@Fried Lemonsthat's super cool! Must have been a sight to see. Very nice fish, too! 

@Fried Lemons: Wow! Big bass and what a way to catch them.

 

Say, cyber-buddy, please consider wearing a life jacket. I was in the paddling world for decades and again and again, paddlers died without life jackets. Some were old like me and some were young, just like you. 

Slow bite, wind died on me right after I started fishing. Did get to huck the glide bait around and triggered my first strike on it (no hookup sadly) which had me pretty excited. Managed 7, most of them in the last hour before dark. All on chatterbait. Switched to the stealth blade with the Crush City freeloader on the back, triggered some good eats; this 2.78lber slammed it up against the bank. Durability is questionable, though, I seem to be averaging only a few fish on them before they're trashed, but they work!

Fished a new lake in clare county called 5 lakes.  Weather has been wonky.  it rained hard all day thursday and friday.  we have also had 15-20 mph for the last month.  water temp was 51 degrees with an air temp of 75 

 

I nailed this 3 lber ( i’m guessing i forgot my scale it’s between a 2.5-3.0 lber) on my 2nd cast in 4ft of water on a zoom green pumkin tube and 1/8 tube jig.  I’m thinking this is going to be a great day.  eh, not so much. I’ve come to realize if i catch a fish within the first 5 casts. it’s going to be a long day.  

 

That was really about it as far as high lights.  I lost a similar sized bass on a spine craw and caught a hammer handle pike on a jerk bait.  the wind was fishable but, windier than i wanted it to be. which, ment i had to fish some heavier stuff than i’d really have liked to this time of year.  I really wanted to fish the drop off but, i couldn’t hold the boat in position to do so.  

 

that’s why they call it fishing and not catching.  

 

Forcast for the next 2 weeks does not look good.  more wind and rain 

 

 

Boat captained for the high school boys Saturday. Wind was bad and lake conditions were bad, but they put a couple keepers in the boat and managed a top 5 finish.

 

Sunday, I took the boys out for a few hours. I should have taken them somewhere else to avoid the crowd but I didn't against my better judgement. The lake was crazy busy, not my cup of tea. We caught a few fish and enjoyed the nice weather. Finn and I teamed up on the big fish of the day, 4.11 pounds on a Ned rig.

 

There are some fine men at BR and @Bluebasser86 is one of them. Nuff said.

One of these days I'll have something to contribute again

Possum Kingdom was unkind yesterday 

Eyeing Sunday/Monday for my first proper largemouth excursion of the year on the kayak.  Fingers crossed that it will happen...

I was busy as a one armed paper hanger yesterday but I managed an hour on the lake.  I spent as much time driving as fishing.   I went to a spawning pocket near the landing.  I haven't seen any bedding Bass on Active Target so I messed with my settings until I could see them.   On my 3rd cast I dropped a Red Eyed Shad on top of a bed.  Both Bass hit it.  They came unhooked while I was fumbling with my net.  They weren't BIG but the combination of them was too big to boat flip.   

 

I'm sure they aren't all that easy to catch, but I decided I wasn't going to target bedding Bass with Active Target.  I'm not changing sides in the FFS debate, and I'm not saying anyone who uses it to target bedding Bass is wrong.  It's been 40 years, but I've targeted bedding Bass sight fishing clear water, but I figure they can see me too.  I will still target bedding Bass but I'll do it like I have in the past.  I'll find the areas they're in with side imaging, then fish that area with my FFS off.   I will still use Active Target FFS in every way I know how to target Bass.  I'm just not going to use it when they're bedding.   I'm not looking to start a FFS, or bed fishing debate.  It's just a decision I made.   

 

So, I turned my FFS off and went old school.  (kinda)   I caught 3 spots, including one on my last cast when it was time for me to leave.  

 

Another 5.5 lber on the 'Pats Gizzard' Grass Jig from @Siebert Outdoors sans trailer (just some plastic for a little bit of weight on the cast.

 

Very happy to catch this gorgeous healthy pre-spawner today after work on a sunny hard bottom area where I could see wolf packs of big females corralling bluegill fry.

 

It was epic!  I got a crowd for the release too!  

 

@Pat Brown apparently this time you forgot a change of clothes because you’re still wearing the same blue hoodie you allegedly wore the day of the funeral.

 

Repeat fashion violator!

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

@Pat Brown apparently this time you forgot a change of clothes because you’re still wearing the same blue hoodie you allegedly wore the day of the funeral.

 

Repeat fashion violator!

 

When I get home from the pond I like to take my clothes off and put on different clothes. That way I don't have to do laundry constantly and I have clothes that are designated dirty clothes. But thanks Mom.  😃😃😃

No problem. Still auditioning for Project Runway.

A few today, decided to fish instead of sleeping for work. I lost one equally big as the one trying to lift it up to me on the boardwalk. Was my fault I saw that the line was frayed and didn’t retie and the line snapped on the lift. 12lb braid that’s thinner than 6lb doesn’t like being frayed and strained. But I broke in one bfs setup, lure was a 3” hazedong shad on a 1/16 finesse shad head. All the fish came on it today, moral of the story retie when frayed lol, live and learn and don’t keep making rookie mistakes.

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

No problem. Still auditioning for Project Runway.

Got out for the first time this year today. Caught about 30 but none worthy of  a photo. Water temps were in the mid 60's .Most   bass were caught on a worm and top water. Yum Dinger and  Bomber Prop A . 

Fat bass, Murph!

 

30 bass, @scaleface, is a busy day. 

2 hours ago, scaleface said:

Got out for the first time this year today. Caught about 30 but none worthy of  a photo. Water temps were in the mid 60's .Most   bass were caught on a worm and top water. Yum Dinger and  Bomber Prop A . 

Slow day, better luck next time 😂 

Thank you Ray Roberts, very cool!

 

Picked this bass up after a hike. Red eye shad got bit multiple times but this was the only one that converted. I was out there for maybe 30 minutes 

11 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

 

When I get home from the pond I like to take my clothes off and put on different clothes. That way I don't have to do laundry constantly and I have clothes that are designated dirty clothes. But thanks Mom.  😃😃😃

Makes me feel better that I'm not the only one that does that. Doesn't make sense to wash something that's going to get dirty in five minutes. Goes with the turf (pun intended) when one is a bank walker.

2 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Makes me feel better that I'm not the only one that does that. Doesn't make sense to wash something that's going to get dirty in five minutes. Goes with the turf (pun intended) when one is a bank walker.

 

I kid you not. I wear the same clothes for months. They're Permethrin-treated, so even though the applicator says I can wash them, I'm sure it decreases their potency. I'd rather be dirty than have Lyme's. This is probably why I don't have to share water with others.

 

Well done, @thediscochef. Plus, your beard looks even more spectacular. 

Some of you are aware that 2024 has been delivering blow after blow after blow to me. My wife had a miscarriage at 20 weeks and then just as we were coming out of our funk, my best friends 6 year old daughter, and my sons best friend, was killed after a driver crossed over the median and struck them head on. I haven't felt much like fishing or even paying much attention to fishing. She was buried on Friday and on Sunday I figured I should get out and try to at least enjoy the outdoors. I went to the local farm pond I can fish for an hour and a half. Wind was blowing more than expected and I figured if I was going to drag myself out to fish I was going to do it with my favorite type of lure. Tied on the new Megabass Jamaica Boa Buzzbait and got to fancasting. Got to watch a bald eagle fly around which I've never seen at this pond. About 5 minutes in, I got bumped, but so subtly I wondered if I hit a stick in the water or something similar. Cast back to the spot and missed my location. Cast back again, started reeling, and got that wonderful big topwater blowup. First bass of the year weighed in at 4.49 and for a few minutes I forgot about everything crappy going on and knew the rest of my outing wouldn't matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worked my way around the pond without a bite or even a sight of a fish along the way. Got to the other side where I know there's a blow down and figured there had to be a good one in it. Retrieved to the right side of it and nothing. Retrieved to the left side of it and nothing. Moved on and was casting underneath some trees with still no luck and was about to call it quits and work my way back to the other side of the pond. Something told me to take one more cast along that blow down but run it parallel to the tree. Did that and got to watch a flash of bass emerge from underneath it and destroy the buzzbait. 2nd bass of the year weighed in at 4.27. I'd never caught two 4+ pound fish from this pond in the same outing before.

 

 

 

 

 

They didn't make all my problems go away but for 90 minutes they certainly helped me feel better. I hope any of you facing challenges in your lives can enjoy some time outside, breathe in some fresh air, and feel a little bit better, if only for a little while. We don't know how long we've got.

 

P.s. the hits keep coming and now my kids gave me the stomach bug 😩

Nice bass @hokiehunter373! I can go a whole year without catching a 4.5 lber so your first of the year being that big is pretty awesome! Then followed by another 4+? Heck yeah 

@hokiehunter373: Holy big bass, Batman, those are beauties! Anytime I catch a couple four-pounders on a fishing trip, I'm happy for days.

@hokiehunter373   Really sorry to hear your family has had to endure such a painful time, your family will be in my prayers.    Life can be so incredibly cruel and painful, but you guys will get through this tough period and be better humans because of it.

 

Awesome fish, nothing better than catching toads on a buzzbait!