My first good trip of the year :-) (photos) 2025

Fish Chris reply :

Now for starters, I have to apoligize.... My first fish of the day was certainly worthy of a quick photo.... but I had guys in bass boats about 100 yards in both directions from me, and didn't want to advertise the spot, by setting up the tripod, and taking pictures. Anyway, it was a very fat, healthy, 5.2 lb Smallmouth. I really felt like I would get a bigger Smallie anyway, before the day was over, but that was not to be. I saw several to at least 7 lbs, and ended up catching 4 more from 3 to 4 1/2 lbs.

The Smallies by themselves made it a pretty good trip, but the icing was, when I stuck this 10.3 lb Northern Strainer on a swimbait ! Yea' buddies, my first DD Northern :-) And the kicker is, when I got her up beside the boat, she spit out a large, half digested trout ! I was thinking, watch it go 9.9 lbs now :-) But anyway, before she spit out that trout, she might have been closer to 11 lbs..... which is a darn good one for this lake. The lake record is 13 and change.

About an hour after that, I came up to an area that I like to fish, but there were two old guys fishing it already. I hung back to see which direction they were moving, then followed behind, giving lots of space. After a few casts in their "used water" I stuck a beautiful, fat 8.6 lb Northern bass :-)

Anyway, all in all it was a great trip. Betcha' can't guess where I'm going today ??? Doh ! It's already 4:57 am ! I'm late ! ;-)

Peace,

Fish

roadwarrior reply :

Buddy...What can mear mortals say...

For about 99.9% of us on this Forum, your day would be "The Trip of a Lifetime!"

Thanks for the post and the pics.

BadKarma42 reply :

Nice work

logger reply :

Amazing. I couldn't magine catching one of those fish but to catch 2 on the same day, I might pass out ...after taking pictures and measurements for my graphite replicas. They don't grow them like that in Michigan

Fisherman reply :

Oh my!!!

logger took the words right out of my mouth; two of those in the same day!!! I guess your bad days would be my god days, huh.

Seriously, nice HAWGS and thanks for the pics!

Grey Wolf reply :

Fantastic bass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

T-rig reply :

Those are some pretty fish!

What swimbait where you using for the first and which lure for the second?

MattStrykul reply :

FishChris,

I love how you say my first good trip of the year. Once I saw those pictures it made me chuckle.

Vyron reply :

Its my ultimate target 2 catch a northern strain that size. Thanks for inspiring me Fish Chris.

Lightninrod reply :

Lawdhavemercy!!! What a DAY! Chris, you da Man 8-)

Dan

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Quote
Buddy...What can mear mortals say...

They'd say he earned it

All the hours and you almost got nipped in the DD tail by a case of flukemasteritis,lol.

Glad the weight kept up, as I said, you earned it and it couldn't happen for a more respectable angler.

It is easy to forget all the "had a great day" threads started by FC that ended with no fish in the boat. Those were still great days because of the days like this in between. That message hidden between those lines says alot.

Cheers to FISHCHRIS!!

Gotta Love It reply :

Those are some beautiful bass!!! Great pics too!!!

-hydrillagorilla- reply :

You Da MAN FC! Keep m coming!

Daniel My Brother reply :

Great fish and great pics - as always! I would love to be a fly on your boat on a day like that.

fezkoe reply :

Those are some fantastic looking bass. They are quite amazing. Sounds like a good trip.

Dan: reply :

Nice fish Chris, and excellent photos as well. You should make a slideshow of all your photos, almost all of them look exactly the same. You sitting there with a big grin holding a BEAST of a fish horizontally in front of you. ;D

Can I make a request for some giant CA smallie pics?

burleytog reply :

I'd kill for a day half as good as that.

Cade Laufenberg reply :

Wow awesome fish! Just curious, what do you consider northern bass?? I consider the bass I'm catching to be northern strain and they are sitting under 12+" of ice and the water temp is in the 30's! ;D

doesn't matter where you are catching them though, those are great fish anywhere. And the smallies...NICE.

Doghouse. reply :

great looking fish man you have to love that swimbait bite.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Annnnnndddddd he's off!!!!

Beauties!!!!

abelfisher reply :

Great fish, Chris!! I hope to get out for the first time this year, on the 24th, myself.

I can only hope for a day like that!! Congrats, you have earned it.

-Greg

Fish Chris reply :

Thanks so much for all the kind words guys :-) That was a great trip.....

.......and so, what would I have had to do today, to have just flat out made this trip look ho hum ???

Check my post in the Smallie section :-) Whooooo Hooooooo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Wishin you all even more, and even bigger :-)

Peace,

Fish

Cravin reply :

What can I say , My PB is three pounds lighter than that hog, sure Ive landed and weighed a few over 7 pounds but the number 8 is my achilles heel. and yeah.. Ive been fishing with a few people who have caught some bigger than 8. Catfish? no problem over 8 or even 10...done that, But to hear that this was just the first good trip of the year? .......I need to know when we are going to fishing! :-?

Just kiddin, Very nice Fat Bass that I would probably have a mold made for!

fourbizz reply :

Congrats on your new PB northern, Fish! I hear those 8+ bronzies callin my name too, but it looks like I won't be out there for awhile >

Keep after 'em man!

Redlinerobert reply :

Yow! Nice fish man!

Bionicman reply :

Nice!!

Bassassasin12 reply :

Fish Chris= Ridiculous! How do you do this? You are really amazing

1859

My first good trip of the year :-) (photos) 2025

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