This 14” crappie was a surprise catch. Burning a 1/2 oz. piranha swim jig rigged with a 3.5” Berkley Gilly, this slab crushed the bait halfway back to the canoe. I thought it was a bass at first. Such a fun surprise on an otherwise slow day.
A great way to end the season on our last outing…
This 5-pounder was sitting on the edge of a dropoff. Reeling halfway back this big toad smashed my 1/2 oz. piranha swim jig rigged with a Berkley Gilly. The head emerged followed by a headshake was enough to convince me it was big. A couple photos and back this fish went to fight another day.
Topping the season off with this 37-inch gator! Coming off a point near tree stumps, this beast smashed my piranha swim jig after a couple cranks of the reel handle. The fish charged towards the canoe as I was trying to catch up to it. Near the canoe, it thrashed while diving under bending my rod darn near a horseshoe. With no wire leader, the lure was perfectly hooked on the side of its mouth. A quick net job, a couple of photos and back it went.
Josh was so thrilled! He caught the first fish of the day and his biggest sturgeon at the 42-inch mark beating his previous best by 5 inches.
What a scorcher of a morning but so thrilled I landed a new PB flathead! This 23.22 lbs. catfish smoked my bait and peeled line, making powerful underwater head thrashes. A short battle and my cousin was there with the net for the scoop. A few photos and back he went to fight another day. It sure made my day, and I will be smiling all week.
New PB alert! Prior to a storm coming in this morning, I snuck out with my cousins and buddy to fish for flathead catfish. My rod tapped furiously, and I went to set the hook and a battle ensued. Some strong digs and deep runs, I knew it wasn’t a catfish. A short while later, I felt the line move up the water column, and I went to lower my rod tip for a sure headshake or leap. The giant head came out of the water and we all gasped. The battle went on for a bit, thankful for my cousin Binh as he cradled the fish around its body and a great team effort getting the fish into the boat. The sturgeon measured out to 170 centimeters or 67 inches. A few pics and back the fish went to fight another day. I also caught and released a 13.5 lb. flathead early but the big sturgeon stole the show.
A fun week of smallmouth bass fishing at Arcadia! We just got back from a week long trip from June 14-21. Sunday evening started off good and each day got better and better with Wednesday being the ultimate bite day. Then a cold front came through Thursday, and the bite mostly shut off through Friday but still caught fish here and there. The hot lure of the week was a tiny 2.5″ Imo Kemushi stick worm Neko rigged. Here are a few highlights.
So fun watching JT pluck crappies in shallow water that dad had to join this past Saturday morning! Over a dozen crappies in just over an hour on a Kalin’s 2″ Tri-Color Curly Tail Grub rigged with a 1/16 oz. chartreuse jighead. All under 10 inches.
Score: JT – 12, Dad – 5
Fun opener weekend catching tasty rainbow trout! JT caught his first ever trout and he was pretty excited.
After work yesterday, I stopped over at one of my favorite ponds for a little fishing. Shortly before sunset, this 21.5” largie smashed my 1/2 oz. Grass Piece rigged with an X Zone Lures Rally Shad! The fish tipped the scales at 5.6 lbs.
Brrr…what a cold spring morning! It all warmed up fast when this 20”, 5 pounder smashed my 1/2 oz. Grass Piece rigged with an X Zone Lures Rally Shad. Second 5 pounder of the year and we are still in April.
