26 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

It'll be served blackened, with fried potatoes and coleslaw tomorrow evening.

 

Yum! If you hear something sniffing outside your kitchen window, that'll just be me.

I fished an area of the river today I never fished before…

During the weekend, if I don't get out in the morning, my only time for fishing is in the heat of the afternoon while both kids nap. At its kind of brutal. Worst time to fish, imo. I spent two or three hours walking the riverside trails in town searching for a bite with a T-rigged soft crawfish, and a medium diving crankbait. 

 

I decided to experiment with the T-rig. I inherited a bunch of fishing gear from my Grandpa who has gone blind and is too feeble to fish anymore. He gave me a ton of egg-weights. I don't use them. Don't know what they're normally used for, but figured, "these could probably work for a Texas rig." 

 

I learned after three missed good bites (two of them I saw the fish take the bait) that the rounder, fatter weight was actually popping the bass's mouths open before the hook could sink home. This might have been different if I'd been using a standard offset shank, but I was using my go to EWGs. And I was watching the bait slip out of the fish's mouths like there wasn't even a hook there. 

 

I did manage one nice river smallie on the crank bait:

 

 

and a plethora of rock bass that I'll spare you the pain of looking at. 

 

Later that evening, I took both the one year old and the 6 month old to the park and fished while I waited for my wife to join us. I had switched the T-rig back to the bullet weights I normally use and caught a handful of tiny smallies. 

 

 

 

 

Also, I mention it every year, but tubers are the worst kind of water-enjoyer. And I must have seen a hundred of them. A group of four even had the audacity to dismount their tubes in the deep hole I was fishing (about neck deep on a full grown man) and splash their way over to the steep, rocky bank I was fishing from. Directly where I was standing. The actually access point was about 20 feet up river. "We're trying to get out," they mutter without so much as an apology as they scramble up the rocks, scraping their knees and forcing me to move backwards. I've rarely been so ticked off at a stranger while fishing, but whether from good sense or cowardice, I just packed up and moved upstream with a bitter, "this isn't the access point for the river, guys!" Over my shoulder. Oh well. What did I expect going fishing in the middle of the day on a Sunday? 

The Devil made inner tubes, but God made hatpins. 

Finally tied on a Karashi, 2nd cast solid fish.

 

Short fishing trip to the pond before work this morning. Caught a nice one on the T-rig. Then a tiny one on the crankbait. 

 

 

Had a cold and hot day of fishing this weekend. Saturday I took the family out in the boat to our favorite lake that usually is very good for smallmouth. I should have checked my Deep Dive App and I would have seen they had been generating a lot of water out of the lake, it had dropped a lot and fishing was very difficult.

Sunday, I went to a little lake I haven’t been to in a few years that is loaded with timber. Our next tournament is a roadrunner and this is one of the lakes on the list. I caught a bass on my first cast, and 60 more during the course of the day. Size was not as good as I’d hoped, but it sure was fun with the nonstop action. Even had a double and almost did it twice but the second time one of the fish fell off at the kayak.

At one point I was scoping some deep trees in 32’ of water and had a rod in my hand, dragging a worm right on the surface and a fish ate it right off the top in that deep water. They were really active.

Sorry to bother, but how do you guys post your pictures.

 

I'll try to attach a photo and it always says the file is too big.

 

How are you attaching smaller sized pics?

 

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!   

 

Sunday after church I worked on my jig techniques. This jig was given to me by a guy I met at the lake last year. The weed guard was stiff and I was experimenting to see how that affected it. I lost 3 or 4, then I cut the weed guard completely off to see how it did, and it collected a lot more grass. I didn't have any other bites after I removed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Made a quick trip down to the river today.

 

 

 

 

Old hack but a good one.  Have your 5 year old hold your catch

Since I'm not likely to ever show a fish on this thread, at least I can show what I can do....grow things!

My 35 blueberry bushes are drowning us in berries. My daughter was out way past dark last night, and brought in three gallons! Anyone having luck in the garden this year?

@Blue Raider Bob: Three gallons is a LOT of blueberries. I planted nine high bush blueberries and three low bush blueberries this year.

2 hours ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Since I'm not likely to ever show a fish on this thread, at least I can show what I can do....grow things!

My 35 blueberry bushes are drowning us in berries. My daughter was out way past dark last night, and brought in three gallons! Anyone having luck in the garden this year?

I have 550 blueberry bushes

1 hour ago, Rockhopper said:

I have 550 blueberry bushes

That total is staggering my senses! You have a major farm. I have a mini-farm. Hope you are having a good year! Do you use mechanical means to harvest? Love to see a picture of your place!

3 minutes ago, Blue Raider Bob said:

Love to see a picture of your place!

 

Me too. I'll The dozen I planted are far, FAR more than I can ever eat.

Fishing must be slow for everyone. 

 

I used to pick blueberries for my neighbor's blueberry farm as a kid. It was a fun first job. 

37 minutes ago, IcatchDinks said:

Fishing must be slow for everyone. 

Not for everyone.......just me.   ☹️

Sorry to get off topic so often. ADHD. I went Sunday and gave my arms a workout. Caught one LM and hooked a gar half as long as the boat. That big boy was screaming drag, went airborne , and was gone! Thanks goodness because I wanted my bladed jig back! Long, hot, six hour trip for one dink. I really stink at this. 😐

Fished 1230 - 4 this morning in 89.4 degree water, 20 - 25 FOW on the Z - Man shakey head. Caught 4 Spots 1 LM. Best two pictured.

@GreenPig: Such healthy bass!

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

@GreenPig: Such healthy bass!

And mean. They fought me like I owed them money.

Had my yearly trip up to the St Lawrence River for a few days. I think this was my best for the trip. It was very windy a couple of the days so I didn’t get in as much fishing time as I hoped. Still a great time. Thousand Island area. 

First a slow but fun weekend with a few dinky summer fighters and TWO(!!!) skunk boat trips in a row...... 

 

 

But then....after work today - felt big frontal stuff hitting hard and went to the Pressured Pond™ and caught an 8 lber on a black buzzbait.

 

 

That'll do!  🙂

 

July has begun!

 

 

 

I love looking at those shehemoths! What a bass!! 

On 6/30/2025 at 6:47 PM, Bazoo said:

Sunday after church I worked on my jig techniques. This jig was given to me by a guy I met at the lake last year. The weed guard was stiff and I was experimenting to see how that affected it. I lost 3 or 4, then I cut the weed guard completely off to see how it did, and it collected a lot more grass. I didn't have any other bites after I removed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Made a quick trip down to the river today.

 

 

 

 

Next time try kind of fanning the weed guard out or cutting it even with the hook point and 45 degrees. It helps with a stiffer one for sure. 

26 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

First a slow but fun weekend with a few dinky summer fighters and TWO(!!!) skunk boat trips in a row...... 

 

 

But then....after work today - felt big frontal stuff hitting hard and went to the Pressured Pond™ and caught an 8 lber on a black buzzbait.

 

 

That'll do!  🙂

 

July has begun!

 

 

 

Nice!!!!! Makes up for the skunk trips. Looks like yall had a great time!