Alex, that bass's mouth is so big it looks like it could eat its entire body, like a snake swallowing itself, starting at the tail.

We headed out for a roadtrip to chase some mountain smallies. Only had a couple hours of sunlight the first night and didn't come across any smallies. Did see some trout working the surface, so I switched to a small minnow bait and hooked up with a couple browns.

 

Fishing wasn't good that first night, but there was one heck of a sunset over the mountains.

 

My daughter surprised us by showing up on the second night on what was another bassless day... made the poor fishing up to that point much more bearable. She hooked up with a small brown and Pops got some credit for being net man. 

 

The next morning we finally found some browns and holy smokes that was fun watching their acrobatics as they did their best to avoid coming to the boat.

 

My daughter couldn't get out of trout mode yet, and she landed this nice one on an underspin. Beautiful trout with the exception of the apparent std. ?

 

Pops with a nice one, my daughter on net duty for the acrobatic fish.

4 minutes ago, NorcalBassin said:

We headed out for a roadtrip to chase some mountain smallies. Only had a couple hours of sunlight the first night and didn't come across any smallies. Did see some trout working the surface, so I switched to a small minnow bait and hooked up with a couple browns.

 

Fishing wasn't good that first night, but there was one heck of a sunset over the mountains.

 

My daughter surprised us on the second night (after a skunked morning)... made the poor fishing up to that point much more bearable. She hooked up with a small brown and Pops got some credit for being net man. 

 

The next morning we finally found some browns and holy smokes that was fun watching their acrobatics as they did their best to avoid coming to the boat.

 

My daughter couldn't get out of trout mode yet, and she landed this nice one on an underspin. Beautiful trout with the exception of the apparent std. ?

 

Pops with a nice one, my daughter on net duty for the acrobatic fish.

Those are some exceptionally beautiful fish, great job!     Even the little 12-15" Rainbows I catch that are stocked give me a big thrill....hate to admit it but they are prettier to look at than a Bass. 

 

What a fun sounding trip too, you are incredibly blessed and lucky to have such a great daughter who shares your passion, let alone fishing as a passion.   Here's to many more trips for the two of you, that stuff is priceless   

15 hours ago, sdw215 said:

@AlabamaSpothunter I did and got skunked. ☹️ Went low then high and ended with a whopper plopper to see if the wind-stirred surface would edge my chances. No joy. Couldn’t ask for better weather or temps but the Skunk Monster got me anyway. 

 

If it's any consolation I managed to sneak out to one of my bank spots for a couple hours yesterday morning. Tried everything. Not even a sniff. I dunno what they wanted, but I know I didn't have it, and I couldn't make what I had do it.

 

So it goes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

5 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

If it's any consolation I managed to sneak out to one of my bank spots for a couple hours yesterday morning. Tried everything. Not even a sniff. I dunno what they wanted, but I know I didn't have it, and I couldn't make what I had do it.

 

So it goes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well what the deuce?? Melton ? 

9 hours ago, NorcalBassin said:

We headed out for a roadtrip to chase some mountain smallies. Only had a couple hours of sunlight the first night and didn't come across any smallies. Did see some trout working the surface, so I switched to a small minnow bait and hooked up with a couple browns.

 

Fishing wasn't good that first night, but there was one heck of a sunset over the mountains.

 

My daughter surprised us by showing up on the second night on what was another bassless day... made the poor fishing up to that point much more bearable. She hooked up with a small brown and Pops got some credit for being net man. 

 

The next morning we finally found some browns and holy smokes that was fun watching their acrobatics as they did their best to avoid coming to the boat.

 

My daughter couldn't get out of trout mode yet, and she landed this nice one on an underspin. Beautiful trout with the exception of the apparent std. ?

 

Pops with a nice one, my daughter on net duty for the acrobatic fish.

This is the best fishing report of the year! It's got it all: drama, surprise, big bass, scenery, and a great father/daughter fishing team.If we could vote for best fishing report, you'd have my vote.

3 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

This is the best fishing report of the year! It's got it all: drama, surprise, big bass, scenery, and a great father/daughter fishing team.If we could vote for best fishing report, you'd have my vote.

You should see what he cooks on the smoker for his family! I’ve bitten the screen looking at the food pics on here haha

19 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

If it's any consolation I managed to sneak out to one of my bank spots for a couple hours yesterday morning. Tried everything. Not even a sniff. I dunno what they wanted, but I know I didn't have it, and I couldn't make what I had do it.

 

So it goes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I nearly had the same night. I had five rods in my boat and would sometimes cast each one just once in succession trying to determine what they wanted. I'd switch lures too, but nada. I even paddled to the ends of bays to the shallowest water, hoping to find them there. I fished deep too. The only pattern I could find was beaver dams. They seemed to be holed up in the dams themselves. Finally, I caught two out of the dams and lost two, but mostly I just held a casting practice. 

 

However, it was an evening as pretty as Brad Pitt times Audrey Hepburn, so I did land that hog in the bog.

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

You should see what he cooks on the smoker for his family! I’ve bitten the screen looking at the food pics on here haha

If we can just land his address, we can all crash one of his cookouts. Accidentally, of course. 

18 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well what the deuce?? Melton ? 

 

Yeah, that spot I told you about on the south side. I was already out west so I figured I'd boogie up the road there for fun non-work time.

 

6 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I nearly had the same night. I had five rods in my boat and would sometimes cast each one just once in succession trying to determine what they wanted. I'd switch lures too, but nada. I even paddled to the ends of bays to the shallowest water, hoping to find them there. I fished deep too. The only pattern I could find was beaver dams. They seemed to be holed up in the dams themselves. Finally, I caught two out of the dams and lost two, but mostly I just held a casting practice. 

 

However, it was an evening as pretty as Brad Pitt times Audrey Hepburn, so I did land that hog in the bog.

 

I coulda taken 50 and still blanked. Sometimes it just ain't your day.

 

No worries. It was pretty, weather was nice and cool, nobody else was around, and I got some good thinking time in.

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

You should see what he cooks on the smoker for his family! I’ve bitten the screen looking at the food pics on here haha

Only thing you think more about more than Vol football, and fishing is food....you're the biggest foodie on here I think ?

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Only thing you think more about more than Vol football, and fishing is food....you're the biggest foodie on here I think ?

I’m not much good at cooking it but I’m a champion at eating it 

3 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Only thing you think more about more than Vol football, and fishing is food....you're the biggest foodie on here I think ?

 

If I didn't know better I'd think nobody ever fed him. Last time I brought him homemade jerky (which I have more of, btw, for next time), he acted like his lady'd been starving him. ?

1 minute ago, galyonj said:

 

If I didn't know better I'd think nobody ever fed him. Last time I brought him homemade jerky (which I have more of, btw, for next time), he acted like his lady'd been starving him. ?

I'd act like a starving kid too if you were handing out homemade jerky ?

1 minute ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I'd act like a starving kid too if you were handing out homemade jerky ?

 

That's fair. It is pretty good jerky.

Continuing to catch little guys as the water temps continue to drop. 16 this morning, just caught the picture of this one. The size of fish is slowly increasing but I think we're still another few weeks off from better fishing. Wish it would rain. Need some of these coves with huge hydrilla beds to fill back up so I can stop touching it with the lures. Two guided trips next week, home water and Texoma. Should be fun. Getting warmed up for them this week the best I can lol

1 hour ago, thediscochef said:

Continuing to catch little guys as the water temps continue to drop. 16 this morning, just caught the picture of this one. The size of fish is slowly increasing but I think we're still another few weeks off from better fishing. Wish it would rain. Need some of these coves with huge hydrilla beds to fill back up so I can stop touching it with the lures. Two guided trips next week, home water and Texoma. Should be fun. Getting warmed up for them this week the best I can lol

Mr. Chef, for a newspaper article, I once fished with an accomplished female fisher. That day, we only caught small smallies, but I will never forget what she said as we boated each one: "They're all good."

Figured I'd try a little bit of post-hurricane fishing in the canal out behind the house. Nothing on a jig, but did manage one little guy on a spinnerbait. We got a ton of rainfall and power loss, but were very fortunate compared to many SW of us.

46 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

Figured I'd try a little bit of post-hurricane fishing in the canal out behind the house. Nothing on a jig, but did manage one little guy on a spinnerbait. We got a ton of rainfall and power loss, but were very fortunate compared to many SW of us.

I was wondering how you'd fared. Glad to hear it wasn't worse. I love that that's "little". In your neck of the woods it certainly is lol

2 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

Mr. Chef, for a newspaper article, I once fished with an accomplished female fisher. That day, we only caught small smallies, but I will never forget what she said as we boated each one: "They're all good."

I'm of the opinion that any day spent catching is a good day. My only concern with catching so many small bass is that landed young bass may become finicky old bass. I'm not targeting them, it's just what's close enough to the bank. 

52 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

Figured I'd try a little bit of post-hurricane fishing in the canal out behind the house. Nothing on a jig, but did manage one little guy on a spinnerbait. We got a ton of rainfall and power loss, but were very fortunate compared to many SW of us.

We call that a big guy up north!

2 hours ago, thediscochef said:

I was wondering how you'd fared. Glad to hear it wasn't worse. I love that that's "little". In your neck of the woods it certainly is lol

 

Threw on a longsleeve and headed back out for ~30 mins, missed a small one right at the bank but ended up getting one that was less "little." ? My biggest spinnerbait fish, came in at 5lb 12oz.

5 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

 

Threw on a longsleeve and headed back out for ~30 mins, missed a small one right at the bank but ended up getting one that was less "little." ? My biggest spinnerbait fish, came it at 5lb 12oz.

Great Bass !

Congrats 

A-Jay 

Four on four lures at four spots, yesterday.

Water temp 79 & windy.

6 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Great Bass !

Congrats 

A-Jay 

 

Thanks! Goes a long way to helping build more confidence in the spinnerbait.

It was sunny and breezy today, water was moving fast. I figured I’d try a jerkbait, I reached into a box and found a clown rogue that I had replaced the rusted hooks on this winter. They weren’t primo hooks but doggone were they sticky. Eagle claw lazer sharp I think. I caught a dink a few minutes in and had it with almost every hook. Then I hooked a nice fish that I thought was 2 feet long when I first saw it. I played it out for a bit with 6 lbs test and backreel, the current almost slammed us into a logjam during the fight. The fish was 19.999999” if not 20”.