Fishing

[thug the bunny]

Caught this guy in the surf the other day. Caught a bunch of whiting too but this guy made my day haha. 14-18". Didn't have my tape line on me. Beauty of a fish.

 

Speckled trout, right? Gorgeous fish.

[PapaJohick]

Caught this guy in the surf the other day. Caught a bunch of whiting too but this guy made my day haha. 14-18". Didn't have my tape line on me. Beauty of a fish.

 

Speckled trout, right? Gorgeous fish.

 

Yes. Speckled sea trout. Not sure how big they get. This was my first one haha. Pretty cool day

[JimFishIII]

I've been known to fish a few bass tournaments here and there...

 

 

 

 

[mytmouse]

Sweet catches fellas! Man I want to try fly fishing... but boyyyy when I walk past those setups and see $$$ I walk away. It's bad enough what I shell out for regular fishing. LOL

 

Papa, that's a pretty speck! They get pretty big. Google Gator trout and you'll see what I mean! LOL I've only caught babies but a biggun is on my list for sure! Mannnn trying to get info about how and when to target them here in VA is like walking to a stranger for their social security number and birth date! LOL You get no love! So this fall/winter when the big ones come in I'll be doing some recon!

 

Jim, nice LMB and sMB! Were those tourney winners for you?

 

I just got back yesterday from Brooklyn in Jamaica bay for a huge kayak tourney they do up there. Mannnn I killed the Blue Fish. Smallest for me was 28" with the biggest coming in around 34". But there were even bigger caught! All off the yak! It was a blast! I didn't get into any Stripers but my buddy landed a nice 42"er. Now I love Striper fishing, but a chompaaaa(In my fake NYC accent) Blue outfights Striper every day of the week. The things are brutal. We call them Jamaica Bay Tarpon. You get the aerial acrobats and when you get them to the boat they're screaming drag off again. Man they give your wrists a workout for sure! Oh and I forgot to mention just about all my fish were caught on Top water... man talk about a blast! WHEW! LOL

[JimFishIII]

 

Jim, nice LMB and sMB! Were those tourney winners for you?

 

 

Pic 1 & 3 are from Candlewood Lake in CT - one of my favorite places to fish - kill them in practice but tournament day brings bad luck. That year I had 10 lbs in the well by 10AM and I didnt start getting good bits until noon the day before. Caught #6, lifted the livewell lid to cull, and all my fish were dead. I'm a rider - the boater says "I've been having issues with my livewell but thought I had it fixed". I made him ride me back to the ramp and I sat there and stewed for 5 hours until the weigh in - I hate killing fish.

 

The second pic was a win - I think Rainbow Lake in South Jersey - small boat tournament.

 

The fourth pic is from the upper Susquehanna River - we launch out of Wyalusing PA - it's a fun trip with a guide my dad and I make a few times a year - going mid June....

[thug the bunny]

I've been known to fish a few bass tournaments here and there...

 

 

 

 

 

Good to see we get a pro here. Please feel free to dispense tips. Those are some beast bronzebacks you got there. I think they are lb for lb one of the harder pulling freshwater fish. I haven't fished for them in a while, but I remember getting a good one on and having to back off the drag so it wouldn't pop my 4lb thread.

[bscinstnct]

I've been known to fish a few bass tournaments here and there...

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, hey!

 

Whadya catch them on?

 

Im dyin. Gotta get out there.

[mytmouse]

Jim, nice LMB and sMB! Were those tourney winners for you?

 

 

Pic 1 & 3 are from Candlewood Lake in CT - one of my favorite places to fish - kill them in practice but tournament day brings bad luck. That year I had 10 lbs in the well by 10AM and I didnt start getting good bits until noon the day before. Caught #6, lifted the livewell lid to cull, and all my fish were dead. I'm a rider - the boater says "I've been having issues with my livewell but thought I had it fixed". I made him ride me back to the ramp and I sat there and stewed for 5 hours until the weigh in - I hate killing fish.

 

The second pic was a win - I think Rainbow Lake in South Jersey - small boat tournament.

 

The fourth pic is from the upper Susquehanna River - we launch out of Wyalusing PA - it's a fun trip with a guide my dad and I make a few times a year - going mid June....

 

Do they let you weigh in dead fish? That's crazy that he wouldn't check throughout the day since he knew there was an issue. SMH.

 

I do some tourneys a few times a year. Nothing for money. Just charity benefitting ones, so the prizes aren't cash(most times). But I haven't had any success come tourney day yet! None of them are really in my backyard per se. So I guess I can use that excuse! LOL It's all salt though. The only time I used to fish f/w was when I worked at a place with a pond out back. I could get my "fix" in at lunch tossing topwater frogs to LMB. Man it was a blast! Granted, it was like shooting fish in a barrel, the pond was little. But I learned a lot there. I had my growing pains with learning how to cast a bait caster and also different retrieves and what not that I can apply to my back bay fishing. Now put me in a huge lake... HA!

[JimFishIII]

Jim, nice LMB and sMB! Were those tourney winners for you?

 

 

Pic 1 & 3 are from Candlewood Lake in CT - one of my favorite places to fish - kill them in practice but tournament day brings bad luck. That year I had 10 lbs in the well by 10AM and I didnt start getting good bits until noon the day before. Caught #6, lifted the livewell lid to cull, and all my fish were dead. I'm a rider - the boater says "I've been having issues with my livewell but thought I had it fixed". I made him ride me back to the ramp and I sat there and stewed for 5 hours until the weigh in - I hate killing fish.

 

The second pic was a win - I think Rainbow Lake in South Jersey - small boat tournament.

 

The fourth pic is from the upper Susquehanna River - we launch out of Wyalusing PA - it's a fun trip with a guide my dad and I make a few times a year - going mid June....

 

Do they let you weigh in dead fish? That's crazy that he wouldn't check throughout the day since he knew there was an issue. SMH.

 

I do some tourneys a few times a year. Nothing for money. Just charity benefitting ones, so the prizes aren't cash(most times). But I haven't had any success come tourney day yet! None of them are really in my backyard per se. So I guess I can use that excuse! LOL It's all salt though. The only time I used to fish f/w was when I worked at a place with a pond out back. I could get my "fix" in at lunch tossing topwater frogs to LMB. Man it was a blast! Granted, it was like shooting fish in a barrel, the pond was little. But I learned a lot there. I had my growing pains with learning how to cast a bait caster and also different retrieves and what not that I can apply to my back bay fishing. Now put me in a huge lake... HA!

 

So - you can weigh in dead fish - in NJ BASS Nation its a 4 oz penalty per.....but like I said none of us like killing fish - it's all catch and release.

 

As for tips and what I catch them on....the list is endless lol. I am actually ramping way back on tournament fishing this year - and ramping up golf. Tournaments are stressful, they beat you up, and frankly they are cut throat when money is involved - even with friends. It was starting to get un-fun so when that happens I slow down.

 

I'll see if I can get some pics of my gear - it's ridiculous. My favorite methods are drop shotting (nothing like hooking into a 4 lb smallie in 30 feet of water on 7 lb line), topwater (most exciting by far), flipping plastics in summer, and jerk baits in the early spring - but then again as long as you are catching then you're having fun. Grinding though a 9 hour tournament without a bite is tough.

 

It's also pretty cool we have two local guys who are BASS Elite pros - Mike Iaconelli and Adrian Avena. Spend time with both during the year, and have fished against both in local tournaments. Both are great with kids and really work hard to promote bass fishing. And yes, if you've seen Ike whoop it up on TV, he's like that fishing in his backyard too....more energy than you can imagine.

[bigred90gt]

Speckled trout, right? Gorgeous fish.

 

Yes. Speckled sea trout. Not sure how big they get. This was my first one haha. Pretty cool day

Specs can get pretty big. In Texas, they have to be within a 15"-25", with one allowed over length per day. Most of the ones I catch and keep run anywhere from 16"-22". I've seen pictures of them recently over 30". I still debate in my mind if I would keep one that big. On one hand, that's a lot of dinners, on the other hand, that is also a producer.

 

I think I'm going to drag the kayak out tomorrow and try to go catch some bass. With as much as I've had going on lately, I think a day on the water would do me some good, even if I don't catch anything.

[mytmouse]

LOL!! I love watching Ike on TV... Thad dude is hilarious! LOL

[thug the bunny]

Speckled trout, right? Gorgeous fish.

 

Yes. Speckled sea trout. Not sure how big they get. This was my first one haha. Pretty cool day

Specs can get pretty big. In Texas, they have to be within a 15"-25", with one allowed over length per day. Most of the ones I catch and keep run anywhere from 16"-22". I've seen pictures of them recently over 30". I still debate in my mind if I would keep one that big. On one hand, that's a lot of dinners, on the other hand, that is also a producer.

 

I think I'm going to drag the kayak out tomorrow and try to go catch some bass. With as much as I've had going on lately, I think a day on the water would do me some good, even if I don't catch anything.

 

Me too. The stripers are out there wondering where the hell I am...

[Warrick]

We head north in 24 hours for 4 days of fishing, can't wait, hope to have some pics to post.

[Loomis13]

Warrick where are you headed? We head up to LOTW on Jun. 6.

[bigred90gt]

Speckled trout, right? Gorgeous fish.

 

Yes. Speckled sea trout. Not sure how big they get. This was my first one haha. Pretty cool day

Specs can get pretty big. In Texas, they have to be within a 15"-25", with one allowed over length per day. Most of the ones I catch and keep run anywhere from 16"-22". I've seen pictures of them recently over 30". I still debate in my mind if I would keep one that big. On one hand, that's a lot of dinners, on the other hand, that is also a producer.

 

I think I'm going to drag the kayak out tomorrow and try to go catch some bass. With as much as I've had going on lately, I think a day on the water would do me some good, even if I don't catch anything.

 

Took the yak out this morning. Got to the bayou around 8:30, and by about 12:30, I had caught one gar about 14". I didn't want to mess with him, and thankfully he spit the hook. I had figured I'd been out long enough and headed back to the launch. About 100yards from the launch there was a big area covered in Lilly pads. I figured I would try out the frog I bought and on the first cast, as I was reeling it back in to throw out again l, a bass hit it about 3' from my kayak. Caught me off guard, lol. It was 15.5" (14" minimum in Texas), so I threw it in the cooler. About 3 casts later, caught another one about 16", and she went in the cooler with her friend. Spent about another hour with no more bites and decided to pack it in. It's 5:00 now, and one of them is in the oven. Fresh fish at its finest!

 

The picture is on my phone and it's too big to post. I don't have an app to resize them.

[Warrick]

Warrick where are you headed? We head up to LOTW on Jun. 6.

 

4 of us are headed for Leech Lake about 5:30 tomorrow morning, will be able to get in an afternoon fish, then have all day Monday through Wednesday, head back Thursday morning, then tee times for Friday-Monday. Going to be a nice 9 days.

 

The report from the Opener at Leech sounded really good from what i have read so far. We have fished it a lot, been to 15+ openers for walleye, we have some spots.

[thug the bunny]

For some reason largemouths are not on the notoriously delicious fish list, but I think they should be. Moist flaky flesh, mild flavor, delicious!

[Loomis13]

That sounds like fun Warrick!! And cant beat the fishing followed up by some golf.

[bigred90gt]

For some reason largemouths are not on the notoriously delicious fish list, but I think they should be. Moist flaky flesh, mild flavor, delicious!

 

It's been probably 20 years since I've eaten largemouth bass. My dad always fried them in a cornmeal dusting, and they were good, but I don't really eat much fried food anymore. I baked them, which was the first time ice had them baked, and they were amazingly tasty. I mostly fish in the bay (specks, redfish, black drum and flounder are what we usually catch), but I got my start in fresh water lakes.

[PapaJohick]

Speckled trout, right? Gorgeous fish.

 

Yes. Speckled sea trout. Not sure how big they get. This was my first one haha. Pretty cool day

Specs can get pretty big. In Texas, they have to be within a 15"-25", with one allowed over length per day. Most of the ones I catch and keep run anywhere from 16"-22". I've seen pictures of them recently over 30". I still debate in my mind if I would keep one that big. On one hand, that's a lot of dinners, on the other hand, that is also a producer.

 

I think I'm going to drag the kayak out tomorrow and try to go catch some bass. With as much as I've had going on lately, I think a day on the water would do me some good, even if I don't catch anything.

 

Took the yak out this morning. Got to the bayou around 8:30, and by about 12:30, I had caught one gar about 14". I didn't want to mess with him, and thankfully he spit the hook. I had figured I'd been out long enough and headed back to the launch. About 100yards from the launch there was a big area covered in Lilly pads. I figured I would try out the frog I bought and on the first cast, as I was reeling it back in to throw out again l, a bass hit it about 3' from my kayak. Caught me off guard, lol. It was 15.5" (14" minimum in Texas), so I threw it in the cooler. About 3 casts later, caught another one about 16", and she went in the cooler with her friend. Spent about another hour with no more bites and decided to pack it in. It's 5:00 now, and one of them is in the oven. Fresh fish at its finest!

 

The picture is on my phone and it's too big to post. I don't have an app to resize them.

 

Just a suggestion, if you go to your attachments under the control panel or my account section (can't remember what it is) and delete some attachments that you've uploaded here. Or you can upload via photobucket

[PapaJohick]

Got a new reel in the mail today. Right now I have two penn battle 2 reel sin the 5000 and 6000 sizes. Just ordered an okuma cedros 80s for shark/bigger fish :) just have to figure out what rod I want to use for it haha. Excited

[bscinstnct]

For some reason largemouths are not on the notoriously delicious fish list, but I think they should be. Moist flaky flesh, mild flavor, delicious!

 

All my freshwater fishing is largemouth, pretty much.

 

Cept, one night, in this super illegal reservoir, moonlit night, with mist just rising, caught my first smallmouths. They just dug hard, man, very cool.

 

Anyway, in clear water, I notice the largemouths are white with very deep green, clear markings. They just bolt laterally, then head down, then up, up, up, and jump!

 

(I know I digress from the topic)

 

In muddled, sloppy, water, the bassies are not as stark white, they are muted, tan, ligher, blurry markings.

 

Sorry to ramble. I never keep any bass but I was thinking, the deep, clear water largemouths could be ok to eat. But the ones from shallow muddy water wouldnt be so good. But I heard smallmouths are tasty.

[mytmouse]

I honestly think that folk that love Bass fishing are the ones that started the whole mumbo jumbo about they don't taste good so droves don't come to their rivers and lakes! Which is interesting since most provinces view them as an invasive species. LOL They're fun to catch though, if I can't get to the salt, I'll settle from some LMB.

 

Got a new reel in the mail today. Right now I have two penn battle 2 reel sin the 5000 and 6000 sizes. Just ordered an okuma cedros 80s for shark/bigger fish :) just have to figure out what rod I want to use for it haha. Excited

 

Man youcan't go wrong with the Battles. I love them. I made the mistake of pairing a 3000 with a Tidemaster Inshore... the mistake isn't due to disappointment, but rather how sweet the setup is. My GOODNESS. This was my 1st St. Croix and I see why there's a cult following. I gotta get another one... The wife is gonna cuss me out, but I'll live! LOL

[wolfie64]

Love some bass fishing, pulled this guy out of the golf course last week

[PapaJohick]

never owned a croix. can't justify spending that much on a rod haha. Ugly stik can be had for less than 80 and strong as anything. Looking at an Uglystik Tiger for the new okuma...... any other suggestions? need it to be less than 8' and would like medium or medium heavy

[mytmouse]

LOL man I'm the same way but on the golf side of things... I can't drop all that cash on some new sticks or a club because I know I suck. Now when it comes to fishin, I can hold my own so I mentally justify some of my snobbish fishing purchases! LOL

 

The Ugly Stiks are good, I've had a couple and they held up well and handled all of my inshore needs. Since you have Penns already have you looked at the Penn Allegiances? They're around the same price point and have a great feel.

[thug the bunny]

Speaking of gear, this may be like a blades vs. GI topic, but what are thoughts on casting vs. spinning? I have used spinning since I was like 5 yrs old, but about 5 yrs ago I got a casting outfit out of curiosity. Abu Garcia Ambassador with a mid-heavy 7 ft rod. I have to admit, I struggled that first year, even though it had a magnetic pin control system. Got lots of backlashes. I learned to set the brake setting correctly over time, and by the 2nd year I was sold. I learned to pick the backlashes out of the reel, and at least you can regain your line, whereas when you get one of those nasty spinning wind knots you're done, just cut the line. I absolutely hate that sh!t when the line somehow magically gets underneath the skirt of your spool... Now I don't get many backlashes, and with a casting outfit you have so much greater control and feel over the terminal end of your line. With a reel in good shape I can cast farther too. Now the only thing I use spinning for is ultra light freshwater were I'm flipping really light weight offerings like an unweighted garden worm on a #4 hook - and I can flip one a good 40 ft..

[Loomis13]

Add to the spinning versus casting I think each has its time and place. I use spinning for everything but bass fishing and trolling cranks for walleye. Spinning for everything else. Im sure casting would work but spinning allows me to fish slower when im walleye fishing.

[bscinstnct]

I mostly use lighter test and gear in clearer water so primarily spinning. It makes catching them more fun. You need to let them run, take more time, can be exciting. There were some spots where there was heavier lily pads, submerged timber so casting to muscle the bass out.

[PapaJohick]

In the surf here you either use spinning or the big old classic reels that you kind of have to kayak the bait out haha when I was in va on the lake I used a mix of spinning for lighter stuff and casting for my bass fishing. Especially when in the boat and coves moving around brush/downed trees. Better accuracy and strength from the casting.

 

Although t would probably take me a bit to get back to using them now haha haven't used one in about 5 or so years