More trip reports, please.

[TnRiver46]

36 minutes ago, FishTax said:

That's nice that you can retrieve them. Mine was in 20' of water. I went out yesterday with a magnet and tried to get it as I know generally where it's at, but no luck. The wind was so heavy I was blowing 1 mph every time I quit paddling, according to my electronics, so it's was difficult to maintain position. Even if I had position though, I don't think the magnet thing would work. I tried sticking it to another rod I had with me and it barely found anything magnetic so that was probably a failed strategy. Seemed like a good idea though, I'm surprised the rods don't have more metal on them, I guess only the reel is and the guides are too small. 

I think the lake owes me a big bass for that one. 

My buddy’s kids got a fishing magnet and no rod/reel we tried would stick to it. The kids got it stuck to the deck of a riding lawn mower and their dad had to wail on it with a sledgehammer to get it free 

 

I have seen people snag rod/reels with rattle traps and also a metal clamp stringer with all the clamps open, might be worth a try 

[Jig Man]

Went back to Table Rock this morning and took my neighbor.    It was 31° and the wind was beginning.  We fished the same general area as I did on Tuesday.  Fishing was somewhat better.  We caught 23 spotted bass 5 of which were nice keepers.  All were caught on various TRDs rigged Ned.  The only bad thing was the 20+ mph wind which chilled me to the bone.  Right now I am sitting in front of my wood stove enjoying a beer.   Cheers.

[Fishingmickey]

1 hour ago, Fishingmickey said:

     I will chunk my two cents in the pot. My winter bass fishing rule of thumb.  Back in the day when I fished a lot. I fished 45 days straight in the winter (Dec, Jan, and Feb. here) and I came up with a pattern that works for me in Texas. The cold front blows through. The first two days after the front don't even bother, It's cold and windy.  They ain't biting.  The third day they start biting again and it bite continues improving until the next front rolls in.  This was fishing the same water each time. I had a little gravel ramp where I'd launch my 12' Sears Ted Williams semi-vee with a trolling motor on the bow and a dead 9.9 Wizard motor on the back to keep it (from wind vane-ing) tracking.

     I would launch the boat and put the troller on two and tossed a spinner bait next to every piece of cover, through every lily pad opening and under and along the docks.  Anything that might look like it would hold a fish, I'd hit it while going down the bank.  Fish one side and then I'd cross over and come back down the opposite bank.

     My weapon of choice was a 6'6" Shimano Bullwhip with a Shimano bantam mag 4:1 reel with either a Chartruese or White Strike king double bladed spinner bait tied on.  Short accurate casts, I'm a lefty and throw righty. I can start that spinner bait's blades turning just as it hits the water.  I swear that some of those bass would see it coming and hit the instant the bait hit the water.

 

I still think my theory would hold true today. Cold front blows through, blue bird skies, high pressure moves in, cold temps, cold winds out of the north and by day three the wind starts to lay or starts coming out of the south again and they are eating again.

FM 

Wrong thread... Ooops

[Swamp Girl]

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

20+ mph wind

 

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

23 spotted bass

 

1 hour ago, Jig Man said:

31°

 

Like @pdxfisher, who's fishing the Columbia in a kayak in December, you're a baaaaaad man too!

 

 

[Koz]

OK, I finally have something for you. It’s in the 40’s and breezy today, but I took 30 minutes to fish off my dock when I got home from work.

 

The water is fairly stained right now and in the afternoon this time of year most of the castable area is in the shade. Along the seawall it’s 2-3 feet deep, but by the end of my dock it’s 11 feet deep and a long cast gets me to 15-18 foot depths.

 

Anyway, I chose a small, 3 hook A-rig with some Crush City Mayor baits. 

 

A few casts in I caught a 1.5 pound crappie. Not long after that I caught the striper pictured below that probably weight about 2.5 pounds. He put up a nice little fight.

 

The largemouth tend to disappear from around my house this time of year, so I was happy to catch anything. I’m hoping to get out on my kayak for a few hours on Christmas day.

[TnRiver46]

Nice striper !!!

[FishTax]

It's very cold here. For NC at least. I went out yesterday briefly and got skunked again. I think today is our last really cold day for a while so hopefully the bite will come back after Christmas. I'm planning to catch at least one more before this year ends, and I'm hoping it's 5+. (trying to manifest it by typing it here  )

[Swamp Girl]

12 minutes ago, FishTax said:

It's very cold here. For NC at least. I went out yesterday briefly and got skunked again. I think today is our last really cold day for a while so hopefully the bite will come back after Christmas. I'm planning to catch at least one more before this year ends, and I'm hoping it's 5+. (trying to manifest it by typing it here  )

 

Fingers crossed you do!

[gim]

I’ve been chasing ditch parrots with Cosmo lately. Best field report I got for ya

 

 

[A-Jay]

4 minutes ago, gim said:

I’ve been chasing ditch parrots with Cosmo lately. Best field report I got for ya

 

 

Nice !

Which gun does Cosmo shoot the best?

🤓

A-Jay

[Blue Raider Bob]

Fished a beautiful gem of a lake in middle Tn. called Normandy. It is only 3000 acres so its considered a small lake in Tennessee but qualifies as a "pond" in Maine. It is an impoundment of the Duck river. This lake receives a ton of pressure due to our lack of choices, but in the winter, it is fishable. The high got to mid forties but there were still several boats on the water. Google it while you are waiting for your water to soften, if you like. It is a flood control lake with no generation, and fluctuates 15'! Right now, in winter pool, it is difficult to launch because of low water. I've never caught much out of Normandy but the view is worth the trip.

[Koz]

I fished off my dock a few times today. This morning I had a big hit on the A rig that had my 7’ MHF Expride bent over. Then the fish turned and ran at me. I couldn’t reel in quick enough, the line slacked, and it was gone. Felt like a striper.

 

This afternoon I caught the striper in the photo below. I’m guessing maybe 3.5 pounds. I caught that one shaking a Yum Sonar Minnow.  I followed that up with a hybrid that was probably 1.5.

 

While shaking a minnow again I saw a disturbance on the surface off to my right, so I reeled in quick as the bait approached the dock. That must have triggered a follower as I felt a big hit and then nothing. Whatever it was snapped my 10 pound braid in a flash.

 

As for shaking a minnow, I was doing that on the Cashion Icon FFS rod that I picked up earlier this year. I absolutely love that rod.

 

Anyway, in the absence of largemouth, I’m enjoying catching stripers, even if I’m only fishing 30 minutes or so at a time. The weather is supposed to be nice on Saturday, so I think I’ll take out the kayak and target them for the day.

[TnRiver46]

I caught some nice ones today ! And some dinks yesterday. Nice fish @Koz

[Swamp Girl]

If you guys don't mind, don't use this thread anymore and go back to reporting your fish in the latest catch thread. I feel this thread has siphoned some of its traffic. Thanks and Merry Christmas!