New Years Eve - Champagne Or 8.4 Pound Bass? 2024

Goose52 reply :

Hmmmm - How to celebrate New Years Eve? Bubbly or big bass? I'LL TAKE THE BIG BASS!

25" / 8.4 pounds. Surface water temp 46 deg. Caught on what was going to be about my last cast of 2011 - right when it just got full dark. She hit the RES on the fall - I hadn't even started the retrieve yet!

Happy New Year to the BR family !

J Francho reply :

Nice fish. Darn near as big as the trout I caught this morning. Congrats.

Goose52 reply :

Thanks John - a good way to finish the year!

Now, let's see if I can catch anything at all tomorrow to start 2012...

J Francho reply :

I might take the kayak out on the big lake for smallies. Can't believe I'm saying that, lol.

If they don't cooperate, I know where to find a quick limit of steelies.

Goose52 reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 8:23 AM, J Francho said:

I might take the kayak out on the big lake for smallies. Can't believe I'm saying that, lol.

If they don't cooperate, I know where to find a quick limit of steelies.

I bet you're way under 120 water/air temp - suit up and be safe!

Shane J reply :

Nice fish, Goose! Happy new year.

J Francho reply :

Probably 50 F air and 40 F water. I teach a cold water reentry class, I know what's up, but thanks. I've even done it the wrong way - supervised, of coarse - jeans and a cotton hoody in 35/30 conditions. Probably the worst cold I've ever felt, but made for a great class.

Goose52 reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 9:01 AM, Shane J said:

Nice fish, Goose! Happy new year.

Thanks Shane. It was a great way to finish the year!

Bluebasser86 reply :

Dang Goose you are killing them with that RES! Happy New Years to you and hopefully you'll bring in 2012 with an even bigger one tomorrow!

Goose52 reply :

I hope I get a bigger one tomorrow!

OTOH - maybe my luck is now toast and I won't catch a fish until February !

NoBassPro reply :

Beautiful fish. Plenty of time left for some bubbly too

hookset on 3 reply :

Goose, how ya liking that craw pattern NOW?

Happy New Year.

p.s. I've got an order in for a few of those Red Eye Shads in Crawfish- Silent and Rattling.

Fat-G reply :

I don't even know what to say, man. You're on fire! You know what that means though... after two 6's and an 8, you'll go on a long streak of not catching a big one. :D:D

I went out today and got a skunk. Tried three new ponds that I didn't know about until last night. Missed a couple of good jig bites.

Stay after them until you freeze up!

Goose52 reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 10:27 AM, NoBassPro said:

Beautiful fish. Plenty of time left for some bubbly too

I think I can scare up some sort of adult beverage to celebrate both the New Year and the hawg that closed out the old year!

On 1/1/2012 at 11:35 AM, hookset on 3 said:

Goose, how ya liking that craw pattern NOW?

I'm almost ready to believe that color DOES matter!

This is the only craw-pattern RES I have left - I guess I should order some more too. I had two craw patterns a couple weeks ago - one hung on the bottom and was lost. This one spent a day under water when I hung it up but I went back the next day with my canoe and got it back!

On 1/1/2012 at 11:42 AM, Fat-G said:

I don't even know what to say, man. You're on fire! You know what that means though... after two 6's and an 8, you'll go on a long streak of not catching a big one. :D:D

I went out today and got a skunk. Tried three new ponds that I didn't know about until last night. Missed a couple of good jig bites.

Stay after them until you freeze up!

Hey Hayden - you STILL caught more big bass in 2011 than I did - just trying to catch up!

Not sure when my lakes will ice-over but we have a cold front coming in that will probably drop water temps down a few more degrees. Yikes, I might finally have to abandon the moving bait and start dragging a jig....................which I do poorly....

Mrs. Matstone reply :

Beautiful fish, Congrats!

Goose52 reply :

Thank you ma'am !

Fat-G reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 11:56 AM, Goose52 said:

I think I can scare up some sort of adult beverage to celebrate both the New Year and the hawg that closed out the old year!

I'm almost ready to believe that color DOES matter!

This is the only craw-pattern RES I have left - I guess I should order some more too. I had two craw patterns a couple weeks ago - one hung on the bottom and was lost. This one spent a day under water when I hung it up but I went back the next day with my canoe and got it back!

Hey Hayden - you STILL caught more big bass in 2011 than I did - just trying to catch up!

Not sure when my lakes will ice-over but we have a cold front coming in that will probably drop water temps down a few more degrees. Yikes, I might finally have to abandon the moving bait and start dragging a jig....................which I do poorly....

When the weather is cold just let that baby sit. And sit. And sit. You'll nail a slob soon enough with the jig. Just fish it in a place you know has a pig in ideal weather conditions.

Goose52 reply :

Yeah - that waiting thing ain't my nature - I like to crank

Also, since the boat is put away for the season, these fish are being caught a LONG cast from the bank - out of range of jigs.

Still, I gotta start using jigs and that's one of my goals for next year. I'm trying to figure out what I want for a dedicated jig rod and will try to use it next year...

Fat-G reply :

Drop the coin and get a Dobyns Champion Extreme DX745c! Perfect 3/8-3/4 oz. jig rod.

I'm throwing a jig 50+ yards, but my Premier is "special". Zero spool tension. That distance is way out of hookset range unless I'm throwing braid, but it's fun to bomb a jig that far anyways.

brushhoggin reply :

thats an awesome fish goose....happy new year home boy

SirSnookalot reply :

Nice fish Goose, you did better than me. I was offshore fishing for cobia and caught 1 little blue runner, water was too calm.

Goose52 reply :

Thanks guys and Happy New Year to ya'll !

I'll be headed out as usual this evening. Hopefully, I'll get at least one 12" bass to start the year

Hayden - a Champ Extreme (744 or 745) is one of my candidates - especially since you can get them with a full grip...

bassman31783 reply :

Awesome awesome fish there Goose. Beautiful. Like Hayden said, your on fire. I halfway expect to have you start another post with a bigger bass while I'm writing this reply. Great job & Happy New Year.

Goose52 reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 11:17 PM, bassman31783 said:

Awesome awesome fish there Goose. Beautiful. Like Hayden said, your on fire. I halfway expect to have you start another post with a bigger bass while I'm writing this reply. Great job & Happy New Year.

Thanks!

Re a bigger bass...........I just had a front come through this morning and would have loved to fish "the front of the front" BUT - I promised the wife I'd take down the outdoor Christmas decorations this morning. While I was doing that, it started pouring. No telling what the bite will be like this evening when I finally make it out...

bassman31783 reply :

I just got a little sick thinking about taking down Christmas decorations. Did that a few days ago, what a beating. My wife put up the decorations and I guess I didn't pay real good attention to all the stuff we had. As I was packing up box after box I just kept thinking where the heck did we get all these santas.

Back to fishing though, it's a bummer that you didn't get to fish this morning though. I absolutely love fishing that front of the front nasty weather stuff. Hope you get a hog tonight as well.

Goose52 reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 11:36 PM, bassman31783 said:
....................I absolutely love fishing that front of the front nasty weather stuff.

Yeah - me too! When I got that 6.5lb bass the other day, it was 33 air temp, a light freezing rain, and 15 mph wind in my face with gusts over 20. It was great. People that saw me fishing probably thought - poor stupid man - doesn't he know you can't catch fish in December...and not even smart enough to get out of the rain and cold...

I hope they keep thinking that.....

Dwight Hottle reply :

Hey Goose your definitely on a roll. Once it starts you never know when its going to stop. Keep casting & order a couple more baits..

Goose52 reply :

Thanks Dwight - will do!

I just stocked up on lipless cranks but don't have any more craw-patterns. Hmmm - does color really matter? Maybe I better order some more craws just in case it does!

slonezp reply :

I'm jealous. Hard water and 50mph wind gusts today. Can't wait til March. Hope your luck continues into the new year.

Goose52 reply :

On 1/2/2012 at 1:23 AM, slonezp said:

I'm jealous. Hard water and 50mph wind gusts today. Can't wait til March. Hope your luck continues into the new year.

Thanks!

Luck, I still got luck! The craw-pattern RES strikes again - my first fish of 2012! :lol:

Hopefully I can get an actual LMB later today...

Dwight Hottle reply :

Goose, that doesn't count. Looks like a snag-ola.

Goose52 reply :

I think that perch made a run at the RES and missed - the rear treble got the perch on the outside of the mouth (actually through the eye socket). At the strike, I thought the RES was running through grass so I ripped the bait........and that's when the perch came flying out of the water and half-way back to the bank. That's when the front treble snagged the fish below the dorsal.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Goose52 reply :

OK - here's a proper LMB to conclude my New Years Eve and New Years Day celebrations:

19" / 2.8 pounds. Surface water temperature still 46 deg. Not another 8 pounder, but it will do to start the year!

hookset on 3 reply :

On 1/2/2012 at 12:56 AM, Goose52 said:

Thanks Dwight - will do!

I just stocked up on lipless cranks but don't have any more craw-patterns. Hmmm - does color really matter? Maybe I better order some more craws just in case it does!

A couple of weeks ago, when our water was in the mid-forties, I had a rattle trap bite going. It took 3 color pattern changes to finally get bit. First was table rock shad-nada, then rusty craw-nope, and finally gold black back -then whacked three bass in a half an hour.

Goose52 reply :

Dang - there you go making things complicated...

BUT......maybe color matters

Captain Shane Procell reply :

Way to close out the year!!!!!!!!!

Goose52 reply :

Thanks Shane! I'm pretty jazzed - that was an outstanding fish for my little lakes any time of year, let alone on December 31 when the lakes here are often frozen over!

StinkyBass reply :

Way FREAKIN jealous!!! NICE CATCH!

Goose52 reply :

Thanks - it was fun!

Goose52 reply :

On 1/1/2012 at 11:35 AM, hookset on 3 said:

Goose, how ya liking that craw pattern NOW?

That craw pattern RES done good and got a few more fish after the 8 pounder BUT I'm sorry to report that it was lost in action a few days ago - hung on a stump as I was running it deep across the grass - RIP. No more craw-pattern RESs in inventory...

On 1/2/2012 at 12:26 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

Hey Goose your definitely on a roll. Once it starts you never know when its going to stop. Keep casting & order a couple more baits..

Dang - I should have ordered more baits like you said (craw pattern). I hate to pay full price though and no one has had any sales since Christmas. However - blue over chrome works! In this case - it's a "blind" XCalibur Xr50 - blind since both of the litle red plastic eyes have been knocked off...

20" / 4.3lb - surface water temp back at 45 degrees (after going down to 39 a few days ago). It's still great to have soft water!

hookset on 3 reply :

On 1/9/2012 at 2:39 AM, Goose52 said:

That craw pattern RES done good and got a few more fish after the 8 pounder BUT I'm sorry to report that it was lost in action a few days ago - hung on a stump as I was running it deep across the grass - RIP. No more craw-pattern RESs in inventory...

Dang - I should have ordered more baits like you said (craw pattern). I hate to pay full price though and no one has had any sales since Christmas. However - blue over chrome works! In this case - it's a "blind" XCalibur Xr50 - blind since both of the litle red plastic eyes have been knocked off...

20" / 4.3lb - surface water temp back at 45 degrees (after going down to 39 a few days ago). It's still great to have soft water!

Goose, give this online retailer a shot. I use them all the time and have been 100% satisfied.

http://www.another site.com/StrikeKing/Strike-King-Red-Eye-Shad-Crankbaits.cfm

Good Luck, hookset on 3

Goose52 reply :

On 1/9/2012 at 8:05 AM, hookset on 3 said:

Goose, give this online retailer a shot. I use them all the time and have been 100% satisfied.

http://www.another s...-Crankbaits.cfm

Good Luck, hookset on 3

Thanks for the tip but the link doesn't work for me....

Fishmaster10 reply :

Those are definitely some great fish that you've been catching goose, congrats!

Goose52 reply :

Thanks! For the last 3 years, my lakes have been iced over for much of December and January. Not solid for two months, they ice over for a few weeks, ice-out for a week or two, then ice over again. But water temps on ice-out usually stay in the 30s and the bite is poor. I am still jazzed with the quality fish that I'm catching.

Not easy though - water temps dropped into the 30s on January 3rd and the bite slowed way down. I had about 6-7 hours of fishing between my last fish on Jan. 2nd and this 4 pounder on the 8th. Still - the usual chance of catching a fish about now would be 0%

Redlinerobert reply :

Nice fish!

I would have started the day with some fishng and ended it with a bottle of Dom.

Goose52 reply :

Thanks Robert! Had the bass topped the Tennessee state record (14lb 8oz) I might have splurged on a bottle of Dom DeLuise ...but since it was only 8 pounds, it was the cheap stuff on New Year's Eve!

(I know - it's Dom Pérignon)

Redlinerobert reply :

Lol! That was funny!

senile1 reply :

Beautiful hawg, Goose! And those "smaller" fish aren't too bad either.

And you are so right about those water temperatures in the 30s. The drop in activity level from the 40s down to the 30s is very abrupt.

Goose52 reply :

For sure - those 30s temps are tough. I have the tools - jigs, soft plastics, suspending jerk baits, etc. but I'd rather crank if I can. I've been lucky to have water temps mostly in the 40s so far and can still pick up a fish now and then with moving baits. Below is a fish from last evening - 21 inches / 5.02 pounds.

Snow coming later today with much colder temps for the next few days - water temps will go back into the 30s soon and we'll probably have some skim ice around the edges of the lake and back in the coves. I'll probably be standing on the bank this evening while it's snowing - trying to get another fish while the water is still in the 40s...

Ebrahim Ali reply :

nice one bud.You've got some nice fish there

Goose52 reply :

Thanks - it's been fun for a while.

However, it's snowing outside right now and things will be slow for a few days...

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New Years Eve - Champagne Or 8.4 Pound Bass? 2024

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