I honestly love when I hook something they're eating.  It's like a day where the universe smiles and gives me a big clue.  AND it's a skunk beater for sure.

19 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I honestly love when I hook something they're eating.  It's like a day where the universe smiles and gives me a big clue.  AND it's a skunk beater for sure.

 

Trout fishers are forever trying to match the hatch. You do too, Pat, and I think more bass fishers should be hatch aware and I'm one of them who should tender more time to figuring what they eating from moment to moment. I do buy a lot of alewife and golden shiner patterns because that's what Maine bass eat. 

This summer my frog got stuck up in a tree and knocked a bunch a little red bugs down and then a giant bass suddenly reveals itself snarfing those red dudes right where they fell.

 

I freed my frog and made some casts and the bass sharked hard on it but didn't commit.  After a few casts they cooled off and I got bored but I remembered that moment and when I saw those red bugs falling on the lake later that week...well I tied on a big worm with red flake and caught my first DD.

 

I'm always watching what they're eating as close as I can.

 

It's not necessarily about matching the hatch exactly as knowing a few presentations that can get them to react when they're keyed on something.  Learning what they're keyed on helps me dial it in (dropping red stuff under tree lines/fluttering little white things flying through the water column/little black things crawling slow around rocks and stumps/shiners meandering around lily pads eating moss and little krill/bluegill popping on bugs)

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This summer my frog got stuck up in a tree and knocked a bunch a little red bugs down and then a giant bass suddenly reveals itself snarfing those red dudes right where they fell.

 

I freed my frog and made some casts and the bass sharked hard on it but didn't commit.  After a few casts they cooled off and I got bored but I remembered that moment and when I saw those red bugs falling on the lake later that week...well I tied on a big worm with red flake and caught my first DD.

 

^Great story!^

 

One June day in 2023, smallmouth were launching themselves like Trident missiles from submarines at hovering dragonflies. If only I had a drone with me that day. I could have put hooks on it, tied my line to it, and had my own, great story to tell!

Been fortunate to get in weekly trips between winter storms. All about the Ned rig again but I'll gladly take it.

 

Pops with his first of the day, also on a Ned.

 

And his last one of the day.

 

Nothing big to speak of, but the way these guys fight anything decent is a good time.

 

Couple little guys at the pond yesterday morning for y'all before I head out to the pond this morning.  Got chilly last night.  Wonder how it may affect the bite this morning.

 

 

Red eye shad continues to get it done and I got my first little guy on the Bill Lewis Hammer Trap.

 

Get a load of how pale these LMB are!!!

 

I lost a really big one that ate my trap and swam towards me.  I didn't feel the bite - I watched it - I saw her wake out of nowhere on it and then I stopped feeling my bait vibrating.  I felt her on for maybe two seconds before she lunged towards me while surfacing enough for me to see her mouth as she spit the lipless.

 

Giant.  Oh well.

 

I also had a duck dive-bomb my lipless in the early morning twilight, hook itself, land in the pond and free itself in the water thankfully. 🥴🥴🥴

 

At the in flow I hooked either a carp, a gar or a catfish that was probably 30+ lbs.  It was peeling drag on my trap rig which is heavy duty 7'6 high speed Daiwa reel and spooled with 15 lb big game.  I don't set my drag very light.  It was just swimming where it wanted I couldn't move it.  It pulled me into what felt like a beaver dam under water after waking all over the place like a underwater bull rodeo.  Literally looked like an overslot drum out there 😂😂😂😂

 

Thankfully....it came free and I got my trap back.  Would have been interesting to see that fish.

 

It hit the trap like a freight train so it definitely wasn't foul hooked.  I'm thinking big big catfish.

3 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I lost a really big one that ate my trap and swam towards me.  I didn't feel the bite - I watched it - I saw her wake out of nowhere on it and then I stopped feeling my bait vibrating.  I felt her on for maybe two seconds before she lunged towards me while surfacing enough for me to see her mouth as she spit the lipless.

 

Giant.  Oh well.

 

It happens to the best of anglers...because the best anglers simply hook more big bass. 

 

With that huge whatever you also hooked, you had an exciting session, Pat.

5 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

 

 

 

5 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

It happens to the best of anglers...because the best anglers simply hook more big bass.

Well said!

I get to read about the best anglers daily thanks to BR!

Finally got some open water today after being locked in for two and a half weeks. Got out for a little while after work and caught four, all counters. The beat up ned just keeps on catching. It's overdue for a remount.

Nice ones, Bassman. I love that the same Ned keeps catching and catching.

 

Gambled on a new lake I’ve never been to hoping to find fishable water after all this rain (2nd wettest January on record). BINGO - Got my first bite within half an hour, so I ran with the clue and was able to put a pattern together, good for 4 keepers. Biggest went 5-08. Only got 3 hrs on the water this afternoon, but I’ll be back soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still looks like Kemps chocolate milk to me @Team9nine.

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

Still looks like Kemps chocolate milk to me @Team9nine.

 

Good stain, but the pic is right in the sun, so the red clay was getting reflected, I think. I'll get a secchi reading next trip out. Betting at least 12" of vis or more.

@Team9nine Nicely done. I’d be throwing that bug until they’re sick of it. 👍

 

@The Bassman If we ever go, I’m hiding that spinning rod. Well done, bud. 👍

 

Got out for the first time in a few weeks Saturday. Don't know where the big fish have gone but I caught a dozen or so dinks. I think I had a good one pull off a SK 300 jerkbait but I never saw it so I'll never know.

One upside, I wasn't completely gassed and actually able to kick it up a knotch while pedaling thanks to the winter cardio/workout routine. Trying to get ready for the big dance.

I'm going to Lake Fork on a boat with a buddy and his guide on Friday, after a solid few days of highs and a front coming that night I'm gonna be real shocked if I don't finally get to post something of value in here

Big dance?

@Pat Brown

 

Go get em 😎😎😎

Only had a couple hours to fish this afternoon, so stayed close to ramp side of the lake and did a lot of looking around. Eliminated a lot of water - lol - but did get one nice 2-1/4 pound fish by expanding on a good stretch of bank from yesterday. Hoping to get more time either tomorrow or Friday to head toward the deeper end of the lake and try and put something else together.

 

@Team9nine: One thing that I admire about you beyond your consistency is your range. You went out day after day and caught many bass and some big bass from the shore, plying the small water of apartment and condo ponds. Now you're at a different latitude and fishing bigger water from a boat and trying different lakes too and catching consistently and landing quality fish. 

 

It's one thing to learn a lake and fish it consistently. It's another to fish different water and catch consistently. 

As much as I enjoyed the @Team9nine HOA pond reports, I definitely enjoy the public reservoir ones even more 

 

I can’t really relate to small private water as we don’t have much of it and what we do have , nobody will let you fish 

1 hour ago, ol'crickety said:

@Team9nine: One thing that I admire about you beyond your consistency is your range. You went out day after day and caught many bass and some big bass from the shore, plying the small water of apartment and condo ponds. Now you're at a different latitude and fishing bigger water from a boat and trying different lakes too and catching consistently and landing quality fish. 

 

It's one thing to learn a lake and fish it consistently. It's another to fish different water and catch consistently. 

 

I'm an 'old man'   that spent about 30 years fishing tournaments when I was younger, so I've seen a good bit of water. My #1 driving rule was always, "don't blank," so I built my whole approach around getting bites, and letting size fall where it may. Another was something Al Lindner said in a seminar I attended when I was a teenager that has always stuck with me - "There's no such thing as 'the fish aren't biting.'" So I simplified and streamlined a lot of aspects of my approach, probably OVER simplified, but it seems to work for me. Of course, it now really tests my patience trying to add some 'big fish' tactics/approaches into that mix, but I'm not getting any younger, and I put more value on quality these days than I ever did prior.  

 

11 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

As much as I enjoyed the @Team9nine HOA pond reports, I definitely enjoy the public reservoir ones even more 

 

Thanks - haven't found a single fishable pond I can access down here, so it's looking like reservoirs for a good long while - lol.

9 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

My #1 driving rule was always, "don't blank," so I built my whole approach around getting bites, and letting size fall where it may.

 

Me too. I don't really understand the "I fish for big fish." approach. Sure, I cast 12" worms and giant surface lures, but only because I think that's what the bass will hit...and do hit, of all sizes. 

10 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I don't really understand the "I fish for big fish."

 

First a disclaimer,  My "big" fish are minnows compared to many I see caught around here.  

 

For me it's not so much that "I fish for big fish"......I just don't fish for tiny fish.   Most of the lakes I fish have areas full of 8 to 10 inch Spots.   While it is cool to catch 15 in 20 casts sometimes sore lipping juvenile Bass get's old.  The last time I skunked I considered going and targeting an 8 inch spot but I didn't.   The last time I went fishing I was struggling with the muddy water.  I went to a bridge where there's always tiny spots and caught one.  I didn't even take a picture.  It still felt like a skunk to me.   

 

Laws vary........and don't really matter since I don't keep any fish, but 14" is the minimum most places around here.  I want 14 inchers and larger.