6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

My wife is a professional photographer, you should see the 500 pics she took 

 

A professional photographer, huh? Please ask her what she charges to make five-pound bass look like 15-pounders. Asking for a friend, of course.

In all seriousness, I can always tell when you post your wife's pics.   She's amazing, there is a perfection, richness, and aesthetic to her pictures.   Yours are great too ?

10 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

In all seriousness, I can always tell when you post your wife's pics.   She's amazing, there is a perfection, richness, and aesthetic to her pictures.   Yours are great too ?

She laughs when she sees my photos , and then says “why do you have so much dirt on the lens”

 

because I crawl thru poo for a living 

 

I’ll try to get her to send me some of the turtle and bird pics . She also got a good one of an egret swallowing a live fish 

Bout to get after It. With any luck I’ll have fish pics later. 
 

 

The kind Bama loves. From the ramp. After weigh in. 

3 hours ago, Cbump said:

Bout to get after It. With any luck I’ll have fish pics later. 
 

 

The kind Bama loves. From the ramp. After weigh in. 

Good luck!!!!!

Last trip of 2022. Air 44 Water 51

Awesome all 
 

I ain’t caught nuthin. 2022 ain’t a bust but man, catching-wise it coulda been better. Here’s to 2023!

3 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Awesome all 
 

I ain’t caught nuthin. 2022 ain’t a bust but man, catching-wise it coulda been better. Here’s to 2023!

They wouldn’t hit the thumper? 

44 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

They wouldn’t hit the thumper? 

I made a poor decision on what spot to fish and weather interrupted my sesh. Not really surprised didn’t catch. Not enough casts

17 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

I made a poor decision on what spot to fish and weather interrupted my sesh. Not really surprised didn’t catch. Not enough casts

Ah. Happens to the best of us (except @Jar11591)

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

Ah. Happens to the best of us 

Didn’t feel too bad. I had to ask how the day was when got back to the ramp and sounded like people weren’t catching. I am sure that there are some that did much better. Just not me. 
 

Oh well! Eternal optimist. I need that right now. Gritting my teeth over this Michigan TCU game

Never realized how awesome winter fishing was......obviously heard about the pigs, but these fish exhibit a level of frenzy activity during these crazy temp swings that is no different than in the Fall.   The lake turns electric due to all the shad activity, I truly can't even describe the level of bait(Shad) in this lake.  When you can't work a treble hook bait without fouling your hooks with shad every single cast, you know the bait is carpeted.     A week ago it was 12-15degrees, today it was easy 70+. 

 

Water temps rose 3.5 degrees just from yesterday.   Millions of shad traveled from the main lake body in 32-35ft of water near the dam as far a mile + away to the north end of the lake again just since yesterday.     I had no clue shad could react and travel to shallow waters this quickly.    They refused to do this until the warm rains late yesterday/early this morning even though we've had 60+ temps for 5 days.    

 

Never could get on a big fish outside the fattest little 3lb Bass I've ever seen in my life.   99% of the fish I'm now catching having beautiful bellies on them.    Some are just absolute pigs like the one below.    Caught 16 fish in 3 hours, 15 on the 110Jr +1.       I left lots of meat on the bone leaving a 25 yd stretch where I was hammering 1-2lb fish looking for a big girl.    Should have stayed right there for 3hours.      I have perhaps more trouble when the bite is hot because I'm always thinking I should be targeting bigger fish if I'm not catching them.

 

Biggest were the little toad and a Spot that both were in that 2.5-3lb range, everything else was fat little 1-1.5lb fish.    

 

Professor Alex, you have earned your PhD in Bassology and I'm the eager-to-learn student in the front row with her hand up, wanting to glean as much as possible from your experience. I'm not willing to lug electronics to lake shores, but you talk about them so much that when I'm older (66) and I have to quit canoeing, I might switch to a boat with electronics and see all that you electronically see.  

18 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Didn’t feel too bad. I had to ask how the day was when got back to the ramp and sounded like people weren’t catching. I am sure that there are some that did much better. Just not me. 
 

Oh well! Eternal optimist. I need that right now. Gritting my teeth over this Michigan TCU game

I thought y’all played defense?

11 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Professor Alex, you have earned your PhD in Bassology and I'm the eager-to-learn student in the front row with her hand up, wanting to glean as much as possible from your experience. I'm not willing to lug electronics to lake shores, but you talk about them so much that when I'm older (66) and I have to quit canoeing, I might switch to a boat with electronics and see all that you electronically see.  

You're so kind Katie, but honestly you've forgotten more about Bass fishing than I've learn thus far.   I have a very unique situation where I can spend almost some part of every day on the same body of water.    I'm starting to know the lake better than my backyard lol.   

 

On days like today, the shad are pushing right up onto the banks in many places, and you can just observe waves of them, and then the Bass flying through the air with a few dozen silver flashes going airborne at the same time.    They come up to the surface whenever it warms like this I'm guessing.  

 

One of my biggest goals is to understand the Shad as much as the Bass.   

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I thought y’all played defense?

Our defense is turning the ball over three times to mess with their head ?

 

Just now, LrgmouthShad said:

Our defense is turning the ball over three times to mess with their head

Psychological warfare 

Got 3rd today. Big was 7.34. 
 

1 minute ago, Cbump said:

Got 3rd today. Big was 7.34. 
 

My good luck wishes must have helped!!!! Nice kicker, ain’t got one like that in a decade or two 

23 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Ah. Happens to the best of us (except @Jar11591)

I credit the waters i fish. And this size has been the skunkbuster on a couple occasions if I’m being completely honest ?

1 minute ago, Jar11591 said:

I credit the waters i fish. And this size has been the skunkbuster on a couple occasions if I’m being completely honest ?

It’s got fins and eyeballs, still a fish. I take skunkings on the regular. Like today! I had bout 30 minutes and hooked one but it jumped off 

I got 3rd overall and also 3rd big bass. 
No joke, this was the big bass top 3:

 

1. 7.4

2. 7.35

3. 7.34 (me)

 

?

I went down to the pond this morning after seeing bass chasing baitfish all over the place. Gloved up to protect the stitches and tossed some Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbaits and some 3DRs. Man these puppies will float where ya leave ‘em. Twitch and pause, twitch and pause. 

 

Got some bumps, nudges and interest but no solid bites. Had to call it after an hour when I checked my right hand and saw I’d busted a stitch or two. ?? It looked kinda rough. Guess they’re gonna need a tad longer, eh? ?

1 minute ago, Cbump said:

I got 3rd overall and also 3rd big bass. 
No joke, this was the big bass top 3:

 

1. 7.4

2. 7.35

3. 7.34 (me)

 

?

Sounds like big girls were chewing 

11 minutes ago, ScottW said:

I went down to the pond this morning after seeing bass chasing baitfish all over the place. Gloved up to protect the stitches and tossed some Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbaits and some 3DRs. Man these puppies will float where ya leave ‘em. Twitch and pause, twitch and pause. 

 

Got some bumps, nudges and interest but no solid bites. Had to call it after an hour when I checked my right hand and saw I’d busted a stitch or two. ?? It looked kinda rough. Guess they’re gonna need a tad longer, eh? ?

Dang Scott you got to take care of those mitts......but I get it, addict gone addict ?

 

Seriously though, sounds like the bait were doing the same thing in your pond.   It got really hot this afternoon.