It's been cool, wet, and windy on coastal Maine for too-long-a-stretch, so I launched the canoe at the closest bog, which has been reliable in the past, but I could only catch one bass on a gray Rage Swimmer with a swim jig. I was seen by five otters who watched me and chittered at me. And I saw an osprey fly overhead clutching a fish in its talons. Otherwise, it was overcast, grey, wet, and c-c-c-cold. At least it wasn't raining, but a canoe is such a wet boat that I was wet anyway. 

 

4 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

It's been cool, wet, and windy on coastal Maine for too-long-a-stretch, so I launched the canoe at the closest bog, which has been reliable in the past, but I could only catch one bass on a gray Rage Swimmer with a swim jig. I was seen by five otters who watched me and chittered at me. And I saw an osprey fly overhead clutching a fish in its talons. Otherwise, it was overcast, grey, wet, and c-c-c-cold. At least it wasn't raining, but a canoe is such a wet boat that I was wet anyway. 

 

We need critter bingo cards ?

Days like that I chalk up to "putting in that work", those are the days that you have to endure in order to get such amazing highs when they are biting, and the conditions are beautiful.   

 

Might have been only one, but it's beautiful ?

6 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

We need critter bingo cards ?

Days like that I chalk up to "putting in that work", those are the days that you have to endure in order to get such amazing highs when they are biting, and the conditions are beautiful.   

 

Might have been only one, but it's beautiful ?

 

Thanks, Alex. I was telling Bob via email how I've spent the last hour and a half warming myself. A wet chill is hard to shake, plus I wore my wet suit and rubber against your skin might keep me alive if I tip, but it sure doesn't warm old bones in the boat. 

 

I think the bass catching in Maine is about to erupt. We just need a few more degrees to stir the bass. The two times I managed to catch more than a fish or three were sunny afternoons. Then the temps drop to the thirties at night and the bass chill again!

 

Whenever it happens, you're right about the coming elation, which will rise from the current humbling. 

13 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

The wind decides when I fish

Me too . My boat does not handle strong winds . Its not a bass boat , its a deck boat and catches a lot of wind . Its comfortable though . Good for naps , I even slept in it over-night.

Decided to try seriously throwing a big swimbait for the first time yesterday. I picked up this guy on a 6.25" fishlab biominnow. I have a lot of questions about swimbait fishing, so I'll start another thread with a full report and video when I get a little time this afternoon.

43 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

We need critter bingo cards ?

 

I’ve caught a groundhog possum and chipmunk so far today……

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve caught a groundhog possum and chipmunk so far today……

Now to figure out which ones are for dinner ??

21 minutes ago, Micaiah Lindquist said:

Decided to try seriously throwing a big swimbait for the first time yesterday. I picked up this guy on a 6.25" fishlab biominnow. I have a lot of questions about swimbait fishing, so I'll start another thread with a full report and video when I get a little time this afternoon.

Nice one!   

 

Just watch Tactical Bassin and Ben Milliken, between those two you'll gain a wealth of info.   

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

The two times I managed to catch more than a fish or three were sunny afternoons.

I first visited a nearby lake years ago during the late winter and early spring, and after several frustrating go-rounds I'd convinced myself it was merely a puddle totally devoid of life. Then, on one sunny afternoon in late April I was amazed to find the banks alive with bluegill too many to count, as if they were transported from another dimension in an instant. They seemed so carelessly grouped up in spots, so totally at ease, but just outside a submerged bush a massive chain pickerel suspended there motionless and watching. A few sunnies faced off and were sparring only inches away from this submarine of death but it remained still, waiting. I needed to move on, and I knew what would come next, but from that moment on hopelessness was replaced by hope.

 

Go get 'em!

I had an appointment this morning, but I was able to steal some time to go to one of my spots - a shallow cove right off the main channel. Temps were in the low 50s, and the rain was chasing me into the parking lot.

 

At 0900 on a Wednesday morning, there was a kayak sniffing around across the way, and a dude fishing off the dock behind me. This place – like all the other places that I fish from the bank – is heavily pressured. A lot of days I feel like I'm doing alright to catch anything.

 

Today I kept it simple, with the same ned rig that I had tied on in my pictures from the other day. Caught two tiny little things, had a couple more that I couldn't convert.

 

 

Bounced after the second one. That rain was cold.

First 15 minute curse got me for the most part, but didn't even care.   Caught the biggest one yet on the D Bomb, a 6.12.   Right before it caught a nice 3lb class.  

 

4 hours ago, galyonj said:

I had an appointment this morning, but I was able to steal some time to go to one of my spots - a shallow cove right off the main channel. Temps were in the low 50s, and the rain was chasing me into the parking lot.

 

At 0900 on a Wednesday morning, there was a kayak sniffing around across the way, and a dude fishing off the dock behind me. This place – like all the other places that I fish from the bank – is heavily pressured. A lot of days I feel like I'm doing alright to catch anything.

 

Today I kept it simple, with the same ned rig that I had tied on in my pictures from the other day. Caught two tiny little things, had a couple more that I couldn't convert.

 

 

Bounced after the second one. That rain was cold.

No more emotions, but 2 fish in terrible conditions is solid in my book, most wouldn't have wet a line.   Great job!

37 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

First 15 minute curse got me for the most part, but didn't even care.   Caught the biggest one yet on the D Bomb, a 6.12.   Right before it caught a nice 3lb class.  

 

No more emotions, but 2 fish in terrible conditions is solid in my book, most wouldn't have wet a line.   Great job!

 

Alex, you've got another big girl streak going! You don't have to wait for next winter. You're thriving right now. We all catch big fish now and then, but you, A-Jay, and a few others catch big girls regularly.

14 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

Alex, you've got another big girl streak going! You don't have to wait for next winter. You're thriving right now. We all catch big fish now and then, but you, A-Jay, and a few others catch big girls regularly.

Your so kind Katie, thanks!     

My wife said she would be busy til 5 so I went to the river near home about 4 and set out catfish bait, casted a plastic worm and got a baby spotted bass

 

then I got a channel cat on cut bait. It was stuck in something but came out, the seaguar tactix braid withstood the brush, @T-Billy might be onto something about straight braid……... You can hear it in the video 

 

Went home just after 5 and she’s still working, now I’m at spot #2 using the rest of my cut-bait

 

 

10 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

My wife said she would be busy til 5 so I went to the river near home about 4 and set out catfish bait, casted a plastic worm and got a baby spotted bass

 

then I got a channel cat on cut bait. It was stuck in something but came out, the seaguar tactix braid withstood the brush, @T-Billy might be onto something about straight braid……... You can hear it in the video 

 

Went home just after 5 and she’s still working, now I’m at spot #2 using the rest of my cut-bait

 

 

Those Channels are escape artists, and as always I love the redneck ingenuity....who needs a rod holder when you got rocks ?

 

22 hours ago, scaleface said:

Had the best day of fishing in a long time . A five fish 21lb limit . All on Spinnerbait . 15 inches visibility, 56 degree wter temp, shallow on wood. Heres a 5.1, 4.11 and  4,1. Also had two 3.14's.

Excellent! 

2 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

No more emotions, but 2 fish in terrible conditions is solid in my book, most wouldn't have wet a line.   Great job!

 

Thank you, sir!

 

I'd just as soon fish in the rain. The fish don't care and it chases away the filthy casuals. lol

On 4/17/2023 at 8:41 PM, hokiehunter373 said:

45 mins to get er done tonight. Got a couple tugs on a brush hog but didn’t connect. Came up empty with a jerkbait. Got the buzzbait out for the first time this year and had the most vicious strike I’ve ever had in my life. The fight had me thinking she was 7-8 pounds. Jumped twice. Put on a show. Got her to dry ground and still thought she was gonna be 6. Too short. Just really filled out. 4.76 and if you can’t tell by the pic I’ll take that all day! 
 

hokie, that’s a nice bass! I bet that was a fun catch!

Hit the pond yesterday as I anticipated bad weather today. Caught two dinks on a Zoom Trick. 
 

As Ma Nature lied to me again, I hit the pond again around 6:15. Nothing on a spinnerbait but algae, and had a couple misses and one lost bass on a Neko Macho TR. I tried a Senko TR with no bites so I swapped it out with a Fat IKA. Had a nibble than one bit. Another dink lol. 
 

It started getting dark as it was cloudy so after I cast it near a submerged tree, I thought “Well, that’s the last cast”. I started working it back and it stopped dead. It didn’t feel “brushy” so I set the hook. Not a big gal but man, what a fight! All the way from my left to the right, pulled drag a bit, headed into the weeds, jumped and did some head-shakin’. Good end to a short trip!

 

Haven't posted in this thread since the 23 season began, so here's some highlights from a 20+ fish day I had last Thursday. First fish was 4.12lbs. All up shallow spawning and cruising. Rest were 2 and 3lbs 

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

 

 

 

I loved the report but man this photo is awesome. I appreciate you sharing your wife’s photos and they are beautiful but this one…d**n dude.

I fished a bog this morning. I saw my first geese, two V's heading north. I also heard peepers, had three loons quite close for most of the morning, and had swallows swirling around me. I caught seven fish. Five were bass and all were thick. I caught my first two bass on a swimbait and I caught a 19-incher and weighed it. She weighed 3.97 pounds. I also caught a 17.75-incher. The two bigger bass hit a shad-colored Rage Swimmer on a swim jig and altogether, I caught fish on four different lures: the Bluegill swimbait, a brass Blue Fox inline spinner, and a wacky-rigged Senko. The other three bass were in the 16" - 17" range, but my camera ran out of power, so no photos.

 

It was soooo cold again, in the thirties for half the morning. I'm going fishing again tomorrow, but NOT IN THE MORNING! Tomorrow is supposed to reach the mid-sixties...for one day...then it's back to the forties on Sunday and another 36 hours or so of rain.

23 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I fished a bog this morning. I saw my first geese, two V's heading north. I also heard peepers, had three loons quite close for most of the morning, and had swallows swirling around me. I caught seven fish. Five were bass and all were thick. I caught my first two bass on a swimbait and I caught a 19-incher and weighed it. She weighted 3.97 pounds. I also caught a 17.75-incher. The two bigger bass hit a shad-colored Rage Swimmer on a swim jig and altogether, I caught fish on four different lures: the Bluegill swimbait, a brass Blue Fox inline spinner, and a wacky-rigged Senko. The other three bass were in the 16" - 17" range, but my camera ran out of power, so no photos.

 

It was soooo cold again, in the thirties for half the morning. I'm going fishing again tomorrow, but NOT IN THE MORNING! Tomorrow is supposed to reach the mid-sixties...for one day...then it's back to the forties on Sunday and another 36 hours or so of rain.

Too cold and wet for me, maybe when I grow up I'll be as tough as you ?

 

Nice fish though, a 4lber is a win every day in my book.   You already seem to be catching bigger fish this year.  

 

Excited to see what mid day or afternoon brings you, there is just something about the middle of the day and big fish.   The vast majority of my fishing is done in the middle of the day, and nights during the summer.   I do wish I would fish some first light mornings right now to understand the Shad spawn.   

 

 

Wow, it has been a while since I’ve been on this website. Last Thursday I went to a new spot and caught two big ones on a wacky-rigged senko! The first one was weighted to be 4.2 pounds and measured a little over 19 inches, and the second one was around 3.25 pounds!

Got out today a out 8-12. Got 7 bass , 3 on spinnerbaits and 4 on a buzzbait. Best of the day weighed 5-3 on a spinnerbait. 

* bonus pic of a 3-12 caught Tues. Morning on a moss mouse.