@Fried Lemons: You catch BIG lmbs and now you're catching FINE brown bass, including a CRAZY 3-lb.-15-incher. Are LONG tarpon next?

 

@thediscochef is now fishing like a Mainiac too, sometimes known as a Mainer. 

 

It's great to have you posting in this thread, @RenzokukenFisher!

 

 

Haven't been fishing in about a week and a half. (That's not strictly true: I took some more of my siblings fishing last weekend, but I didn't catch anything as I spent most of my time helping them catch stuff.) 

 

Despite a late night last night, I got up at six and hit the pond before work. Managed to get several bass. Nothing big, but they were all fighters. Also, using a ultralight gear made the fights far more interesting. 

 

One fish had a dead eye, but his partial blindness didn't stop him from absolutely hammering my crank bait. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also caught a nice bluegill. He'll be in the Other Species thread. 

 

Felt good to catch fish again. 

4 hours ago, Fried Lemons said:

 Went back to the same rocky flat I was finding fish on last time and the conditions were just right. Overcast with wind blowing from the north. I started throwing the soft glide but felt that I should be fishing something fast and aggressive. Tied on a squeaky black buzzbait and within four casts a massive blowup. She jumped fully out of the water twice and shook free of the main hook but got stung by the trailer hook in the process. Thought I had the four I was after but she was just short.

Caught a few small ones after and then the wind and topwater bite died. Dumped another nice one on the soft glide working a tree then called it a day as the recreational boaters were coming out.

Dude!  Are you really wading through the swamps? I grew up waist deep in swamps and my wife told me something was wrong with me so many times, I was beginning to believe it. Now I know I'm not alone! There's something wrong with BOTH of us!

1 hour ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Dude!  Are you really wading through the swamps? I grew up waist deep in swamps and my wife told me something was wrong with me so many times, I was beginning to believe it. Now I know I'm not alone! There's something wrong with BOTH of us!

Nah I’m on a paddle board. Too many ticks, chiggers and snakes. Definitely used to do stuff like that though!

Back at St. Joes at daybreak.  Started off at the crescent shaped weed bed that’s been a hot spot for me recently.   Caught one on the chatterbait, with another three with a paddletail all of them being about the same size as the fish pictured below.

Moving on to the South side of the lake I caught a couple more dinks with the paddle tail and then caught this guy when I switched to the chatterbait again.  

Recently I made a post in another thread about how I never used straight braid.  Well today after I broke off at the leader knot twice on the hookset I gave it a shot and tied to my mainline. Well I landed this guy below which ended up being my best and last fish of the day.  Made me a believer alright!

 

Covering water, bank angler style.

7 miles? Dude, that's enduro-fishing. 

32 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

7 miles? Dude, that's enduro-fishing. 

I really need to get a boat.  

1 minute ago, bp_fowler said:

I really need to get a boat.  

Same

Hey, guys, remember that I found this boat in my swamp.There is as much water in her hull as under her hull. As realtors like to say, she's an easy fix.

 

Spent two hours fishing this morning. Caught a lot of smallish largies. The only really big bass I saw chased my bait into the shallows, fully committed to hit it, and then a smaller bass dashed in and stole it from him.

 

The cool thing is that a year or two ago, I would have considered these decent fish. But now they're just average. I take it as a sign of my own improvement as an angler that I've come to expect more and better fish than I used to 

 

 

 

 

 

Topwater Smallies at sunrise cleanses the soul ~

A-Jay

 

@IcatchDinks: Heck, yeah, your bass are trending bigger. Keep it up and you'll have to change your user name to IUsedToCatchDinks.

 

@A-Jay: A surface smallie is one of life's great joys. And jolts! Happy for you, buddy,

Wife and I caught these 20 bluegill in 2 hrs at our favorite lake bank in minn. We caught so many more but tossed the small ones back in. No bass were biting which is unusual for this place and i am not sure why.

I used a tiny ice fishing jig and i bought some live wax worms 36 per container for $2.99 at fleetfarm. What i did because the wax worms are like jello and after 1 fish they are sucked off or stolen off the hook under the bobber is i thread the hook through the length of the worm and then i take a small tube and cut 3/4 off,  put the tube on which jams up  against the worm making it much harder for the worm to be sucked off.

In the picture that little amount of worm left on after several fish is all it takes to get the fish to bite, the tube alone when used as a whole didnt do squat but the wax worm was the deal.

 

 

@throttleplate: I'm jealous. I'd love to catch bluegills like that!

32 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

@throttleplate: I'm jealous. I'd love to catch bluegills like that!

 

I myself was surprised on how ferocious the bluegill were biting this day, best day ever for us when it comes to bluegills, we tried minnows but not one bluegill was caught on a minnow, it was all about the wax worms. I hope the gills stick around for a few more weeks, the crappie bite was terrible as we usually get our limit on them but only caught 3 this day.

So outside of the usual dink fest, I found the master of my favorite local pond. I have been chasing this fish for a few years, I believe.  I couldn't believe it when it crushed a buzzbait. It was as epic as any catch I have ever had. It came out from under a mat, jumped two or three feet out of the water and crushed it.  

 

Yee-haw, @FishTank! it looks like you caught your beauty on a beautiful day, at a beautiful pond too.

Fishing tomorrow. So, I get a "Yee-haw!" too. 

I caught 7 today.  6 cookie cutters and a new PB Spotted Bass.  1 cookie cutter pictured along with the 21.3/4 inch long 5.26 pound Spot.  I didn't think the Spot was that big.  I knew it was too big to boat flip so I lipped it.  I decided to weigh it and it weighed 5.26 pounds.  I re zeroed my scale and it weighed the same thing.  Then I measured it.  It was 21 3/4 long with a girth of 14 inches.  It appears to be freshly spawned or either has some other kind of recent injury on it's tail.  It was dripping blood from it's tail.  I've read that (some?) Spots spawn deeper.  I caught it on a shaky head, on the bottom in 18 feet of water.  The other 6 were all caught on a Devils Horse.   I didn't fish long.  My back is hurting some.  My last several jobs at work last week were all bending over working under a hood so I've got a sore back.  I'm on vacation next week.  I'm going to take it easy the rest of today and tomorrow.  I'll be back on the lake Monday when it isn't crowded.  

Finally settling into summer patterns.  Plenty 3+ yesterday and today, all on chatterbaits and Magnum Rage Bug on swing head.  Best two went 5.2 and 5.9

 

Went out to try out my new rod for Father's Day. I got a Kistler KLX 703LMH. This rod is incredible. Throws senkos, Dark Sleepers, light Texas Rigged Worms, Speed Worms and Squarebills. I'm telling you this rod is a dream. 

 

No luck all morning, throwing the usual spinnerbait, buzzbait, and chatterbait. I figured I'd put this new rod to the test and throw a Rapala OG Rocco and see if the specs hold up from the description. Sure enough 4 or 5 casts, I landed her. I love a crankbait bite. You're reeling and all of a sudden it's like a wet sock. Fun bite. Great rod, highly recommended. 

@Choporoz nice fishing! I forgot about that magnum bug on a swing head. You just reeling that thing slow?

Over slept and didn't get started until 03:00. The action was fast and furious for the couple hours I got to fish in the dark. Caught about a dozen LM and a few SM on a chatterbait and lost at least as many more. Dunno why I couldn't keep so many of 'em hooked up, the ones I landed all had the bait choked, even the small ones. Best bass of the night was the 4.58# LM pictured below, and I lost a SM about the same size right at boatside. I know why it came off. Fargen thing was leaping like a crackhead on a pogo stick. Lol. Staying tight on it was all but impossible.

Also caught a nice 4.75# eye, to soon be released to the grease.

The muskie continue to torment me. Lol. The 33" pictured below is the only one to make it into the net out of SIX hookups. Also had another five hot follows that spooked coming into the 8. They were chasing, but continue to be skittish about eating in the clear water. Hopefully the coming heat wave will bring some thunderstorms with it to get the water stained up a bit.

No big gals today. But, besides one bass on a popper, the other 8 were all caught on jigs! And I lost two at the boat. My jig fishing has really taken off this year. 
 

One of the bass had a bad eye. Doesn’t seem to bother it that much as it smashed the jig. 
 

New area on the susky paid off