September 2023 Day was Fire For The Bass

 

The fishing was FIRE just two days ago after work. As you can see I was pulling them out left and right. These are all different fish I caught and photographed before releasing back. None of the bass were that big, but it was still fun to catch them! We've hit that transition time in the year. It is still summer, but the nights have been colder. I am thinking the water temps are a bit lower too. The BIG WORM BITE is gone, as I keep trying without any takers. The inline spinners are getting it done right now in the neighborhood pond. The bass are definitely on the chase. The bass also bit a on a jig with a Speed Craw trailer. I then moved to a texas-rigged Speed Craw by itself and got more bites just by dragging the bottom. 

I like this time of year because it is still hot and sunny outside but the air is becoming crispy and dry. The bass aren't as easy to catch this time of year either, so it becomes a great opportunity to figure out the pattern and have a record day! Although, it is not every day that I actually figure out the pattern, but on this day...IT DID! 

Tight Lines to all of you!

Early September 2023 Fishing Thoughts

 

I am a researcher at heart. I get inspired by seeing how others do it. I scour the internet just like everybody else. An angler I have always liked is the "GMAN", Gerald Swindle. He a pro bass fisherman who has won 26 Bassmaster tournaments, including the 2000 Bassmaster Classic. He is a member of the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and is considered one of the greatest bass anglers of all time. The thing about Gerald is that he is probably more popular not for his fishing, but for his ability to speak on fishing. He has a lot of charisma and can tell a story in a way that resonates with anglers. Here is one of the latest videos GMAN Late Summer Bass Tactics I checked into that gave me some ideas for my latest fishing excursion. A lot of what he said in that video played out very well for me.

I caught 9 total bass on this day. Above are a few shots. I like to take shots of all my fish catches before I release them back. Kind of like the Predator recording his trophies...difference is I throw them back Ha Ha! Here are some thoughts on why I had success, based on GMAN's video:

-Late summer means bass have seen every lure. Change it up, don't let them get a good look at the bait..."Churn and Burn Mentality"...try throwing something moving, and more try bringing it back faster than you normally do...Well, this worked out very well. Inline spinnner was working very well when I brought it back at a faster pace. This is something I would never have thought of before.

-Put down the Big Worm. You can get bit on it still, but bass can be lethargic for something like the worm at this time in the year. Well, that is my GO TO! So this is not easy to do for me. I can have the tendancy to be that guy who would stick with what he knows, and cast and cast and cast without a bite. I am not saying I did not try a worm but I can tell you I definitely did not get bit this time 😁

-When in doubt, fish the JIG. GMAN is known for his ability to catch fish year around with Jigs. I threw on a jig with a speed craw trailer. Color combo is a bit different. More of an orange brown jig with a dark red speed craw combo. I was able to catch a few on this setup and focused on bringing it back it bit faster than I normally would do.

So, I know I will never be a pro bass fisherman like the GMAN any time soon, but it is DAMN FUN implementing a plan and having success! Who knows maybe I win a win a Bassmaster tournament one day, or at least finish in the top five in a local kids fishing tournament 😆

Tight Lines To All Of You!

End of July 2023 fishing report

 

Right now at the end of July, we are in a major heat wave across the USA. The water temps in the pond is above 80 degrees. The fish are aggressive and will attach the moving baits. I was catching the bass on the Zoom Trick Worm and the Bitsy Craw Mini Jig by Strike King.

I even caught a thick green sunfish slab that was aggressive enough to eat the worm. Interesting enough, I have never seen this species in this pond up until this year. Green sunfish are not an optimal species in a pond of this size as they compete with the bass. It was still fun to catch around 20 bass on this day! Tight lines to you all.

The Day I Got To Play With My Son In A Game

 

I have a lot to say in this post, so bear with me as the thoughts come out. Yes, that is me ripping one to the right side, over the fence, over the lights, and into the night. This was a slow pitch softball game I was invited to play in a month ago. The "swing" is still there, but I am not as fast as I used to be. Father time creeps up every year. LOL. When I run, it takes me a lot longer to get going AND maybe more importantly to stop! I still love the game. I love the comeraderie. I love hearing guys rip each other, telling jokes, and laughing in the dugout. Grown men, lots of cussing, and a need to let off some steam. I often think about the great times with the Smash Softball team I played on, and even the teams I played with before that.  So many different people, players, and fond memories.

Friday July 21, 2023-

I will always remember this day because it was the day I got to play in the same slow pitch softball game as my son. The other team had some problem getting enough players so they actually played the game with nine guys. The second baseman was catching a line drive near second base and landed awkwardly. All of us old guys "cringed" as the player tried to get up. I think he really messed up his hamstring. He had a hard time walkin off so I think it was really bad. 

Well, Lil' Shaka who is now 14 years old comes and watches the games. This year he has asked me to play several times. 😀 I told some of the guys on the other team that Lil' Shaka could play for your guy that is injured. "Yes we'd love to have him!" So I grabbed him from the bench, and told him he was in on the other team.

1st At Bat

I could tell he was excited to step to the plate. I was playing first base so I had a good view. He swung at the second pitch and popped it straight back! Ha Ha. Our catcher caught it and that was three outs. I know he was upset. He told me so many times that he thinks he can crush a softball, so I know he was upset.

2nd At Bat

The game went on and he finally got back up to the plate. This time was a bit different, or maybe a lot different. He's an athlete. Athletes figure it out. Again, second at bat he took a pitch. Then, Boom! The second pitch he hit it on a line drive into left field. The whole crowd yelled whoa! I have to admit for a 14 year old to hit a ball that hard...even I was amazed. The left fielder had to go back quick and made a great play on the ball for an out. He turned a lot of heads and I think he'll get some hits next time.

A Special Night

This was the first game we played in together. I hope at some point this year he gets a chance to sub for our team so I can play with him on the same team. We both had a ton of fun, and he made some comments that it was the most fun he had all year playing ball. I thought that was pretty awesome that he would say something like that. I do worry about that though...I think the baseball game at the lower levels is SO SPECIALIZED and SO SERIOUS now that the kids actually don't enjoy the game for what it is. I also think a lot of kids these days don't actually watch Major League Baseball. They are NOT baseball fans. That is so unfortunate, because there is a gap or a disconnect between the lower levels of the game to the MLB. I could go on and on about this, but that is for another post. All in all, I was grateful I could play in a game with my son and I hope this happens several more times before I am completely done.

The Fever

I think Lil' Shaka got "The Itch" or "The Fever" after getting a chance to play his first softball game. I told him don't fall in love yet, you have a ton of baseball to play before you play slow pitch softball all the time. The next day he wanted to buy a 14 inch softball glove for the outfield! LOL. It was good to see him get excited about the game. That is what it is all about at the end of the day. Men getting to play a kids game, and it is played for the love of the game.

Lake of Egypt Trip July 2023

 

We had a really great family weekend getaway to Lake of Egypt last weekend. The weather was filled with your typical hot and steamy July days in the Heartland. The days I am talking about are the ones you walk outside your house at 5:30am and it is already 80 degrees and muggy. The windows in your house have condensation on the inside of the windows because it is cool and dry on the inside of the house but the outside feels like a wet sauna.

One of the first thing we did from the first picture in this post is catch some crappie! Lil' Shaka and I hooked up with Matt Mavigliano from 3PoundFishing.com who guides for crappie on Lake Of Egypt. If you ever want to fish for crappie on Lake of Egypt we definitely recommend him. HE KNOWS HIS STUFF! We caught about 40-50 crappie on that day. Matt used Livescope for our fishing session and put us on many brush piles all over the lake. It was like fishing in a digital arcade, and you could even see the fish getting yanked off the Livescope screen! To a techie like me, I was more excited at the Livescope technology compared to anything else. Livescope will definitely be something I will get at some point.

On the other mornings that we went out to fish, we had good luck on a couple of different baits. For whatever reason I had success the last couple of weeks using a Strike King Bitsy Bug Mini Jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer. I am here to tell you that I was KILLING them on this bait. Good size bass were going after this bait several times in two days. Both Lil' Shaka and I have always had great success using this specific bait. We think it has to do with the slower fall. And, because of the light weight, you can swim the bait back to the boat or bank a little more effectively.

The other bait that was getting it done during the trip was a good old trusty Zoom Trick worm. They were hitting this bait just as much on the fall and also on the retrieve back to the boat. I think Lil' Shaka caught a couple on the Zoom Trick worm and so did I.

As we continue to visit Lake of Egypt, we become more aware of the fishing patterns. We also rented a pontoon boat and took it out for a spin! We did some tubing as well and you can bet we will be back doing our thing again hopefully in the fall.  Tight lines to you all!