Did pretty good today with 3 decent fish all caught on Ned rigged roboworms. 6” in morning dawn and a 7” in green pumpkin. I could see ‘em hanging out in the shallow water which was odd as they’ve been pretty skittish lately. Wouldn’t bite anything the past several days so figured I’d go back to the basics and offer up some worms. Just cast out past them and bounced it back with little hops spaced out around a pause. Wound up in the low 80s here today with clouds rolling in by late afternoon. Water clarity was maybe close to 2 feet and still a tad muddy.

 

57 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@GreenPig, did those catfish end up on a plate? My stomach growled when I saw the pics 

No. I came straight home to work on fences all day and knew I'd be beat down. But tonight looks like it's gonna be calm like last night. I may just slip back out to the lake later after a nap.

I fished a pond for two hours this evening. When I launched, it was whitecapping. I hoped to catch bass in the protected end, right where I launched, but I caught nothing. They were, as I feared, at the windswept end. It was tricky fishing at the windswept end and it took 20 minutes to paddle the length of the pond, but they were there and they were hitting. I caught 8 on a Rage Swimmer in gray and white on a swim jighead and a Blue Fox brass-bladed spinner. Then the wind died and I cast my beloved Whopper Plopper (loon/black) and a rival's similar bait (clear and chartreuse). Both caught bass and I caught another 7, for 15 in total. I did lose three on the Whopper Plopper after the Sun set. 

 

Alex told me to weigh some fish to get an idea of what they weigh. The fish I caught were all 16 inches and I weighed three and they weighed 2.41, 2.43, and 2.49 pounds. Usually I catch 16.5 to 17" bass in this pond. I don't know they were shorter tonight, but they were round.

 

I'll be fishing a quality bog tomorrow morning, hoping for a big gal!

Now that's the Katie I remember in all her glory, sore thumbs, and screaming "I am Spartan" ?

 

Great job on the measurements Katie, that's a nice sample size in order to guage the health of that bog.   For a bog that is untouched by man in terms of management, stocking, etc., your data supports what I've always seen in your pics.....amazingly healthy fish that a thriving, not just surviving.  

 

Throw your data into the Relative Weight chart that is the benchmark for LGM health, and that bog's fish are right on the money.   

 

Those fish got that pre spawn perfume as well ?

 

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Pat you are in a great location in NC for fishing. Have you been on Randleman or Badin at all? I think your ponds and small lakes are tough to beat though

 

Those lakes are on my short list to try!  I got all sorts of lakes and ponds I drool at on Google all over the state.  Lake James has got my attention right now with it's ultra clear water and mixture of large/small/spot/hybrid bass.  

 

I love having lakes and ponds super close to my house that have big bass!  It's a blessing to be sure!

2 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

 

Those lakes are on my short list to try!  I got all sorts of lakes and ponds I drool at on Google all over the state.  Lake James has got my attention right now with it's ultra clear water and mixture of large/small/spot/hybrid bass.  

 

I love having lakes and ponds super close to my house that have big bass!  It's a blessing to be sure!

For sure

 

Badin has my heart. I love that lake. Great fishing in the summertime, because it tends to stay cooler and there is a myriad of shallow water options, especially on the northern end of the lake littered with docks and water willows. 

 

Very very healthy lake, and I think it will continue to be for a long time. The fish have plenty of places to hide from anglers

 

Let me know if you ever are looking to go fishing there

Thanks, @AlabamaSpothunter! It was fun to catch a few bass and especially on the surface again. It was 70 here today and will be 70 again tomorrow. I think that's rousing the bass and especially on the surface. I used the 6th Sense squarebill that you like, but that didn't catch a bass, even though it had caught bass on earlier 2023 trips. I like it a lot. I like that it runs shallow, which I need a lure to do. I'm going to use a couple swimbaits tomorrow, as well as my Whopper Plopper and Rage Swimmer. Do you plan ahead what lures you'll be using like I do?

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

Thanks, @AlabamaSpothunter! It was fun to catch a few bass and especially on the surface again. It was 70 here today and will be 70 again tomorrow. I think that's rousing the bass and especially on the surface. I used the 6th Sense squarebill that you like, but that didn't catch a bass, even though it had caught bass on earlier 2023 trips. I like it a lot. I like that it runs shallow, which I need a lure to do. I'm going to use a couple swimbaits tomorrow, as well as my Whopper Plopper and Rage Swimmer. Do you plan ahead what lures you'll be using like I do?

I'm so stubborn that I'll be inspired or learn about a new technique that I think targets the white whale in some manner, and then I tend to lock that in my hand for weeks at a time, intermixing baits that have had at least some success in the same window as well.   

 

So one week it will be hours on end with a Buzzbait looking for those big bites, then a few weeks of using a T-Rigged Creature bait, then back to a week of buzzbaiting.  When I catch fish on more than two baits it's rare these days, not so much when I first got back into it.   

 

As the months have rolled on, I've found myself gravitating to using baits that produce significantly fewer fish, but the size is significantly larger.   I feel slowly my patience level for dealing with hours on end without a fish is improving, and I think this might be the single most important aspect if I ever catch the fish I'm hunting.    Big Swimbaits taught me a level of patience I thought I already had as a fisherman.  

 

My last thought before I go to bed is what bait, and where on the lake is most likely to yield the biggest fish.....it works out about .0000001% of the time ?

 

 

Alex, I admire your ability to catch fewer bass to target bigger bass. A-Jay, Dwight, Phish, and others do the same. I've decided to alternate this summer between a busy boat and a big-fish-focused boat. Quality one trip. Quantity the next. I do have a couple bogs that offer both, but this morning's bog, at its hottest, produced eight bass. Most mornings or evenings are one to three fish and ONE might be a big, ol' gal. Anyway, it's 4:28 a.m. and I'm off! I'm taking my Alex-suggested Shimano swimbait too, as well as my G2, which Phish loves.

So, I fished the quality bog this morning and there was a problem: I am old. I only got four hours of sleep and I was just off my game this morning. When I was young, I could fish morning and evening, seven days a week. Now a morning preceded by an evening might be too much for me. For those who are still young, fish hard while you still can!

 

I did catch three bass, but lost five and one of the five was big, in the four to five-pound range. I saw her thrash at the surface and she came unbuttoned right beside the boat. However, one of the three I caught was 20" and 4.89 lbs., so I'm happy about that, but those big, lost bass stick with me like my shadow. Here are the three fish I caught with the big girl photographed twice.

 

P. S. - Look at the shape and the tail of the last bass. She's going to be big one day. 

 

P. P. S. - All bass, caught and lost, came on a loon-colored Whopper Plopper. My swimbait, wacky-rigged Senko, and Rage Swimmer didn't produce.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

So, I fished the quality bog this morning and there was a problem: I am old. I only got four hours of sleep and I was just off my game this morning. When I was young, I could fish morning and evening, seven days a week. Now a morning preceded by an evening might be too much for me. For those who are still young, fish hard while you still can!

 

I did catch three bass, but lost five and one of the five was big, in the four to five-pound range. I saw her thrash at the surface and she came unbuttoned right beside the boat. However, one of the three I caught was 20" and 4.89 lbs., so I'm happy about that, but those big, lost bass stick with me like my shadow. Here are the three fish I caught with the big girl photographed twice.

 

P. S. - Look at the shape and the tail of the last bass. She's going to be big one day. 

 

P. P. S. - All bass, caught and lost, came on a loon-colored Whopper Plopper. My swimbait, wacky-rigged Senko, and Rage Swimmer didn't produce.

 

 

 

Nice one Katie!    

 

Getting old really sucks, and you fish in a manner that would make a teenager tired.

 

Ah to go back to the days of pulling all nighters ?

Only two hours, but did catch early off a Whopper Plopper 90. This was the first. The second was two times as long as the bait lol. 
 

On 3/26/2023 at 8:53 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Got some love on a Spro Little Jon 50, Buzzbait, and Shimano big bait.    Tons of follows and strikes, and even a couple lost ones of that Shimano bait.   I think it was bucks just blowing it up out of anger, the ones that were hooked, were on the outside like they were just swiping it.    Easily the most drawing power out of any lure I've owned.      

 

Those are absolutely beautiful fish. Those last two pics are pretty enough to hang on the wall. 

We've had a lot of cold rainy days here in central Michigan. Spring has had a slow start. Been out several times in the last couple months and couldn't get even a nibble. 

 

Went to my favorite smallie hole today and got a feisty little 13incher on my second cast. Fished for three more hours, changing baits and waters and didn't catch anything the rest of the day. But it feels really good to have beaten the 2023 skunk. 

 

6 minutes ago, IcatchDinks said:

Those are absolutely beautiful fish. Those last two pics are pretty enough to hang on the wall. 

Thanks, a Spotted Bass truly is a beautiful fish.  

I caught 12 today, 10 spots and 2 Largemouth.  Like Katie I only fished a few hours, then came home for a nap.  I also "caught" a tiny shad.  I gave it to a Great Blue Heron.  They were working the bank, standing in the water, catching and eating shad.   I held this one up and said "hey bird".  One of them looked at me and started flying my way.  I threw the shad in the water when the bird got close.  It swooped down and got it.  It made a big circle then flew over me squawking.  I'm saying it was thanking me.  LOL  Most of the bass came on a bladed jig.  A couple on a crank, and 1 on a t-rig.   I also caught 4 White Perch on cranks.  

 

 

5 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

So, I fished the quality bog this morning and there was a problem: I am old. I only got four hours of sleep and I was just off my game this morning. When I was young, I could fish morning and evening, seven days a week. Now a morning preceded by an evening might be too much for me. For those who are still young, fish hard while you still can!

 

I did catch three bass, but lost five and one of the five was big, in the four to five-pound range. I saw her thrash at the surface and she came unbuttoned right beside the boat. However, one of the three I caught was 20" and 4.89 lbs., so I'm happy about that, but those big, lost bass stick with me like my shadow. Here are the three fish I caught with the big girl photographed twice.

 

P. S. - Look at the shape and the tail of the last bass. She's going to be big one day. 

 

P. P. S. - All bass, caught and lost, came on a loon-colored Whopper Plopper. My swimbait, wacky-rigged Senko, and Rage Swimmer didn't produce.

 

 

 

Very impressive no matter what your age & they were all on top water early in the season.

Around 4 tiny bass 12 inches or less along with 5 pike and my first smallie of the year. I can live with that.

Way to go, Murph!

 

@Dwight Hottle, upon reflection, I do think that the bass were nipping more than clobbering my Whopper Plopper, which might be why my hooking percentage dropped. You can see in a couple of my photos that the trees have yet to unfurl their leaves, which means the water's still a bit nip, which means the bass aren't as frisky as they'll soon be. Thanks for the encouraging words, Dwight. It means a lot coming from you.

 

I like @Woody B's story. He's Dr. Doolittly!

 

 

 

We got 7 today and I'm proud that the biggest one came off shore on the Berkley Stunna!

 

4.3 lb Jerkbait beast.

 

She hit and I thought I was hung and then she proceeded to peel my drag and swim around the boat and into the trolling motor and she jumped 3 feet into the air 6 times (my son counted ?) on the way in.

 

She fought like a smallmouth and on the Jerkbait with the lighter line it was the best fight I've ever gotten out of a largemouth and the biggest offshore fish I've ever caught.  

 

I caught all of my fish today off the same offshore hump and Jake got all his off beds on the lizard.  We saw a million boats just parked on the beds not catching anything and we joked that we would go back through there and catch em when they all left and that's literally what we did.  Just cast from 50 feet back and dead sticked his lizard and caught every single buck those anglers missed.

 

Proud dad!

 

Best 5 just shy of 14 lbs with off shore kicker ain't bad for a windy day when the lake was getting absolutely hammered up shallow.

 

Gonna keep trying to dial in my deep structure fishing and hopefully this windy front doesn't absolutely reck the fishing this week.

 

Tight lines to all!

First bass of the day was a good one.  27 inches, 10.76 pounds.  

       It was only the third time I have been able to go bass fishing this year.  I tried to go last Sunday to the lake I was at today, but the road was closed to the lake because of a bad buss accident, so I had to turn around and go home.  Four hours of driving and I didn't even get a line wet.

      I planned on going to Trigomil for three days this weekend, but work got in the way of that trip.  Finally last night my wife told me to go before I drove her crazy.  I left at 3:00 AM and was fishing by 7:30.  I  Started off fishing a large tree in 25 feet of water with some surface lures, but not much going on the top.  Ran a square bill around the outside of the tree nicking a few branches, but didn't want to throw in the middle of the tree until I had tried some more tree friendly lures first.

      I tossed a T rig Magnum Trick Worm in the middle of the large branches. and  Felt a bite on the first cast. I set the hook and instantly new I hooked a good bass, but as soon as I felt the fish, I was stopped cold by a tree branch.  I assumed the bass was gone and I was now fighting a tree, but then the line started to give a little, and I was in a seesaw battle with the bass wrapped around one or more branches.  I would free spool and let the bass take line hoping he would unwind himself, then I would tighten up and pull all the while feeling the line go back and forth across the tree wondering when the line would snap. I pulled the anchor and tried getting on different sides, at different angles, but after 20 minuets trying every angle, I didn't feel the fish anymore and was sure I was simply wrapped on the tree.  I got straight over the snag, wrapped the line around my hand and started to pull hard enough to break the line.  About the time I was ready for the line to break, the bass started moving and was suddenly free.  I grabbed the rod out of the holder, and faught the bass to the surface.

    I was surprised at it's size.  I have caught bass this big off of the very same tree at the the same water level before, but had assumed if it couldn't be much over 6 pounds or it would have broken the line.  I am glad I had respooled my line the night before.  I was back to trying floro again, after swearing I would never use it again for the hundredth time, but I will say the 15 pound fluorocarbon was up to the task.  Now for the real test, how well it performs next week after being stressed to the limit.

     The pictures tell the rest of the story.  I landed a few smaller bass on a variety of lures, but was forced off the water by 1:30 because the afternoon West winds were exceptionally strong today, with gusts well over 30 mph.

     I didn't mind leaving early because I was sure I used up all of my luck and them some for one day.

 

 

         

3 minutes ago, king fisher said:

First bass of the day was a good one.  27 inches, 10.76 pounds.  

       It was only the third time I have been able to go bass fishing this year.  I tried to go last Sunday to the lake I was at today, but the road was closed to the lake because of a bad buss accident, so I had to turn around and go home.  Four hours of driving and I didn't even get a line wet.

      I planned on going to Trigomil for three days this weekend, but work got in the way of that trip.  Finally last night my wife told me to go before I drove her crazy.  I left at 3:00 AM and was fishing by 7:30.  I  Started off fishing a large tree in 25 feet of water with some surface lures, but not much going on the top.  Ran a square bill around the outside of the tree nicking a few branches, but didn't want to throw in the middle of the tree until I had tried some more tree friendly lures first.

      I tossed a T rig Magnum Trick Worm in the middle of the large branches. and  Felt a bite on the first cast. I set the hook and instantly new I hooked a good bass, but as soon as I felt the fish, I was stopped cold by a tree branch.  I assumed the bass was gone and I was now fighting a tree, but then the line started to give a little, and I was in a seesaw battle with the bass wrapped around one or more branches.  I would free spool and let the bass take line hoping he would unwind himself, then I would tighten up and pull all the while feeling the line go back and forth across the tree wondering when the line would snap. I pulled the anchor and tried getting on different sides, at different angles, but after 20 minuets trying every angle, I didn't feel the fish anymore and was sure I was simply wrapped on the tree.  I got straight over the snag, wrapped the line around my hand and started to pull hard enough to break the line.  About the time I was ready for the line to break, the bass started moving and was suddenly free.  I grabbed the rod out of the holder, and faught the bass to the surface.

    I was surprised at it's size.  I have caught bass this big off of the very same tree at the the same water level before, but had assumed if it couldn't be much over 6 pounds or it would have broken the line.  I am glad I had respooled my line the night before.  I was back to trying floro again, after swearing I would never use it again for the hundredth time, but I will say the 15 pound fluorocarbon was up to the task.  Now for the real test, how well it performs next week after being stressed to the limit.

     The pictures tell the rest of the story.  I landed a few smaller bass on a variety of lures, but was forced off the water by 1:30 because the afternoon West winds were exceptionally strong today, with gusts well over 30 mph.

     I didn't mind leaving early because I was sure I used up all of my luck and them some for one day.

 

 

         

MOTHER OF GOD!   THAT'S FREAKING AWESOME DUDE!

 

My word you're a blessed, lucky, and talented man!    How many DDs you got?

 

Man congrats dude, truly a fish of a lifetime for 99.9% of Bass anglers.

@king fisher, if Bass Resource had an award for catch of the year, you'd get my vote. Yours might not be the biggest bass caught at BR in 2023, but I can't imagine anyone exercising more patience and wisdom than you did. You did a great job telling your tale too. Do you know anyone at Field and Stream or Outdoor Life? I think your story should be told and retold. 

@AlabamaSpothunter I love your enthusiasm for everyone else’s fish pictures. “Mother of god” dang near made me choke on my Cheerios I’m currently enjoying ?

Went out this evening to try out my new Daiwa Procyon AL dropshotting by the London Bridge. It was a fun evening with a roboworm. On a side note I tried the Seaguar Basix line and was surprised. No breakage with my 2nd bass as it charged hard under a dock.

6 hours ago, king fisher said:

First bass of the day was a good one.  27 inches, 10.76 pounds. 

WOW, Man. Just wow!