Last trip for May.  I got a rare holiday off.   I caught 11 Bass, 2 Crappie and a Yellow Perch.  (Crappie and Perch pictures in other species thread)  I caught a nice Spot on my 3rd or 4th cast at 5:40.  I caught 3 before 6.   The biggest was a 18 Inch spot.  I also caught a 17 inch Largemouth.   The weather has been "funny".  Water temp is down 4 degrees from last week, and 5 degrees from week before last. (69 degrees now)   A few of them had beat up tails.  I suppose these are the late spawners.  Most were on a Seibert Bladed Jig, a few on Cranks.  One on a Evergreen 105 and one on a Texas rig.   

Greetings All,

Hoping each of you are well and enjoying the extended Holiday weekend. I had an opportunity to travel to Copper Sky park in Maricopa AZ for another go at fishing the lake (pond) there. A few hours of good angling fun catching bass all about the small body of water. As I worked the shoreline around the entire lake I eventually ended up to where the wind was blowing directly at me. That turned out to be a good thing in several ways. The floating debris collected against the shore and provided some cover with shade from the AZ sun. Something both anglers and fish appreciate where available. As I'm working the floating mat of reeds I notice something bobbing towards me in the water that is not plant debris. It turned out to be a ghost crankbait adrift. A few precision casts to encourage it in a better direction and I was eventually able to reach it. Nice! Other than some exposure issues the bait looked to be in good usable shape. It just needed some cleaning.

 

Poking about the reeds a bit more I found a couple of interested bass before finding another large billed crank bait. The visit was great! I caught a lot of nice sized bass that were great fun to experience on-line. I also came home with these two keepers.

The blue one in on the left has a chatter bait styled hinged bill. I'm not familiar with using crank baits as I'm typically a recreational ultra lite soft plastic angler. Over the years I've harvested a large number of abandoned crank baits so I'm going to have to make an effort to learn how to use them. I'll get these cleaned up and eventually give them a try. Cheers!

Woody B noun 1. an all-weather angler who always catches fish 2. an angler who catches spots and lmb as easily as an eagle soars

Had a lot of fun before the really nasty weather hit.  We got all the fish this weekend on the jig which is just fine with us!!!

 

Happy memorial day to all and thanks to all who serve our country!

 

Tight lines to everyone.

 

On 5/28/2023 at 4:00 PM, BrianMDTX said:

@thediscochef I tried that pond you told me about. Holey moley! I just fished Lake Raven yesterday and remarked about having little experience with hydrilla and weeds. That pond is absolutely choked! I fished for an hour, collected 42.5 tons of green stuff and left lol. 
 

Went to my local pond as it was now after 9:00. Caught 13 bass in 3.5 hours. All on soft plastics. Most were dinks. These five were the biggest. The last was #13 and the biggest. The dinks were true dinks. Like fugitives from a sardine can. 
 

Sounds like it's a frogs-only sort of place this time of year LOL it was weedy when I went in December! Ray Roberts is full of Eurasian Milfoil right now sadly so I'm used to fishing with that and a healthy level of filamentous, not for the faint of heart nor exposed of hooks. Sorry it didn't work out better, give it a shot in the winter 

Hey, I fished a new place. It’s all good. But yeah, frogs only at this point. Which means, of course, I left my frog rod home lol. 

They are still catching bigger fish than me, even on the doubles 

3 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

They are still catching bigger fish than me, even on the doubles 

What are they doing differently? I’m actually seriously wondering now

Months later, this is still the lure in my box that puts the most excitement in it.    With the 77-80d temps, I've started to burn/go this big Shimano swimbait, and the fish of all sizes now have come unglued on it the last week +.     

 

I've gotten Bluegills, and little packs of 6" Bass to follow this bait, it has a randomness and body roll on the burn retrieve that straddles that big bait line perfectly.   I just love this bait so much, every single time out, it produces at least one moment of pure electricity.   Today it caught 4 fish including a 5.8 big fish, but had another 2-3 strikes, and at least that many swervers.   

 

Had a 5+ shake it in the air last time out with it, whether you lose them or catch them like today, watching a 5+ submarine and commit on a bait is the most addictive way I've found to catch these fish.    I'd say I get to witness over half the fish I catch on the bait track and eat it.    The Buzzbait is exhilarating but like a Jack in the Box, this bait is like watching the innards of the Jack in the Box work right before they spring.     

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

What are they doing differently? I’m actually seriously wondering now

Hahaha! I’d probably have to tell ya over a beer, the leader in the clubhouse so far has been known to cast his line out and stare off into space with his rod pointed vertically and the line wrapped all around it. But he can tell you everything about a green heron you ever wanted to know and has spotted 15 alligators so far and caught one of them with 8 lb test 

 

moral of the story: we all try way too hard 

 

today I threw a monster glide bait type thing in attempt to catch a bigger one and an 11” bass ate it 

14 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

 

 

The bucket brigade has been out in droves this weekend.  It's almost too much for me to handle and it takes everything in my being not to talk smack when I walk past them on the bank but I bite my tongue and smile and ask if anything is biting.  Better to be kind and tolerant overall.

 

To be fair they aren't catching doodle squat.

 

The big bass in my pond laugh at live bait.

Over the weekend I saw someone posted a video of a bank side bass catch and cook "to make bass fishermen cry." 

Well sportsball was disappointing so I decided to try some night fishing. Most of my good Largemouth catches last year revolved around full moon which we are approaching. So it seemed like a great time to go out and ... shatter my Smallmouth PB?

 

I was out for about an hour of casting, about to leave when I was rolling the lipless where I always do. Felt a heavy thump and a HARD kick...followed by that ominous sensation of line being rubbed on something. I know this set of rip rap like my bedroom floor; there's not a snag there. However, it is post-holiday weekend...someone else's junk. I sit there and try all my little "get free" tricks to no avail and decide to just let out 7-10 long pulls of line and see if the fish could get us out. Success. My red eye shad was hooked with one barb right in the corner of its mouth, along with the rogue crankbait that done the mischief and a big ole wad of monofilament. Whole thing was probably a five minute ordeal. Most time and slack line I've ever had in a fight. Now I have a PB (4lb 1oz), a story, and a free crankbait. I always said I would lose it a bit if I caught a decent Smallmouth down here...I'm about 40 minutes post fish and am just now calm. You can see it on my face lol. I can't believe it

26 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

Over the weekend I saw someone posted a video of a bank side bass catch and cook "to make bass fishermen cry." 

 

In this day and age people will do anything for attention.

 

21 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

Well sportsball was disappointing so I decided to try some night fishing. Most of my good Largemouth catches last year revolved around full moon which we are approaching. So it seemed like a great time to go out and ... shatter my Smallmouth PB?

 

I was out for about an hour of casting, about to leave when I was rolling the lipless where I always do. Felt a heavy thump and a HARD kick...followed by that ominous sensation of line being rubbed on something. I know this set of rip rap like my bedroom floor; there's not a snag there. However, it is post-holiday weekend...someone else's junk. I sit there and try all my little "get free" tricks to no avail and decide to just let out 7-10 long pulls of line and see if the fish could get us out. Success. My red eye shad was hooked with one barb right in the corner of its mouth, along with the rogue crankbait that done the mischief and a big ole wad of monofilament. Whole thing was probably a five minute ordeal. Most time and slack line I've ever had in a fight. Now I have a PB (4lb 1oz), a story, and a free crankbait. I always said I would lose it a bit if I caught a decent Smallmouth down here...I'm about 40 minutes post fish and am just now calm. You can see it on my face lol. I can't believe it

 

That's such an awesome story and I'm sure she appreciates being freed up from that crankbait and wad of line!  Absolutely epic PB smallmouth!

10 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

That's such an awesome story and I'm sure she appreciates being freed up from that crankbait and wad of line!  Absolutely epic PB smallmouth!

Thanks! I don't often get a good story to go with a PB, usually just a run of the mill catch. It wasn't a fresh bait or line so I'm sure it's been waiting a while to get free

55 minutes ago, ironbjorn said:

Over the weekend I saw someone posted a video of a bank side bass catch and cook "to make bass fishermen cry." 

I think doing something out of spite for no real gain is kinda dumb anyway, but intentionally consuming extra PFAS to 'own the bass fishermen' (or whatever) is some kind of galaxy-brain 9-D chess move. Those brain cells are workin overtime for sure. That said, I love seeing people take bass up to about 4lb...makes more forage available for more 5+ fish. When we start seeing people keep the big breeding fish though...that's a bit of a problem

1 minute ago, thediscochef said:

I think doing something out of spite for no real gain is kinda dumb anyway, but intentionally consuming extra PFAS to 'own the bass fishermen' (or whatever) is some kind of galaxy-brain 9-D chess move. Those brain cells are workin overtime for sure. That said, I love seeing people take bass up to about 4lb...makes more forage available for more 5+ fish. When we start seeing people keep the big breeding fish though...that's a bit of a problem

The 21st century is just room temperature IQ.

Just now, ironbjorn said:

The 21st century is just room temperature IQ.

A great lot of it for sure 

Started this Memorial Day off with heading to my local river at around 9am today. Later than I wanted to start, but owning a bird dog requires I provide him with a long morning walk, or chance what his boredom will result in. The water temperature had risen 6 degrees or so with the last few days of warmer weather, so I was eager to find, what I hoped would be some post spawn funk fish who's metabolism's were charged up by the increase. Started off the morning at a location I do no often fish this early in the season, found an interesting looking pool, with a current seam to cast a rapala x-rap into, and with the second cast of the day we were off! And boy did it feel good to watch a smallie launch itself into the air again! The day consisted of consistent action until I decided to head off for a quick lunch around 12, so much so I found I barely had to wade much of the river today. Learned a few lessons today, such as why I normally tie a flouro leader, as the rocks weakened my braid main line enough to snap off a few fish during the outing. Taking pictures is a bit difficult wading waist deep in water, so none there, but the day was not over yet.

Charged back out after lunch, and brought my finesse setup with me as I had begun to use a ned rig as the day had progressed and felt that the new jig heads I was using were too small for a med power rod, well that and user error I am sure. Stuck a few at the same spot with the ned, and feeling satisfied that I had avenged some earlier errors, got back in the car and drove up river to a location I had discovered a couple years prior, but had failed to journey here last season with the water levels at an appropriate level. On the journey to the sweet spot I found a very eager participant, likely last years brood. In fact the size 8 x-rap was larger than himself.

Pushing forward to the steep rocky point that creates a current seam with these water levels, began casting, working the bait quickly to match the energy I had witnessed from the fish all afternoon. Nothing along the current seam, but perhaps further ahead? And indeed that was the sweet spot!

All in all an awesome day, definitely a learning experience, in some regards. Thought I might skimp on typing a flouro leader, and learned quickly how non abrasive resistant 6 pound braid is! This season has also rekindled my love of a good jerkbait bite, there is nothing else like it!

 

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They are still catching bigger fish than me, even on the doubles 

Have you tried a spinnerbait? They have a reputation for catching larger than average fish. ?

6 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

They are still catching bigger fish than me, even on the doubles 

 

Good job.  When you take kids fishing they're supposed to catch more and bigger fish that you do.  In a few decades maybe they'll be taking kids fishing letting them catch more.  

3 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Have you tried a spinnerbait? They have a reputation for catching larger than average fish. ?

I did, and caught one! 

Lots of little ones yesterday

 

3 hours ago, Woody B said:

 

Good job.  When you take kids fishing they're supposed to catch more and bigger fish that you do.  In a few decades maybe they'll be taking kids fishing letting them catch more.  

Hopefully that’s exactly how it goes in the future! But I don’t take it easy on ‘em, they are just good fishermen haha

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I did, and caught one! 

Wait, what?

Pigs must have flown…?

Congrats!