6lbs on the dot.....and one of the most amazing strikes I've witnessed.   Watched her come from under the dock, I made one or two twitches and watched the entire whiteness of my bait go dark......the new big swimbait rod immediately doubled over, and next thing I know I see her gaping huge mouth breaking the surface as she tries her best to break my heart.    

  

@Bluebasser86 I'd really like to thank you, it was in one of your videos that you posted in my big Swimbait investment thread or here that I came back to recently when reanalyzing how best to utilize these big baits.    In a video you were making much shorter casts, much quieter casts, and I think you even mentioned to me how you don't always have to chunk the things 50 yds across a point.     

 

Creeping up to docks, and then either flipping these things 10yds, or gently under handing them in.....and then working them visually almost like a topwater combined with a shallow jerkbait seems deadly effective.     The glass composite rod's parabolic action, along with Tactical Bassin's method of reeling these big Swimbait fish in seemed to help me survive her couple of attempts of shaking the bait.   By the time she was in the net, only one barb of one treble was in her front lip.

 

Best Bass I've managed to get on film......so it's a PB for the vidya camera ? 

(pardon my schoolgirl excitement, but watching her come out and eat it was just incredible)

 

 

Wouldn't be a complete great day without a few quality Spots as well.  

 

Caught a few on top in the rain and white caps today.

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

6lbs on the dot.....and one of the most amazing strikes I've witnessed.

?

2 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

?

I got aways to go until I reach yours and BlueBasser's level of big Swimbait catches in this thread, but you guys inspired me to go down the rabbit hole with all your successes on them, and I'm glad I did.  Totally unique form of fishing, and extremely addictive given the way the fish either follow, or eat these baits.   

40 minutes ago, GreenPig said:

Caught a few on top in the rain and white caps today.

I'd be remise if I didn't include Greenpig in this as well.   You post a ton of quality fish on big swimbaits.

 

I know everybody in this thread for a "thing"......for you it's "spot hunter" top water" " big swimbait" ?

 

Gonna get one of those Evergreen Showerblows because of you, and one of the Whopper Ploppers because of Katie.     This forum is a blackhole for my wallet.  

"Thank you so, so much," Alex rightly says to the bass.

 

"Thank you so, so much," we video watchers say to Alex.

 

 

Alex, in a perfect world, given how much you love bass and how grateful you are to catch them, you'd hook a DD every week, but a six-pounder is an almost perfect world and I'm smiling like this:

 

50 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I got aways to go until I reach yours and BlueBasser's level of big Swimbait catches in this thread, but you guys inspired me to go down the rabbit hole with all your successes on them, and I'm glad I did.  Totally unique form of fishing, and extremely addictive given the way the fish either follow, or eat these baits.   

I'd be remise if I didn't include Greenpig in this as well.   You post a ton of quality fish on big swimbaits.

 

I know everybody in this thread for a "thing"......for you it's "spot hunter" top water" " big swimbait" ?

 

Gonna get one of those Evergreen Showerblows because of you, and one of the Whopper Ploppers because of Katie.     This forum is a blackhole for my wallet.  

 

My wallet too. I bought SEVEN 6th Sense Crush Flats because of you, Alex. Some of the blame is shared by all of you who boat bass with square bills and these are my first square bills. I'm ordering the Sixth Sense lures that run shallow (2 feet) next. So, yeah, it's a black hole, but Alex, most men can go a year or more without getting as excited as you do when you boat a beast, so you're buying bargains. 

 

I also replaced by primary Whopper Plopper's (loon coloration, 110 size) hooks this morning. My old hooks looked like this:

 

 

 

21 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

"Thank you so, so much," Alex rightly says to the bass.

 

"Thank you so, so much," we video watchers say to Alex.

 

 

Alex, in a perfect world, given how much you love bass and how grateful you are to catch them, you'd hook a DD every week, but a six-pounder is an almost perfect world and I'm smiling like this:

 

 

My wallet too. I bought SEVEN 6th Sense Crush Flats because of you, Alex. Some of the blame is shared by all of you who boat bass with square bills and these are my first square bills. I'm ordering the Sixth Sense lures that run shallow (2 feet) next. So, yeah, it's a black hole, but Alex, most men can go a year or more without getting as excited as you do when you boat a beast, so you're buying bargains. 

 

I also replaced by primary Whopper Plopper's (loon coloration, 110 size) hooks this morning. My old hooks looked like this:

 

 

 

You truly are the best in all of us who post in this beyond wonderful thread, you are the beacon of positivity and support that makes everybody feel appreciated and more importantly and uniquely, you make your fellow angler feel understood.      While that sounds simple, to be understood in this world by people you respect and admire is a price less gift and blessing.  

 

You guys are the only ones who I can share such moments of elation, and euphoria with, you especially get what I'm after in this pursuit and perhaps life in general.    

 

I think you coined the term "Joy fisherman" many pages back, and since then I've realized these incredible fish are simply a means to an end for me......they are one of the few very pure sources of joy in my life.   One of the few things that makes me feel like a boy again full of wonderment, mystery, and most importantly, joy. 

 

 I have this community to thank for re-igniting a passion of mine, and so much of the joy that has come with it.    I have no idea why I stopped Bass fishing for so long, but I'll never make that mistake again, and I'm making up for lost time.  Thank you Katie for always being you!      

 

 

Quote

One of the few things that makes me feel like a boy again full of wonderment, mystery, and most importantly, joy. 

 

With the summer like conditions here yesterday ( at least for November in our neck of the woods), my buddy and I said screw it to work ( we’re both self employed), and enjoyed what may be the last warm day to get on the water. 
We hit my home lake for a few hours in the afternoon, caught about 15 fat, dark brown smallmouth and one half decent pike, and lost a couple big fish. If this ends up being the last trip of the season for me, it as a good way to go out. 

Way North Bass Guy, you are one tough hombre. It's mid-November and you're still fishing. In Canada! CANADA!!! I found a little footage of you fishing. You must have fallen in the water, right?

 

 

15 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Way North Bass Guy, you are one tough hombre. It's mid-November and you're still fishing. In Canada! CANADA!!! I found a little footage of you fishing. You must have fallen in the water, right?

Gotta realize that Ontario 'dips' south. He's at about the same latitude as me in the Minneapolis area - or mid-state Maine.

8 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Gotta realize that Ontario 'dips' south. He's at about the same latitude as me in the Minneapolis area - or mid-state Maine.

Yeah, we’re way further south than quite a bit of the states. I’m in what you would say is central Ontario, quite a bit of a drive from true “northern Canada”. It’s been unseasonably warm here up until today, and looks like it’s supposed to be more like traditional November weather now, at least for as far as the forecast goes. Doesn’t mean the boats going to bed just yet, I don’t usually winterize it until I can’t launch due to ice, and that may be into December depending on how the weather goes. Yesterday the water was still 51 deg, so there’s a bit to go yet before it freezes. 

Managed to catch one LM this afternoon that might have broke a pound but was around 14” +/-. Caught him on a @Siebert Outdoors Fogy in white/green with a green/silver fluke trailer. Can’t see the trailer as he swallowed it. ? Called it quits shortly after due to the wind chill. Fingers couldn’t handle it due to the bad case of trigger finger(s) in both hands. Doc is gonna have to cut on them to eliminate the pain and allow my fingers to work normally again.

 

22 minutes ago, sdw215 said:

Managed to catch one LM this afternoon that might have broke a pound but was around 14” +/-. Caught him on a @Siebert Outdoors Fogy in white/green with a green/silver fluke trailer. Can’t see the trailer as he swallowed it. ? Called it quits shortly after due to the wind chill. Fingers couldn’t handle it due to the bad case of trigger finger(s) in both hands. Doc is gonna have to cut on them to eliminate the pain and allow my fingers to work normally again.

 

Awesome Scott, catching a fish on a day like today is no easy feat......I've been watching this particular day for about 10days knowing the fish were going to shut down for 24hrs.

 

 I'm proud of my latest catch today, but I only got about 10-20% of the lake's bank area.   Makes you realize how many humans have zero respect for our beautiful lakes and natural places.    

@AlabamaSpothunter you sir, have my respect. Good on you for doing that. 

Caught 11 today.  8 spots and 3 largemouth.   Didn't weight any.  All between 13 and 18 inches.  The 17 inch Largemouth pictured was deformed, or had some kind of injury.  It swam, fought and jumped good.   Biggest was three 18 inch spots.  They looked like the same fish, but I caught them a couple miles apart.   No boat picture today, so I've included a bird pic.  I think it's a different kind of bird than the one I posted a while back.  

 

Spent most of the day helping my BIL move but snuck out for the last 4 hours of the day. Took one of the high school kids that I boat captained for and we just whaled on them. Caught over 50 in our 4 hours, he had big bass honors with a 5+ lb fish that was almost black. I had big fish honors with a massive 17.74lb channel cat.

Jerkbaits, micro jigs, Neds, and lipless did all the damage. Temps never made it above freezing and our guides were icing the entire time.

 

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Spent most of the day helping my BIL move but snuck out for the last 4 hours of the day. Took one of the high school kids that I boat captained for and we just whaled on them. Caught over 50 in our 4 hours, he had big bass honors with a 5+ lb fish that was almost black. I had big fish honors with a massive 17.74lb channel cat.

Jerkbaits, micro jigs, Neds, and lipless did all the damage. Temps never made it above freezing and our guides were icing the entire time.

 

Man those are two truly spectacular fish!     What a kitty too.   Sounds like fun!

2 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Spent most of the day helping my BIL move but snuck out for the last 4 hours of the day. Took one of the high school kids that I boat captained for and we just whaled on them. Caught over 50 in our 4 hours, he had big bass honors with a 5+ lb fish that was almost black. I had big fish honors with a massive 17.74lb channel cat.

Jerkbaits, micro jigs, Neds, and lipless did all the damage. Temps never made it above freezing and our guides were icing the entire time.

 

 

That would eat my PB channel cat, my gosh. And what a stud bass, too. Nice day (minus the cold, big YUCK from me there).

One of these days my phone will focus on bass again.

Went and did some recording today at my buddy's place, next to a pond. Naturally I have to get one. Spent about 30-45 mins tracking down where they're stacked up. Lake in the morning to try out some new chatterbait colors, and some new plastics. Didn't realize yamamoto had released a 3" zako...a gamechanger for the chatterbait minimax. Some new colors in the shad shape worm too. Neat

6 hours ago, Woody B said:

Caught 11 today.  8 spots and 3 largemouth.   Didn't weight any.  All between 13 and 18 inches.  The 17 inch Largemouth pictured was deformed, or had some kind of injury.  It swam, fought and jumped good.   Biggest was three 18 inch spots.  They looked like the same fish, but I caught them a couple miles apart.   No boat picture today, so I've included a bird pic.  I think it's a different kind of bird than the one I posted a while back.  

 

Great Blue Heron.

14 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Awesome Scott, catching a fish on a day like today is no easy feat......I've been watching this particular day for about 10days knowing the fish were going to shut down for 24hrs.

 

 I'm proud of my latest catch today, but I only got about 10-20% of the lake's bank area.   Makes you realize how many humans have zero respect for our beautiful lakes and natural places.    

 

I've always wished that every time a litterbug chucks trash, that a portal would open and the trash would immediately land on their bed. 

 

Alex, thank you.

 

Oh, and thank you.

 

 

 

 

P. S. - THANKS! 

Biggest of 10 fish for a Friday outing. This one caught on Gambler EZ Swimmer on weighted SB hook in shallows, which has been killing it for me for the past week. Rest caught on LuckyCraft Pointer 65, another great pond bait. 

9 hours ago, thediscochef said:

One of these days my phone will focus on bass again.

Went and did some recording today at my buddy's place, next to a pond. Naturally I have to get one. Spent about 30-45 mins tracking down where they're stacked up. Lake in the morning to try out some new chatterbait colors, and some new plastics. Didn't realize yamamoto had released a 3" zako...a gamechanger for the chatterbait minimax. Some new colors in the shad shape worm too. Neat

 

Phone probably figured you focus on bass enough for the both of you. Nice job figuring out some new water!

Caught these two chunks along with several others on a green pumpkin Ned rig.