Did you ever have a day when it all came together like magic?

After weeks in the 90's, and five straight days of 97 and 98, with humidity beyond description, a violent thunderstorm swept through an hour ago. I peeked out the door and the temp was down to a mere 91 with the air considerably less humid. I rushed to the pond behind my house, and it was more beautiful than ever. The normally insipid water color was a deep and beautiful blue green and clear of the usual grass, moss and generally ugly floating vegetation. There was no wind and fish were rising everywhere.

Did you ever have a day when you just knew in your bones you were going to strike piscatorial paydirt?

I tied on my favorite jerk bait and fan casted from the bank to the spots I just knew were holding bass.

Did you ever have your fishing dreams come true in that magic moment?

No, me either.

Complete zilch.

Maybe golf isn't as boring as I remember.

Yup, but not on the hottest days of the year.

Grinding through the tough trip for a few decades, one is bound to have a few of those special days.

I say stick with it but have reasonable expectations.

Especially when it comes to current weather and seasonal patterns.

No fish days are part of the sport for me.

But so are days like this one . . .

A-Jay

Aww, those magical moments. Those days (or nights) are rare but I’ve had them. One night I hit into three 7 plus pounders almost back to back, like a wolf pack of giant aggressive bass just tearing up anything and everything in site. Being in the right place at the right time is what it’s all about. No way to plan for anything like that. My best moment happened about 4:30am on a crescent moon where every single cast was annihilated by a fish 22 plus inches, one right after the other with the final top water hit being almost a 10 pounder. The fish were practically boiling in the water like a wild hungry rabid gang not afraid of a dang thing. Never seen anything like it and is why I can’t stress enough how wild and unhindered these Everglades fish are. I’ve caught bass from other lakes in different parts of the state but none of them are as crazy as these Everglades bass!

@A-Jay , what is that lure you were using? Looks like a jerk bait. If so, is it a deep suspended one?

I work jerk baits with quick short jerks, but you look like you are almost sweeping it a good distance.

1 hour ago, SJS said:

Did you ever have your fishing dreams come true in that magic moment?

No, me either.

Complete zilch.

Maybe golf isn't as boring as I remember.

Ha! Funny guy. I often fail to entice rising bass. I'm guessing that they're so focused on the real thing that our shiner imitations look pretty shabby.

51 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

Aww, those magical moments. Those days (or nights) are rare but I’ve had them. One night I hit into three 7 plus pounders almost back to back, like a wolf pack of giant aggressive bass just tearing up anything and everything in site. Being in the right place at the right time is what it’s all about. No way to plan for anything like that. My best moment happened about 4:30am on a crescent moon where every single cast was annihilated by a fish 22 plus inches, one right after the other with the final top water hit being almost a 10 pounder. The fish were practically boiling in the water like a wild hungry rabid gang not afraid of a dang thing. Never seen anything like it and is why I can’t stress enough how wild and unhindered these Everglades fish are. I’ve caught bass from other lakes in different parts of the state but none of them are as crazy as these Everglades bass!

That sounds like all of our dreams. Where do you fish in the Everglades?

26 minutes ago, SJS said:

@A-Jay , what is that lure you were using? Looks like a jerk bait. If so, is it a deep suspended one?

I work jerk baits with quick short jerks, but you look like you are almost sweeping it a good distance.

Wish I could remember.

But I sure had fun and that's what really matters.

A-Jay

20 minutes ago, Brycecover said:

That sounds like all of our dreams. Where do you fish in the Everglades?

I fish from Lake Okeechobee south into Broward County as well as the Fellsmere area, Stick Marsh and Headwaters, and Kenansville. All over, really, to get these fatty’s

A few years ago, I had planned a muskie trip to northwest Wisconsin in July.

The night prior to my departure, a severe thunderstorm put a hold on a night of fishing my local lake. The next morning, my plan was to head up to Wisconsin around noon. I figured, why not hit my local lake for bass? I got on the water around 8:00 and by 10:00 I had boated 21bass, all on topwater. I pulled up stakes and headed north. I got there around 5:00PM and launched before I even checked in. By 7:30 I had boated a 42in muskie and three bass over 4lb. I didn't want to get off the water, but I was wasted and I had three days of fishing still to go. I get a rush every time I think about that day.

Every year it seems like I catch big fish when I think I should stay home and do badly on a day I think they’re going to jump in the boat - sometimes 2 or 3 times in one summer! I have simply come to expect this sort of thing - I believe it walks hand in hand with there being gobs of food everywhere for them to eat with very little competition or confusion. I feel like those days where the wind doesn’t blow and it’s miserable hot and I’m convinced the bass won’t bite - they actually are having a harder time finding an easy meal and fall for a lure more often.

There will be days when the fishing is better than ones most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse.

Either is a gain over just staying home.

Just now, Lottabass said:

There will be days when the fishing is better than ones most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse.

Either is a gain over just staying home.

I agree with this big time.

I also think over time I’ve sort of learned to accept that every day is a kind of puzzle to be solved and my preconceived notions of what bass should or shouldn’t be doing are often informed by promotional material for tackle and that fish aren’t aware or concerned with any such things and simply do as they please!

27 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

every day is a kind of puzzle to be solved

So true. When I launched yesterday at 12:30ish p.m., I was struck by how hot and bright it was. Then I saw two eagles wheeling overhead. I didn't make a single cast along the shoreline where I launched. I figured the bass had to be as deep as possible and tucked under cover, so I went weed-hunting in the middle of the pond.

32 minutes ago, Lottabass said:

There will be days when the fishing is better than ones most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse.

Either is a gain over just staying home.

Wisdom.

12 hours ago, Zcoker said:

I can’t stress enough how wild and unhindered these Everglades fish are.

*** wrote this about Florida strain bass versus NLMB: "When hooked, Northern bass are scrappier, frequently jumping and using the shallow cover. Florida bass will occasionally use their heavier weight to pull deep, but they lack the energetic fight of the Northern strain."

This is my experience. When I fight NLMB, I'm fighting the weeds too. NLMB have the smarts and the stamina to reach them. Some of them have the power to mow the weeds; I'll see the weeds on the surface snapping as a bass powers through them, turning my line into a weed whip.

When it comes to leaping, I hooked a six-pounder a couple days ago that tail-walked for about eight feet before crashing into the side of my canoe and yesterday bass were launching themselves like Trident missiles to take dragonflies in mid-flight.

16 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

*** wrote this about Florida strain bass versus NLMB: "When hooked, Northern bass are scrappier, frequently jumping and using the shallow cover. Florida bass will occasionally use their heavier weight to pull deep, but they lack the energetic fight of the Northern strain."

This is my experience. When I fight NLMB, I'm fighting the weeds too. NLMB have the smarts and the stamina to reach them. Some of them have the power to mow the weeds; I'll see the weeds on the surface snapping as a bass powers through them, turning my line into a weed whip.

When it comes to leaping, I hooked a six-pounder a couple days ago that tail-walked for about eight feet before crashing into the side of my canoe and yesterday bass were launching themselves like Trident missiles to take dragonflies in mid-flight.

As an ex northerner, this has been my experience. While I'm catching larger bass than I did in NY, I find their fight sometimes a let down.

14 hours ago, SJS said:

Did you ever have a day when it all came together like magic?

After weeks in the 90's, and five straight days of 97 and 98, with humidity beyond description, a violent thunderstorm swept through an hour ago. I peeked out the door and the temp was down to a mere 91 with the air considerably less humid. I rushed to the pond behind my house, and it was more beautiful than ever. The normally insipid water color was a deep and beautiful blue green and clear of the usual grass, moss and generally ugly floating vegetation. There was no wind and fish were rising everywhere.

Did you ever have a day when you just knew in your bones you were going to strike piscatorial paydirt?

I tied on my favorite jerk bait and fan casted from the bank to the spots I just knew were holding bass.

Did you ever have your fishing dreams come true in that magic moment?

No, me either.

Complete zilch.

Maybe golf isn't as boring as I remember.

From 2 years before I was born until a couple of years after my dad died, about 49 years, my family had a modest house on Lake Wateree. We didn't take many extended vacations. We spent every warm holiday there. One week of the 4th when I was maybe 13, a strong storm blew over and cooled the sweltering evening. My friend and I went down to the dock with our cane poles and worms to see if anything was biting. To our surprise, we caught bream, bass, crappie and catfish for hours. My dad and my friend's dad told us to start keeping them and we had a fish fry later in that week. It felt so awesome to catch the fish that later fed two families.

It probably wasn't all that glorious. But that's the way I remember it.

20 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

It probably wasn't all that glorious. But that's the way I remember it.

That is a glorious memory. Thanks for sharing it.

I've had lots of them, but none more than this day. It just seemed like every time I set the hook, it was a big fish.

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

*** wrote this about Florida strain bass versus NLMB: "When hooked, Northern bass are scrappier, frequently jumping and using the shallow cover. Florida bass will occasionally use their heavier weight to pull deep, but they lack the energetic fight of the Northern strain."

I just can’t see this with the bass out in the glades, especially the lacking energy part, because they will literally try to rip your arm off! I’ve had them break high dollar rods clean in half. Practically spin my yak in a complete circle. Launch to the moon like a raging missile. Talk about brute force energy, the fish below did a number on a BKK 4X big-game saltwater hook. That’s some energy right there in my book.

26 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I've had lots of them, but none more than this day. It just seemed like every time I set the hook, it was a big fish.

Now that looks like fun. 🙂

There was a weekend during the summer off of high school one year when a local pond set up just perfectly vegetation wise. Normally this place gets CHOKED by weeds in the summer, but for whatever reason that didn't develop this year. Instead the only cover they had was isolated stumps and lilypad clusters in 3-5 FOW. The whole pond was like this. The water was exceptionally clear and it was bright and hot. Basically their only option was to to tuck under these small patches of lilypads that were only maybe 5 feet across each.

I think I had back to back days in my kayak of 25 fish using nothing but a wacky rigged senko. You could call your shots basically. The sad part is those should have been 40-50 fish days the bite was that good...except this was when I was still learning how to fish so I had a 4'6" ultralight ugly stick and 15lb braid. Broke off some nice fish that day, lost plenty of others in the pads on terrible hooksets. Can't imagine the damage I could have done with a proper rod and some jigs.

Every time when sight fishing a bedding female when conditions are right.

When the male is aggressive and you have to work around him.

My confidence level goes up, my patience goes up all the while trying to anticipate and read thier actions to make the best decisions

Mike

15 hours ago, SJS said:

Did you ever have a day when it all came together like magic?

Did you ever have a day when you just knew in your bones you were going to strike piscatorial paydirt?

Did you ever have your fishing dreams come true in that magic moment?

Yes. I can say I have been fortunate to have stumbled onto fishing magic here in Florida numerous times. Sometimes it wasn't stumbling. But magical just the same.

I stumbled onto the same thing this young man did, and in same location too. And then I got it for 12 years straight until I had to move. I'd like to move back there one day and find this magical place again...

Never get a whole day like that, but occasional moments that stand out as “magical”…..

A couple weeks ago I called my shot twice on back to back casts - little buck largemouths (1-1.5 lb), but I just knew there would be fish on those little rock piles. If my wife hadn’t caught it on video, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.

11 hours ago, Lottabass said:

There will be days when the fishing is better than ones most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse.

Either is a gain over just staying home.

I’m going to make a plaque and put it on my boat……. That’s deep. Is that a @Lottabass original or did you get it from somewhere?

I once went early morning to the S1 area the state built to clean the water from Okeechobee before dumping it into the Everglades. They filled it with vegetation and wildlife. No motor boats allowed, electric motors only. I drove about six miles down the access dirt roads until I saw some bird action, and big swirls at the surface. For two hours I had constant action with HB Frogs, and big senkos. Most fish were 20 to 25” in size. After 50 years bass fishing I never had a day like this and never since. With repeat trips to the exact same area. That day I never moved my feet 6 feet from my starting point. I will try to add a few pics, but not always successful.