Shaping up to be a pretty good year ~

[A-Jay]

Past few years I've been keeping track of my top 5 Brown Bass.

Info in the last couple of threads can be found here 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/258133-top-5-brown-bass-of-2023/

This season has been most decent so far and has enabled me to already surpass at least the last two entire season's totals.

I'll need to go back into the archives to see just where 2024 sits when it's over.

Currently we're sitting at 31.23 lbs for 5 fish.

7.05, 6.48, 6.26, 5.86, & 5.58 and most all of that happened on Lake Menderchuck over a 2 week period in April.

Trip details are posted in the Reports Thread.

There's Plenty of fishing left to be done so we'll see how it all shakes out.

Very exciting.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

[Dwight Hottle]

Congrats on breaking 30lbs. Well you are putting a whooping on me so far. I had a 6-11, 5-5, 5-5, 5-4 & 5-1 for my spring trip totaling 27.62 lbs for five fish. But I do have a fall trip in October planned for Erie so I should be able to improve if my timing is better.  

 

[A-Jay]

7 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Congrats on breaking 30lbs. Well you are putting a whooping on me so far. I had a 6-11, 5-5, 5-5, 5-4 & 5-1 for my spring trip totaling 27.62 lbs for five fish. But I do have a fall trip in October planned for Erie so I should be able to improve if my timing is better.  

 

Those are such gorgeous smallies.

MI regs do not legally allow me to hold them a bit in the pool so they can get their color back until late May.

As for any whooping I might be doing, pretty sure that's a first and I certainly wouldn't expect it to last very long.

If I have any chance to make an upgrade, 

it won't be until Aug/Sept. 

But you know if I can be, I'll be hitting it hard.

Good Luck in Oct, hope you get the "right" weather. 

A-Jay

[gim]

I can't keep up with the smallmouth masters above but I'm going to play along anyways.  Mine are inland MN lake smallmouth, not Great Lakes versions.

 

I've gone twice this season so far.  I'm probably done lake smallmouth fishing until fall now but I might be able to do some river fishing for them this summer being that we are not in a drought.

 

Luckily, my biggest 5 are all prespawn versions.  I think I can upgrade on the bottom two at some point.  A matte perch megabass jerk bait has been my most productive lure thus far.

 

4.8, 4.4, 4.0, 3.3, 3.1 pounders so far for a total of 19.6 pounds.

 

 

[Susky River Rat]

 Awesome job buddy!

 

I usually do not take the time to weigh or measure fish. Catch it quick pic just to prove to my wife I can catch a fish and move on. Lately I have been doing an online derby so I have been measuring them. I’ve been catching between 14 and 18 inch smallies. Which I am more than happy with. 

[A-Jay]

Completely omitted the fish pictures ~

What was I thinking ?

 

Not part of the top 5 but I need to add Miss Big Fin

as an honorable mention fish.

 

A-Jay

[gim]

Now @Dwight Hottle is gonna have to show a couple photos of his whales from Erie too.

 

[A-Jay]

15 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Now @Dwight Hottle is gonna have to show a couple photos of his whales from Erie too.

 

Pretty sure he did above.

Such great pics too.

A-Jay

[gim]

I missed the link before.  Good call

[12poundbass]

Well done @A-Jay !

 

@gimruis I can’t keep up either! I’m sitting with a total weight of a about 6.5lbs over the last five years. 😂

[gim]

On 6/1/2024 at 1:22 PM, gimruis said:

4.8, 4.4, 4.0, 3.3, 3.1 pounders so far for a total of 19.6 pounds.

 

I wasn't able to do any upgrading in the river when targeting brown bass.  It was all 11-15 inchers.  I caught most of them on topwater but no size.

 

My upgrade is gonna have to occur in the fall.  Sept-Oct when the water cools down.

[gim]

Unfortunately I was not able to get on big water this fall to target brown bass. The wind simply did not cooperate and I know the limits of my boat.

 

I had to go to plan B which was largemouth fishing on a smaller lake - which turned out well at least.

 

Looking forward to next season and hoping that Mother Nature is more cooperative.

[A-Jay]

I may have a few more shots at improving my totals 

before the final curtain falls.

But like most every fall in recent memory,

I'll no doubt be cutting close.

A-Jay

[MIbassyaker]

Well I can't compete with any of you -- I think my PB smallie is 3.5 lb, and most of the ones I catch are river fish -- lean and mean torpedos, rather than chunky footballs. My best five on the year are a total of about 9-10lb.

 

Year's best from Labor Day, probably ~3:

 

 

If I had time and somebody to help me do the put-in/take-out car shuffle, I'd be hitting the Grand River right now. Probably my best chance for a smallmouth over 4lb, short of big water or going north.  

 

The dams are elbow-to-elbow right now with steelhead/salmon waders, but the stretches between are often empty, except for the occasional walleye troller. 

[Dwight Hottle]

Very slight upgrade for me with a 5.5 & 5.25 to 28.44. Fall fishing can be bear on the big lake when mother nature doesn't cooperate. 

[TnRiver46]

13 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

Well I can't compete with any of you -- I think my PB smallie is 3.5 lb, and most of the ones I catch are river fish -- lean and mean torpedos, rather than chunky footballs. My best five on the year are a total of about 9-10lb.

 

Year's best from Labor Day, probably ~3:

 

 

If I had time and somebody to help me do the put-in/take-out car shuffle, I'd be hitting the Grand River right now. Probably my best chance for a smallmouth over 4lb, short of big water or going north.  

 

The dams are elbow-to-elbow right now with steelhead/salmon waders, but the stretches between are often empty, except for the occasional walleye troller. 

I’d love to run shuttle with ya some day! I always seem to find myself in Michigan so it’s not out of the realm of possibility 

[gim]

5 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Fall fishing can be bear on the big lake when mother nature doesn't cooperate. 

 

Big water for smallmouth is the one situation where I really have to pay more attention to wind speed and direction.  I only have an 18 foot aluminum boat and anything resembling decent waves is just a no go.  Not only is it unsafe, but boat control is nearly impossible.

 

Every once in a while the lake cooperates and the rewards are great though.  That's why I keep trying.

[A-Jay]

And just to put a wrap on this one . . . . . 

 

Amidst some pretty high hopes, and something close to 6 more months to fish,

I never did improve on the 31 lb bag I ended April this year with.

Not making an excuse but I wasn't on the water as much as I expected.

But did give it the old college try.

In Sept & Oct I bumped into some really nice 5 lb bass.

However none carried sufficient weight to bump the smallest smb off the list which was 5.58 lb. 

So 5 fish for 31.23 lbs stands as the final mark for 2024.

Not complaining. 

I'm hoping I can take another run at getting that elusive 30 + lb bag all in one day.

Mean while, I'll just watch this deal over & over as motivation,

until I can be out there again.

https://youtu.be/l4JGH21R93Q?feature=shared

Stay Safe & Warm

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

 

[r83srock]

Beautiful fish as always, A-Jay! Amazing!

 

Had a few hours to get on the river yesterday. These are all over 4 with one pushing 5. I still have not caught a 5 lb smallie, even on Sturgeon bay. I’ve got quite a few that are close. Most of my fish came on a bitsy flip jig yesterday, but the biggest one came on a blue/chrome rat-l-trap. I’m hoping to get out once or twice yet before deer season starts. I don’t mind. I love the thanksgiving and Christmas seasons coming up. And I have all winter to puttz with the boat and tackle. 

 

 

 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, r83srock said:

Beautiful fish as always, A-Jay! Amazing!

 

Had a few hours to get on the river yesterday. These are all over 4 with one pushing 5. I still have not caught a 5 lb smallie, even on Sturgeon bay. I’ve got quite a few that are close. Most of my fish came on a bitsy flip jig yesterday, but the biggest one came on a blue/chrome rat-l-trap. I’m hoping to get out once or twice yet before deer season starts. I don’t mind. I love the thanksgiving and Christmas seasons coming up. And I have all winter to puttz with the boat and tackle. 

 

 

 

Thanks

Nice smallies right there

and especially love those pictures.

Congrats

A plus size brown bass is in your future. 

I can feel it !

A-Jay

[PaulVE64]

A 30# bag is phenominal.