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Anyone snag up a wild shiner on the latest drop? I can’t wait for the white and purple shiner I just purchased, you can’t go wrong with that purp!

Caught my first swimbait fish on the ufo bait co light gill and in normal Miami fashion it was a peacock bass! Not big by any measure but still a first aha it hit the bait like a train too !

Today I took a much-needed break to get out on the water and wet some lines. My brother and I were beyond stoked to be able to test out some new gear that was given to us by some very very generous members here on SU...and lemme just say we spent a good half hour or so just swim testing everything haha The sky was heavily overcast and a cold front was blowing in from the south. The water was freezing to the touch and no sign of aquatic life was to be found. Neither of us had fished at this small, man made lake for a good month or so, so we were completely out of the loop regarding how the overall bass population was behaving. Our plan: throw swimbaits. We started our three-hour outing by rowing out to the mouth of a cove where there was some respite from the wind gusts. I decided to dedicate my fishing time throwing a 6" Triple Trout in hitch pattern that was given to us by a certain Jack Brown (campobassmaster) here on SU...Thanks, Jack! My brother began by throwing a homemade 5.5" gliding trout proto. At first all I could think of was how cold it was and how badly I wanted to pick up my dropshot setup. To be honest, I haven't been out fishing as much as I would like recently and the last swimbait fish I had on my line came in October last year. Plus, I lost that fish, so I was getting a little discouraged throwing the big baits. Finally I couldn't help it and picked up the dropshot for a few casts. Nada pescada. In my head I thought the fish would just never bite due to weather conditions. Then we pulled up anchor and drifted down to a deeper channel. I saw a boat moored to a dock above a deeper drop off point and figured that if there was a fish anywhere it would be here. We anchored, the boat aligned itself perfectly for a cast, and I let Jack's TT fly! I counted the bait to what I thought was near the bottom and started a slow and steady retrieve. My hands were frozen so I couldn't really feel anything, but I felt the hooks hang up in some weeds for a little and gave the rod a good rip to free them. Then I got hammered. I couldn't believe it! All this time grinding away and I finally get bit at the most unexpected moment! She felt like a freight train! Bringing her up, I knew she wasn't that big...but I didn't care. Every catch is big. She measured 15 inches in length. Sorry to disappoint, guys haha After catching that fish, the gears started working in our heads and we started targeting the sheltered sides of coves or wind-blown shore line. Dave threw his glide out and had a bass go for a head shot missing the hooks. Then I had a bigger fish smoke the TT again but missed a strong hookset and she came unbuttoned. Love it when a plan comes together! With only a little time left, we fished one more wind-blown edge of a cove and I stuck another bass on the TT. We weighed her on our new scale just for kicks and had to call it a day. Even though these fish were anything but big, I find catches like these to be very important. Not only do they help boosts my confidence in throwing big baits, but they also help me to learn how to pattern fish and have the right mindset for the times when I get the chance to fish bigger bodies of water. So for those of you stuck fishing tiny, man made lake communities...don't give up! There's still hope! Learn what you can where you are so that you can be ready for when bigger opportunities come! I also wanted to share this because this outing was the first time my brother and I had the chance to break in all the new gear that was given to us at our home lake. I was told to save my words and go catch a fish and so I finally did lol. Seriously though, a huge "thank you" to everyone who helped out in the Christmas raffle. Before I couldn't even throw some of my homemade prototypes properly but now I feel so much more equipped to fish. I haven't had this much fun fishing in a long time. And Jack, thanks again for donating that Triple Trout! I just knew it would stick some fish! Can't wait to throw it up at Clear Lake later this year...This is for you man!

Finally took out the small morning wood rat after not being able to sell it for a larger rat. Unfortunately it's the dink magnet I was afraid it would be but it is a cool little rat and I will be getting a larger one instead of a Nez. Felt good to get out after not fishing for a couple weeks because of work. Two tiny guys and a nice little bass for the section of river I was in.