens. Is what it is, which was Moo-Cho sucky I must say. 

 

The locals who I've spoken to have been bombing spectacularly since the last week in August, so I haven't missed much I suppose. The water's been desperately low around here for quite some time, and the voluminous algae bloom coupled with explosive weed growth has made it doubly miserable to try to fish through. My brother and I headed out east to a dammed spot with decent flow and hoped to find it somewhat fishable, and it was in certain areas.

 

Things started off fast. I hooked a big Pickeral on a wake bait and shook it off thankfully, and my brother hooked a really nice bass on the wooden Shellcracker. Just like the Pickeral, this fish went nuts, so there was no way either of us would chance scooping it up by hand with those huge trebles flying around. Took about 30 seconds to unfurl the net stuck under my tackle bag and rods and to go for it. Just like that, the fish threw the bait as I dipped the net in. His bad luck continued with several more lost fish, but at least he was getting bites and fights. We made a ruling that while it didn't make it into the boat, the first fish counted.

 

I ended up with several lost myself and several boated. Temp was 53 when we left, and with the cooler weather they all fought like crazy. I was a little daffy from painkillers, but it felt good to get some action again.

 

Berkley Grass Pig in Swamp gas. Project Zed weedless CB in Bluegill. Strike King Sim-E-Stick in Black/Blue w/blue Tip. Livingston Bullnose in Perch.

 

Took Wes and a buddy out yesterday, to one of our favourite little lakes. The boys caught several up to about 2.5# with a few smallmouth sprinkled in, and Wes caught a 3# largemouth but didn’t want photos.  I think because his friend didn’t care about photos Wes was playing it cool. 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

I caught several in our little hotspot area, of similar size to the boys.  Then I suggested we move to the wind blown side of a fully submerged weed edge that drops from 4ft. to 10ft.  The weed edge curves so forms a submerged bay about 75 yards across and it made sense to me the fish might be waiting for bait in there, and I was right.  After catching another 2# on a dropshot, I decided to go for a bigger bite and started throwing a buzzbait.  Darned it that didn’t work when a 5.15# blew up on it.  I seem to be attracting skinny, ugly fish this year and she was no exception - if she was of proper fall proportions she’d have weighed over 6 for sure.  Compare her shape to the 3.5# I caught about 5 minutes later.

 

So, a good day of fishing and beautiful weather.  But this lake is 2ft. low and the launch is just a spot to back in off the shore.  Being so shallow it was a struggle to get off/on the trailer last time but we really wanted to fish it again.  We got off/on a little better than last time, but Wes found a rock when power loading.  I’ll be heading over the the local prop shop today.  lol 

Wes, no one who hits a rock is too cool for photos!

 

Congrats, Baron, on your five-pounder. It looks like a V-shaped Olympic swimmer.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

Wes, no one who hits a rock is too cool for photos!

The good (if there is one) about the prop is that it was already chewed up from power loading here the last trip.  Then we found a shoal on the Ottawa River (while idling, looking for it 😆) and added more edge damage.  So I was already calling this our spare prop and planning to get a new one, possibly stainless with a different pitch to see if we can’t squeeze a few mph out and get out motor running closer to the factor WOT rating of 5800rpm - right now we only run about 4600rpm.

 

Anyway, we heard the thunk when Wes was loading and knew he’d hit a rock.  I sometime get pretty angry about mistakes that cost me money, so Wes was probably relieved when we pulled the boat out and I looked at the prop and laughed. No damage to the skeg or the boat and the prop was already condemned.  And not Wes’ fault, he did a perfect job coming on the trailer, it would have happened to me just the same.  And we have to power load here - I tried wading in and cranking from where the boat stopped on Wes’ initial slide on and just couldn’t do it without the power assist.

You're a good dad, Baron.

A rare low wind day (Sunday) on the local lake - it was beautiful to be on the water, yet a slow fish catching day - here are the two largest - a 17" SMB and a 16" LMB

** @Swamp Girl and @gim - I took your prompt and placed the fish mouth toward the bump board :)))))

 

I love those dark smallies, waskacrank.

Lol works quite a bit better, doesn't it?

 

Now just flip the image right side up.  haha