2018 Bass Photos

It’s rainy and chilly today, so if you get out today you might beat me to it.

It can’t be that bad down there.I had -17 here in sw wi. so get out there.By chance did you celebrate the new year a little to much.

I was in bed by 10:30 and never popped the champagne!

Relatively speaking, no it’s not cold. But it’s also windy and drizzly. I don’t think the bass will be active, but I could probably still catch a dink like I have the last few weeks.

Trying to get down there this year, but looking slim right now. I think the title is still in your hands pug

Maybe I should make it a little more of a game. I can only post a 4lb+ or 20″+ bass? Or maybe 4.5lbs+ or 21″?

I might have to take a trip down there just to get one in. I love ice fishing but this Winter I haven’t been able to get bass fishing out of my head. Had $100 worth of Cabelas cards and spent it all on bass lures and terminal tackle.

mplspug wrote:

Maybe I should make it a little more of a game. I can only post a 4lb+ or 20″+ bass? Or maybe 4.5lbs+ or 21″?

This kind of took the fun out of the game. Kind of is the key.

Ice flow was really bad the last warm up we had so I didn’t even try it by the plant last week. Thought it might be a lot better today and decided to give it a shot. So I grabbed some gear and my waders and was pleasantly surprised that very little ice was coming down the river when I got there. I fished my way up the bank to a current seam that has held fish in winters past and found my first bass of 2018. Pulled four more fish from that spot before moving up stream a bit further. Should have stayed put but five fish in a little better than an hour wasn’t bad. Nothing big, it’s just nice to use the long rods for a change.

Pug you got a few weeks until we head down for Peacock so you might still get your 4-4.5 pounder before us.

You win! Congratulations. Although I have to admit, I wasn’t planning on someone finding open water to fish so I put the rule in figuring I had a few months. But kudos to you, not taking anything away from someone braving the cold up there for some open water bass.

Where in Florida are you going. I wish we had peacocks up here.

I wasn’t exactly braving the cold. It was 40 here yesterday and that section rarely freezes below the plants. Just have to watch for icebergs coming thru if your wading it.

We have a 20+ hr layover in Miami late February so we figure on getting into some while we wait. The kid is super excited since the canal goes right next to the hotel.

My first largemouth of 18 and probably only one of a few I will catch for the season.
The board we had only went to 23 and this went over.

That’s a chunky bucketmouth!

Nice shorts too…I have a pair that looks almost identical to those, except mine have dark blue stripes.

Finally got one that meets the criteria.

Got up before sunrise and took out my buzzbait to fish the pond. I stayed back from the bank in case any were laying up next to the bank.

I had a fish hit it right next to the bank, but I missed it. It wasn’t much of a hit, so I didn’t think it was big. After a couple more casts I stopped and let it drop right against the bank and she hit. She didn’t move much and I still didn’t think she had much size to her.

As I pulled her head out of the weeds and I saw her head I immediately switched into giddy mode.

I carefully and nervously got her out, but the hook was solidly in her jaw.

5lbs 2oz. She would normally be an upper 4lbs, but she was full of roe.

Looks like they are getting ready to spawn, I love this time of year.

Mark me as officially J-E-A-L-O-U-S!! Very nice fish pug, curious how long..?

I didn’t get a measurement, because I had her out long enough for a weight and photos and didn’t want to stress her out anymore. And I won’t venture to guess because I am terrible at eyeballing measurements.

This is the first 5 I caught prespawn. Oddly the other 2 were in July.

Great fish. I’m hoping to add to this thread with a river smallie tomorrow. Not much a river guy so no guarantees.

Well, didn’t think I’d get here this winter but made it back for a short trip to FL. Caught a short fish too, but hey it’s a start to the new fishing season anyway

Caught a decent one on the river today. Almost 3 lbs.

Caught a small one on a golf course pond today… at least it was 81 degrees

I’ve noticed the pond fishing is exceptionally tough when there are bluebird skies. That is about the only pattern I have ever noticed. Otherwise it literally seems like a crapshoot. When I get one per trip I consider it a success, so you are successful, if only in my eyes.

Here is a Peacock from our morning in Miami. Wasn’t lights out fishing but we were able to land a few Peacock and Largemouth.

Awesome!

Very nice Mpug.
I was able to get a few nice Smallies last week on pool 4.
This 18 was the nicest.
Can’t wait til mid May.
Jack

Nice one Jack! I’m hoping to get down to Pool 4 for the first time this Spring.

Nice Jack. I miss smallmouth!

I have to share it up between now and Sept.

Nice one Pug! Looks like it was decent sized judging by the mouth.

4# 2oz and healthy. I hate pulling skinny bass out of the pond. It happens sometimes, but not this time of year.

This ranks right up there as one of the best if not the best trips to the pond. I have been pretty busy lately, so I have not been fishing much of what are the best months to pond fish here (March-May).

Tonight I was able to get out, but I didn’t expect much. There was some wind, but also a lot of sun all day, so I thought it’d be tough. I was wrong

Theses two were a blast, steamrolling the bait less than 10′ off the bank from me, just hammering the topwater bait. I missed a few other fish too, but these 2 were not giving up the Livetarget Sunfish.

They both looked like healthy females. I don’t know if they are stragglers getting ready to spawn with this next full moon or some big girls schooled up after the spawn.

4lbs 12oz

4lbs 9oz

That’s 9lbs 5oz on 2 fish in about an hour of fishing.

That dark fish is awesome! Great fish Pug!

I did put filters on the picts, bit that one was unusually dark which makes me suspect they may be spawning. I’ve never seen one that dark. It reminded me of catching dark crappies that are spawning.