2023 Fishin' Pix Thread

[deemus]

My son got one in his hand. It was very painful for him.

 

[John Sam Rayburn]

Hope your foot heals up quick!

Thank you!

I've been handling Catfish since I was a kid in the 70's, and stabbed by them many times, but I never realized how strong and sharp those spikes actually are until last Saturday.

I will research the venom thing. I'd heard that, but thought it was just a myth. My throbbing foot tells me it's true. My foot throbbed similar to a wasp sting for two days. It still hurts to walk on.

 

[Sasquatch]

Fishing has naturally been real tough because of the heat - too damn hot to want to get out of the house much for me lately, but then I've been going stir crazy. Been on admin leave from work since July 5th. Had to get out of the house and do something, so I've been fishing a bit this week, despite the heat.

I decided to toss some heavy metal to see what I could get - since flutter spoons can be real good in the summer.

Haven't hooked up with any huge fish, but caught a few, including one on this large spoon. Hilarious catching a 10 ounce fish on an ounce and a half spoon. Switching to a smaller spoon - I realized that yep - I'm throwing something to imitate the bait VERY well. I wound up snagging two different shad between catching dinker bass.

Today I went out for a bit - nary a bite, despite seeing fish blow up on bait. Did see one fish come up like a damn shark and break the surface with its fin - I'm guessing it was a big gar, because it had a sharp looking dorsal fin - definitely not a bass - *could* have been a cat, but I dunno. It was a big one though, whatever it was.

Going to try again in the morning. Finally going back to work on Sunday, got to get the time on the water in when I can. The vitamin D from being out in the sun seems to have improved my mood a bit too.

 

[Sasquatch]

Besides the heavy metal stuff - I've been using my bug wands for the first time in months - hunting up some perch. I tie most of my own flies, and the hot fly for me lately is stupidly simple, and borrows from conventional lures - I tied up a bunch of Wacky Worms, some weighted, some not - the unweighted have been what they want in our neighborhood ponds. I got one of the weird squishy wiggly toys at Five Below that has these little tendril things - cut the tendrils off, and tie them in at the hook bend to look just like a wacky rigged Senko, only micro sized.

The fish seem to love 'em.

I also tied up a few poppers, playing with blurring the line between fly rod poppers and conventional - instead of jamming my popper bodies onto a hook, I whipped up some wire shanks and put the popper bodies on, tied on a feather skirt, and hung a treble hook off the back for better hook up and to see if it gave the fish less leverage - first fish to eat one was a fat perch.

 

[John Sam Rayburn]

Had to get out of the house and do something

You are a better man than I.

At 10:00 am I close up shop and go inside until 3:00 am the next day.

 

[Texan79423]

 

[Sasquatch]

Some highlights from the last month. Jerkbaits and finesse jigs have been the main producers.

 

[Sasquatch]

A little older, smaller fish caught on ultralight tackle. Finesse chatterbait and inline spinner. The crappie was a cool catch, wasn't expecting that one to be where he was, since I never catch crappie in that spot.

 

[Sasquatch]

Today's catch out of a city pond. Also saw a giant albino carp which was cool.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

 

[Sasquatch]

Fished for two hours this afternoon, scaled both - smaller was 4lb 1 oz, the big was 5 on the nose. Both ate a 7" glide bait.

 

[Sasquatch]

Had a good Christmas yesterday. My dad & step mom gave me a new Lew's flippin / punchin' rod and a KastKing reel to go with it. I loaded the KastKing up with some 50lb braid - tis going to be my new froggin' setup when spring rolls around.

Went fishing with dad this afternoon, and got these two piggies on the new rod. I did wind up switching the reels out before hand - I swapped the KastKing for my Tatula 300 - my swimbait rod is out of commission at the moment with some busted guides. Have a new one coming this weekend, and a fellow lined up to repair the current rod (Dobyns is sending replacement guides for it) so I pulled the reel off that outfit and threw it on here so I could throw smaller swimbaits still.

Both these bass wanted a six inch line thru trout swimbait. I love winter fishing - the bite may be slower, but the average fish size ticks up, and its prime swimbait season.

 

[Texan79423]