Decided to go out to practice pitching today with one of my custom jigs from @cadman. I was just pitching, burning the jig back in, repeat, repeat, etc. After a while, a giant smacked the jig right as I was pulling it out of the water to pitch again; I panicked and almost dropped the rod, of course, so it got away. I then pitched it back out a few feet and this one smacked it: I know it's an awkward picture; it's been so long since I caught a good fish that I completely panicked. ?

 

Great Bass ~

btw - "Panicking" is at least half the fun.

Congrats

A-Jay

36 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Great Bass ~

btw - "Panicking" is at least half the fun.

Congrats

A-Jay

Thank you! 

nice fish young man, keep it up . you have great drive and passion to learn , thats what it takes. maybe we will be seeing you on the trail one of these days.

Great fish! Soak that jig just a little bit longer each time and see what happens. Slow is a good thing when it comes to jigs:) Good start to your fishing year and I am sure it will keep getting better with all that practice. 

Very nice fish!  

Nice one!!

3 hours ago, lonnie g said:

nice fish young man, keep it up . you have great drive and passion to learn , thats what it takes. maybe we will be seeing you on the trail one of these days.

Thanks! ?

2 hours ago, Zurg said:

Great fish! Soak that jig just a little bit longer each time and see what happens. Slow is a good thing when it comes to jigs:) Good start to your fishing year and I am sure it will keep getting better with all that practice. 

Thanks! I usually fish jigs pretty slowly, but the reason I was burning it in was because I was practicing pitching. I wasn't really trying/expecting to catch anything. ?

Very nice fish young man, very nice indeed!

 

As @A-Jay said, panicking is part of what makes this sport fun! Enjoy the thrill of the unexpected, it keeps things interesting.

 

Bass legend Rick Clunn at age 72 still believes this. When asked when he might give up the sport of bass fishing he said, when he stopped shaking with excitement at catching a big bass!

 

So, keep in mind that even the top pros get flustered a bit by the unexpected, and keeps them coming back for more. Hands shaking, heart thumping...it doesn't get any better than that!

 

Never apologize for doing what you love! Keep practicing, and never give up the dream.

 

 

 

 

12 minutes ago, LadiMopar said:

Very nice fish young man, very nice indeed!

 

As @A-Jay said, panicking is part of what makes this sport fun! Enjoy the thrill of the unexpected, it keeps things interesting.

 

Bass legend Rick Clunn at age 72 still believes this. When asked when he might give up the sport of bass fishing he said, when he stopped shaking with excitement at catching a big bass!

 

So, keep in mind that even the top pros get flustered a bit by the unexpected, and keeps them coming back for more. Hands shaking, heart thumping...it doesn't get any better than that!

 

Never apologize for doing what you love! Keep practicing, and never give up the dream.

 

 

 

 

Thanks! Yeah, I still get as excited about catching one (even the smaller ones) as I did when I started a few years ago. ?

 

Edit: Now that I think about it more, there's one exception to that. When I caught my first bass, which was no longer than a few inches, I was more excited than I am about catching a 7+ pounder now. ?

Nice going!

3 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

Nice going!

Thanks!

Nice fish man!

5 hours ago, Mccallister25 said:

Nice fish man!

Thank you!

Great job!! 

 

 

Nice job bud!

5 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

Nice job bud!

Thanks!

Nice fish. I think it might be time for you to carry a scale and tape measure.

10 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

Nice fish. I think it might be time for you to carry a scale and tape measure.

I bought a scale/fish gripper recently but I forgot to bring it. I'll try to remember next time.