Workout Notes from Mid December 2023

 

The workouts are of course in full effect. These days I am training with Lil' Shaka. I started him on the path last winter, and he's really loving the grind. Last night's workout was good.  The notes are below:

We've been into the off-season pyramids sets lately which absolutely put you in your place. Some of the lifts are foundational to our workouts, and then we will mix it up with what I like to call the "cosmetics". It was definitely a good workout as we continue to push each other. I am looking forward to continuing his education in the grind.

We were out at the Bills v Chiefs game on Dec. 10th. It was the first time we had both been to Arrowhead. What an amazing stadium! If you are a football fan it is right up your alley in terms of atmosphere. The fans really get behind their Chiefs team, and heck why wouldn't you? The Chiefs have been great for several years and are coming off a Superbowl Win last year. They didn't play that great in this one and actually trailed Buffalo for most of the game. They were able to come back in the 3rd and 4th quarters and almost pull off the win, but they had a penalty deep in the 4th quarter tht called back a touchdown on the play that would have put them up over Buffalo in the final minute. They actually did get the ball back, but failed to move the ball and Buffalo won.

We had some great seats. Here was out view (pic above) that I took from my phone and I was hardly zoomed in. It was definitely a great NFL experience to be there up close to see these amazing athletes "run". They are so fast and the speed of the game is truly amazing.

The other thing that we were able to do is workout in a gym that is near and dear to my heart. Back in the early 2000s, I used work for a company that sold and distributed sports supplements to gyms, fitness centers, and health food stores throughout Southern Illinois and Missouri. Blue Springs Fitness was one of our customers at the time.

If I was to describe Blue Springs Fitness it is really a fitness center or gym that is designed for folks who are serious about their gains or goals. You see bodybuilders and powerlifting folks in this gym. The other thing I love about this gym are all the different "peices" of unique workout equipment that exists. 

There is equipment in this gym from the 80s and 90s that are legit! AND, they also have the newest equipment on the market as well. If you are a bodybuilder I definitely recommend going here. You will be delighted to see all the great equipment you can use to hit different angles. We were able to get a night and morning workout in during this weekend. We will definitely be doing this again when we travel out.

That is all for now, have a great Holiday Season!

Still getting them to bite in December 2023

 

I was out there yesterday for about 45 minutes and caught three of them. They were all very healthy, large, and in charge! The weather conditions were ideal. It warmed up to around 55 degrees even though the water was still very cold. Without a doubt the bass were activated and willing to chase a bit during this session.

The Sexy Shad Jerkbait from Academy's H20 brand is still getting it done. I have been using this one for a couple of years and it seems to be versatile for several ways that you might want to fish it. I have been using it in extremely clear water and it works. I know people will tell you to use for transparent jerkbaits for very clear water and that might be the case...but this one definitely works too even though it is more solid or opaque in color.

From some of my previous posts it has been about the retrieve. It has been a very slow retrieve and a more subtle jerk that has been getting it done. It has been about stopping, pausing longer, and then retrieving. FUN! One of my favorite times of the year to fish is right now!

Dec 8th End of the Week Fishing Report

 

As Ice Cube would say..."Today was a good day". I got done with work, and it just so happened to get up to 57 degrees on the day. I went to two different lakes and sure enough the Jerkbait in the Sexy Shad color was getting bit! I watched a few Pros on Youtube around winter jerkbaits and just got some additional ideas on retrieve in the winter when the water is really, really cold. Here is a really good video from Randy Blaukut in which he diverges some really good ideas around when to use specific types of jerkbaits, and even some focus on the retrievals. I caught 6 largies on this day!

I started to catch them when I really slowed down the retrieval. The normal "jerks" that you give to a jerkbait in the prime of pre-spawn is really not what you need to do during this time of year. It really is a retrieve that I already use for Flukes. It is much slower and really a feel and twitch. They come up and hit it!

I also caught some really nice ones on this day too. I can attest to the fact that bigger bass go after the full size jerkbaits! Also, I was surprised that these bigger bass were not deep.  These bass were located closer to the bank and specifically in some places that were predictable...places that I know very well. 

It was the first time that I had had true success using jerkbaits at these two specific lakes. The success on this day really came down to "trusting the process". Trusting my ability to utilize the jerkbait in the right way. The day actually started slow, and I tried several different baits and set ups. AND, sometimes it doesn't matter what you do because you still don't catch anything. But god willing,..I started to get bit on the jerkbait! I appreciate very much this time on the water.

Beginning of December 2023 Fishing

 

It is the beginning of December in 2023 and I am not going to lie...been a few skunk sessions out there already!😄 I pulled out the crappie rigs to see if I could get a few bites and luckily this happened. The good ol' trusty bobber and jig rig did the trick. This time of year is tough with the water temps being very cold, but there are ways to get them to bite sometimes. I will be using the crappie rigs and jerkbaits a lot during this time of year. This is just a quick post, hope all is well and the holidays are treating you all well.

November 2023 Fishing Adventures and Thoughts

 

LONG POST ALERT (I cover the month)

November 2023 has been a very busy fishing time for us. I will cover my notes for several days in several areas for the month.

The Glades Nov '23

As you can see in the photo above we had some success out in the Florida Everglades again with the Peacock Bass. I can't tell you enough how much fun it is to get one of these fish on your line. All I can tell you is "HOLD ON" because you are in for a fight!

Tuesday Nov. 21-

We headed out on a dear friend's boat...Captain Brett Isackson. He has been a fishing guide in South Florida for over 30 years. If you ever want to learn how to fish for all the specicies down in Florida, he is your guy.  Look him up!  Here he is on Fishing.TV. Good news is we caught a ton of Peas on this day.  Lil' Shaka and I caught several specifes of fish, but even more important got to catch up with our old friend Brett. It is a tradition in our family to fish for the Peas with him.

Here is a quick pick of Lil' Shaka catching a Largie out on Brett's boat. The other thing that is great is to see Brett's face every year as my dude keep growing! He has fishing with him for the last 3-4 years and has seen the transformation. The other thing we have in the back of our minds is a trip to Lake Okeechobee or Head Waters. We will make that trip with Brett at some point. The fish really wanted the jerkbaits while we were on the boat!

Wednesday Nov. 22-

We continued our pursuit of the Peacock Bass the next day, but from the banks in the Everglades. We have some spots that we like. I was actually able to pull out a plastic work and get bit! A good ol' trusty Zoom worm did the trick. But, that was the only plastic bite that I got on this day.

I think I caught 2-3 Largies on this day, but nothing super big. We both caught several Peacocks on this day. I will give Lil' Shaka a ton of credit as he stayed on the jerkbaits the entire time we were down there. As you can see here, he caught a very nice Pea on this day! I looked over and saw him fighting it to the bank and of course I got excited to run over and help him. I smacked my knee into the metal barrier that I was trying to jump over. LOL, Ouch, felt like a helmet to the knee from the old days.

Friday Nov. 24-

This was the final fishing day for Lil' Shaka and me during our trip. Again more of the same success! We both caught several Peacocks by staying on the jerkbaits the entire time. I ofcourse tried several plastic baits but the fish weren't have it! He kept saying Papa why do you even try plastics right now? Ha Ha. Anyways, as you can see we had a lot of fun from the banks of the Glades!

 

Neighborhood Pond Nov '23

Tuesday Oct. 31 and Friday Nov. 3-

I know this is a November post, but this was the last day in October. The fall transition was absolutely in full effect. I caught a bunch of bass in the pond using a Bitsy Bug in the orange and brown color 3/16 oz. I actually had a lot of luck with this lure in 2023 as you can see from earlier posts from the summer. I use a Zoom Speed Craw for the trailer. I caught 7 of these bass in about an hour after work. This is definitely a fun bite and speaks to the confidence I have with this lure.

Friday Nov 3 the pattern was still around. The bass were still biting on my jig set up. The weather on these days continued to get warm during the day and of course cold at night. Perfect fall transition type of weather. The fish were definitely more finicky during this time. They "want what they want" and only that...so you have to figure out the pattern during this fall transition period.

Sunday Nov. 5-

I changed it up to a Mepps inline spinner because the bass where NOT having the Jig set up anymore. I was able NOT to get skunked by catching this one on the Mepps spinner. That is how it goes...the pattern changes during this time of year and you need to figure something out to catch a fish. I think I even tried a dropshot minnow as that was producing earlier in the year, but no dice. The weather was beautiful, but I can tell you the fishing was slow! I think I only caught one or two bass on this day.

Saturday Nov. 11, Sunday Nov. 12, Friday Nov. 17-

Both of these days were colder weather. The water was definitely colder on both of these days. The pattern had again changed up!

On these two days, the pattern was really a black and blue zoom brush hog, and also flukes! While writing this, or documenting this...I do this so I can definitely get ideas when looking back to get ideas of the day that will happen in the present and future. Then, take a look at the pictures below, and see that on Friday (Nov. 17) of that week the black and blue brush hog from Zoom really did work well! So again, the pattern definitely changed again, and I was able to improvised in order to truly catch some fish out of the pond.

The Canal Nov '23

Saturday Nov. 4-

I went to a body of water next to my parent's residence (in the neighborhood) that I dub "The Canal" because it reminds Lil' Shaka and me of the Florida Everglade Canals. Like clockwork because of the cold temperature outside, I was catching a ton of bluegill and also crappie. Mepps inline spinner was getting it done! I tried some plastic tactics for bass, but did not catch any bass on this particular outing. All I can tell you is this little "Canal" is a honey hole for multiple species and a lot of fun to fish. I am glad I discovered this place, and look forward to fishing it for years to come.

Maramec Nov '23

Friday Nov. 10-

You see a picture above and you understand real quick that we made some great memories. The Maramec in Missouri is a river that is magical. In the winter time, it is catch and release only on trout. There are not that many people who fish the Maramec during this time, just people who fish for the the thrill. Check out this beautiful Brown trout that Lil' Shaka caught! In true form, he was using his favorite lure, the jerkbait.

It was perfect conditions out at the Maramec. You could see clear down to the bottom of the river. We had some "deer" friends come by and say hello while we were fishing. And, I mean they literally came within five feet of us while we were fishing! It is so calm at the Maramec and so quiet during these times. Again the conditions were ideal as the water was low enough in the river that we could walk to almost any spot in the river we wanted to explore. When there is a ton of rain and the river levels are up and "roaring" then it becomes difficult to fish in the right spots. Also, the water becomes cloudy and the fish cannot see as easy. We still catch fish during these times, but it isn't the same as when we have the conditions we had on this day.

We caught several Browns on this day mostly on jerkbaits. I did start out the day catching a Brown and several smallmouth bass on the good 'ol trusty Mepps inline spinner. I didn't take any photos of the smallies because they weren't really big enough to be photo worthy. They were little dinks.

As you can see November 2023 has been a VERY FUN fishing month for us. It has been one of the best fishing months we've ever had, and I am glad I was able to document the experience. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I wish you luck on the water! Cheers and tight lines to all of you that are in the angling pursuit.