2024 Fishin' Pix Thread

[Sasquatch]

New year, new thread.

Starting off this year on a good note. I've got a rib roast in the smoker, and snuck to the ponds for a couple hours. Went 1 for 2 with swimbait eatin bass. Moved a big one on an 8 inch S-Waver I just bought yesterday - big girl boiled but missed the hooks. Wouldn't come back for a second swipe. A bit later, I got this little pounder on another new bait for me - a 7 inch Berkley Nessie soft glide bait. Cool bait. And cheap, for a swimbait ($9.99 at Bass Pro)

Looking forward to seeing y'all's catches this year!

 

[Sasquatch]

A fish a day keeps the boredom away.

Cold today, a bit blustery. Good weather for big swimbaits. S-Waver 8" glide got this nice 4lb 12oz piggy today.

 

[Rhino]

Hmmm. I went to two local ponds here in Dallas - Mesquite and Duncanville and didn't even see a fish in the water. Thought they were on the list to be stocked with the trout but kinda skeptical.

 

[Sasquatch]

Hmmm. I went to two local ponds here in Dallas - Mesquite and Duncanville and didn't even see a fish in the water. Thought they were on the list to be stocked with the trout but kinda skeptical.

High liklihood then that there's some 3-10lb bass ready to chomp those trout and get even fatter. Little stocker rainbows are great feed for big bass - and the big baits I've been throwing like the ones pictured - draw the bigger bites better than almost anything else. A certain size of lure has a tendency to weed out smaller fish - if you want to hunt the bigger ones - you don't get the number of bites, but when you get bit you know that it's going to be at least a certain size. Cold, kinda windy weather is a great time to throw a big swimbait for bass - they'll still eat, and a big bait becomes especially attractive because of the "one big meal" idea - a bass would rather eat one substantial meal than chase a bunch of baitfish when its cold.

If its the trout you are after - I'd double check with TPW website on the stocking date, just to make sure they're not already fished out. I hit a local municipal pond last week that was stocked on December 14 - there were still a handful of dinker trout left (talking 6-8 inchers that found their way into the stocking truck) but no one fishing for the trout were catching any.

 

[Rhino]

If its the trout you are after - I'd double check with TPW website on the stocking date, just to make sure they're not already fished out. I hit a local municipal pond last week that was stocked on December 14 - there were still a handful of dinker trout left (talking 6-8 inchers that found their way into the stocking truck) but no one fishing for the trout were catching any.

Yeah, I did check that... supposedly last stocking was just before Christmas. Looks like they may be restocking it tomorrow. Will have to check!

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department: Rainbow Trout Stocking Schedule

This page lists the schedule for trout stocking conducted by the TPWD Inland Fisheries Division

tpwd.texas.gov

 

[Sasquatch]

The replacement for my new swimbait rod that arrived broken, arrived today - happily in one piece. I threw a reel on it and headed to the pond promptly, and within 15 minutes the rod started to accumulate fishy mojo with a 4lb 1oz chunky girl. Ten minutes later, 3lb 10oz. Not too shabby for a little neighborhood pond, on the 6th of January. I missed 4 other bites fishing a soft plastic swimbait - the damn hook on that bait just would *not* pop free of the body and pin the fish. Even bending the hook point up, I missed two solid grabs. That's why its fishing, not catching, I suppose.


The new rod in question - Okuma Guide Select Swimbait, XX Heavy rated to throw upto 14oz lures, and the glide bait that did all the heavy lifting today.

 

[SARGE67]

I don't have any pics to share, but just want to say I sure miss my days of bass fishing beginning 1970. Had one of the first bass boats with stick steering, a Kingfisher with 40 hp Evinrude. A Lowrance depth/fish finder plus trolling motor. I hit lakes like Toledo Bend. Murvaul, Athens, and especially Tawakoni. My biggest ever bass was a 5-pounder at Tawakoni trolling with a yellow Hellbender by the damn. Must have had 50 yards of line out and he was dancing on top of water all the way to boat. Had him mounted and put under my bed but my German Shepherd pup chewed the tail off. Back then a 5-pounder was a good size.

I had a few more upgraded bass boats but gave it all up and actually had much more fun at stock tanks like yours especially in east Texas with tall pines surrounding the shore lines. At my age had to give that up as well due to mobility problems but enjoy seeing the posts here. Enjoy it !

 

[Sasquatch]

Thanks Sarge, glad you're enjoying the posts. Sounds like you had a blast back in the day - I grew up watching fishing shows & tournaments from a very young age in the 80's and into the 90's - still watch them today when I can. Wanted to be pro bass angler when I was a kid - adult me would love a shot at it, but the only boat I own is a canoe with a big hole in the side right now, and I don't have the $100k that it takes a guy to make the circuit today. Even tournament pros are in a spot now where boat companies are going under, and the anglers they'd been endorsing lost their boats - entry fees are outrageous, and now you need $6-10K in electronics to be competitive in most tournaments.

I like fishin my ponds, but I do miss fishing bigger water, and fishing from a boat - even a small boat. I miss river fishing too - sometimes its way easier to find fish on a river, because the surface currents give you a good clue as to the bottom and structure.

 

[SARGE67]

I worked with a guy at telco way back then. Kenneth never fished a day in his life, not even a cane pole to be in his early 30's. Another employee invited him fishing and showed him how to use a plain Jane old Zebco spinning reel. He liked it and before long he was hooked up with his insurance agent going bass fishing. And then entering tournaments, then with sponsors. There were times at lunch we'd all go over to his house to see the latest sponsor's new big bass boat and motor for him to use, just enter tournaments with their name on the boat for all to see. He entered tournaments in Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and had boxes of free fishing lures from companies to try. Besides being a great telco tech he was also a great fisherman and fast learner. An old country boy from west Texas. He suddenly stopped fishing and began raising worms in pull out drawers to sell to bait shops and did very well. Then quit AT&T and went into oil business and tried to get me to invest $5,000 in an oil well he had bought, I declined and later I could have been filthy rich. Last I saw on FB he quit it all and went back home as sheriff or deputy. Everything he touched turned to gold. Your thread reminded me of him and fishing.

 

[Sasquatch]

I worked with a guy at telco way back then. Kenneth never fished a day in his life, not even a cane pole to be in his early 30's. Another employee invited him fishing and showed him how to use a plain Jane old Zebco spinning reel. He liked it and before long he was hooked up with his insurance agent going bass fishing. And then entering tournaments, then with sponsors. There were times at lunch we'd all go over to his house to see the latest sponsor's new big bass boat and motor for him to use, just enter tournaments with their name on the boat for all to see. He entered tournaments in Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and had boxes of free fishing lures from companies to try. Besides being a great telco tech he was also a great fisherman and fast learner. An old country boy from west Texas. He suddenly stopped fishing and began raising worms in pull out drawers to sell to bait shops and did very well. Then quit AT&T and went into oil business and tried to get me to invest $5,000 in an oil well he had bought, I declined and later I could have been filthy rich. Last I saw on FB he quit it all and went back home as sheriff or deputy. Everything he touched turned to gold. Your thread reminded me of him and fishing.

I wish the gold, colored part was true for me too! I appreciate the kind words sir.

 

[Sasquatch]

Fished for an hour this afternoon. One bite, one fish. 4.0lbs on the nose on the scale.

 

[Texan79423]

My catch attached me

 

[Coiled]

My catch attached me

Does that mean the fish tagged you?
Are you considered game or trash?

 

[Sasquatch]

Well, I started down a new addictive path in fishing - Bait Finesse System aka ultralight baitcasters.

I got a KastKing Zephyr - a cheap reel, but designed to throw ultralight baits down to 1/32 oz without modification.

I decided to spool it with 10lb Spider Wire - diameter of 2lb mono - there's about 40 yards of line on it, I think, maybe 50?

I don't have an actual ultralight baitcasting rod yet - gotta get one - so I did what I'd do as a kid with my old push button Zebcos, and threw it on a spinning rod that was fished upside down, in this case an el-cheapo Shakespeare 4' ultralight one piece outfit.

With the cheapy rod, I can cast a 1/32 oz jig about 25-30 feet reliably. When I went to a bit heavier setup - a 0.95 gram hover jig, with a 2" swimbait meant for crappie fishing - I could zing a cast out to 40'.

My first fish came about 10 minutes after I started fishing, it was a respectable little 10 incher that actually took some drag on that ultralight setup. A good start, and honestly what I invision as the normal fish with a BFS setup.

A little later, I had moved down the bank - cast about 30' out and let the jig sink to the bottom and started just slow cranking it back in, like I would with a big swimbait. Got the telltale "TICK" of a fish picking up the bait and sucking it in, the line started moving. I reeled down and hammered it as much as one can with an ultralight rod - I knew I had a bigger fish than before.

The fight honestly didn't last THAT long - 90 seconds maybe 2 minutes, but the first time I got it close and it took line, I knew I had a good fish. Then I got it in by the bank and saw I had a REALLY nice fish. Coaxed her up shallow and did my best Kevin Van Dam impression, getting down on my knees and lipping the fish like I was hoisting one in for the Bassmasster Classic - and was surprised that the fish weighed in at 6lb 15oz - 7 pounds when you round up an ounce. Not my biggest bass, but definitely in the top 3 - my biggest bass ever was just under 8lb.

Not too shabby for an ultralight more suited to crappies and bluegills! When I get a proper BFS rod, this will surely be a favored technique. I like fishing with baitcasters more than spinning (open face) reels, so this is a big boon. I already have ideas in my head for building some homemade miniature glide baits and wake baits to fish on it.

 

[Sasquatch]

Fished an hour and a half today after work. Love fishing floods like this. Little fish move shallow to feast on the bugs and worms the flood washes into the water. Big fish follow the little fish in to gorge on them. Went 2 for 3 on bites - the first bite came on the first cast - fish grabbed the bait's tail as I lifted it from the water for the next cast. First fish landed ate a 10" soft swimbait - the yellow perch looking trout shaped bait. The second fish ate an 8 inch glide bait. All three bites were within a rod length of the water's edge.

Tomorrow God willing, I'm going to hit the ponds again and throw a wake bait, because I saw big fish blowing up bait.

That spot is $$$ when it floods, if the water came up another 6 or 8 inches it would be amazing. I've caught fish like this at the base of the tree on the right hand of that picture during a flood.

 

[Lead Belly]

Thanks for sharing these- I like how you include pic of the bait used. I bought one of those monster 3d lures because of your pics- I need to get out and try it.

 

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for sharing these- I like how you include pic of the bait used. I bought one of those monster 3d lures because of your pics- I need to get out and try it.

Depending which bait and how big - make sure you're not chucking the big stuff on regular tackle. I've got small swimbaits I can throw on regular stuff - mostly under 4" stuff, and one very light 5" glide - everything else - all my stuff 6+ inches needs a heavy duty rod. My first "swimbait" rod was an Academy house brand catfish rod, because I needed something that could throw 5 ounces.

My current actual purpose designed swimbait rods - one is rated for upto 5 ounces, the other is rated up to 14. You can break a rod trying to throw those things if you've got too-light a setup. Reels are another thing. You can get by for a short term with a typicall 100 - 200 size baitcaster, but the beefy stuff really needs a 300 or larger with good metal gears. The two reels I use for big stuff are a Daiwa Tatula 300 and an Abu Garcia 6601 C4. I don't go lighter than 20lb test mono or fluorocarbon on the big stuff - the bass don't care about the line, they're focused on the bait - but having snapped off baits in a cast with lighter stuff, I don't go under 20 unless I'm fishing smaller baits, then I'll use 15 or 17.

I've also given up fishing braid or braid to leader - braid does not do shock loads well, and I've sent probably $200 in swimbaits (not one single, but like, 20 baits $10-15 each) sailing off into the depths due to braid saying "nope" during a cast. Braid is great for some stuff, but not swimbaiting.

 

[Sasquatch]

Some recent pix - excuse the Doc Brown hair in the last pic. It was a frazzled day...

 

[Sasquatch]

Wifey snapped these - I don't often get "action" pix or non-selfies. This was caught on my BFS (ultralight baitcasting) setup - a 2 inch swimbait was what this chunker wanted. BFS is so damned addicting I plan on buying a second setup. The rod is a Lew's Laser TXS, the reel is a Kast King Zephyr. Throwing 8lb braid (1lb mono diameter)

 

[Sasquatch]

This chunker was 1.4lbs, caught on my BFS setup fishing a crappie jig.