Was able to get out at sunrise for a few hours this morning. We had rain yesterday which had the lake turned up pretty good, so I knew ahead of time it'd be a tough bite. Caught bass but nothing picture worthy. I'm normally not to thrilled when catching pickerel but it was just nice getting bit. Here's the biggest one, caught on a Megabass Popmax.

9 minutes ago, NJBasstard said:

Was able to get out at sunrise for a few hours this morning. We had rain yesterday which had the lake turned up pretty good, so I knew ahead of time it'd be a tough bite. Caught bass but nothing picture worthy. I'm normally not to thrilled when catching pickerel but it was just nice getting bit. Here's the biggest one, caught on a Megabass Popmax.

Looks like a handful, bet he smashed the popper 

@NJBasstard, that's a long, thick pickerel. I'm glad you posted it!

18 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Looks like a handful, bet he smashed the popper 

 

8 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@NJBasstard, that's a long, thick pickerel. I'm glad you posted it!

 

 

Thanks! Yeah it was a fun catch and certainly one of the bigger ones I've got recently. The pickerel seam to love that Bahama Milk Pearl color in the waters near me.

Well, was waiting for the hockey game to come on (GO CATS!), so decided to hit the pond again after the rain. 4 fish in 35-40 mins. I can not complain about that. My neighborhood is amazing to fish, so far 3/4 ponds has given me a 3lbs'er and TONS of 2+. A few dinks, but mostly they are 2+. 3lbs 3oz was the biggest out of the 4. 

 

 

 

Today after work we had a really fun quick session and got some bass on poppers and Jake caught a white Nile tilapia and shared it with the kids who were playing before letting it go.  Can't wait for more topwater action this week!!!

 

 

@AlabamaSpothunter you're a kind gentleman and a brilliant bass fisherman and he's honored to have you say such nice things about his future bass fishing.  He's gonna try to make good on all of that!  ??????

5 hours ago, Team9nine said:

 

 

Looks like you finally got some new jeans!!

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Looks like you finally got some new jeans!!

He's got one knee on the ground, and one behind that bass - odds are it's to hide the rips.

 

Brian fishing in un-torn jeans? Sacrilege.

Jeans tear up quick walking around ponds 

6 hours ago, gimruis said:

Looks like you finally got some new jeans!!

I was wondering if you’d notice ?

 

6 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

He's got one knee on the ground, and one behind that bass - odds are it's to hide the rips.

 

Brian fishing in un-torn jeans? Sacrilege.

Turned the old pair into shorts for the summer 

I got out last night in the rain and 57 degree temperature. I was at work all day yesterday thinking about throwing a frog, it was going to be over cast and ran so why not. This was the second day of a cold front that has come through. I had a fish roll on it within 5 cast, although he didn’t grab it. I could coax them into hitting it with either letting it sit there or popping it or changing my cadence with the walk. I had a few of them grab it and take it under. But when you tried to reel in and feel them to set the hook there was nothing there. I then deduced that they were either grabbing the longer tails and not getting the body or that they were smaller fish. I decided to break out the choppo and my conclusion was proven with the dink that I caught. He just barely had the rear treble in his mouth, so they were nipping at the bait. I tried the choppo some more and they were not hitting it so back to the frog, had a few more miss it and nippers so I moved around a little bit. By this time I was soaking wet and cold so I decided to pack it in. Hey at least I didn’t get skunked, fish was caught just outside the weed edge.

@NJBasstard massive pickerel!

12 hours ago, NJBasstard said:

Was able to get out at sunrise for a few hours this morning. We had rain yesterday which had the lake turned up pretty good, so I knew ahead of time it'd be a tough bite. Caught bass but nothing picture worthy. I'm normally not to thrilled when catching pickerel but it was just nice getting bit. Here's the biggest one, caught on a Megabass Popmax.

That's a dandy. Congrats.

@Jmurphy87, frog fishing is hard! It's still too early here to frog fish. The lily pads are still small, but soon. I look forward to it. I dread it. 

 

I like how we've given @NJBasstard's fine pickerel some love. We're not total bass snobs. 

2 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

@Jmurphy87, frog fishing is hard! It's still too early here to frog fish. The lily pads are still small, but soon. I look forward to it. I dread it. 

 

I like how we've given @NJBasstard's fine pickerel some love. We're not total bass snobs. 

That’s the fun part of it, you have to be sure they have the frog or just the tail. I am from the school of thought that as long as they have the tail and not the frog and it gets away without sticking them they should hit it again. I am probably wrong, although when I am throwing a frog I am looking for a fish that can inhale the thing like nothing not playing wack myself in the face with a frog with dinks lol.

A dozen bites on the swimbait this afternoon, all healthy fish, but nothing big landed. Favorite bite was this 15” crappie that had no issue taking on the big bait - first crappie ever from this location. Seems like there’s always one in every pond.
 

 

 

Got my wife out fishing again tonight, she beat me in numbers. I missed 2 bites on the frog, within 10 minutes of being there. One I am pretty sure missed it and I royally blew the second one. My wife told me that they were not hitting the wacky black and blue senko, she wanted a different bait watermelon red laminate. I told her that it could be the color but doubt it, was a little windy out there today.

 

she caught and landed the first fish with a good hook set, corner of the mouth. She is getting there. I then decided to show her that they would eat the black and blue fleck senko, challenge accepted.

 

 I started working shallow where my frog bites were no takers, moved from 3-5 feet deep to 10-15 foot deep on the outside of the weed line nothing. I went back to 3-6 foot deep water and still nothing. I decided that I was cold and that water was cold but I will hit the area where I had the good frog hit that I blew. That was the move, I let it sink and slowly lifted the rod tip, I never felt the bite with the wind but I felt the weight and swung. The rod loaded up and I knew that I had something ok on the other end, not huge but went 2.60lbs and put up a good fight that I enjoyed thoroughly. I use my 6.2 gear ratio curado mgl and it works and I feel like I get to enjoy the fight but not prolong it too long.

 

my wife caught her last fish with about 10 minutes to go at the park, we were treated to a beautiful sunset. It was a nice short two hour session.

Got some smallmouth and a drum after work this evening. Smallies hit the RAD squarebill and steady reeling a worm. One of the fish I had caught with the worm had line sticking out of its mouth. Turned out there was a jig+ trailer down inside of it that I removed, hungry little fella  The drum hit a shad rap I was trolling 12-14 feet down, thought it was mister big for a few seconds. You can hear me guessing drum about halfway into the boat haha, ran out of steam quicker than a bass 

 

oh yeah and a rock bass 

 

On 6/12/2023 at 6:46 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

About a month ago, the big swimbait addiction pretty much took ahold of my entire fishing brain, over that time I usually only take the swimbait rig, a second "fun" rig", and a fanny pack.    

 

Got my first real deal premium swimbait on Saturday after finally winning the "lottery" on a KGB TSG drop.   To date this is my biggest bait at 9" and 3.5".   Today was the second time out with it, and the following video occurred about 2 hours total into fishing this bait.   

 

Shook a 4-5lb fish, two casts later I land a 8.14 on it, my second biggest fish of the year.   She threw the bait in the net, absolute perfect catch, zero trauma on her, and she swam away full of vigor in 83d water.    I enjoyed the glow on the water for about 30mins, but I basically quit after that fish......I couldn't help but feel incredibly blessed, and thankful, didn't want to ruin a perfect day.  I shook today better than I have in months, and overall one of the best shakes I can remember.   What an absolute drug 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That IS "so freakin' awesome"! What a beauty. I'd be shaking for a few days after that one!

 

BTW, I love the word dad-gummit. But as a northerner, I don't think it rolls out quite as naturally. ?

It was slow at the ponds today. But I managed to get a ~14/15 incher on the top water:

 

Then I got another little dink, also on the topwater:

 

And, then after an hour of fruitless casting, and several bait swaps later, I caught my first fish ever on a wacky-rig:

 

The funniest thing about the little guy was he tried to take it three times, but couldn't get it in his mouth, the worm was too big for him. Finally hooked him on the fourth attempt. He wanted that worm. 

 

7 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

 

That IS "so freakin' awesome"! What a beauty. I'd be shaking for a few days after that one!

 

BTW, I love the word dad-gummit. But as a northerner, I don't think it rolls out quite as naturally. ?

Thanks friend!    I'm still buzzing from that experience for sure ?

 

If you could buy that drug on the street, I'd be dead or in jail.....as it is it's fueling a monkey habit that gets stupider and stupider by the week seemingly, than again I'm talking to the Monkey kingpin....got something coming tomorrow that will make you proud ? ?

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Got some smallmouth and a drum after work this evening. Smallies hit the RAD squarebill and steady reeling a worm. One of the fish I had caught with the worm had line sticking out of its mouth. Turned out there was a jig+ trailer down inside of it that I removed, hungry little fella  The drum hit a shad rap I was trolling 12-14 feet down, thought it was mister big for a few seconds. You can hear me guessing drum about halfway into the boat haha, ran out of steam quicker than a bass 

 

oh yeah and a rock bass 

 

Gotta love helping a fish like that, great job.   It's like they bite the hook knowing a human will help them, or sometimes I think they bite because they want some fresh air and see the sky.....friendly creatures ?

Been working a ton all over, in places I'm not licensed for fishing. Finally back at my home water tonight, with some finesse gear. Biggest bank bass I've ever caught and second biggest bass I've ever caught, 7lb 1oz. She ate a 2" Creme Maxi Tail on an eagle claw 1/16oz insider tube jig. I call it the Wally Special, costs all of $4 to get the plastic and jigs. I will say, landing a 7lb bass on 6lb mono is tons of fun. That little jig popped right out of her mouth and into my hand ?

 

Caught three more Littles and a few hand-sized bluegills. Love me some dead calm, new moon fishing

@thediscochef hawg!! Nice fish man

@thediscochef

 

WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@thediscochef

 

Oh my, what a wonderful fish

 

CONGRATS!!!

 

Texas has been fishing very well for the last couple of weeks