Second part of our road trip to chase mountain smallies delivered. Started picking them up in the morning and it was solid action all the way through sunset. Of course, it's time to leave after you sort of figure things out on a new body of water. ?

 

My first brown bass of the trip. Not big by any means, but it was nice actually catching the type of fish you're chasing.

 

Pops with a good one.

 

The girth and color on these smallies was incredible.

 

 

Another nice one. I thought the spots back home fought hard... these freaks fight like mad. And they like to bite you when you lip them. ?

 

First time I've literally caught a rock. Spro must have some special hooks on there.

 

Another nice sunset and a great way to end the trip...

 

12 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Good eats! 

Yep they ain't bad. Speaking of good eats I'm going to a small local river tomorrow morning in search of walleye and sauger.

36 minutes ago, NorcalBassin said:

Second part of our road trip to chase mountain smallies delivered. Started picking them up in the morning and it was solid action all the way through sunset. Of course, it's time to leave after you sort of figure things out on a new body of water. ?

 

My first brown bass of the trip. Not big by any means, but it was nice actually catching the type of fish you're chasing.

 

Pops with a good one.

 

The girth and color on these smallies was incredible.

 

 

Another nice one. I thought the spots back home fought hard... these freaks fight like mad. And they like to bite you when you lip them. ?

 

First time I've literally caught a rock. Spro must have some special hooks on there.

 

Another nice sunset and a great way to end the trip...

 

Lol, don't lie, you stuffed weights down the throat of the measured fish ?

 

Awesome fish, great job!   

2 hours ago, throttleplate said:

 

I am now reading up on these buffalo fish and find that they are not a true carp, they are native to the area while carp are invasive and also the buffalo fish is good to eat but i am not on board with that.

 

I remember when I was younger Dominick’s used to sell them in the seafood case. I used to make my mom take me by it so I could look at the live lobsters.

Post storm bass fishing is supposed to be rough.  It was like night and day between yesterday and today.  Yesterday (Sat, Oct 1) I caught 16.  None were huge but all were between 14 and 18 inches.  Today I only managed to catch 4.  (12 to 15 inches)  The 17 inch spot pictured is the plainest looking spot I've ever caught.  It looks like a winter time largemouth.   I don't know what kind of bird I took a pic of.  It's not a chicken, quail or turkey.  Perhaps @AlabamaSpothunter can tell us about it.  It's kinda grainy.  I shouldn't have used the zoom on my phone.  

21 minutes ago, Woody B said:

Post storm bass fishing is supposed to be rough.  It was like night and day between yesterday and today.  Yesterday (Sat, Oct 1) I caught 16.  None were huge but all were between 14 and 18 inches.  Today I only managed to catch 4.  (12 to 15 inches)  The 17 inch spot pictured is the plainest looking spot I've ever caught.  It looks like a winter time largemouth.   I don't know what kind of bird I took a pic of.  It's not a chicken, quail or turkey.  Perhaps @AlabamaSpothunter can tell us about it.  It's kinda grainy.  I shouldn't have used the zoom on my phone.  

That is crazy, never seen a Spot that looked like that.   Caught some largemouths with rough patches on tongues that made me think they were a hybrid though.

 

@TnRiver46 Is the man on birds, got that big Pelican type beak 

 

 

It was a rough morning.  First pic was my biggest/only fish until my very last cast. Nice little smallie to cap the day

 

16 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 Is the man on birds, got that big Pelican type beak 

 

Its a blue heron

3 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

 

Its a blue heron

It's a Bass eater is all I know, but one angler should always respect another angler

3 hours ago, Woody B said:

Post storm bass fishing is supposed to be rough.  It was like night and day between yesterday and today.  Yesterday (Sat, Oct 1) I caught 16.  None were huge but all were between 14 and 18 inches.  Today I only managed to catch 4.  (12 to 15 inches)  The 17 inch spot pictured is the plainest looking spot I've ever caught.  It looks like a winter time largemouth.   I don't know what kind of bird I took a pic of.  It's not a chicken, quail or turkey.  Perhaps @AlabamaSpothunter can tell us about it.  It's kinda grainy.  I shouldn't have used the zoom on my phone.  

Second vote for Blue Heron. I don't know many birds, but I'm surrounded by these guys. They're hilarious birds, full of personality and many squawks. Also skilled at fishing. I usually consider them a sign there is life in the water.

7 hours ago, Woody B said:

Post storm bass fishing is supposed to be rough.  It was like night and day between yesterday and today.  Yesterday (Sat, Oct 1) I caught 16.  None were huge but all were between 14 and 18 inches.  Today I only managed to catch 4.  (12 to 15 inches)  The 17 inch spot pictured is the plainest looking spot I've ever caught.  It looks like a winter time largemouth.   I don't know what kind of bird I took a pic of.  It's not a chicken, quail or turkey.  Perhaps @AlabamaSpothunter can tell us about it.  It's kinda grainy.  I shouldn't have used the zoom on my phone.  

Indeed a great blue heron 

Yep. Blue Heron. They remind me of some people I know. All they do is, eat, poop, and squawk alot. ?

Next weekend I'm going to be a boat captain for a Kansas Junior BASS tournament at Wilson Lake in western Kansas for a couple young men that are hoping to qualify for state. I've fished with them both a couple times and took one of them again Sunday. We both caught a bunch of fish, but he got big fish of the day with a solid smallmouth on a pink with pink willowleafs Stanley spinnerbait. 

3 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Next weekend I'm going to be a boat captain for a Kansas Junior BASS tournament at Wilson Lake in western Kansas for a couple young men that are hoping to qualify for state. I've fished with them both a couple times and took one of them again Sunday. We both caught a bunch of fish, but he got big fish of the day with a solid smallmouth on a pink with pink willowleafs Stanley spinnerbait. 

Good luck in the tournament!

27 minutes ago, Fishlegs said:

Good luck in the tournament!

I'm hoping they do well. Top 10% qualifies for state, which is on the power plant lake I fish all the time, so I could really help them out there if they get qualified for it. 

On 10/1/2022 at 4:09 PM, thediscochef said:

First two wacky rig bass I've ever caught this morning. Neat

 

Keep at it with the wacky rig, some of my absolute best numbers days have come on it during the spring. And the big girls love it just the same as the little ones.

49 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I'm hoping they do well. Top 10% qualifies for state, which is on the power plant lake I fish all the time, so I could really help them out there if they get qualified for it. 

Seriously, thank God for folks like yourself, and the man who taught me how to fish.  I likely wouldn't be in love with Bass without him.   As a kid it's easy to find another avenue to pursue if one is too frustrating, or failure ridden.   

 

My father is an awesome man, and great father, but he doesn't have the patience for fishing as much as he has tried.   Ironically his dad, my grandfather lived on a lake and fished most days a week after work.....just like me.

 

Mentorship in Bass fishing is super important, it's an extremely nuanced sport, and many things can't be translated through books, mags, or the internet.     You can self teach Bass fishing, but it's vastly more difficult, and time-consuming process.  

Well I threw a spinner bait for one hour, no bites. Pulled up to a spot I knew there would be fish after dark, thanks Jeremy, and tossed the spinnerbait a few times, nothing. Picked up purple worm and caught a sauger, two smallmouth, two redeye, and dropped a walleye. I think the whole world is playing a decades long spinner bait joke on me 

 

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well I threw a spinner bait for one hour, no bites

Not long enough, you throw. says Yoda

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Not long enough, you throw. says Yoda

It was all the time I had, wish I had it back to use other lures haha

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

It was all the time I had 

I hear ya. Couldn’t have fished at all this evening even if I wanted to and was healthy

Another beautiful day, and still no rain after a few weeks, and none in sight.    Tough fishing this past week, but still about at a 2 Bass per hour average.    Over time I've realized this "Bass per hour fished" is an excellent metric to evaluate your session on.     Anything less than 2 BPH makes for a really slow day.

 

Half dozen 1-2lb fish, mix bagged b/t Spots and LGM.   All clean, and healthy.   Everyone but one came off this darn little Flashback Mini....it's basically the closest thing to matching the hatch right now, so many little 1-2" Threadfins.    3 fish came trolling it on high speed with the TM in the middle of the lake portions.   I honestly believe if I just trolled this thing for 3-4hrs today I would have caught 2-3x the fish I did.     One came off a Roboworm.   

 

First pic is of the best fish, a really healthy 2lb LGM.

 

Second and third pic are noteworthy because these fish were caught in the same area, and close in time......it's been my observation that smaller Spots and LGMs run together, and chase Shad around all day, while the bigger Spots, and especially the 5lb+ LGM hold on structure and are usually by themselves seemingly as I can't recall catching back to back 5lb+ fish in the same area, and close in time to each other on my home lake.    

 

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well I threw a spinner bait for one hour, no bites. Pulled up to a spot I knew there would be fish after dark, thanks Jeremy, and tossed the spinnerbait a few times, nothing. Picked up purple worm and caught a sauger, two smallmouth, two redeye, and dropped a walleye. I think the whole world is playing a decades long spinner bait joke on me 

 

Nice ones, and only a Saugers mother could think they're beautiful ?

 

Any taste differences b/t them and Walleye?  Never caught a Walleye up there, and TBH didn't know they were in there.  Thought it was just the Saugers on Wheeler, Wilson, and Pickwick.  

5 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

 Anything less than 2 BPH makes for a really slow day    

 

Must be nice…….. 

 

my slow days are more like zero bass for 6 hours 

5 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Another beautiful day, and still no rain after a few weeks, and none in sight.    Tough fishing this past week, but still about at a 2 Bass per hour average.    Over time I've realized this "Bass per hour fished" is an excellent metric to evaluate your session on.     Anything less than 2 BPH makes for a really slow day.

 

Half dozen 1-2lb fish, mix bagged b/t Spots and LGM.   All clean, and healthy.   Everyone but one came off this darn little Flashback Mini....it's basically the closest thing to matching the hatch right now, so many little 1-2" Threadfins.    3 fish came trolling it on high speed with the TM in the middle of the lake portions.   I honestly believe if I just trolled this thing for 3-4hrs today I would have caught 2-3x the fish I did.     One came off a Roboworm.   

 

First pic is of the best fish, a really healthy 2lb LGM.

 

Second and third pic are noteworthy because these fish were caught in the same area, and close in time......it's been my observation that smaller Spots and LGMs run together, and chase Shad around all day, while the bigger Spots, and especially the 5lb+ LGM hold on structure and are usually by themselves seemingly as I can't recall catching back to back 5lb+ fish in the same area, and close in time to each other on my home lake.    

 

Nice ones, and only a Saugers mother could think they're beautiful ?

 

Any taste differences b/t them and Walleye?  Never caught a Walleye up there, and TBH didn't know they were in there.  Thought it was just the Saugers on Wheeler, Wilson, and Pickwick.  

They taste like walleye to me

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Must be nice…….. 

 

my slow days are more like zero bass for 6 hours 

They taste like walleye to me

Well you can't have everything, I mean you live in one of the greatest places in the world to freshwater fish in my book ?

 

You have so much variety up there, that's what has always attracted me to that area.   You never know what it's going to be when you feel that tug. 

10 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They taste like walleye to me

There is no difference in the filet. The only difference is that walleye grow much bigger, and therefore offer a bigger filet. That outta be right up your alley.