@Woody B and @thediscochef

 

1 hour ago, ScottW said:

Awesome fish man! Y’all are killing it! We just got back home from a 7 day camping trip with no fishing involved. ? I see the doc in the morning about my hands and hope he can do both before the end of the year. The trigger finger has gotten so bad now both hands feel like they have 3rd degree burns. If I could train my feet to cast I’d be good! ?

Here's to good news about the hands Scott, we can't afford to lose a member of the starting line up in this thread ?

2 hours ago, thediscochef said:

It's been a real struggle this year down south with the early winter, 100%. They're shallow here from about 7:30am to about 8:30am, and the rest of the day right now they're all in 20-30 feet of water trying to have a little stability in their lives. We did best with jerkbaits just above deeply submerged timbers and riprap. Couldn't find em anywhere else. Loooong pauses on the 110. I spent most of this month wondering how I'm gonna make it work till late March, too lol

it'd better be a darn good jerkbait winter or ... else

It worked! Thanks!! ? my eyes remain safe from my own projectiles for yet another Christmas 

 

 

FYI, I am now for hire. If anyone else wants me to write a letter to St. Nick on their behalf, I work for surface lures.

 

#I'vegotSt.Nick'sear

Bawahhahaaaha....."I work for surface lures"  

 

That should be your sig line Katie ?

7 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

 

FYI, I am now for hire. If anyone else wants me to write a letter to St. Nick on their behalf, I work for surface lures.

 

#I'vegotSt.Nick'sear

 

I'm not usually serious, but tell St Nick I just want everyone to be healthy and happy.  

@Woody B You got it, Woody, and that's a freebie. 

 

#sendnosurfacelures,woodyb

4 hours ago, Woody B said:

 

I'm not usually serious, but tell St Nick I just want everyone to be healthy and happy.  

Woody that's about the nicest present I could possible receive!

Thanks!

Got the kayak out in the cold yesterday with another local guy. 18* at the ramp with a high in the upper 30's for the day. The wind never got too bad thankfully. As I got to my usual rock wall bank, I caught 4 dinks in short order off the point on a Ned. Not wanting to waste my time with them, I continued down the bank in search of bigger fish. 3 hours later with only 2 missed bites, also on the Ned, those dinks were sounding like a lot of fun. When we got back to them, there was fish everywhere. They were all small, I doubt we caught one over 2lbs, but we caught over 2 dozen of them off that point. I got my fill of the dinks and kicked across to find bigger fish. Found one stout one a little over 15" at the hot water outlet. Then off a shallow point, I finally found a real fish. Not quite 20" but 4.79lbs and a great fight in the shallow water. Stony managed to tail hook a carp on his Ned, thought he had a monster bass for a minute. 

 

20 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Got the kayak out in the cold yesterday with another local guy. 18* at the ramp with a high in the upper 30's for the day. The wind never got too bad thankfully. As I got to my usual rock wall bank, I caught 4 dinks in short order off the point on a Ned. Not wanting to waste my time with them, I continued down the bank in search of bigger fish. 3 hours later with only 2 missed bites, also on the Ned, those dinks were sounding like a lot of fun. When we got back to them, there was fish everywhere. They were all small, I doubt we caught one over 2lbs, but we caught over 2 dozen of them off that point. I got my fill of the dinks and kicked across to find bigger fish. Found one stout one a little over 15" at the hot water outlet. Then off a shallow point, I finally found a real fish. Not quite 20" but 4.79lbs and a great fight in the shallow water. Stony managed to tail hook a carp on his Ned, thought he had a monster bass for a minute. 

That poor thing almost has no tail fin left. I’ve caught a couple like that over the years. It’s like some type of fin erosion that slowly makes them lose part at a time. I say you split the difference and call it 18.5” ? ?

16 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Here's to good news about the hands Scott, we can't afford to lose a member of the starting line up in this thread ?

Surgery scheduled for Wednesday on both hands. Should be healed up and ready to fish again by the end of the year. ?

14 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

 

FYI, I am now for hire. If anyone else wants me to write a letter to St. Nick on their behalf, I work for surface lures.

 

#I'vegotSt.Nick'sear

I can rent some out for a couple weeks ?

1 minute ago, ScottW said:

Surgery scheduled for Wednesday on both hands. Should be healed up and ready to fish again by the end of the year. ?

I can rent some out for a couple weeks ?

Excellent news, and here's to a quick and successful surgery!

 

Picked a good time to do it, apparently all the fish are having hand surgeries in our area too ?

For real! Don’t feel so bad about not fishing last week now ?

2 hours ago, Team9nine said:

That poor thing almost has no tail fin left. I’ve caught a couple like that over the years. It’s like some type of fin erosion that slowly makes them lose part at a time. I say you split the difference and call it 18.5” ? ?

She wasn't having any trouble eating, that's for sure. 

 

I think they just get so shallow in all the nasty laydowns and rocks in this lake that they tear their tails up in the process. I see a lot of ragged tails from this lake. 

Forgot one action shot, working a long, shallow point. I was a couple long cast off the bank and sitting in maybe 3' of water. Big rocks, several laydowns, a few stumps, a great hidden spot that is skipped by so many people. 

2 hours ago, ScottW said:

I can rent some out for a couple weeks

 

That might not be a good deal on your end, as I will return them bruised and battered by bass. 

19 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

That might not be a good deal on your end, as I will return them bruised and battered by bass. 

21 hours ago, thediscochef said:

Today the last two weeks of the year improved. My buddy and I went on a guided trip of Ray Roberts that was postponed from a couple weeks ago. It was 29 degrees at the boat ramp this morning and all the fish came early. I caught a new PB, 7lbs 10oz. She was a little skinny and pretty beat up, but to me that's still as pretty a bass as I've caught. Thing fought like a tree branch lol I wasn't convinced it was a fish until a large bass head came up out of the water for a shake and everyone on the boat shouted ? I was using a megabass vision 110 in bone on 12lb siege mono. Bait has a slight rise to its pause. Light tac40 rod/lews tournament xp reel. 

 

Absolutely worth the last month of pain. I'm particularly relieved considering we have a high of ... 20 degrees ... on Friday. I will hopefully be on South Padre Island by then ? and when I get back we should be in full blown jerkbait season. 

 

 

Dude! What a tank of a fish, congrats on the PB (and on a jerkbait, too!)

 

I'm so proud of you man, that's a beautiful fish. Great job!

20 minutes ago, Aaron_H said:

 

 

Dude! What a tank of a fish, congrats on the PB (and on a jerkbait, too!)

 

I'm so proud of you man, that's a beautiful fish. Great job!

Thanks man, it was a rush for sure!! Now go catch us a double digit for Christmas, we know you can ??

7 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

Now go catch us a double digit for Christmas, we know you can ??

If  @Aaron_H doesn't get one this winter, I'm going to be disappointed. Nah not disappointed, just like "dang, that woulda been cool to see" 

 

11 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

Thanks man, it was a rush for sure!! Now go catch us a double digit for Christmas, we know you can ??

 

8 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

If  @Aaron_H doesn't get one this winter, I'm going to be disappointed. Nah not disappointed, just like "dang, that woulda been cool to see" 

 

 

Just now, Aaron_H said:

 

 

We have faith. 

 

Now just have faith in me to catch one dink every few days this winter

3 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Forgot one action shot, working a long, shallow point. I was a couple long cast off the bank and sitting in maybe 3' of water. Big rocks, several laydowns, a few stumps, a great hidden spot that is skipped by so many people. 

Man I'd break every rod I own if I Kayak fished.

 

Lots of respect for you folks who fish Kayaks and Canoes.   Just another layer of difficulty while trying to catch some of the most difficult fish to catch ?

Caught 12-15 fish, most in the 1-2lb range.   All healthy fish, many with Shad still in their mouths.   Very hard fighting fish, noticeable so.....so much I was mistaking LGMs for Spots.   They both were pulling super hard.   I thought winter made fish fight sluggish.   Water temp is low 50s.

 

Caught half a dozen or so on the MegaBass 110Jr +1 and lost a really nice fish who straightened out the hook and got off....first time that's happened to me.    Also had what I suspect was a huge fish break the line almost instantly upon hookset, I felt the weight of it, and nano seconds later the dreaded "pop" sound.  That one was on 8lb spinning gear.   Upon inspection of the video, turns out the fish hit the bait very close to the boat, and there just wasn't enough line/stretch to account for either a bad knot which I'm normally OCD about, or it blew from shock being Flouro.   Both were big fish, but I never saw them.   I'm running a crank through there tom. with better hooks.....burn and stop might just be the ticket for the toads beneath these sized fish.  

 

The other half dozen + fish came off the Flashback Mini with 3" Armor Shad.    Accidentally discovered a new retrieve that killed it.     Literally fishing a mini Chatterbait like a jerkbait, and they

couldn't stand it.    Easily the greatest finesse Bass lure I've ever found, the retrieves are endless, and there is just something about the light wire hook and penny sized blade.   Thing darts so randomly and realistically I doubt they could have even designed it to do this.   It's caught me hundreds of Bass, and 50-75 big Crappie.  If you got small 2-4" threadfin/gizzards, try it!   They're like $3, and a pack of Armor Shad is $5....that combo will slay fish or your money back lol.  

 

Trying to make the videos a bit more informative rather than just a scrap book for me.   I find it ironic I didn't have it recording for an epic blowup of about a dozen Bass while I'm fighting one, but somehow it captured the two heartbreaks ?

 

 

Alex, I could tell you the details of every big bass I lost in 2022: the lake, the lure, and the other details of the lost battle. I remember the details of the big ones I landed too, but I think I remember the lost fish even more vividly. Sorry you lost two big ones, buddy! However, I have this to say about the nice ones you boated and your new technique:

 

7 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

lost a really nice fish who straightened out the hook and got off

 

I believe those tiny hooks are the problem.  They aren't big enough to go all the way through a big bass mouth.  Especially a toothy spot.  They end up just pulling against the barb, instead of going all the way through and pulling on the loop of the hook.   I haven't tried, but have often thought about removing the middle hook and replacing the front and rear hooks with bigger ones on baits like that.   FWIW I replace the #6 rear hook on a Devils horse with a #4 short ewg.  I only sharpen the middle and front ones or replace with the same size when they get bent.   Those hooks look even smaller than #6's.