FishDr

25.5" long! I think I'd have to put my last three swimbait bass end-to-end to get that length. How much did that big bass weigh?

Nice work! Looks like the fish hit right at the shore/weed edge. They are such neat looking fish.

In

Definitely target known cover and shorelines but, as others have said, don’t ignore open water, especially at night. Fish that may have been right to cover by day will often move out a bit and can surprise you in open water often enough that it shouldn’t surprise you. I’d love to actually see some of these open water fish because my guess is that a lot of them are looking towards shore/cover and then attacking baits between them and the shoreline/cover since it’s a “wall” the bait can get trapped against.

Nice move, and way to be cautious about swimming. Float tubes are a good option of bait retrieval. When I first saw the palm trees I thought “Oh crap! He’s tubing in gator country!” but then I saw that you’re in SoCal.

I was just going to suggest a pontoon kick boat (that's what I've been using for a long time) but yeah, the ones with frames do require some setup and take-down time or you need a good way to store and transport it. You might want to take a look at the various frameless offerings from Outcast Boats. Some of those like the Fish Cat Scout or the OSG Stealth Pro might work nicely. Besides with a pontoon, you only have to use stick-on nail coverings.

Solid bass! How did you like the action on the Kenyon Customs Crawler? I also just ordered one (in black) and am hoping to take it on its first trip this week.

Nicely done. It looks like that lake has some really good looking structure.

An epic set of outings, even with the ER visit. That’s been one heck of an exchange program.

You might take a look at the Matt Lures Strong Bass & Perch series - I think he did one in a white bass pattern that would be really close to a yellow bass.

That’s a tank! Congratulations on the DD.

Well done, and way to be patient! A lot of anglers would have immediately cast something at it. Waiting a bit to let things settle down and reposition worked out perfectly.

They would probably do decently well though they apparently stunt easily, much like our yellow perch do. They’ve seen this a lot in Australia, where they were introduced. I think a bigger problem would be their diet overlap with bass and walleye - they’ve got much bigger mouths than our yellow perch and are more piscivorous, so we’d have more predators chasing our bait. Although I know better from a fisheries management standpoint, when it comes to hybrids I always wonder what a “zandeye” (Zander crossed with walleye) would be like. Zander get about twice as large as walleye so it might be like a super-sized walleye. They both hit swimbaits so that’s a bonus.

Getting to use “hook and line sampling” for work is always a bonus, and getting into solid European perch is awesome. Did you try topwater for the perch? Apparently they’ll hit small poppers and walking baits.

In

The Okuma's I have are the OG ones - with the "boot butt handle". I find that their balance is pretty good. In reference to your question, I do not normally throw Hudds on the XH, but it does okay with the bigger baits - it would maybe be better for them if it were a tad softer, but I find that I don't lose more fish than expected with it. I do run mono on the reel, not braid, so that helps.

I’ve been throwing 8” Hudds on the H Guide Select for a long time and it handled them well. When I’m throwing bigger baits like the CL8 Baby Possum or the 12” Slammer, I use an XH. The rods get the job done - they’re probably not as light or responsive as some of the newer or custom sticks but for the price, they do the job. I’ve been using mine since about ‘05 and so far I’ve had to replace the tip guide on two of them after I popped the ceramic insert out.

The mystery remains - in all my years of fishing for walleye I’ve never had one cut through line. Their teeth, while sharp, are more like ice picks than knives - designed to puncture and hold prey rather than slicing their prey into bite-sized chunks. I would lean towards the unseen line damage hypothesis with a modification. The damage was likely farther up the line than 1.5-2x the length of the rod because that line would have been under stress during the cast and would have broken then. Damage farther along the line would have experienced the casting stress but could still cause a break during a regular retrieve.

Are there any bowfin in the waters you fished? They’ve got a decent set of teeth.

Nicely done! Getting two fish on a single bait is a special thing.

I just wanted to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, stepdads, granddads, and father figures out there who have been there for their children whether they fish or not. I’d like to especially wish a happy Father’s Day to my late dad and favorite fishing partner, who taught me how to fish and encouraged me to feed my passion for the sport and it’s target. Even when he was hospitalized during his spirited fight with leukemia he told me to go fishing, with the sole condition that I swing back by the hospital and tell him in great detail how it went (I flooded my shoes, soaked my pants, and skunked). Thank you Dad for setting me on this path - I wish we were still walking into “the ol’ hole” together.

In!

That’s an epic day! Is the section of the Baltic your fishing mostly freshwater or just a bit brackish? The fish nerd in me is curious about the internship you landed. I’ll admit that the wheels in my mind started spinning.

Awesome stuff! Those big Zander make me drool.

But that’s what the brochure said — guaranteed DDs for as long as you can cast. You mean that’s not the case? LOL!