I should have laid out of work yesterday.   It was nice.  A front came through last night.  No torrential rains, just light rain and colder temperatures.  I had shorts on yesterday.  I think the high today was around 50 with light drizzle most of the day.  I caught 12, but none were big enough to weigh.   I didn't even measure any of them.  This biggest one is pictured.   I'm optimistically calling it 16 inches.  I had a decent (3 poundish?) largemouth on (I think LM, it was walking on it's tail, spots don't usually do that)  It was ~30 feet from the boat when it threw my Bandit 300 back at me.  Then, after it got off a 12 inch spot hit it.   So I lost 1 bass and caught another on the same cast.   

 

 

Here's the first 4 from our trip out today.  Jake got a nice 4.8 lber on the Siebert Brush Jig with a Yamamoto grub.

 

We got a couple off the rip rap on lipless and football jigs.

 

Moved back into the cove where Jake got the 5 lbe and tossed my siebert brush jig with a labbat chigger craw into a laydown sitting out in about 7 feet of water just off the bank.

 

I felt her hit instantly and when I set the hook I felt my drag slip in a very satisfying tell tale screech that told me it was big fish time.

 

My wife did a beautiful job netting my second largest fish ever and the biggest of the day on this short and fantastic February Jon Boat adventure!

 

Stay tuned for more.  Pre Spawn just getting started I reckon!

 

?

 

10 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

 

 

 

 

 

Nicely Done ~ !

Wow, couple real Fatties. 

What a great trip.

Congrats to you both.

A-Jay

Congrats 

 

I went back today.  Water temp is up to 54, same today as yesterday.  I caught 10 bass between 12 and 15 inches,  and a DD..........Catfish.   I didn't measure it.  It was quite a bit longer than my 26 inch net.  I got finned to the bone last Summer by a Blue that Mrs B caught so I didn't want to handle this one more than necessary.   13.50 according to my scale.  I thought that might be a little heavy.  I zeroed it and weighed it twice.  My 10 pound weight weighed 9.95 pounds when I got home.  Unlike the 53 pounded flathead I caught last year I thought it was a big bass for a while.  I saw a silver flash as it swam by the front of the boat toward deeper water.  It was really strong, and pretty fast for a cat.  It started twisting when I got it turned around.  I knew it was a Cat then.   I think it's fun to catch fish that weigh more than my 12 pound test line, regardless of species.   5 bass, and the cat were on a DT6.  2 bass were on a Strike King 3xd, 3 were on a T-rig.   

Since no one was catching anything at Lake Guntersville state park the past few days, I decided to try my luck at our pond after we got back home and unloaded. Should have stayed home. ? Caught a small bass that I released immediately without taking a picture and on the very next cast I nailed this 2#’ er +/- on a 1/4oz jig with black/blue Big Bite Baits Coontail worm.

 

23 minutes ago, Woody B said:

I went back today.  Water temp is up to 54, same today as yesterday.  I caught 10 bass between 12 and 15 inches,  and a DD..........Catfish.   I didn't measure it.  It was quite a bit longer than my 26 inch net.  I got finned to the bone last Summer by a Blue that Mrs B caught so I didn't want to handle this one more than necessary.   13.50 according to my scale.  I thought that might be a little heavy.  I zeroed it and weighed it twice.  My 10 pound weight weighed 9.95 pounds when I got home.  Unlike the 53 pounded flathead I caught last year I thought it was a big bass for a while.  I saw a silver flash as it swam by the front of the boat toward deeper water.  It was really strong, and pretty fast for a cat.  It started twisting when I got it turned around.  I knew it was a Cat then.   I think it's fun to catch fish that weigh more than my 12 pound test line, regardless of species.   5 bass, and the cat were on a DT6.  2 bass were on a Strike King 3xd, 3 were on a T-rig.   

A 13lb Channel is a really big one in my book.   They stole a couple high end cranks in the Fall from me.   If you are able to turn them right away and get to open water, things go okay, but that first run on them so many times, combined with the twisting takes me into cover or breaks me off from the twisting.    

 

Savor that 54 degree water, my water has been in the 60s for a week+ now and I'm so frustrated that I might take a break.    

31 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Here's the first 4 from our trip out today.  Jake got a nice 4.8 lber on the Siebert Brush Jig with a Yamamoto grub.

 

We got a couple off the rip rap on lipless and football jigs.

 

Moved back into the cove where Jake got the 5 lbe and tossed my siebert brush jig with a labbat chigger craw into a laydown sitting out in about 7 feet of water just off the bank.

 

I felt her hit instantly and when I set the hook I felt my drag slip in a very satisfying tell tale screech that told me it was big fish time.

 

My wife did a beautiful job netting my second largest fish ever and the biggest of the day on this short and fantastic February Jon Boat adventure!

 

Stay tuned for more.  Pre Spawn just getting started I reckon!

 

?

 

Dynamite stuff Pat, I not sure what impresses me more, the health and beauty on the 7lb fish, or the fact your wonderful family is involved in all of it.   

 

Being able to share and love these fish with a wife and son is exceptionally special and quite rare.    Josh Jones might catch a DD everyday, but he's either by himself or with clients.   

 

I'm pretty sure the pre spawn is over here, and it's super depressing.  Never thought I'd already be looking forward to winter.    Water temps have been 62-66.5 for over a week, and my results are pathetic.     Glad to see you making the most of pre spawn.

29 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Here's the first 4 from our trip out today.  Jake got a nice 4.8 lber on the Siebert Brush Jig with a Yamamoto grub.

 

We got a couple off the rip rap on lipless and football jigs.

 

Moved back into the cove where Jake got the 5 lbe and tossed my siebert brush jig with a labbat chigger craw into a laydown sitting out in about 7 feet of water just off the bank.

 

I felt her hit instantly and when I set the hook I felt my drag slip in a very satisfying tell tale screech that told me it was big fish time.

 

My wife did a beautiful job netting my second largest fish ever and the biggest of the day on this short and fantastic February Jon Boat adventure!

 

Stay tuned for more.  Pre Spawn just getting started I reckon!

 

?

 

Great job you guys…. ??

6 minutes ago, ScottW said:

Since no one was catching anything at Lake Guntersville state park the past few days, I decided to try my luck at our pond after we got back home and unloaded. Should have stayed home. ? Caught a small bass that I released immediately without taking a picture and on the very next cast I nailed this 2#’ er +/- on a 1/4oz jig with black/blue Big Bite Baits Coontail worm.

 

Nice!   I'm at my wick's end, it's like a light switch flipped once that water hit 60+

 

 

15 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Nice!   I'm at my wick's end, it's like a light switch flipped once that water hit 60+

 

 

Topwater over flats, if something rolls on it but doesn't take it follow with a T-rig.  If they're not interested in top water try a texas rigged lizard with a 1/8 ounce weight or a 1/4 ounce jig with a mann's spinnerbait trailer.  (don't tell anyone, it's a secret)    Everyone around here fishes spinner baits and buzz baits.   

Windy day today, but a landed her on a 1/2oz Thunder Cricket with white and chartreuse skirt, had a White Kamikaze Big Bite trailer. Glass Rod 736CB Champ. 

Crazy weekend. I bought a 55 lb motorguide from a guy that a fishing buddy found online. Rain all day Saturday so I was working on removing my

old mount and installing new. That thing inside my skull kept messing me up at every turn,  I wanted to fish so bad I wasn’t taking my time and thinking. Got it mounted Saturday night and it worked hard wired but not when wired to the plug. Went to academy 45 minutes each way and got a new male plug, still no power. Oh well back to paddling and cinder blocks, I need to fish to calm myself down. Sunday morning comes and me and a buddy Fished from 8:30-1:30 and we got skunked. Go back to the house and my wife made us a delicious meal and we hung out for a bit. Get back out on the evening shift and drift with current, start missing bites like crazy. Finally Craig boats a couple, then I get a couple. The evening bite was pretty good for small/medium SMB, meanmouth, and spot/Alabama bass. Now that we have some fish in the boat, craig says hey cut that red wire, strip it back, and touch it to that prong………   The TM prop starts spinning!!! At long last!!! I got to fish the last hour of daylight with a trolling motor, first time since mid October I think. So at this point , get back to the house to clean and haul garbage and found a female plug in the package that I had brought to use  buried under the cardboard box the TM came in ?‍♀️ 

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Crazy weekend. I bought a 55 lb motorguide from a guy that a fishing buddy found online. Rain all day Saturday so I was working on removing my

old mount and installing new. That thing inside my skull kept messing me up at every turn,  I wanted to fish so bad I wasn’t taking my time and thinking. Got it mounted Saturday night and it worked hard wired but not when wired to the plug. Went to academy 45 minutes each way and got a new male plug, still no power. Oh well back to paddling and cinder blocks, I need to fish to calm myself down. Sunday morning comes and me and a buddy Fished from 8:30-1:30 and we got skunked. Go back to the house and my wife made us a delicious meal and we hung out for a bit. Get back out on the evening shift and drift with current, start missing bites like crazy. Finally Craig boats a couple, then I get a couple. The evening bite was pretty good for small/medium SMB, meanmouth, and spot/Alabama bass. Now that we have some fish in the boat, craig says hey cut that red wire, strip it back, and touch it to that prong………   The TM prop starts spinning!!! At long last!!! I got to fish the last hour of daylight with a trolling motor, first time since mid October I think. So at this point , get back to the house to clean and haul garbage and found a female plug in the package that I had brought to use  buried under the cardboard box the TM came in ?‍♀️ 

Beautiful cornocopia of black bass as always brother, and it's so cool how your fishing buddy is Don Johnson.   Tell him I loved Miami Vice ??

 

Which ones taste the best, can you tell a difference b/t an Alabama Spot and Smallie?

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Beautiful cornocopia of black bass as always brother, and it's so cool how your fishing buddy is Don Johnson.   Tell him I loved Miami Vice ??

 

Which ones taste the best, can you tell a difference b/t an Alabama Spot and Smallie?

They taste the same to me. Most local waters have 18” minimum on smallies and even my ruthless hind end likes to put them back most of the time. 

Just now, TnRiver46 said:

They taste the same to me. Most local waters have 18” minimum on smallies and even my ruthless hind end likes to put them back most of the time. 

Haha, I tell you what.....the SM is the trout of the black bass universe, this just confirms it ?

6 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Nice!   I'm at my wick's end, it's like a light switch flipped once that water hit 60+

Yes, but once those big post spawn females begin munching bedding gills glued to their spots...Whoa, buddy!  Just be there, especially at night.

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Yes, but once those big post spawn females begin munching bedding gills glued to their spots...Whoa, buddy!  Just be there, especially at night.

Amen brother!!! The night bite during the bluegill spawn is awesome!!! Multi species mayhem!! Here are a few bruisers I caught with a green pumpkin chatterbait during last July's gill spawn.

Yeah I actually generally really do well with numbers of large fish in the post spawn.

 

Last year late April - late June was just completely wild.

On 2/25/2023 at 2:50 PM, ol'crickety said:

That crappie looks like one of Bob's (@Blue Raider Bob) pregger goats! It's so fat it's funny.

Katy our fishing friends may not be in the know. Here's what she's talking about!

I started my day off well Sunday, catching a 16" 3.13lber on a homemade big ugly spinnerbait (BUS for short). I had to move lakes due to the wind and found my boat trailer wouldn't make it down the ramp, so I drove the dink train down the bank.

 

3 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Katy our fishing friends may not be in the know. Here's what she's talking about!

 

4 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

 

HAHAHAHA.....that's too awesome.    I want baby billy goat ?

2 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

I want baby billy goat ?

Until it head butts you in the nads! ? ? Don’t ask me how I know…

8 minutes ago, ScottW said:

Until it head butts you in the nads! ? ? Don’t ask me how I know…

True story time:

 

Down at Auburn we had a fraternity goat named Stomach Ache for a year before he found a forever home on a farm.    The coolest goat ever.

 

Anyway the fraternity president was drunk as a skunk one night and didn't believe in the whole "head butt" thing.   This 200lb+ dude gets on all fours and starts revving towards Stomach Ache like a Bull, in the blink of an eye Stomach Ache rams his head squarely and momentarily knocked him clean out.    

 

Easily one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life, as if Stomach Ache wasn't a legend by that point, his popularity soared after that.   ? 

In my defense I was young and my back was turned to my little 4-legged aggressor while bent over picking up bales of hay. ? Bet your frat prez had one heck of a hangover the next day.

28 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

HAHAHAHA.....that's too awesome.    I want baby billy goat ?

We've got 'um! Don't want to head butt our Buck though. He's north of 250 and does not move when pushed. The big girl in the first picture is also north of 250 but she's gentle (thanks goodness)!

 Been there done that with the headbutt. It was long, long, ago when we were young and I used to chug too many brews. Well I bent my head towards a goat that just jumped up on a picnic table and that goat saw a play opportunity. It missed my forehead but hit me under an eye. I laid on the ground and bled like a stuck pig, but I had the prettiest shiner ever for weeks. No sympathy from the little woman though. That's what I got for acting a fool!