Started fishing a small local pond in NW IL around 5:30 this morning (the earliest I have ever fished this pond after coming here for 3+ years). I get there and the lake is calm as can be. I was using a BPS Tourney Series 7" Ribbontail worm in Watermelon Red Flake. First cast I nailed a nice 16" or 17" large Mouth that would probably have gone 2#. After a few more casts at that spot and getting frustrated with missing some fish, I moved on to where there are some cattails and lilypads. In here I saw a very nice Muskie! I have never once seen a Muskie here and it was easily a 40 incher. I messed around with her for a while but she wanted nothing to do with my plastics, no surprise there. While I was fooling around with the big girl, a nice 20" Bass caught me by surprise. He weighed in at 3#. I ended up catching another nice 16" or 17" Large Mouth and 12" one. All this between 5:30 and 6:30. Until 7:45 I kept getting bites but couldn't get a hook set  :'( I think my hook needed to be resharpened. But all in all a decent morning of some Midwest Bass Fishin'

Good Fishing and God Bless!

~Bassman22pm~

Forgot to mention this was all on a 5'2" L Wally Marshall Pro Series Rod and Reel combo matched w/ 4# mono. I know its not the best setup, I'm getting ready to buy a new UL.

Haha... with that setup Im not sure it would have mattered even if the musky bit, youd been along for a ride.  UL's can be alot of fun though.  Sounds like a good day to me!  Alot better than being at work like myself.  

Oh yeah the advantages of being a teenager  ;D but it would have been one heck of a battle if I was able to hook up with that Musky. Hopefully I will have some luck with Muskies on Lake Wingra up in Madison, WI this weekend.

Oh yeah the advantages of being a teenager ;D but it would have been one heck of a battle if I was able to hook up with that Musky. Hopefully I will have some luck with Muskies on Lake Wingra up in Madison, WI this weekend.

Perhaps if you'd left your bass in the water a bit longer, they could've/would've served as great muskie bait (heresy, I realize, on a bass site).  : Muskie aren't usually too afraid of boats and even if you didn't hook him (her?), muskie will often refuse to let go.

I was fishing from shore. Only Canoes/Kayaks are allowed. I occasionally take my buddy's kayak out but I have much better luck from shore for LMB