Hello,

 

I was fishing a weedless jig this evening when I felt something hit it but not hook up.  It pulled for a minute and then let go.

 

As is proper, I tossed a whacky rigged Yum Dinger, 4", on my ultralight as a follow-up to the lost bass.

 

This is what bit:

 

 

This is the third smallest bass I've ever caught, and the smallest in 20 years!   My previous smallest this year was about twice as long.

 

Josh

You just gotta wonder what were they thinking?

C'mon now! That's a beast in the making!!

He has a lot of heart and the makings of a big bass someday

C'mon now! That's a beast in the making!!

 

 

He has a lot of heart and the makings of a big bass someday

 

I agree!  I let her go with instructions to grow.  With an appetite like that, she's going to be a nice bass!

 

I showed April (my wife) the picture, and she said, "Awwww cuuuute!  Did you pet it?  You should have given it a snack, you know, those panfish things you carry around!"

 

This is from a woman who doesn't like to bait her own hook or touch fish.  She got the "petting" thing, though, from when we went fishing this past summer.  She got to see me catch a frog bass.  She went from thinking bass are "ewww" to thinking they're cute, and even petted it (rubbed its belly) after I showed her how.

 

I told her that I try not to touch bass this young, and even the older bass I don't generally pet because it removes a protective coating. 

 

Still, bass (especially largemouth) remind me a lot of dogs, and I love dogs.  This little one was like a puppy.

 

Josh

You just gotta wonder what were they thinking?

 

I've wondered a lot if they do.  I'd think they'd have something upstairs telling them that a certain size is too big to eat, but evidence seems to be going against that.

 

Earlier this year I caught a small bluegill on a Spittin' Image there was no way it could have eaten.

 

I'm finding more and more that as long as a lure is highly visible (and this sometimes means BIG) that bass will try to eat it. 

 

My favorite things right now are frogs (new to me) and large-profile jigs with lots of rattles and trailers that play lateral lines like banjo strings.  Noise makes 'em turn and look, and profile makes 'em eat.

 

I even put some beads in one frog I use for the extra noise.

 

Josh

I admit I played God one-day. The bass fry were 1 1/2" long and more than 1,000 together. The pickerel were murdering them. I put on a baby bass rapala and caught every pickerel.

I shouldn't of done that. Better to let nature thin them out. The school of fry looked like a cloud in the water.

I've caught bass so small that the hook was about as wide as the mouth lol.

You just gotta wonder what were they thinking?

 

I've wondered a lot if they do.  I'd think they'd have something upstairs telling them that a certain size is too big to eat, but evidence seems to be going against that.

 

Earlier this year I caught a small bluegill on a Spittin' Image there was no way it could have eaten.

 

I'm finding more and more that as long as a lure is highly visible (and this sometimes means BIG) that bass will try to eat it. 

 

My favorite things right now are frogs (new to me) and large-profile jigs with lots of rattles and trailers that play lateral lines like banjo strings.  Noise makes 'em turn and look, and profile makes 'em eat.

 

I even put some beads in one frog I use for the extra noise.

 

Josh

I have seen bluegills following a Rapala Glidin Rap.

Its impressive how small bass bite lures larger than they are. They also bite minnows on a size 10 hook.

someone should start pouring 2ft stickbaits (senkos) for 10lb bass. million dollar idea, you can have it.

The 7 1/4" bps stik o but make them 12"