Super User PhishLI Posted July 18 Super User Share Posted July 18 On 7/17/2024 at 5:58 AM, ol'crickety said: Your pics depict a magnitude of weeds that make me now feel like I'm fishing clear, blue water. Those pics were of water that's at least fishable to a degree. Here's a shot of that lower lake that I gave up on. Looks like frogging paradise, and fish try, but they can't bust through the canopy of tightly overlapped Lillies and pondweed to get it. I've never seen it this dense. The upside is that this year's hatch of bass fry should be safer from predation than in years past, and mature resident fish have a refuge from poachers with no way to fish live bait under a bobber. Lemonade. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 18 Super User Share Posted July 18 @PhishLI: Wow! It's like the pickerel rush I saw last week: I know there were bass in that pickerel rush. I heard them feeding, but there's no way I'm casting in there. I leave that to anglers who know how to punch through weeds and can stand with big @T-Billy muscles to winch them out. I know my limitations. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Lemons Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Got on a few in 100 degree heat. Brutal conditions but I had the lake to myself. Got 3 on a jig, one on a Magdraft. Biggest went 4 even on the jig. Lost one I think was bigger fishing a tiny klash out deep. 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Baron Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 I snuck out this morning before work, mostly to test a new rod I bought yesterday for my dedicated deep cranking setup (Lew’s 7’6” MH/moderate “Perfect Crankbait” Rod with a Shimano Curado DC 151 and 14# FC sniper). That said, I started out at dawn with a Whopper Plopper and caught a few smb/lmb, one monster rock bass and a 3#-ish pike. The first lmb (in photo) was bleeding so I put him in the livewell for 15 minutes, after which it appeared to have stopped. He was harder to get out of the livewell than he was to catch in the first place - very feisty and swam off immediately.🤞🏻 Then I got to cranking over mixed coontail and sparse weeds in 14-15ft. of water off a flat. Am thrilled that the setup will bomb cast a country mile. Caught a 2.5# lmb on my third cast, which made my morning. I moved to an offshore hump and fished the ledge where it falls from 10-30ft. I another 3 lmb, and a pike. One of the bass came in with 4-5 buddy’s chasing him, but that was my last bass. I’m quite happy with the new cranking setup, especially with the rod for $100 CDN. 👍🏻 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User T-Billy Posted July 18 Super User Share Posted July 18 8 hours ago, ol'crickety said: I know my limitations Me thinks you underestimate yourself. Just keep all the steady pressure on 'em you can muster with that 766. You'll do better than you think. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User MIbassyaker Posted July 18 Super User Share Posted July 18 On 7/17/2024 at 7:16 AM, IcatchDinks said: Nabbed a couple more today. The Mepps #5 Black Fury is the most productive bait this week. Also, something ripped the tail off my Mepps. Felt a big thump, then nothing, and when I got my bait back, the tail was gone. 🤷🏻♂️ The orange Black Fury is one of my all-time favorite lures, since i was a kid. I always find it a little hard to target bass specifically, though, because everything in the river wants to eat it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IcatchDinks Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 10 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said: everything in the river wants to eat it. Agreed. Including logs, submerged cover, grass, weeds, the river bottom, and rocks. 😆 I've never minded bye-catch, though. I'll be thrilled if a pike or some other fish wants to hammer my bait. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazoo Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 11 hours ago, PhishLI said: Those pics were of water that's at least fishable to a degree. Here's a shot of that lower lake that I gave up on. Looks like frogging paradise, and fish try, but they can't bust through the canopy of tightly overlapped Lillies and pondweed to get it. I've never seen it this dense. The upside is that this year's hatch of bass fry should be safer from predation than in years past, and mature resident fish have a refuge from poachers with no way to fish live bait under a bobber. Lemonade. There is a local place that gets like that. It's decent fishing other times of the year, partly because a lot of people discount it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User MIbassyaker Posted July 19 Super User Share Posted July 19 River float. A pretty-popular five-mile stretch that gets a lot of tubing, canoe and kayak traffic on weekends, but today the only other person I saw was one guy fly-fishing. I have never seen the water lower or clearer here -- bottom visible everywhere, mostly 1-2 feet deep the entire way, with an occasional 3ft hole. I found myself passing areas where I was sure there had been deeper pools in the past, and wondered what happened to them -- surely it wasn't always this shallow? And I realized it was probably a little deeper my previous visits, but also not as clear, with the bottom simply less visible. It was a little intimidating, to be honest, so I downsized, and swapped out a whopper plopper for a tiny torpedo, and a 5" senko for 4". And with that, the dink-fest was on. After my eighth or ninth 10-11-incher, I thought, "well may as well get a picture of one in case these are all I catch": The next fish was finally a satisfyingly-sized 16": ...and then it was back to the dinks, one after another, until take-out, 27 in all. Oh, and a few of these guys, who can virtually never be avoided: Predatory birds were also out in force, not passing up such a feeding opportunity with the low, clear water. I saw an osprey, at least two, possibly 3 eagles, several kingfishers, multiple blue and green herons. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 19 Super User Share Posted July 19 @MIbassyaker: Cool trip report with great photos. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmurphy87 Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 I have not been posting but still catching fish when I get the time to go fishing. 2 biggest ones out of 90 minutes plus 15 plus smaller ones. All on a wacky rig. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984isNOW Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 My latest catch, fishing last night @ol'crickety I hit a clear water lake that is the kowest I've seen ever, has these unusual algae blooms i think I've only seen once if ever before, and was dead calm last night. I didn't see any action at all, and I found 3 good bass with my headlamp... and when I brought my lure by them they spooked so fast they stirred up the bottom and disappeared from the cloud like a cartoon. Any thoughts on how the water's been in Maine lately? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 20 Super User Share Posted July 20 @Jmurphy87: Murph, you know how In-Fisherman thinks a 6.5-pound northern bass is equivalent to a 10-pound southern bass? Well, I think a Murph fishing-crowded-lakes 3.32-pounder is equivalent to a 5-pound, lonesome-lake Maine bass. @1984isNOW: If you're talking about water quality, it depends. The southern lakes have much more developed shorelines and therefore lower water quality. Up north, I assume that there are still lakes where you could safely, directly drink the water. If you're talking water temps, they're bath water warm. If you're wondering whether the bass are biting, yep. Always. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 I went this morning for a few hours. It's cooler today, but I think I still have brain fog from the heat. I gassed my truck and boat, decided which landing I was going to then turned onto the Interstate toward the other landing. So....I cut through the country at the next exit to go to the landing I planned on going to........and managed to make a wrong turn in the middle of no where. When I finally made it to the landing there was a tournament there. I just sit around until they launched and had their blast off. I caught 7 Bass. 3 pairs of "micro Bass" and one "real" Bass. I was finding schools of micro Bass on channel swings. I know people say not to, but I will leave Bass to find Bass if the Bass I'm catching are 10 inches long. First picture is one of the micro Bass. I could have probably caught a bunch of them, but that's not what I was after. I managed to catch one "real" Bass in a "ditch" between a point and an island. I have some stuff I need to do here, so I decided to call it a day. I'm not sure if I'm going back tonight around midnight, or early tomorrow morning. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 20 Super User Share Posted July 20 I have met @Woody B, so I estimate his "micro-bass" to be a five-pounder. His "real bass" is the world record. You have to understand that Woody is about ten-feet tall and weighs 900 pounds. Here are some clips of Woody when he was just 8: 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984isNOW Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 3 hours ago, ol'crickety said: r t Slightly north of sebago, but it's a lakebwith practically no vegetation. Few areas with some grass, never seen a lily pad in here, and water is at least 15ft clarity. Even the bottom wants for structure and contour. Few areas with Rick piles and boulders, but they're a hike and I'm not exactly sure without sunlight. Like I said, I found 3 bass and I watched them see my lure get close and then they swam away as fast as possible, I know you frequent the unfrequented bog type water bodies, I imagine that makes enough of a difference. These clear water pressured bass get spooky, especially when. The water is in the condition it's in There's a couple spots I bumped into on the map, I'll hit our chat up and ask if you know em. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herder Posted July 20 Share Posted July 20 Hit up a semi-local reservoir that is now back to capacity after being drawn down for dam repairs. Totally different now than the last 2 years. Tried hitting some of the shallower areas and coves where I've caught in the past but it wasn't happening. Water clarity was about 10', here it's usually around 15' to 20'. Went in search mode in deeper water and put on the drop shot. Found fish in 25' to 35' foot of water and was able to land 12 fish, 5 Smallies, 4 Largemouths, 2 Bluegills and a Rock Bass. 3 of the Smallies were decent fish, rest were on the smaller side. Just happened to be a brewery near the reservoir, had to stop and have a black lager................ 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Baron Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 22 hours ago, ol'crickety said: I have met @Woody B, so I estimate his "micro-bass" to be a five-pounder. My fish pics are about the same. I’m 6’4” and XL leather gloves fit like spandex so all my mister fish look small. 😂🤫😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 21 Super User Share Posted July 21 32 minutes ago, The Baron said: My fish pics are about the same. I’m 6’4” and XL leather gloves fit like spandex so all my mister fish look small. 😂🤫😂 Oh, I know. I've been to Ontario. I've felt the Earth shake. I know that you was you just walking. In the states, we call you Mr. Geiger because we can count your footfalls with Geiger counters. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody B Posted July 21 Share Posted July 21 I promise the 10 inchers are only 10 inches long. I'm 5'10". I'm old and fat now, but even when I was young and "thin" I was "thick" I'm built like a fire hydrant. When I boxed, and kick boxed I fought at 175 pounds and didn't have an ounce of fat on me. I weight 210 now. I had high hopes for catching a bunch of decent Bass today. Whenever I think I'm going to do good I struggle. It's cooler and it rained last night. Not just Bass, but fish were scattered today. There's a bunch of mayflies floating in the water, but no fish around them. I'm pretty sure the water has been hotter than I've ever seen it. It was 89.9 last week. It's a couple degrees cooler now. The fish (not just Bass) were scattered today, similar to right after the Fall turnover. There's been no turnover with surface temps still at 86 degrees. I caught 3 today. (all pictured) First was a "micro Bass" skipping a dock. The second was a decent 18 inch skinny Largemouth. I caught it on a spinnerbait 20 feet deep on a rocky point. The last....I'm calling a "crossover" Bass......right between a micro Bass and a "cookie cutter" on a spinnerbait at a channel swing. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 21 Super User Share Posted July 21 A kickboxer? Now I deeply regret ever joshing Woody. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Raider Bob Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 On 7/20/2024 at 11:01 AM, ol'crickety said: I have met @Woody B, so I estimate his "micro-bass" to be a five-pounder. His "real bass" is the world record. You have to understand that Woody is about ten-feet tall and weighs 900 pounds. Here are some clips of Woody when he was just 8: Woody was shaving at 8? No way! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User ol'crickety Posted July 22 Super User Share Posted July 22 1 minute ago, Blue Raider Bob said: Woody was shaving at 8? No way! Woody was shaving at 7 with a machete. Bob, post some pics of your three-pounders! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Raider Bob Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 49 minutes ago, ol'crickety said: Woody was shaving at 7 with a machete. Bob, post some pics of your three-pounders! I didn't have a camera with me but they were a blast on the Whopper Plopper. I caught five Thursday with one three pounder and six Sunday with one just shy of three. This pond is so shallow and weed choked, that top water is the only way to fish. I can see the bottom in the middle from the bank, that said, it harbors fish. One of the smaller bass had a tail fin sticking out of it's throat and still hit the plopper. The two biggest now live in my pond. Top water can be terrifying. Once I was daydreaming and about to lift the plopper from the water when one stuck at bankside! That was a jolt! I cross a field that is covered with White Tails. There was a bachelor group of eight plus two moms and fawn nearby. Funny how the Bucks scatter and the Does hang around. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Choporoz Posted July 22 Super User Share Posted July 22 No scale...not a lot of belly, but good shoulders. Few fish where I wanted them to be.... deep, relating to points... a number of 3+ all cruising 4-8', and fortunately chowing down in steady rain. Went out at noon in downpour and the bite lasted as long as the rain; about four hours. Slowed until the sun got low around 6:30 before it picked up again 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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