Limited out last night with the help of a small tiger trout. Two good takes on a spoon, had to switch to bait to get that last bite.

Went to a friends wedding yesterday and caught some bream around the dock at the venue. The first one had a chunk bit out of him by something. I caught around 10 in the short time I had just before the wedding. Only one was small.

I did something I can’t remember ever doing before. I cast out , and the rod slipped out of my hands and went in the water. I got down under the dock and was just able to reach the rod with another rod- all with my suit on and dress shoes. I came very close to slipping in the mud twice, as it was I got mud all over my dress shoes. It was worth it, because it was one of the grooms rods !!

Found some skipjack running around Sunday, turned them into a few catfish 

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Found some skipjack running around Sunday, turned them into a few catfish 

I would have skipped the catfish and just broiled up the skipjack....I'm not a catfish fan, but tuna is always good.

11 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I would have skipped the catfish and just broiled up the skipjack....I'm not a catfish fan, but tuna is always good.

 

not that kind of skipjack! Haha

 

if you tried to eat this kind, the stray cats would get everything after the first bite 

Pulled a couple screen shots from 2 of my muskie this past weekend.

If you want to see those, a bunch of little bass, and a couple not so little bass.

 

Just got back from a 6 day camping trip down in south Jersey.

Target fish was Tog, a saltwater bottom fish that live around rocks.

Not sure is anyone on here has posted them, they are hard fighting bulldogs.

Got 14 one day and 18 another day, we took a break from battling the strong tides that were running and fished a small lake near the campground where we caught some small pickerel.

One other day we cut short as there was a strong NW wind 15 to 30 kts, we tried but it was impossible to fish.

 

I got out with the wife today for about 5 hours. There's some fish using laydowns on the steeper banks and we got a couple of them to eat a crappie rig. Tammy went 2 for 2 on 'em, putting a 37" and a 38" in the net. 

Water's down to 56-58 and there are shad balling up at the base of the breaks in the main basins. It won't be long now until the rig bite fires up and I'm chomping at the bit. I'll be working the wood and breaks with glides and dawgs the next couple days, and I'll have some tasty crappie dangling on quick strikes.

14 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Water's down to 56-58...

Water here isn't much cooler than that yet...it's been a weird year.  It was 56° last Sunday.

A couple from outside of Raritan Bay NJ yesterday. We boated 7 with two in the keeper slot, the rest were overs. We dropped a few others, caught a few dogfish and sea bass while waiting for pods of fish to move. Fun day!

 

 

 

Thank the Lord for crappie!!! Cuz I can't catch a muskie on artificials lately to save my butt!!! 😂 I had one follow on the rig Sunday, and that's the only fish I moved on artificials in four trips. 🤦‍♂️

 

I had a big girl show up to T-Billy's all you can eat crappie buffet today though!!! 46.25" Man it feels good to FINALLY put a big'n in the net. She's my first 40+ since the last week of August. 

Followed up shortly after by a 38".

Back to the grind for the next four days. Unfortunately it looks like warm fairly stable coming, so I suspect the bite will be tough next week too. I'm REALLY looking forward to the rig bite at this point, but it's looking like we may still be a few weeks out.

Striper have been getting a little more active recently, caught a bunch the last 2 days on top water.

Another fun morning, first keeper size A rig fish of the season

Couple spook fish, 2nd was a quick pic as they were still boiling in the background.

3 more on BFS as things settled down a bit

 

Caught 27 Blues today dragging chicken. 

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. 😉 I got my first muskie double today, and one of them was a dandy!!! 

 I had a big girl come in hot on the A-rig. She went around hot on it through the first turn of the 8, then as  I started into the second, she went straight. I thought, she's gonna smoke my crappie rig... NOPE. I waited a couple minutes... nothing. I picked up the rig again and on the second cast got bit mid retrieve. It was a smaller fish, but things have been really tough lately, so I was happy to have it. As I get it next to the boat and start trying to net it, one of my crappie rigs gets SMOKED. I'm trying to net the smaller fish and that big girl is headed for deep water with my crappie in her mouth, bait clicker screaming away. 

 By the time I got the little fish squared away and swung on the big'n she was 50'-60' out. Couple big head shakes and she starts peeling drag, then once I got her close she launched and tail walked twice. Pretty unusual for a muskie in 56 degree water. By the time I got her in the net too, I was shaking like a dog pooping pine cones. 😂

I think she was down there eyeing my crappie, and that little fish going ape next to it triggered her.

So... the little fish is 34.5" and the big girl is 46.5". She's a gorgeous, heavy fall fish. Best of the year so far, or at least tied for first with that August full moon 46.5". She was a heavy beast too.

Slow going for the next few hours, with only one follow by a mid 30's on the rig, then on my last spot I bagged a 42" on the crappie rig. 

 All in all, one heck of a trip. Thank you Lord. I appreciate it. 

 

 

14 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

 

So... the little fish is 34.5" and the big girl is 46.5". She's a gorgeous, heavy fall fish. Best of the year so far, or at least tied for first with that August full moon 46.5". She was a heavy beast too.

 

 All in all, one heck of a trip. Thank you Lord. I appreciate it. 

 

 

BAM ~ It was only a matter of time !

Pretty Fish too.

Congrats my friend.

And that Bomber hat is probably getting a complex right about now.

A-Jay

 

Thanks @A-Jay.  For sure on the hat. It's in the boat but it's been WAY too warm. Maybe next week. 60's today, 70's tommorow, the back to more seasonal temps. We need a cool down to get that rig bite going.

Well done @T-Billy! 

Lightning strike and powerball lotto win are in the future for @T-Billy after a double Muskie ! 
 

awesome job 

49 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Lightning strike and powerball lotto win are in the future for @T-Billy after a double Muskie ! 
 

awesome job 

Ha!!! I know how this will end. The lightning strike will come the day after I win the lotto. It'll either kill me (not a problem), or more likely, cripple me and all my winnings will go to medical bills. 😂

3 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I thought, she's gonna smoke my crappie rig..

Sorry for my ignorance,  but what is a crappie rig?

13 minutes ago, Further North said:

Sorry for my ignorance,  but what is a crappie rig?

Dunno about Billy - but my crappie-rigs are Medium-Light to Ultra-light rods with 1000 size reels and line 10# and under braid to 6# and under mono/FC/Hybrid leaders using small lures.

27 minutes ago, Further North said:

Sorry for my ignorance,  but what is a crappie rig?

Live bait rig with a live crappie as bait.

 

Not legal here and even if it was you wouldn’t see me doing it.

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Not legal here and even if it was you wouldn’t see me doing it.

Ya, crappie belong in the broiler, not in another fish's belly.

6 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Ya, crappie belong in the broiler, not in another fish's belly.

That’s not really what I meant. But ok. Haha