On the board in ‘24. Landed half a dozen cookie cutters today on a mix of Ned and jerkbaits. Hoping to get my permits for a couple more new lakes, maybe even this week still, so I’ll have a few more close options to fish this year. Water was about 46-47 deg. and clear.

 

Another day, another lost monster that literally jumped into the side of the boat....looked to be 7+ 🤢

 

Caught 14 in frost covered conditions at dawn, then went back out in the afternoon and caught 1 and a daygum stud of a Bream in nice sunny high 40d temps.     

 

Everything that swims seemingly hits this blade bait.    Caught two big Bream, five Crappie, and a Carp on it the last couple weeks.  Today the biggest was close to 5.     All these fish are so fat, they're just gorging themselves in 18-25ft on carpets of Threadfins.   Besides a big Glide, I think these blade baits teach me more about the fish than any other bait.    For example on these Crappie and Bream.......I found them on 2D first in schools, and then threw on them thinking they were Bass as they were right off the bottom in 20+ fow.     Never really knew where the Bream went once it got cold or how they set up in relation to Bass.   

 

 

 

 

Nice fish Alex, I bet your white whale eats those bream. Lord knows I would eat those bream and I’m 200lbs 

Just one at the pond today on the caffeine shad.  It was pretty post frontal today and there  was not much happening with reaction baits.  Dropped the CS vertically on a culvert and dead sticked it for a minute before I felt a reluctant tap.  Another cold January bass is alright with me even if he's little!

 

 

 

🤣 Thanks @TnRiver46, and I think you're right.    Right now I've got a Matt Lures big soft Gil swimbait that I'm thinking of creeping on the bottom, and I'm gonna try to creep some other big soft swimbaits on the bottom.

 

That said I've struggled in the past to keep a big soft swimbait in my hand, I know it's something I've got to learn.

 

Not to many posts ago @Dwight Hottle showed what they do in the winter on the big girls.    

I don’t know about swimbaits but we’ve caught some monsters in small waters with the real thing 

Pat, you ought to try the Core Tackle Hover Rigs.......on some of those pressured ponds, bet it would kill.   

 

The Caffene Shad made me think about that.    Put that sucker on one and watch how crazy the action is when you drop it down.    Got a pack and then the 6th Sense Juggle Minnow.     Thing glides, darts so randomly that I have to think the bait is pressure proof like a whacky worm.  

 

Never realized a tube was just a form of the Hover Rig, but I'm going to start fishing this thing with Creature baits.   Seems like the mid strolling hover rig is just one facet of using the hover rig. 

 

@TnRiver46  Every couple months I get so frustrated that I say I'm going to just start fishing a live Gil or big Shiner everyday until I catch her 🤣  

 

Growing up we caught some nice fish on them and I used them a bunch, but I never caught anything huge on them oddly.   

59 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Today the biggest was close to 5.

 

I LOVE those five-pounders, Alex. So, a seven-pounder hit your boat and you caught that giant bluegill too? What a day.

 

Pat, it's your turn tomorrow. You and Alex have been tag-teaming the hogs. 

 

And then there's @Team9nine, the Energizer Bunny of bass angling. I'm excited for your new lakes, buddy!

@AlabamaSpothunter You saw what a 5 tried to eat. A hand sized bluegill would be an appetizer for some of those pigs in your lake. Bass up here don’t get as big but some waters they just absolutely chew on bluegill constantly, especially when the gills are spawning & easy targets. Would be like a serving tray full of bacon wrapped hors d’oeuvres for us.

Caught these little beep boops coming back from the pier. 38 with lake effect snow after an inch of rain isn't great bassin weather apparently. Who knew?! I saw bait though

8 hours ago, thediscochef said:

38 with lake effect snow after an inch of rain isn't great bassin weather apparently.

 

What's weird is that your weather isn't much different from ours. Our next five nights are in the teens, but that's about as cold as it's been this winter. 

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

 

What's weird is that your weather isn't much different from ours. Our next five nights are in the teens, but that's about as cold as it's been this winter. 

I'm sure everything is fine and this is all totally normal 🙃

12 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Another day, another lost monster that literally jumped into the side of the boat....looked to be 7+ 🤢

 

Caught 14 in frost covered conditions at dawn, then went back out in the afternoon and caught 1 and a daygum stud of a Bream in nice sunny high 40d temps.     

 

Everything that swims seemingly hits this blade bait.    Caught two big Bream, five Crappie, and a Carp on it the last couple weeks.  Today the biggest was close to 5.     All these fish are so fat, they're just gorging themselves in 18-25ft on carpets of Threadfins.   Besides a big Glide, I think these blade baits teach me more about the fish than any other bait.    For example on these Crappie and Bream.......I found them on 2D first in schools, and then threw on them thinking they were Bass as they were right off the bottom in 20+ fow.     Never really knew where the Bream went once it got cold or how they set up in relation to Bass.   

 

 

 

 

Alex, your posts and pictures brighten my morning! Those are beasts!

Thanks so much!

Really appreciate those kind words Bob!     

1 minute ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Really appreciate those kind words Bob!     

 

Bob is the best. 

21 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

I want that fish!

Unfortunately that one got released to the grease to thin the herd. However, there are plenty more from that gene pool & you’re welcome to them anytime (weather allowing). 😉

A cold, cloudy day, but winds were light, so I headed west to pick up tags and permits for the two reservoirs near me in that direction. That left me just over 2 hours to launch and explore one of them for the first time. Wasn’t overly impressed with what I saw, but got to mark over a dozen spots in the GPS, and scored one keeper to avoid the skunk, which came on an A-rig. This now gives me 4 reservoirs to rotate around on this year, one of which I still haven’t been on yet. All are pretty much very different, so it will be fun learning and comparing these new waters this year.

 

38 Degrees, on and off light rain, not a ray of sunshine to be found......wide open bite! 

 

Caught 26 over about 4.5hrs, almost all on the Damiki Vault 1/2oz in Real Shad.

 

23.5lb bag anchored by a 6.2 fish.    Couple of big Spots that couldn't even make the team.     

 

These are two of the most beautiful fish I've caught, just flawless specimens, the pinnacle of health.   

 

 

 

 

Think this is the shortest/fattest fish I've ever caught

 

@AlabamaSpothunter Bug Eyes! Awesome fish 

Haha, I never started to pay attention to the bug eyes until you mentioned it last year, now I think about you honestly every time I catch a bug eyed one 😁

 

Appreciate it brother!  

ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX! ALEX!

 

You are dialed in, my friend. A 23.5 lb. bag is so impressive. I'm as happy as if I caught those beshemoths. 

@AlabamaSpothunter Alex, you’ve got those fish in the palm of your hand my friend. That pig looks shocked that she was caught. Almost like…..

Bwahahaha.....nice shop friend 🤣

 

You're so awesome and kind Katie!!!   Thanks for that, and I knew you'd enjoy seeing Bass that you're familiar with......these were quintessential Katie fish 😎

Crazy haul Alex!  😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫🎣🎣🎣

 

Looks like amazing fishing!

Good to have @AlabamaSpothunter back to regular reports, guess I just had to wait til winter 😂