1 minute ago, NorcalBassin said:

I'm fortunate to be up in the mountains where even in the drought years we get all the storage water we need to support our little community for the year. The luscious lawns and golf courses in the most arid parts of the state on the other hand...

 

Our snowpack was 250% of normal on the most recent survey, so as long as we don't get a pineapple express to prematurely melt it all in the spring we should be able to get another 40-50ft of water in the lake. At full pool its deepest water is over 580 ft, so even when it's low there's still quire a bit of water for the fish to survive. Should be a good season for both of us on the opposite coasts!  

 

Man, that's a deep lake! I like how you crank your arm back to pose your fish close to your head. Your second fish has the same fish as the fish below. Not thick, but not skinny.

 

We've gotten so much rain in Maine and that thrills me. There's a bog I tried to fish last year, but couldn't reach because there wasn't enough water to float my canoe. I checked the bog last month and the entry would now float a bass boat, but only if you could lower the bass boat down a boulder-strewn slope. Since then, we've gotten even more snow and rain. So, yeah, we both have a lot to look forward to. Here's that East Coast bass that looks like your west Coast second bass:

 

9 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Thing I love the most about your pics is your dads dirty a.....sorry well worn Iaconelli hat. That's a real fishing hat!

It could use a wash! I bought that for him for Christmas a couple years ago. His best friend passed away from colon cancer a few years ago, and he had an Ike "never give up" sticker on his boat while he was fighting for 7-8 yrs. He was a great guy and it's like part of him his with us... in the form of a dirty hat. 

2 minutes ago, NorcalBassin said:

It could use a wash! I bought that for him for Christmas a couple years ago. His best friend passed away from colon cancer a few years ago, and he had an Ike "never give up" sticker on his boat while he was fighting for 7-8 yrs. He was a great guy and it's like part of him his with us... in the form of a dirty hat. 

I'm sorry about his friend- but that is a nice story. Looks like he is with you guys bringing you some luck. Btw never wash any fishing clothing...you may rinse off the magic.

Went out to a local lake park near me to try my new set up. Did not disappoint! Made my day Stella scream on a wacky senko?

11 minutes ago, killobet said:

Went out to a local lake park near me to try my new set up. Did not disappoint! Made my day Stella scream on a wacky senko?

Nice fish, it's fun catching a fat Bass in front of spectators, really fish in general.   Non fisherman I've found love watching fisherman catch fish.     Fascinates them the same way it did us in the beginning, the separator is patience.....the vast majority of humans don't have the patience capacity to be anglers.  

Got some productive time on the water this weekend. These were my two best on Sat. Caught a total of six. Sun. turned cold with frontal passage but still did pretty well. Every one was just foot long class but fifteen bites still made for a lot of fun. Dark Sleeper still doing the job. We'll probably ice up this week but spring's getting closer. I can't remember Jan. letting me get out as much as this month has.

9 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Nice fish, it's fun catching a fat Bass in front of spectators, really fish in general.   Non fisherman I've found love watching fisherman catch fish.     Fascinates them the same way it did us in the beginning, the separator is patience.....the vast majority of humans don't have the patience capacity to be anglers.  

 

I once had a crowd watch me catch a fish...up to a point, but I landed the fish alone. 

 

I was fishing the tailwaters of a dam for crappie. Big, roaring current, but I was fishing an eddy off the side with 4 lb. test. I hooked a sturgeon and it used the current to its advantage. A crowd gathered to watch the fight. Several times, I got it close to the boat, but couldn't land it. Then the Sun set and everyone left, except for the sturgeon and me. When I did land it in total darkness and release it in the water, my arms were so tired it hurt to start the engine and motor back to the parking lot. I feel badly about playing it so long. It was likely as tired as me. 

 

Maybe I should write a book, "The Old Woman and the River."

 

Nice fish, @killobet! And nice reel!

 

@The Bassman, do those homeowners ever protest you fishing in their backyards? I've watched YouTube videos where folks challenge anglers for fishing on their turf. Anyway, I see that snow on the ground and am seriously impressed by your bass. 

24 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

I once had a crowd watch me catch a fish...up to a point, but I landed the fish alone. 

 

I was fishing the tailwaters of a dam for crappie. Big, roaring current, but I was fishing an eddy off the side with 4 lb. test. I hooked a sturgeon and it used the current to its advantage. A crowd gathered to watch the fight. Several times, I got it close to the boat, but couldn't land it. Then the Sun set and everyone left, except for the sturgeon and me. When I did land it in total darkness and release it in the water, my arms were so tired it hurt to start the engine and motor back to the parking lot. I feel badly about playing it so long. It was likely as tired as me. 

 

Maybe I should write a book, "The Old Woman and the River."

 

Nice fish, @killobet! And nice reel!

 

@The Bassman, do those homeowners ever protest you fishing in their backyards? I've watched YouTube videos where folks challenge anglers for fishing on their turf. Anyway, I see that snow on the ground and am seriously impressed by your bass. 

DANG IT Katie, I read the first part screaming in my head......"She's the old Woman and the River" ?

 

Sturgeon and Musky are the two oldest bucket list fish I can remember as a kid.    Those were the epic fish on saturday mornings I would watch being caught in distant lands from Alabama. 

4 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

DANG IT Katie, I read the first part screaming in my head......"She's the old Woman and the River" ?

 

It's cool that a crickety, ol' Yankee gal and a young Alabama hog hunter made the same leap to Papa Hemingway!  

15 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

That just might be the fattest 16" bass I've ever seen. Wow! The forage base in your lake may be in trouble with gluttons like that around. ?

1 hour ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

DANG IT Katie, I read the first part screaming in my head......"She's the old Woman and the River" ?

 

Sturgeon and Musky are the two oldest bucket list fish I can remember as a kid.    Those were the epic fish on saturday mornings I would watch being caught in distant lands from Alabama. 

Not too distant, I’ve caught both 

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

 

It's cool that a crickety, ol' Yankee gal and a young Alabama hog hunter made the same leap to Papa Hemingway!  

He was quite the character, I fished down in the Keys a good bit and have been to his home and seen the cats that still roam around with links to his own.   

 

Half the stuff I learn about the man, I absolutely love, the other half I absolutely hate.   Very complicated man.   The Old Man and the Sea is certainly the best long form story I've read, and To Build a Fire by Jack London is the best short story I've read.    Both are so vivid you really do feel like you are there.    Gotta throw Moby Dick and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in there as well ?

10 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Not too distant, I’ve caught both 

Luckeeeeee ?

16 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Single digit wind chills, high in the low twenties, freezing guides, and footballs.

 

This post was here for 16 hours without me seeing it, shame on me.

 

Beautiful fat fish!   Love seeing that. 

 

That Channel is really cool, can't remember seeing red on the ones I catch.  

@AlabamaSpothunter Oh, I love "To Build a Fire" too. Papa Hemingway said that American literature began with "Huck Finn." In "Call of the Wild," remember when the man whispers into Buck's ear right before the heavy sled pull, "As you love me."? That's a perfect quartet of words.

 

Papa had his demons, for sure, but he lived pedal to the metal, from volunteering as an ambulance driver in Italy before we even entered the war to being in a plane that crashed in Africa and then the rescue plane crashed too to hunting Nazi subs with his fishing boat. 

 

I too am amazed by the fat bass that @Bluebasser86 catches. They look like little Dots, but Dot fed on fatty trout. What's the forage in your lake, Bluebasser86? 

3 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

 

 

@The Bassman, do those homeowners ever protest you fishing in their backyards? I've watched YouTube videos where folks challenge anglers for fishing on their turf. Anyway, I see that snow on the ground and am seriously impressed by your bass. 

I'm not actually in anyone's yard. And for the most part I have personal connections with people in the neighborhoods I fish. I've made a lot of friends along the way. A little common courtesy goes a long way towards developing good relationships. I always park in common areas like swimming pool/playground lots and pick up trash that I can fit in my pockets. Also, I always fish alone. A quick way to spoil a good thing is to start showing up with other people.

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

I too am amazed by the fat bass that @Bluebasser86 catches. They look like little Dots, but Dot fed on fatty trout. What's the forage in your lake, Bluebasser86? 

Gizzard shad mostly, so thick you can walk on them pretty much year round. The lake has a very high density of bass, but there's so many shad that they're still very difficult to catch.

 

Funny thing about the Dottie reference, I occasionally catch fish with similar markings to Dottie from this lake. This one was a few years ago, 5.92lbs and just over 20". 

 

Here's the video of the fish in the pictures, plus a few more, from yesterday.

 

 

@Bluebasser86, I don't often get jealous of other fishers' lakes because I love the water I fish, but your lake turns me bright green. 

 

Thanks for the video, but the weather in the video confuses me. Were you fishing in a howling fog? If so, I have never experienced that. I've been T-boned by squall lines and lived through a tornado that sunk every boat but mine, but I've never seen howling fog, if that's what you experienced. 

1 minute ago, ol'crickety said:

@Bluebasser86, I don't often get jealous of other fishers' lakes because I love the water I fish, but your lake turns me bright green. 

 

Thanks for the video, but the weather in the video confuses me. Were you fishing in a howling fog? If so, I have never experienced that. I've been T-boned by squall lines and lived through a tornado that sunk every boat but mine, but I've never seen howling fog, if that's what you experienced. 

It's a powerplant lake, water was in the low to mid 50's, air temps were in the teens, that's steam blowing and immediately freezing to anything it touches. My fishing line looked like white ropes on my rods not in use because of the steam frozen to the line. On the one selfie picture that looks like snow in the background, that's actually steam frozen to the ground and bushes. It will also soak people who don't dress appropriately when it sticks to their clothes, freezes, then melts. 

@Bluebasser86 Whoa! You earn every fish you catch times ten. And you make the rest of us look like sissy-foo-foos. I feel like I should sacrifice a chicken to you, oh God of Iced Lines. However, I think you'll like this better than a chicken:

 

 

15 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Nice fish, it's fun catching a fat Bass in front of spectators, really fish in general.   Non fisherman I've found love watching fisherman catch fish.     Fascinates them the same way it did us in the beginning, the separator is patience.....the vast majority of humans don't have the patience capacity to be anglers.  

Thanks ?  and yeah the cheers from the crowd is a plus. Also love it when they ask to take a picture of the fish. 

3 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

He was quite the character, I fished down in the Keys a good bit and have been to his home and seen the cats that still roam around with links to his own.   

 

Half the stuff I learn about the man, I absolutely love, the other half I absolutely hate.   Very complicated man.   The Old Man and the Sea is certainly the best long form story I've read, and To Build a Fire by Jack London is the best short story I've read.    Both are so vivid you really do feel like you are there.    Gotta throw Moby Dick and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in there as well ?

Luckeeeeee ?

This post was here for 16 hours without me seeing it, shame on me.

 

Beautiful fat fish!   Love seeing that. 

 

That Channel is really cool, can't remember seeing red on the ones I catch.  

Totally love " To Build a Fire"! Also like lots of his short stories such as "The Oyster Pirates". He has lot's of interesting short stories, as well as Mark Twain. His Puddin'head Wilson is one I would recommend. Robert Ruark's "The Old Man and the Boy", is classic as well! All about fishin'!

Got several in one of my work route ponds on the watermelon red super fluke. 

It was 84 here today. Definitely will have some bedding fish if it holds up for the full moon next week…?

3 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Totally love " To Build a Fire"! Also like lots of his short stories such as "The Oyster Pirates". He has lot's of interesting short stories, as well as Mark Twain. His Puddin'head Wilson is one I would recommend. Robert Ruark's "The Old Man and the Boy", is classic as well! All about fishin'!

 

I also love "Love of Life." Thanks for sharing what you love, Bob. I just bought "The Old Man and the Boy."

Day after a big rain that had the lake up several feet and viz reduced significantly.   

 

The A-Rig is easily the most exciting bait I've fished to date, caught about 15 fish today, however I moved around so much trying to find big fish which I never could find.   Everything today was in that 1-2lb range, however I still managed to squeel like a pig in mud when I managed to get a 5 fish limit on 2 casts, including my first threefer, or whatever it's called.

 

Big Crappie as well.

 

Fun day, but hopefully tomorrow big girls return.

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Day after a big rain that had the lake up several feet and viz reduced significantly.   

 

The A-Rig is easily the most exciting bait I've fished to date, caught about 15 fish today, however I moved around so much trying to find big fish which I never could find.   Everything today was in that 1-2lb range, however I still managed to squeel like a pig in mud when I managed to get a 5 fish limit on 2 casts, including my first threefer, or whatever it's called.

 

Big Crappie as well.

 

Fun day, but hopefully tomorrow big girls return.

 

 

 

Nice job!!! Threefer= triple . That’s wild 

Alex, you are most excellent at living.