Jfish

I wear a size 6 in boys....is that small?? Hahahhahah...actually I wear a 10. These fish are all short and fat almost all year long but this one was a glutton. JK

GIANT! Mr LDC bringing out the big guns.......beasts. You look like your in shock holding that top fish....I don't blame you. Love how the fish has its fins all flared up....badass. JK

Hahahaha....blah blah blah....is me telling myself to keep it to a paragraph, make my point and then shut the hell up. I've been known to write some novels on here....blah blah blah.. JK

I think its a good thing....the Japanese approach swimbaitiing with this whole like fashion/culture thing. I think there's a certain type of personality behind the quest to do this that runs through a lot of guys. You have to be borderline to go sometimes weeks without a bite Its part art...its part science...its whatever we want to make it. I don't ever want to be confused with those guys on the 60 minute specials in their vests marveling at the "vivid hues" on their 12" golden trout they spent $3000 to catch....swimbaiting is attractive to guys that want to go to extremes and I think lots of us share that. I was some dude catching catfish at silverwood lake...went to the marina for some nightcrawlers...saw these pics of 30-40lb striped bass hanging in the bulletin board and that just completely warped my sense of reality. I asked the guy, "What the hell catches that?" He pointed to a 12" AC Plug hanging on the wall and I put the night crawlers back studied the construction of that AC plug and headed straight home to make one. I never picked up another nightcrawler after that. The goal had changed. Blah blah blah....respect anyone who combines the hard work and enthusiasm it takes to perservere with this swimbaiting deal. Its a rollercoaster ride. JK

Marbles I enjoy your intensity and flair with them pics. Your like Ice Cube meets the fishing professor...I'm a fan. Keep it comin'... JK

Good job gettin' a hook in one....everywhere I went last night they were just slurping and half assing it....couldn't get any commitments which is maddening ...its almost worse knowing the fish is tailing your bait but not willing to eat. Nice job dude. JK

Good job man, fish looks pretty solid to me. It was good enough to each a 10" wake so definitely had some cajones... Good stuff. JK

My partner in Hudd crimes. Even our dumb lil' ponds pump out some nice fish during the prespawn. You kick'd butt dude. Beautiful fish! JK

Cool man, at least you avoided the dreaded skunk. Next time you go you'll be a little more in tune with things. The more time you spend the better you will get but even the best of the best have tough days and/or get skunked-its part of the grind. Makes it that much sweeter when things go your way. Way to go. JK

I'm just bummed that you've put all this in a public forum for all to see....hahahhahah.....when I first started night fishing I felt very uncomfortable and out of sorts. Every sound would freak me out....didn't like not having a clear visual on the bait. Since getting over that all of my bigger fish have come from night fishing. Of course, someone could argue that its because of where I focus my efforts. I caught quite a few hudd fish after dark in the winter (tight to shore) so I think the tactics don't change all that much. Of course, a wake bait is my favorite method because you can track it and here that distinctive 'slurp' when a fish grabs it. Topwater is just plain fun and is a perfect fit for night fishing especially in the warmer months. I will add one little tidbit thats come into play for me. There's been times when I've had big fish lined up down the bank in super shallow clear water on a calm night. I know we are swimbaiters but I've seen guys come through those spots making long casts with big 7 oz baits and just blow their chances. I would let it settle down for an hour make shorter more delicate well placed casts with less intrusive baits and catch those fish. I call it finesse swimbaiting and it comes into play on the spots I fish. Great thread Marbles, dig it man.... JK

Thats the biggest fish I know of posted on the forum thus far-not to mention the limit its part of. I know Ben had a 14 that was huge as well. You guys earn everything you get. You truly are the DONFATHER....hahahhahaha....so glad that you came back to stick a limit like that. Much respect, John

Personal best for 2012 was in February on a good prespawn Hudd bite that got me 4 fish at 10lbs or better in a 3 week period. The best was this 11.5 out of a City Park Lake. Very memorable as I made the one last cast....one more last cast routine...then got thumped with 5 feet of line out...the fish took off got me wet and ripped some drag. Fish was full of eggs and trout I would say. I was shaking for a few hours....it never gets old but those big ones are hard to come by so its so special when it does happen. Good idea starting this new category. JK

Cold: Hudd 8" Warm: Waking, Slow sinking s-swimmer, Bottom Hook Rising Son or other good boot tail I don't know if I've ever thrown three baits in one outing to be honest. Two is my max normally. One is typical. JK

Now that summer is approaching I'm sure you guys have plenty of spots that are getting overgrown with grass mattes, etc. Of course there are big fish holding in that slop and were swimbaiters right? There's a few soft baits that work well such as 3:16's mission fish, various weedless frogs.....my question to you guys is: Do you know of any hardbaits that have the same (semi) weedless qualities you can get through or on top of the thick stuff?? Perhaps some mods you've done? Thanks. JK

No but I felt much like Chaka trying to catch dinner when i reeled em' in....hahahhaha...thanks guys for the comments. JK

Dang I got all warm and fuzzy reading this. This place goes way beyond a web board....great story. JK

Its a cool lake man....of course the fishing can be hit or miss anywhere. I would run the points first...then run the tule edges....if there's current flowing in the inlet area hit that too. Got a chance for bass or stripes....get u some! JK

I got another one on the glide. Just went for an hour to one of the local spots with wake baits in mind. Nothing doing on the wake baits. Was almost heading for the car and thought...I'll hit a few of the prime spots with the glide just to see and this fish came out of nowhere....I could see the fish tracking the bait and then just railed it coming across a break line. More typical fat pond fish pushin' near 8. JK

Jumping fences to catch little green fish....yep....your life is ruined man.....hahahhaha.....yes, a 5lber or betters is knocking at the door..... JK

Lots of good information as per usual. I do almost all of my fishing at night or during lower light periods. The spots I fish mostly are local ponds that get the crap beat out of them during the day, not just by fisherman but just lots of activity around the shoreline in general. I don't think there is anything "magical" about night fishing but here's a few things to consider: 1.) Less activity overall puts the fish more at ease and more likely to let their guard down. 2.) They are less visible to predators and less visible to their prey. 3.) Negative cues like hanging hardware are somewhat masked in darkness forcing the fish to use other senses (lateral line) to determine whether or not to attack. Because the world is quieter at night I try to be more sensitive about being intrusive. When the fish draw up tight to the shore...you have to walk lightly off the bank and I try to avoid walking up on anything I haven't already cast on. When the visual goes away you become much more aware of all your other senses and it puts you in tune with how the fish are perceiving the world to some extent. If its calm and the fish are up tight I'm even aware of how hard my lure splashes down when I cast. Sometimes its a factor.... With all that said, if the fish aren't feeding they aren't feeding. There's windows that open and close and night time just presents some new windows... Get you some....ninja style...hahahhaha JK

Jim, Your avatar rules....thats some land of the lost action right??? I want that avatar...hahahahha... JK

Cool man, yeah you've been silent for a while so figured something must be brewing. My favorite part, "Took a drink of beer". Hahahahha....I see I've been doing it all wrong going sober style... Good job man. JK

Heck yes....hahhaha....sweet man nice handmade classy looking bait. Congrats to the winna. JK

Good job Andrew. The smaller ones tend to be the most aggressive and find your bait first but I can't wait to hear about your first 3lber and then 5lber and...well it never ends. Your expectations will go up with your experience......every bite I get pretty much gets my adrenaline going so it gets addictive. Were like junkies trying to get our fix in a sense...hahaha...much healthier though. Keep crackin' em'. JK

Nice fish Paul. I go through periods where I'm sore and other times when I feel fine. I'm no spring chicken but I try not to set casting distance records in situations I don't need to that way I'm not constantly pushing the envelope. The long handle on the LDC's has reduced my fatigue as well due to the tuck factor. The "Godfather" of swimbaits Allan Cole (Not to be confused with our "Donfather") used to call everyone that uses 8 Ft rods sissys and he mainly uses an 11 Footer! His solution to guys that said they were sore....pump iron at night after fishing to bulk up....hahahhaha......I break up my sessions in two-three hours blocks and that helps a lot for me. Good job on the fish man....at least the soreness is paying dividends. JK