Couple interesting catches yesterday..... 2025

Fish Chris reply :

Northwind blowout coming today ...but I'll be back out tomorrow

Anyway, I found a good one cruising around in an area which has 4 or 5 beds, in about a 20 x 30ft area. I assumed she had been on one of these beds, but spooked off when I aproached. So, I see her a couple feet away, looking towards a bed. I put a Hud bug in there, and she looks at it, but cruises away. So, she comes back up towards another bed. I put my bug in there... she looks again, then cruises away. After about 15 minutes, it became apparent that she was not on any specific bed yet, but just kind of scouting for one / trying to decide.

Well, I'm not going to get her to "defend a bed" if she isn't even using one yet.

So, I turn around and grab my micro-light. I put on a big, fat, tail-hooked crawler and fly-line it out, and wait for it to sink. Probably took a full minute. So, she comes cruising back in, and I hop it once to get her attention. She turns, starts running down towards it, nips it, and bolts away ! I totally expected to see my line start running... but nope. She just wanted to get a sniff of it. Now it gets a little breezy, and I could not see her at all. So, I just leave my crawler out there doing its thing (remember; A tail hooked crawler, will actually crawl across the bottom, dragging the line behind it ;-) After about 10 minutes, my line just shoots out... Swing.. Fish on !

And OMG ! That thing fought like you would not believe ! Couple of jumps, and back flips... several hard runs....

But, after a few minutes, I put the net under her. Not a huge one.... but still, not a bad one either. 5.2 lbs with a pretty nice belly on her.

So, I look across the lake and see that its still glassy on the other side. So, I run over there and start some high speed sighting (fast idle with the gas motor, while standing. Remember, I always wear a PFD ;-) Cruise for several hundred yards and Bam ! Theres one locked on ! Cruise on past, do the big loop. Kill the gas motor and get on the t-motor. Circle back and get positioned. I start throwing a Hud bug, and she acts interested but just won't go. After about 20 minutes, she takes a swat at it, but it's like she freaked herself out, then was afraid to even go back on the nest !?!?

I'm thinking to myself; This fish is acting WAY too skittish. I bet she has been swung at by another angler, already. Hmmmm.

Now usually, I don't use live bait on bed fish {not that I have any kind of ethical problems with it, it just does not usually work well for me}

However, the fact that this fish is so "lure shy"... Plus the fact I just caught a good one on a crawler an hour before, I decide to fly-line her a crawler. Even that spooked her out, but after 10 minutes or so, she comes creeping back in.... and my crawler is waiting ;-) I twitch it a couple times and she turns and looks at it. She investigated it for several minutes. Then the breeze comes up here too (urghh.. I hate wind A few minutes later though, I see a dark shadow moving to the left.... and then my line starts trailing :-) Swing.. Fish on ! And Holy $%%& did she fight hard too !

Crazy thing was, as I got her to the boat, I could see she was barely hooked. I reach for the net, and it snags something ! Urggg ! {BTW, you know nets are only good for 2 things, right ? 1) Netting fish. 2) Snagging every imagineable thing within a 20 freaking foot radius !!!}

I swear it took me a minute to untangle it with my left hand, but I finally get her back to the boat, and get the net under her.

When I go to unhook her, I swear the piece of tissue over the hook, was as thing as ther hook wire itself ! Unblelievable she diodn't come off.

But anyway, she was a little bit spawned out, but still, exactly 5.2 lbs :-)

Dumped a couple 4 lb'ers later in the day, but these two 5.2's were the fish of the day :-)

Had fun

Can't wait to be back tomorrow

Peace,

Fish

roadwarrior reply :

You're killin' me...GREAT post!

SMfisher reply :

them are nice fish. looks like your having a blast keep it going.

Tokyo Tony reply :

Thanks for the story Fish

Nice smallies, but I like the pattern more on the smallie in your previous thread. That one was gorgeous.

I Love BassResource reply :

You have a thing for the big girls don't ya ;D

Beautiful fish, they look bigger than 5lbs for sure.

Fish Chris reply :

Thanks guys. Hey dick, really ? I thought they looked kinda' small in the photos, compared to what they did in real life, holding them yesterday. I mean, I'm usually pretty good at "sticking them at the camera" to combat the "shrinking fish photo" phenomenon.....

I was even guessing these fish a bit high when I caught them.... like 6 and change... But the scale doesn't lie :-)

Anyway,

Peace,

Fish

Md reply :

That's some great stuff man! Hopefully in a month or so I'll be on 'em like that here in the Northeast! Chris, what is the Cali smallie record?

Fish Chris reply :

Well hey MD, since you should ask, the CA state record of 9.1 lbs had held for nearly 30 years...... until last year (in June I believe) that long standing record was smashed, by a 9.83 lb'er, from this same lake ;-)

That is why I just went and had my scale recertified. Never in my life, have I felt that I had such a strong chance at catching a new state record..... and the first certified 10+ lb Smallie from CA.

Of course fishing is fishing, and you never really know. One thing I do know though, is whether or not I catch that 10+ lb Smallie, it "is" there. If a 9.83 lb'er was caught 2 or 3 months after the spawn, I think their has to be a 10lb'er or three of them, swimming around over there, right about now

Please wish me luck {I'd rather be lucky than good anyway ;-) LOL

Fish

ROCbass reply :

Quote
Thanks guys. Hey dick, really ? I thought they looked kinda' small in the photos,

I thought so too, especially when you said they were 5+. I just figured it was because I was comparing them to the one in your avatar though. How big was she?

Fish Chris reply :

Hello Shaner. My PB that I'm holding my avatar was 8.5 lbs. She was just a real fatty. I've caught 3 or 4 others, with as big, if not slightly bigger frames, but of which were just not so super fat.

Peace,

Fish

I Love BassResource reply :

I dunno man, that first fish looks like a pig. Like I stated in another thread, we don't catch hardly anything above 5 1/2 lbs around here. My pb smallie is around 6lbs, and that fish in your first pic looks bigger to me. Like you said, the scales don't lie!

Beautiful fish!

bassmaster3000 reply :

The first pic looks exactly like your avatar!

farmpond1 reply :

Question-Do the biggun's fight as well as the small ones? I wouldn't know. :'(

Awesome smallmouth!!! Can I touch the hem of your trousers?

Bassbum reply :

Nice healthy looking fish !! 8-)

BlakeMolone reply :

Yout caught it on a night crawler?

Fish Chris reply :

Yes Sir :-) I've also caught several Largemouths over 10 lbs, up to 14.1 lbs on crawlers as well. Even many Striped bass up to 20'ish lbs. And Catfish... Carp.... etc, etc.

Granted, I've caught all of my biggest bass on artificials..... but that was simply because of circumstance. A big bass on a crawler or crawdad, means just as much to me, as one caught on an artificial. In fact, from what my experiences have shown me, the very biggest bass are {slightly} easier to catch on artificials. So, from that standpoint, I guess I should feel a little more accomplished to get one on a crawler, or live dad..... But in the end, I really just don't care. As long as I can get them into the boat for a quick photo session, weighing, and release ;-)

I can be very stubborn about 'some things'...... But when it comes to catching big bass, I'll throw whatever it takes to make them come into the boat :-) I totally let the fish decide

Peace,

Fish

PS, I think a lot of guys say, "I want to catch a big bass"....... But I want to do it on 'X' type of lure, in 'Y' body of water, at 'Z' time of year, etc, etc...... and by placing all these additional challenges on themselves, they "Challenge themself right out of ever catching the fish they dream of".

morts10 reply :

Great fish!!

Glad to see pictures of fish with fisherman in background wearing their life jackets. Around here we lose a couple every year and its good to see people lead by example. Would like to remind bank fisherman and waders that its cool to wear them also.

Again Beautiful fish.

brgbassmaster reply :

hey chris how did you manage to leave a night crawler in the water 10 minutes without having every bluegill in the lake come after it?

B_Seaton reply :

Chris, i noticed that it looks like your boat has duck camo on it, you a hunter?

Fish Chris reply :

Hey guys....

Morts, yes, I know some guys think that wearing a PFD makes them look like a wimp..... I think it makes me look "smart" ! I put mine on at the dock before I leave, and take it off at the dock at the end of the trip. With super lightweight, super comfortable inflatable PFD's, theirs just no excuse to not be wearing one at all times.

If I live to be 100, I'll never understand why some guys will spend $50k on a high performance bass boat, but won't spend $100 on an inflatable PFD (or $50 on a scale ;-)

Hey BRG, their are certainly times and places where sunfish can be problematic when fishing crawlers for bass..... But my Smallmouth lake, at this time of year, is not one of them. In fact, their are not really that many sunfish in this lake at any time of year, but it does have some BIG ones. The water needs to be about 10 to 15 degrees warmer, and then you have to go look for them, they won't come find you.

Hey B_Seaton, I get asked that a lot, but actually, no. I'm just a fisherman who has a thing for camo ;-)

Peace,

Fish

pitchinallday reply :

Quote

Hey B_Seaton, I get asked that a lot, but actually, no. I'm just a fisherman who has a thing for camo ;-)

Peace,

Fish

read: poser

zaraspook_dylan2 reply :

those are a couple beauties.

Fish Chris reply :

Thanks again guys.

Hey Pitchin, posing as a hunter in not such a bad thing, is it ? :-) Seriously though, although I've never been a hunter, I've always felt like I was still kind of on the same page. In fact, for a long time I've felt as if I was more of a "fish hunter" than a fisherman. Heck, I sneak around physically looking for big fish, like 8 or 9 months out of the year, then do whatever it takes to put them in the boat {of course only 1 to 2 months of that is during the spawn}.

I've had a lot of guys joke about > So, does the camo help you sneak up on the big ones ? Ha ! Ha ! ;D ;D ;D

Hmmmmm...... I sure don't think it hurts. I've certainly managed to sneak up on my fair share ;-)

Peace,

Fish

paul. reply :

i don't even normally look in the smallie section b/c i don't fish for 'em, but when i saw this i had to read it. excellent instruction here and totally entertaining as always. nobody, and i mean NOBODY tells a fish story like you chris. great fish dude.

pitchinallday reply :

Quote
Thanks again guys.
Hey Pitchin, posing as a hunter in not such a bad thing, is it ? :-) Seriously though, although I've never been a hunter, I've always felt like I was still kind of on the same page. In fact, for a long time I've felt as if I was more of a "fish hunter" than a fisherman. Heck, I sneak around physically looking for big fish, like 8 or 9 months out of the year, then do whatever it takes to put them in the boat {of course only 1 to 2 months of that is during the spawn}.

I've had a lot of guys joke about > So, does the camo help you sneak up on the big ones ? Ha ! Ha ! ;D ;D ;D

Hmmmmm...... I sure don't think it hurts. I've certainly managed to sneak up on my fair share ;-)

Peace,

Fish

I am just joking with you.

What I find funny is I know some hunters in Northern California and they rarely wear camo anytime, but on the east coast everyone wears camo everywhere,! It is like a badge of honor.

SPAZ reply :

Which certified scale were you using?

Fish Chris reply :

Hey Spaz, my certified scale happens to be a Salter Brecknell, but you can get any scale certified, as long as it falls inside acceptable guidlines.

Actually, I usually use my Berkeley 50 lb, which is also pretty much spot on, for fish which are not really special / huge. I store my certified scale in my Pelican case, along with my digital cameras, stereo faceplate, 2 way pager alarm, etc.

Peace,

Fish

SPAZ reply :

Thank you, that's good to know since I'm in the market for an accurate scale.

GHow reply :

And I've been looking for smallie porn, Whew!

13464

Couple interesting catches yesterday..... 2025

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