Back out on the water after sitting out the weekend along with a couple very windblown days to start the week. Today was heavy cloud cover and dead calm. Water level is dropping, down about a foot, and surface temps have dropped 8-9 degrees since I last visited, now down to 70 degrees.
 

Started on crappie, and actually found a few willing biters. Picked up about 15 from a variety of brushpiles, all on jig. A few had some really good color to them, almost a ‘sexy shad’ like look - lol.
 

Decided to check out the roadbed spot and found the schoolers had returned. Managed 17 bass, most on Ned, but a couple on deep cranks. Only boat on the water today, and starting to see some decent fall colors. Can’t complain…

 

 

Broke in the 110 Stick this afternoon with a Vision 110 in GG Threadfin, it's a keeper after landing one of the harder fighting LGMs I've caught in some time.   She was only 6.6 but she was magnificent in fight and overall health.  

 

 

5 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Broke in the 110 Stick this afternoon with a Vision 110 in GG Threadfin, it's a keeper after landing one of the harder fighting LGMs I've caught in some time.   She was only 6.6 but she was magnificent in fight and overall health.  

 

 

 

ONLY 6.6? Ha! She was strong. What a fighter. What a jump too. 

 

Hooray for @gimruis too! A second day of multiple big bass in one week. Whoa!

 

And @Team9nine keeps on scoring.

11 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

ONLY 6.6? Ha! She was strong. What a fighter. What a jump too. 

 

Hooray for @gimruis too! A second day of multiple big bass in one week. Whoa!

 

And @Team9nine keeps on scoring.

Haha, she pulled so hard, and that first Tarpon jump made me think she was bigger....but the appreciation is still the same for that encounter with her.   

 

The odd thing is that every fish over 7lbs I've caught this year fought way less than this fish, and I've found that the best fighting size LGM are easily the 5-6lb class fish.   I'm sure teeners pull crazy, but I do know that 5-6lb LGMs pull harder than 7-10lb ones.     I still remember a 6.10 in the Spring that went bananas and I could really lay into her with a big worm hook and a 7ft MH/16lb Shooter.   

 

 

@AlabamaSpothunter posting fish pics, life is back to normal !!! stud LM 

 

my friend’s uncle works for berkley and had given me a Choppo, somehow I lost it until now. Threw it today and missed a small fish twice in a row. Then a nice one smashed it in shallow shoals, he jumped a few times and fought like crazy, 17.5 “ 

 

we also caught several redbreast sunfish 

 

39 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Hooray for @gimruis too! A second day of multiple big bass in one week. Whoa!

It's been quite a week.  The end of the season is near and its finishing on a high note.

31 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

@AlabamaSpothunter posting fish pics, life is back to normal !!! stud LM 

 

my friend’s uncle works for berkley and had given me a Choppo, somehow I lost it until now. Threw it today and missed a small fish twice in a row. Then a nice one smashed it in shallow shoals, he jumped a few times and fought like crazy, 17.5 “ 

 

we also caught several redbreast sunfish 

 

Thanks brother!   Beautiful fish as always, and I know you made the Whopper Plopper Queen happy 🤣

Whenever I catch fish on a Jerkbait I feel like I have to play them to avoid losing them and I think it's my favorite 'fight' in bass fishing to begin with.  I shudder to think what a real mad 10+ would do to me with 8 lb line and light wire trebles on a long cast.

Alex, I hope you're right about 5-6-pound largemouth fighting harder than bigger ones. I've worried that I couldn't land an 8-pounder based upon the strength of the five and six-pounders I've caught.

 

Yes, @TnRiver46 made me happy for finally catching a bass the proper way. 

Thought my tournament season was over for the year but I got invited to fish in the championship for the little weeknight circuit I fished with a few times this year. It was on the same lake that I'd just fished the weekend before for my main tournament circuits championship. Unfortunately, a huge cold front moved through and changed the bite pretty drastically but I boated enough fish to take 3rd. I had the bites to win, but my lost and missed fish issues continued from last week. Don't think I'm doing anything wrong, just a run of bad luck.

 

8 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I had the bites to win, but my lost and missed fish issues continued from last week. Don't think I'm doing anything wrong, just a run of bad luck.

 

Even a hardened windshield like you has to take a turn or two as the bug. 

 

Sometimes I'll land a string of bass and think that I'm the best.

 

Then I'll lose a string of bass and think that I'm the worst.

11 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Whenever I catch fish on a Jerkbait I feel like I have to play them to avoid losing them and I think it's my favorite 'fight' in bass fishing to begin with.  I shudder to think what a real mad 10+ would do to me with 8 lb line and light wire trebles on a long cast.

I lose fish on a jerk bait too.  In fact, I lost at least 2 good ones yesterday and another on a crank bait. My friend also lost one on a crank bait.  Sometimes they get multiple trebles in their mouth or head and they aren't coming off, but it does seem like a fair amount barely get hooked by the back treble too.  Those barely hooked ones got off yesterday.

 

Bear in mind I'm not talking about a 10 pound largie here.  I'm referring to 5 pound smallmouth which is what were getting into yesterday.  Seems like a largemouth would get hooked better with a bigger mouth, especially a really big one.

I'm assuming @gimruis's hot streak is going to continue, so I'm pre-posting his next fishing trip report:

 

I went musky fishing with a buddy this afternoon and we landed nine, but four were over 40 inches and the biggest was 44". We also caught another five-pound smallie and a four-pound LMB. 

 

#Minnesotapalooza

23 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I think when @gimruis was a kid, there was a barber clown who lived in the sewers, terrorized him and his buddies, and threatened to return if he was ever needed again.

 

Lake Minichuck produced today ~ 

A-Jay

Light rain overnight that lingered into the morning hours eventually gave way to clearing skies in the early afternoon. Along with them came a steady E/NE wind at 10 mph, gusting over 20. Wasn’t sure what to expect in the way of a bite.
 

Started on some shallow windblown docks with a jig, but nothing doing. I quickly high-tailed it over to the roadbed and found the bass and shad had piled into the area. Nearly 3 hours later, I left them still biting after landing bass number 50. Watching the forecast closely for a possible return trip tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Nearly 3 hours later, I left them still biting after landing bass number 50.

 

 

How long/heavy was that first bass?

 

I sure love seeing A-Jay's gorgeous bass. 

8 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

 

 

How long/heavy was that first bass?

Long but skinny - maybe 18” plus, but honestly didn’t weigh/measure anything today.

9 hours ago, Team9nine said:

didn’t weigh/measure anything today.

 

I rarely weigh or measure anything, but I've got 14, 18 and 22 inch marks on my boat on a compartment lid.  I'll hold them next to it before releasing.   

The talk of the end of the fishing season from the folks from up north makes me a little sad. I hate losing half of the country in this thread. I got to fish yesterday. The air temp was in the upper 70s, and the water temp was in the mid 70s. I don't mean this as bragging, but the weather is just starting to get good for those of us down south. The only problem we had was the 25 mph wind we had at times during the day. Other than that, it was a great day. 

 

We caught them with TX rig worms, and wacky rig worms. We caught them with lipless crankbaits, but most were caught on a spinnerbait. My friend whose boat we were in had to take a call. He told me that I had to get up front and run the trolling motor while he was on the call if I wanted to keep fishing. Not owning a boat, I'm accustomed to being the back seater so I'm not used to running the trolling motor in 25 mph winds. Let me just say...it gave me a new appreciation for you guys in the front of the boat, and a cramp in my leg this morning. 🤣

 

We managed to boat 16 today. 12 largemouth, 2 spots, 1 white bass, and 1 yellow bass. We didn't catch anything big, but it was a beautiful day where we caught at least 1 fish at every spot we went to. We caught fish on a point, in the back of a slough, in grass, under a bridge, a laydown, but most of our fish came off of docks. The coolest catch of the day was my friend got a double on a rattle trap.

 

 

 

5 minutes ago, Fishlegs said:

The talk of the end of the fishing season from the folks from up north makes me a little sad. I hate losing half of the country in this thread. I got to fish yesterday. The air temp was in the upper 70s, and the water temp was in the mid 70s. I don't mean this as bragging, but the weather is just starting to get good for those of us down south. The only problem we had was the 25 mph wind we had at times during the day. Other than that, it was a great day. 

 

We caught them with TX rig worms, and wacky rig worms. We caught them with lipless crankbaits, but most were caught on a spinnerbait. My friend whose boat we were in had to take a call. De told me that I had to get up front and run the trolling motor while he was on the call if I wanted to keep fishing. Not owning a boat, I'm accustomed to being the back seater so I'm not used to running the trolling motor in 25 mph winds. Let me just say...it gave me a new appreciation for you guys in the front of the boat, and a cramp in my leg this morning. 🤣

 

We managed to boat 16 today. 12 largemouth, 2 spots, 1 white bass, and 1 yellow bass. We didn't catch anything big, but it was a beautiful day where we caught at least 1 fish at every spot we went to. We caught fish on a point, in the back of a slough, in grass, under a bridge, a laydown, but most of our fish came off of docks. The coolest catch of the day was my friend got a double on a rattle trap.

 

 

 

Awesome, and agreed about the folks up north......I will say they've made the most of it though, bunch of Yankee Hammers in this thread.

 

I caught my first double up on a crankbait a few days ago, got two Spots just like that on a Rocco 5.

 

There are few things in Bass fishing as exciting as Fall time Spotted Bass fishing to me.   It's incredible the violence, and aggression they show especially this time of year.   

1 hour ago, Fishlegs said:

The talk of the end of the fishing season from the folks from up north makes me a little sad. I hate losing half of the country in this thread.

 

It makes us sad too.

 

 

55 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Awesome, and agreed about the folks up north......I will say they've made the most of it though, bunch of Yankee Hammers in this thread.

 

Remember those "Girls Gone Wild" videos? I think @gimruis should film his fishing and release some "Gimruis Gone Wild" videos.

@gimruis in a 2 piece doesn't do it for me. 

Sorry

😎

A-Jay

Holy cow no, no, no. Gimruis gone wild is pure abomination. 

 

Thread, find Jesus ASAP

 

@A-Jay how much longer do you have soft water do you think?

54 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

@gimruis in a 2 piece doesn't do it for me. 

Sorry

😎

A-Jay

Most definitely a fashion police violation.  I follow my own letter of the law here.

 

If the haircut is looking a little shaggy, @Woody B will be sure to let me know.