Pat and Alex, you guys make me laugh! I loaded my new tackle box last night, sprayed my clothing with Permethrin, and made a checklist of what I'll have to carry to the waiting canoe. Now all I have to do is find a bass that's willing to bite! It hasn't snowed for two, whole days, so I'm hopeful!

 

Congrats, Bazoo, on your fine bass. A 4-11 is a fat toad! I always smile when I see you fishing with your son.

2nd trip out for bass this year. First time throwing the Shimano Armajoint (thanks @AlabamaSpothunter ). About 10 casts in and a new PB. 5-2. She came up from the depths and absolutely SLAMMED it. Whole bait down the gullet. Rest of the session didn’t matter. 
 

 

 

Finally got to go after two weeks battling Covid again and building my wife an addition to the house. Went to Nickajack Lake but the floating eel grass made life miserable, so I loaded up and put back in below the dam, which is the headwaters of Guntersville. I forgot how much I enjoyed drifting down the river as I spent all last year pursuing large bass to put in my pond. Drifted using a Big TRD and bouncing bait from the bank to the boat while we drifted at 1MPH or less. Caught a Spot on first cast, this Smallie on about the fifth cast, and about a dozen nice Spots and LM for the next hour. I was having too much fun because my giggling attracted the North Wind and what was a breezy day became a gale. Fishing became impossible so I went to the dam, caught a load of shad, and went home. The pond bass fed well last night.

@hokiehunter373  Let's freaking goooooo brother!   That just made my morning.   Congrats on the PB, and awesome fish.   What a way to catch her, doesn't get better than that.

@hokiehunter373: Time to change your PB under your avatar. And congrats! Alex's lure suggestions have put me on hogs too. 

46 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

two weeks battling Covid again and building my wife an addition to the house

 

Note that these two things happened at the same time. Yeah, Bob's the man. Someone who lives close to Bob, PLEASE take him to your honey hole. I've invited Bob to Maine many times, but it's just soooo far for him. 

Awesome SM Bob, and really glad to hear you recovered from Covid! 

 

Really cool fishing spot, history was just made there last week when DC won the Redcrest there.   You very well may be holding one of the SMs that he used to win.....another reason why catch/weigh/release formats are awesome.  

2 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

@hokiehunter373: Time to change your PB under your avatar. And congrats! Alex's lure suggestions have put me on hogs too. 

Done! Had a 4.98 last year but I couldn’t justify changing it for that lol

1 minute ago, hokiehunter373 said:

Done! Had a 4.98 last year but I couldn’t justify changing it for that lol

 

What's impressive about your bass is that you're not long-arming it and it still looks big. Heck, you're not even forearming it. You've got your left elbow cranked behind your head. I like the fat belly shot!

First Kansas Kayak Anglers tournament of the season was this past Saturday on Melvern Lake Kansas. Air temps were suppose to be nice, but the winds yet again, were supposed to howl from the south in excess of 30mph. We had 30 anglers braving the wind, plus there was a boat tournament with another 15-20 boats on the water, so it was more than a little crowded. It was actually pretty calm for about 45 minutes in the morning. I launched in the marina, not where I wanted to fish but it was going to give me the best combination of fishablility and productivity I felt. I got to work quickly, catching a few very small keepers on a jerkbait and Ned rig. I passed across the boat ramp and was fishing my Ned rig down the rocks along the side of the ramp. I got stuck on a rock and popped it loose. I was waiting for it to sink and it just never stopped "sinking". I set the hook as the line got all the way tight and knew it wasn't another small one. She pulled and dove under the boat and thrashed around on the surface before I slipped the net under it. First good fish of the day went 17.50" on a Coppertruese Ned.

I caught another small one off the boat ramp dock, and then another off the other side of the ramp on a Ned then a jerkbait. Lines in was 7AM, it was now 7:32AM and I had my limit. I caught a few small culls on the jerkbait and Ned, before I caught another decent fish at 8:35AM that was 15.50" on a Besotted 110 jerkbait in a color I could only describe as "smallie clown". It just looks like it was made for smallmouth, and they were eating it like it was.

I fished all down the bank that had been productive the week before, nothing, but there had been about 3 boats and as many kayaks already down that bank. I fished the back of the marina where I had no luck the previous week hoping the water had warmed enough to push them back there, no dice. The wind was howling now. Small whitecaps were rolling through the marina despite the fact it was out of the south and the marina is on the south side of the lake and surrounded by trees. The wind whipped the lake so violently in small bursts, it looks like tiny tornadoes spinning across the surface in spots, I've never seen anything like it. 

I fished back down the productive bank from the previous week and lost a heavy fish on the Ned. I switched to a Megabass Nanahan +1 on a spinning rod, running it carefully down the dock cables suspended out in the marina cove. I managed to pick off a small cull doing that. The fish had seen my Ned rig a bunch, plus the previous week, I felt like it was time to switch it up a little. I took off the Coppertruese TRD and switched to a Purple Rain Hula StickZ. I don't know about other places, but our smallmouth love purple. Sure enough, 3 cast later, I culled up with another 15.50" smallmouth on the Ned at 11:41AM 

I was getting close to 80". I felt like that's what I needed to get paid. The Nanahan was getting bit, but they kept coming off or not fully commiting, something wasn't quite right for them. I took the Besotted jerkbait off and switched to a MB Vision 110+1 in Stain Reaction. I fished it down the bank with the dock cables, nothing. I went back up the bank and got nothing to the very end. I had to go around a boat and almost skipped the corner, but decided to give it a quick driveby. I fired a long cast and ripped the bait down and thought I hit a rock one of my first snaps but a few rips later, a fish loaded up. It jumped immediately but I couldn't see it, just felt like a nice one. Then it got closer and I saw it was my biggest of the day for sure. I also saw the jerkbait flopping around by a single point of the back treble. The fish dogged down and jumped, the bait getting flung all over, I was sure it would get slung off. Then the front hook caught it's belly, I felt a little better. I reached with the net and right when I did, the front hook let go and I thought the fish came loose, but that back hook kept holding on all the way into the net! The old warrior stretched out to 18.75" and made it all the way until 12:43PM before someone fooled her.

I bounced around and picked up a few more smaller fish and culled up a little bit with a 14.75" fish on the Ned, making it the smallest fish in my limit. I really wanted to get rid of it and have all fish over 15" though. With time winding down, I was heading straight into the wind, chucking the 110+1 at the cable bank when another solid fish hooked up. Fighting the fish and trying to stay off the bank was a challenge to say the least, but I got her in the net and got spotlocked just off the rocks. This one went 16.50" with just over 30 minutes left at 2:25PM.

I caught a couple more fish, but nothing big enough to cull either 15.50" fish, so I ended with 83.75". Amazingly, 1st and 2nd was a tie again, just like the Konza Yak tournament the previous week. Just like the week before, I again had the big fish tiebreaker too.

Jay talked to me afterwards and said he'd actually would have won, but he caught the same 16.25" fish twice in an hour off the same point on the same tube. If it had been a different fish, he would have beat me, tough break. 

 

The plaques this year are made from an old chalk board, really cool.

 

 

 

Way to go Blue. You’re one hell of a stick 

Great job Clayton, good for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

Did some work for my Aunt at her place today.  After I was done I got to fish her neighbors pond (with his permission of course) for a few before heading home.

Both caught on a T-rig craw.

This fish hung me up in two branches

I did my best at my pond, but failed. I launched with lures I could work slowly: a small and slender green pumpkin fluke, a black and gold Depps Sakamata Shad, a green pumpkin Ned bait, an underspin with a Yamamoto Zako, and a white spinnerbait. I mostly slow rolled the last two, bumping them on the bottom. I worked points, wood, shoreline notches, the deepest water, flats, and a stream. I increased the pauses with my flukes, letting them fall to the bottom and I'd let the Ned just sit for a few seconds on the bottom  too. I did have one bass hit, but the bite was so light that I tentatively set the hook (I know, rookie mistake) and lost my one chance. I did note how my feet hurt from the cold passing through my canoe to me. 

 

Our long, cold winter is going to  take more than one 52-degree day to activate the bass. 

 

On the plus side, it was beautiful and I saw beaver in three places and black and white ducks. I think they were Buffleheads. After failing, I sure felt like a Bufflehead. 

 

16 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Way to go Blue. You’re one hell of a stick 

 

Katy - I just got done with the longest coldest hardest winter since I started fishing and I sincerely feel like I gained some appreciation for what our northern bass brothers and sisters endure every season and I must say - I'm not a fan!

 

Sorry it's still like that in Maine - but I feel like for you - there's gonna be 8+ lbers with absolutely stuffed bellies this year.

 

Just a hunch!  😉

 

Stay curious and keep poking at em.  Try a split shot rig or drop shot with a live worm on a mosquito hook just to see what's shaking down there and then maybe switch to a tiny hook and a slender plastic worm nose hooked and go from there?

 

I feel like next year I'm gonna try some super outside the box stuff when it's super cold - I'm dying to figure the whole thing out.

 

For what it's worth, I feel like I was never around them and they were always probably almost exclusively in the absolute deepest water available to them all winter long and that was probably part of my problem. 

 

If you know what's your deepest water I would definitely start there.

7 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

I did my best at my pond, but failed. I launched with lures I could work slowly: a small and slender green pumpkin fluke, a black and gold Depps Sakamata Shad, a green pumpkin Ned bait, an underspin with a Yamamoto Zako, and a white spinnerbait. I mostly slow rolled the last two, bumping them on the bottom. I worked points, wood, shoreline notches, the deepest water, flats, and a stream. I increased the pauses with my flukes, letting them fall to the bottom and I'd let the Ned just sit for a few seconds on the bottom  too. I did have one bass hit, but the bite was so light that I tentatively set the hook (I know, rookie mistake) and lost my one chance. I did note how my feet hurt from the cold passing through my canoe to me. 

 

Our long, cold winter is going to  take more than one 52-degree day to activate the bass. 

 

On the plus side, it was beautiful and I saw beaver in three places and black and white ducks. I think they were Buffleheads. After failing, I sure felt like a Bufflehead. 

 

 

You didn't fail Katie, you just didn't catch anything. Failure comes from not trying. Glad you got to launch and nature surely paid some dividends.

4 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Stay curious and keep poking at em.  Try a split shot rig or drop shot with a live worm on a mosquito hook just to see what's shaking down there and then maybe switch to a tiny hook and a slender plastic worm nose hooked and go from there?

 

I'll try a little hook in the head of a worm with a split shot. I think that might work. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

5 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

there's gonna be 8+ lbers with absolutely stuffed bellies this year.

 

I do think that the delayed spring will have them chomping soon.

 

3 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Failure comes from not trying.

 

You're right, Bob. I learned what they don't want. I'm going to try Pat's idea of dragging a worm on the bottom.

 

4 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Glad you got to launch and nature surely paid some dividends.

 

Heck, yeah! Anytime I'm afloat with beavers and my fellow Buffleheads, I'm happy.

17 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

For what it's worth, I feel like I was never around them and they were always probably almost exclusively in the absolute deepest water available to them all winter long and that was probably part of my problem. 

 

I spent the least time yesterday probing the deep water because I didn't want to be far from shore for long. The north wind was blowing at 13 mph when I launched. If I had a bigger boat, I would have spent more time over the deep. I also worked both windblown and protected shorelines. 

Completely agree with Pat and Bob, Katie.    You didn't fail in the least, just downloaded more knowledge and officially started your season, that's a huge win in a book. 

 

As we all know in this thread, once your fish come out of hibernation, you can't keep any skin on those thumbs.   Here a few weeks it will be straight gangbusters for you each time out on the water.  This truly the calm before the storm that is known as Katie fishing season 😎

First day back on Erie. Three over five with a 5-4, 5-6 & 5-14. We dropped a solid 6 plus & two others over five that jumped or were seen boat side before coming unhooked. Anyway a good start for first day. 

Dwight just living his best fishing life, running around the country catching donkies everywhere 😎

6 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Dwight just living his best fishing life, running around the country catching donkies everywhere 😎

And kind enough to share the pictures of those donkies with us admirers. 

9 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Dwight just living his best fishing life, running around the country catching donkies everywhere 😎

 

@Swamp Girl, I used to guide a bunch of canoe trips (not fishing). We saw buffleheads one time and I pointed them out, the clients started laughing. They swore up and down I made the name up (no cell service for googling). They thought it was so hilarious that they said they would now change the name for “BS” in their everyday lives to bufflehead 😂