Local Bass Pond (again)

Started by Al, April 10, 2021, 19:28:54 PM

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Al

Hit the local bass pond again this morning. Tried to get someone to hold down the front of the canoe but they were either busy or getting up at some ungodly hour for the opening day of Turkey season. One nice thing about warm water fish is they don't seem to mind if you don't start fishing until midmorning.

Got there to find the landowner had recently raised the water level and it broke loose lots of weeds. That made fishing my favorite Whooper Plooper a chore in all but one end of the pond.
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I'm usually able to coach one or two from the dock before settling into the canoe but not today.  It took awhile but finally got one on a floating worm worked a little below the surface.
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A few more then I hit a honey hole that yielded 4 and a couple more dropped off right at the canoe
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Missed or lost more than I caught - fishing that grass is a bear.
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Finally put my Whooper Plopper to use near the deep end of the pond where the grass was not as thick
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Nothing real big today - this pond holds some 6-8 pounders.  Caught about a dozen. I've done better -but it was still nice to break out of Covid lockdown.


troutrus

Very nice Al. Glad ya had a good day.

Onslow

You're a lucky man Al. Nice work!


Stone-Man

Those bass look a little stunted or maybe you caught all males
Nice report and glad you got plenty of action.  THX Al



    JT

Woolly Bugger

ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

itieuglyflies

Great to see Al can fish without a woman in boat.

Al

I'm going to continue this thread just like we are doing with the Smith (continued)

Got out to my honey hole bass pond again this morning. Temperatures went from 90 degrees yesterday afternoon to 53 degrees when I drove a short distance to pick up my bassing buddy. We weren't sure what that was going to do to the fish but we were determined to find out. As it turns out we needn't have worried. Picked up one right off the dock before launching to canoe. Always a good sign.
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We didn't get a spin cast distance from the dock before we knew we were in for a good morning.
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It went like that for several fish. We also lost a few due to poor hookup's
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We have a friendly bet of "big fish wins lunch" - not total fish or total poundage. Just big fish - that way you are always one cast away from having the tables turned. I knew as soon as this fish was on that lunch was about to be served - oooopps, not so fast. When I got it in close I saw the hook was just barely hanging on the membrane inside it's jaw and not into the solid jaw bone.  No net and feisty fish - Got lucky. No scale but my guess is 4-6 pounds.
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We still had better than half of the morning to go. I was talking trash but sYou cannot view this attachment.till thinking about it only being one cast from disaster when my buddies rod bent almost double with something that was definitely live and moving - Turns out it was a HUGE sapping turtle. Thankfully it broke off just as it was about to break water.
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We sort of keep count but not exact.  From time to time we run a tally and it seems that we caught 15-20.  Not a great morning of fishing for this pond but on the other hand the weather was delightful, we had good company and  conversation, we didn't tip over, we caught some fairly nice fish and I ended up with a very nice lunch. On reflection WE HAD A GREAT MORNING.




Al

What better way to get out of the sorrow funk than to hit the local bass pond with a buddy.  Yesterday morning I figured with the tropical storm heading this way the change in weather might trigger a good bite – turns out I was right.
We always try from the dock before jumping in the canoe. If you catch one or two it is always a good time. My buddy caught a couple small ones which I did not bother to photograph. I tossed a Whopper Plopper and hooked a 14 or so inch bass on the first cast and then things got interesting.
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As I was fooling around trying to get my camera out (My buddy is not much of a photographer), the fish flopped and sunk two hooks deep into the outside of my left hand.  I don't mind telling you that smarted.
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I had seen online at several fishing sites how to remove a hook using a length of thread. Not sure I got it exactly right but with the aid of my squirmy buddy, me pulling on the thread and he pulling the other way with a pair of needle nose pliers we got the big catch of the day unhooked. I have a well stocked First Aid Kit in my truck so we slapped some antibiotic ointment on it along with a bandage and went fishing. 

We did well – 20 or more for the morning. Give my buddy credit he caught a few more than me.  Like many, he has a copy of my book https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088SG8S6D  but has not read it. I turned talkative and related a couple of my Vietnam short stories while he fished.  I did hook a nice one, probably 5-6 pounds (my buddy will attest to it as a no BS boost) but failed to get it in the boat.
 
Here is the photo dump – like I said my buddy is not much of a photographer so most of the photos are of him.

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Put more ointment on my puncture wounds last night. This morning took bandage off and good as new.

Woolly Bugger

Those treble hook snags are a lot more trouble that a trout fly to remove...

ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

Dougfish

Ouch!
But great to see you out fishing!
"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here?
 Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? "
Kelly's Heroes,1970

"I don't wanna go to hell,
But if I do,
It'll be 'cause of you..."
Strange Desire, The Black Keys, 2006

Woolly Bugger

ex - I'm not going to live with you through one more fishing season!
me -There's a season?

Pastor explains icons to my son: you know like the fish symbol on the back of cars.
My son: My dad has two fish on his car and they're both trout!

troutrus

Looks like a good day Al. Glad to see you out and about.

GO BARBLESS!!!!!

itieuglyflies

Al- great to see you back outdoors, time for sure will help with the healing. But, I am not so sure treble hooks in the hand should have been part of the process.

Stone-Man

Good on you Al    !!!!!  Ya gotta learn the mono trick for getting hooks out of your flesh
I have performed it at several PFF's

  JT

Al

A buddy and I got back to "my honey hole" this morning. Nothing big and it was hot but it was good to get out to clear my head. Folks keep asking me how I am doing - my answer is the same "OK, but not good". I'm not sure I will ever be good again but maybe that will come with time. Right now there is a big hole in my heart and a big empty space in what used to be a shared home.

OK, now that I've got my cry out of the way here is how the fishing went.

Pond was smooth when we first arrived at 0730
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We caught a couple of small ones right off  the dock but too small for even me to pull out my expensive cellphone (My buddy does not pull out his to take photos at  all I remind him - I keep telling him ya can't make a story without photos).

The bite was not that great but it was enough to keep our interest up, especially with a free lunch to the individual caught the biggest fish.
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OK, he is claiming the fish just posted was biggest fish. I say this one beat it
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Credit to my buddy, he bested me in numbers of fish - probably 2 to 1 but then he was in the front of the boat and I was doing most of the paddling and positioning on the canoe.
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My guess we caught about 15. Not a great day but not bad either.  I paid for lunch because our big fish was about even and he definitely caught more then me.
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