December 10th 2021 Fishing Excursion

 

I hit one of my regular fishing holes yesterday after work.  The weather was really strange all day.  Here were the characteristics of the weather:

• Cloudy, Overcast
• Slight wind at times that created current on pond, but then would go away
• Wind was warm, water temp colder than outside air temp
• Air temp was around 60 degrees, and humidity in the air
• some rain throught the day

1st hour

I threw around mainly a jerkbait to no availe.  I changed over to a lipless crankbait, nothing.  I changed over to a jig, no dice.  I changed over to a black and blue colorado spinnerbait with no luck. I even put a wacky worm, because hell, why not! Definitely no bites, and I was really questioning if the fish were even located in the normal spot that I have been catching them this year.

2nd hour

This specific fishing hole that I go to has two different ponds. So in the second hour, after not getting a bite, my thought was to move over the second pond and see what happens.  I tried a jerkbait and a lipless crankbait at that pond with no luck. So as an angler everybody goes through this thought process during the session...am I gonna get SKUNKED?

I had two choices, keep fishing pond 2, and see if I can get some bites before I leave...Or, go back to pond 1 and finish out in another spot I know the fish could be at before I leave.  I chose option 2!  I hustled back to the other pond and actually tied on a different color jerkbait from H20 Express.  This one was the Ultimate Jerk Shad in the Sexy Shad color that you see below.

Bam! For whatever reason, I found them!  I caught 5 fish in about 25 minutes. A couple of takeaways from this fishing session were maybe later in the day they started to feed.  Also, their location definitely was on points in which the current was moving into these points.  I was basically on the opposite end of the pond that I've been catching fish this fall.  Pretty fun when you locate the fish!

We are definitely in jerkbait winter season! The fish are still feeding on shad and small baitfish. The fish in this pond are nice and healthy, and I had a lot of fun with this challenge yesterday. Sometimes the quick choices you make out there work out really well! I could have chosen option 1 to continue fishing pond 2, but I am glad I didn't on this day.  I hope you have luck finding the fish!  Stay Committed, Stay Driven!

We are in the early winter fishing transition 2021

 

ShakaOG here! I wanted to write a little blogpost about the late fall into winter transition right now in the Heartland USA. In our area we've got four seasons.  Right now we are right in the middle of the late fall into early winter transition. I am learning that the water temperature truly effects the fish behaviors. I have one neighborhood pond near us that produces the most bass through the spring, summer, and fall.  But, right now that pond is "lifeless".  The Lil' Shaka and I are trying everything to catch some winter bass in that pond and we cannot even manage a bite. I will say, that pond has little to no cover or structure for fish.  It is a standard oval pond with a fountain in the middle, and it also serves as a storm drain retention pond. So, I keep wondering if the fish are in a very dormant state and out deep in the middle of the pond.

In one of our other favorite ponds to fish, we are getting bit during this fall into winter transition! Here are some of the lures we doing really well on:

Jigs

    Black and Blue Craw

    Pumkin and Watermelon Craw

Jerkbait

    5-6 inch 

    White Shad, Chartreuse Belly, Orange Mouth

Lipless Crankbait

    White Color, Yellow stripe, Red Eyes

    Gold Shiner Color, Red Eyes

We are going to continue to fish and have fun during this winter. Take a look at the video below for some of the action. The last year and half has been great fishing with my son. We will continue to learn this game because it is fun to be outside spending it together.  Stay committed, Stay Driven!

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A look back at our Everglades Fishing Trip November 2021

 

Just a little inside joke in that picture between Lil' Shaka and me. We had a couple days in South Florida to fish while we were on vacation. We fished the Everglades, and specifically "Alligator Alley" off of highway 75. We also hit up the Holey Land wildlife management area to fish on one of the days.  Here is a quick snippet of the google map where we were fishing.

I will say the fishing is definitely not the same in November compared to when we were fishing in April.  Way different, even for Florida were the temperature and seasonal changes are more subtle than back home in the Heartland USA.  Here is a quick breakdown of our sessions.

1st day fishing Alligator Alley on foot

When we visited and fished in April of 2021 we were met with thousands of fish that you could literally see swimming around in the canals.  This time, the water was way up in the canals and the fish were not so easily visible.  On the first day we got SKUNKED.  What?!? ☺ Yah we tried everything in our aresenal to get bit.  But it did not happen.  That is fishing...and you have to learn from your outings which I think we did.  Definitely NOT the same conditions as in April of 2021.  Water was a bit colder, the water was up in the canals, and I was told by local anglers that the bass were located up in the flats, which you would need a boat to get to.

2nd day fishing Alligator Alley by boat

Out of the three days that we fished, I'd say the most successful day was when we were on the boat with a local pro named Captain Brett Isackson.  He put us on fish by 9am in the morning! Capt Brett is a great guy, great fisherman, and my son and I highly recommend him as a guide.  We will be back fishing with him on future fishing excursions down in South Florida.

There's nothing like doing 80mph in a bass boat in the Florida Canals rockin' out to Five Finger Death Punch. LOL 😂 El Capitan Brett put us in some great spots to have success.  I think we caught 20 total Peacock bass that day.  It was a lot of fun to pick his brain and learn more about fishing in the Everglades.  It is a very different bass fishing experience.  The rules of home don't apply down there.  You have multiple bass spawns per year, and many different species of fish that are competing. What a memorable time with my son that I will never forget!

3rd day fishing Holey Land Wildlife Management Area

This day was from the bank. Lil' Shaka and I did more exploring on this day.  Not a ton of luck on this day.  I caught a couple of dinks on a jig, but other than that I did not get bites. Lil' Shaka had about a 4 LBS Bowfin take his Chatterbait, but the Bowfin jumped in the air and spit his hook.  Damn!!!!  I was going to get the net when that happened.  So no picture.  I also noticed some of the canals in this area were super flooded and the water was flowing as hard as a stream or river.  I never knew the current got that fast in these canals. 

All in all, what a fun couple of days getting a chance to fish in South Florida.  We will be back soon!  Take a look at the video of Day 2 below.  Stay committed, Stay driven.

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November 14 2021 Fishing Chronicle

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It was a cold Sunday that we returned from South Florida last weekend. The weather in South Florida was warm.  The temperature was around 75-80 degrees on most days that we were there.  So, to come back to the heartland USA and feel the 35-40 degree weather with the wind chills was definitely a big change.  But, of course it did not stop us from fishing.

The Lil' Shaka was able to catch a few bass on this day on a jig! I did not catch anything but didn't care. He caught them for both of us.  I was happy to see him catch some bass on a new lure that he has not used before.  Everytime we catch fish on a new lure, it is confidence gained, which opens up new possibilities to put bass on the bank or in the boat.  This is a documented memory now or progress!  Stay Commited and Stay Driven my Ohana.

 

Having fun with the Jig Bite in October 2021

 

Articles that I have read about the jig bit in the fall...well, they are true it is a real thing.  I am enjoying the jig bit as well, and I continue to learn the different ways to present a jig to the bass in order to get bites. So far it feels like bass like these jigs at different depths, and they also like to see these jigs in different presentations. I am having luck at the present time skimming the jigs and hopping the jigs on the bottom.

The end of October 2021 has produced some nice fish with these different jig presentations. I am really enjoying the entire experience of figuring out a new lure. I've also tried out a couple types of jigs with different craw presentations. I was using some of the smaller mini jigs which I've had a lot of luck with.  I really like how the lighter jigs fall slower with specific types of craws like the Zoom Speed Craw. But, then I tried some larger jigs, like the swimjig with a larger craw trailer you see in the below picture. I definitely had larger bass hitting this lure! It was a lot of fun, and definitely was something I think the bass had not seen in awhile in the specific neighborhood ponds I was fishing.

I definitely have great confidence in tying on the jigs right now. Jigs will definitely continue to be something I tie on first before I do anything else.  With so many types of jigs, and so many combinations with trailers coupled with the different ways to fish them...I think it creates endless possibilities to be creative and try to get the fish to bite! Stay committed, Stay Driven.