Woody B Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 I basically had 2 different days today. I caught 11 bass between 6:45 and 10 am. None between 10 and 3. I also hooked 2 longnose Gar. The first was small, maybe 18 inches long. It was hooked in it's toothy mouth. It jumped a couple times, more than it's body length out of the water. I got it up to the boat and was trying to decide how to deal with it, and it got off. I caught a 14 inch Bass the cast before the first Gar. So, I came up with a Gar plan. I decided if I hooked any more I'd get them up next to the boat, take their picture then try to shake it off. The next cast I hooked a decent sized Gar in the back. It pulled like a tug boat. It didn't jump, probably because it was hooked in the tail. I got it next to the boat but it got loose before I got a picture. I'm guessing it was 30 inches long, but stuff looks big in the water. It rained a BUNCH Thursday and Friday morning. The South Fork River had a flood warning. (One of the main tributaries). The lake was really muddy, with stuff floating everywhere. I never got over 10mph. There was high dollar bass boats zipping through the muck. The sound of the stuff hitting their hulls sounded like firecrackers going off. I caught all of my Bass in the middle third of one creek. It wasn't as muddy or debris filled. After I had fished it out I went to several other creeks but they were already "blown out" 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cbump Posted April 29, 2023 Share Posted April 29, 2023 24 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said: You know the ol' Texas historical Google Earth imagery trick? Go to around 2011-2013 drought period and look around? Thought that it was a secret but I discovered that it's talked about enough that it's not really a secret. Plus only seems to work around Texas cuz we get big droughts There’s a guy that studies those and sells the waypoints. But he talks about the entire lake on YouTube. So I’ve sat many hours zooming in on his video and marking the spots manually on my navionics lol. I stopped though because It took forever and I never actually found anything good from his spots on the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted April 29, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 29, 2023 3 minutes ago, Cbump said: There’s a guy that studies those and sells the waypoints. But he talks about the entire lake on YouTube. So I’ve sat many hours zooming in on his video and marking the spots manually on my navionics lol. I stopped though because It took forever and I never actually found anything good from his spots on the water. Yeah he's the guy I learned that from. I will continue to do it. But once he talked through how it's done, I just found and entered everything myself. And oh yeah, it takes hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User NorthernBasser Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 2 hours ago, gimruis said: Shorts and flip flops? How freaking warm is it there? Its still winter-like to the west of you lol LOL. It was mid-60's all week. Chillier today tho. My friend who lives in northern WI still has some ice of most his lakes. I swear it's like a different country up there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric 26 Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Cbump said: I got 3rd place overall in the tournament today. 3 fish Limit tournament. I had 8.14 lbs. Winner was 9.5, second 8.75. I also got second place big bass at 5.65lbs. I lost two others between 4 and 5 pounds but that’s the way It goes I guess. Congratulations to you sir ?? 3 hours ago, Cbump said: 3 hours ago, Cbump said: Edited April 30, 2023 by Eric 26 Stupidity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micaiah Lindquist Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 After three days of hard fishing we finally found some better fish down here in Orlando fishing canals. The first one we tried was real shallow and covered in fish, but they were all small. The second was deep and had much better quality. My brother caught a 19" and I got a 21" and another between 18-19". I think my scale is broken (It's a cheap H20 one) because according to it the big fish only weighed 4-7. I could see a 21" bass weighing that if really skinny, but this one was just average. According to the length/girth calculator on here it was 5.8. I've caught a 21.5" that was 6-12 (that was a fatty), so I'm fairly certain my scale is messed up and my fish was probably low 5's. 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User AlabamaSpothunter Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 4 minutes ago, Micaiah Lindquist said: After three days of hard fishing we finally found some better fish down here in Orlando fishing canals. The first one we tried was real shallow and covered in fish, but they were all small. The second was deep and had much better quality. My brother caught a 19" and I got a 21" and another between 18-19". I think my scale is broken (It's a cheap H20 one) because according to it the big fish only weighed 4-7. I could see a 21" bass weighing that if really skinny, but this one was just average. According to the length/girth calculator on here it was 5.8. I've caught a 21.5" that was 6-12 (that was a fatty), so I'm fairly certain my scale is messed up and my fish was probably low 5's. Nice ones! That bigger fish is over 5lb with almost certainty. Get a 10lb barbell weight to periodically check your scale. I've had two digital fishing scales, and they always weigh it at 10lbs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micaiah Lindquist Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 I don't usually get that excited over a 4 pounder, but we'd been fishing for 3 days without catching a single bass that would break 2lbs, so we were pretty ecstatic about finally getting a decent one lol 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 7 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said: I've had two digital fishing scales, and they always weigh it at 10lbs. Mine get's stupid when the batteries get low. Sometimes it's low, sometimes it's high. The 11 pound Blue Catfish I caught a couple weeks ago weighed 19 pounds on my digital scale. I knew it wasn't 19 pounds so I weighed it on my mechanical scale. When I got home the batteries were so dead it wouldn't power up. With fresh batteries my 10 pound weight was 9 pounds 15 ounces. Nice Bass @Micaiah Lindquist regardless of what it weighed, or what your scale said it weighed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Swamp Girl Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 2 hours ago, Woody B said: Nice Bass @Micaiah Lindquist regardless of what it weighed, or what your scale said it weighed. ^That's^ the best attitude. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 15 hours ago, NorthernBasser said: LOL. It was mid-60's all week. Chillier today tho. My friend who lives in northern WI still has some ice of most his lakes. I swear it's like a different country up there. Most of the lakes north of about Brainerd here still have ice too. There is some question as to whether some of these bigger lakes up north may still have ice come opener on May 13. The lakes around me have been open now for about 10 days, but the weather has been just raw. Definitely not summer apparel. At this point the spawn isn't going to be until July 4 here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 On 4/29/2023 at 7:37 AM, ol'crickety said: Yeah, I fished a Whopper Plopper out of desperation and it caught my only bass. Back in January I had caught several early, deep on an A-rig. All of a sudden the bite turned off. A few hours later I saw bass, right against the bank, in the Sun. I threw my tackle box at them. They didn't spook, or respond in any way. Finally I threw a Devils Horse. I caught several of them. That's the first time I'd caught topwater bass in Jan. and it 48 degree water. Perhaps a topwater lure that's a little more subtle than a Whopper Plopper would work. The Devils Horse I use is 3/8 ounce. I can make it land like a feather when I cast it. Isn't a W Plopper much heavier? Perhaps a small popper, or small prop bait like Heddon Torpedo would entice them. Even though they don't scurry away when your lures land perhaps they're spooked enough to not bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Swamp Girl Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 Great ideas, Woody! I can't wait to try 'em, but it'll have to wait a few days. It's crazy windy and wet there right now. More than three inches of rain today and tonight. Tomorrow the high will be in the forties and the wind will gust to the forties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted April 30, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted April 30, 2023 Bigzzzz……… dragged a big live gizzard to no avail, they were spawning all over the banks but nothing chasing them 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 It rained a bunch overnight last night. It was still raining when I left the house this morning but it had stopped by the time I got to the lake. Lake is still muddy and full of debris. I managed to find a few spots that weren't that bad. I caught 6 between 8 and 11AM. 5 spots and 1 Largemouth, all between 14 and 16 inches. I was going to go down to the dam and see if the mudline had made it all the way down there but the weather changed. It was strange. The wind was from the North, but there was a BIG BLACK cloud coming from the South. I've said before, I respect lightning. I've got an app on my phone that detects lightning, and how far away it is. I got a notice that lightning was 50 miles away, to the South. I decided instead of going South to the dam I'd stay where I was, try to catch one more, then leave. (I like to catch a bass on my last cast when possible. It leave me pumped for the next trip) I caught spot on my next cast. I ran into a storm a few minutes after loading up and heading home. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted April 30, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted April 30, 2023 6 hours ago, gimruis said: At this point the spawn isn't going to be until July 4 here. Does that defeat the purpose of the closed bass season ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 12 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said: Does that defeat the purpose of the closed bass season ? Yes. The closure of bass season here really has nothing to do with bass though to begin with. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted April 30, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted April 30, 2023 12 minutes ago, gimruis said: Yes. The closure of bass season here really has nothing to do with bass though to begin with. Hmmm. Well what’s it for then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User gimruis Posted April 30, 2023 Super User Share Posted April 30, 2023 Just now, TnRiver46 said: Hmmm. Well what’s it for then? Walleye Bass typically spawn after the closure ends here, sometimes up to a month after. They don’t want anyone accidentally catching the beloved walleyes while they are bass fishing. The bass season closure conveniently aligns perfectly with the closure of walleye season. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattfish352 Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 I hadn't done much since I joined the forum. I lost my last few really big fish honestly. One I truly belive to have been comfortably over 10. I know they all say that. Anyway, this weekend I got 2 big girls at 7 lbs 15 oz, and 9 lbs 2 oz. Both on Texas rigged gambler fat ace. Private lake in Central Florida. The smaller fish was sight casted amongst schoolers and the bigger was caught on the bottom in 10-15 ft. I release all my fish asap. 26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micaiah Lindquist Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 1 hour ago, Mattfish352 said: I hadn't done much since I joined the forum. I lost my last few really big fish honestly. One I truly belive to have been comfortably over 10. I know they all say that. Anyway, this weekend I got 2 big girls at 7 lbs 15 oz, and 9 lbs 2 oz. Both on Texas rigged gambler fat ace. Private lake in Central Florida. The smaller fish was sight casted amongst schoolers and the bigger was caught on the bottom in 10-15 ft. I release all my fish asap. GIANTS!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Swamp Girl Posted May 1, 2023 Super User Share Posted May 1, 2023 12 hours ago, Mattfish352 said: I lost my last few really big fish honestly. One I truly belive to have been comfortably over 10. I know they all say that. Anyway, this weekend I got 2 big girls at 7 lbs 15 oz, and 9 lbs 2 oz. I believe it was a DD simply because you caught two fish close to a DD. You know when a fish is bigger, unlike me, who has never whiffed a DD and therefore haven't a clue. If I ever hooked and lost a seven-pounder, I'd likely say, "It was a DD for sure!" Congrats on those BIG fish! I encourage you to spend more time here. It's a great group of guys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User N Florida Mike Posted May 1, 2023 Super User Share Posted May 1, 2023 On 4/26/2023 at 11:51 AM, TnRiver46 said: I’ve caught a groundhog possum and chipmunk so far today…… Come catch my otter and you will get lifetime fishing in my lake whenever you want ! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted May 1, 2023 Global Moderator Share Posted May 1, 2023 Got out a couple times this weekend. First trip was Friday evening for about 1.5 hours to a local lake. This was primarily a big bait trip and was a lot of fun for a short trip. Not many big fish in this lake, but they don't seem to know that and love trying to eat big swimbaits. This poor guy ate the Chad Shad next to the kayak, I think just so I could remove the hook it had hanging from it because there's no way it was hungry. The wind was really calm and I was missing fish so I switched to a smaller Provoked swimbait, really seemed to fire them up and I got the biggest of the night right before I left. Sunday the wind was howling, so I fished a marina at a local reservoir I thought would be protected, it was not, at least not very. The fish were very cooperative and whatever year class these 16" smallies came from must have been a great spawning year. Most of my fish were on a Ned or split shot rigged Zman SMH worm. I had one point I probably pulled 12-15 fish off of in short order before I caught the attention of some bank anglers and the party was over. Once the wind got too strong I put it on the trailer and parked in a different lot. I'd brought my catfish rods and had caught 1 big white bass I saved to use for cut bait while I rigged my rods with the intention to go fish in the creek above the lake, I never made it that far. I'd never caught a blue from this lake before this day, sure was a good time. I was only batting .500 on hookups to bites too. Not bad for a couple hours from shore. Doesn't hurt that I caught a half dozen 16-17 inch smallies from the bank while I was waiting for those bites either. This guy had 2 hooks in his throat, I didn't even have him hooked. 2 trips and I removed 3 hooks from fish left by other anglers. This smallmouth somehow broke the space time continuum. Most of it's body was clear but it's tail is blurry because it flopped right as I took the picture. 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User roadwarrior Posted May 1, 2023 Super User Share Posted May 1, 2023 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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