What a lake! Dodge County PFA--low 90s, almost no clouds, bright sunshine, windy, 5-7 mph-off-and-on, water clarity maybe 3'? I'm back in the stumps in 14-16' of water where I caught the 7/12(Wed.) and the 5 even yesterday. Got there at about 11 AM and caught her at about 11:45 AM---in the heat of the day.

I told my wife last night that I thought I'd head back to the swamp pond today since it's so much closer to home and I hadn't been there since last Sun. Changed my mind this morning and am I glad I did. As Matt and others have said, "go where there are big Bass or you won't have a chance at catching big Bass",---or words to that effect.

I was throwing Matt's BB and kept getting hung-up as I was yesterday and in fact, had to break off another BB. I tied a new one on, covered it in Megastrike, and then, since I'd just gotten a bottle of the new, clear http://www.bassbusters.net/hawgsauce/ , I dipped the last half of the BB in it and went to casting again.

I was reeling it back in at a steady pace when I felt a hit. She grabbed it at with just about 12' of line still out and we started havin' fun. She took me around my little boat and did two head-shakes out of the water as two young guys watched from maybe 30 yards away in their Bass boat. I couldn't tell where she was hooked but I didn't want her to get away and was lucky enough to get her next to the boat where I lipped her.

The BB's hook was in her tongue pad and the bait was still in perfect shape. She had been tagges as the other ones were too but the tag was missing leaving just a piece of line sticking out of her side and a welt on her side.

Had a few other hits but that's the only one I hooked. Came home earlier than usual. stopping on the way back to get a sack of Hardy's Farms hot, boiled peanuts.


http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132522&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132518&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132519&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132520&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132523&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132521&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132524&anum=3382

I measured her more carefully before the pic.

Dan

Good job Dan. I bet that double d is just around the corner.

You need to buy a bait knocker, you will not lose another one of your baits if you do. Its a must for me any time Im throwing big, exspensive baits. Also, I hope you didnt let any onlookers see what you were using.

Please send me some HOT boiled peanuts (not the ones out of the freezer). I love those things. Part of the reason I visit my buddy in southern Alabama is because the corner store next to his house has the best, fresh boiled peanuts.

Thank's Urban. I have a bait knocker and used it but I think the line got wrapped around the staub, preventing any knocking goin' on:-) It's worked on them before but the last couple of times, it didn't. No, I didn't show it to the two young guys. When they asked "What did you catch it on?", I told them a swimbait. They were both throwing spinnerbaits and hadn't caught any Bass.

Fresh, boiled peanuts are the "Nector of the Gods":9! I ate a bunch on my way home and the rest($8 worth!) are now in the freezer. Hardy Farms are one of the premier peanut growers in middle GA.

Dan

Fishin & goobers! Don't you boys never drink no beers or watch no football? :+

Congrats on PB dan, man you need to chill out on the 4-9 pound fish, lol

Great job Dan! That BB looks small in her mouth! What kind of small boat do you have? I've seen it in your other pictures, just curious.

http://www.basshunter.com/Resources/cover.jpeg

It's a Basshunter UBHII and is made in GA but retailed around the USA. It's my second one and the first is still being used by a friend. They are 10'X4' and as stable as a pool table on a slab of granite:-) . It's the only small-water boat I'll have.

Dan

Dan - Nice fish man, congratulations.

I'm really fascinated as to why they tag the fish in the belly. Out here they tag them in the back just behind the top fin.

I got my Mattlures bass in the mail yesterday and its making me itchy to go fishing :) Paint jobs are sik.

SB: I have no idea why they do it that way. All three Bass has a welt raised on their skin where the 'hook' was injected. I'll try to remember to ask them but it's probaly based on the company that made the tags recommendation.

I went again today; 96 degrees--106 heat index, few clouds, wind off-n-on, and bright sunshine. No Bass hooked even though I had one bite. It surprised me because of where I was(different area, 9-10' of water in a cove)) and at first, I thought it was just a stump hang-up but when I went to lift it off of the stump, 'it' pulled back and then dropped the BB.

Yea, the paint jobs are worth the price as are the details in the body.

Dan

Man, I like that boat...I'm going to look into one; I sent a request for info in on their website. For the places I fish, it would be perfect! Do you have electronics on it? What size trolling motor does it need?
Kevin

swimbait: I just got off of the phone with a DNR guy there at that lake and asked him about the tagging. He said they first did it in March/April of this year; tagging only Bass 18" and longer. They electro-shocked them over several nights to get a large sample.

He's familiar with the dorsal area tag system but they chose the system where a Bass scale is removed from the Bass's lower side area then an internal anchor is inserted into the skin and into the muscle where it supposedly does no harm. That anchor is smaller than the dorsal type.

Kevin: It is a perfect, small-water boat/platform with room for two; being careful with the casting of treble hook baits/long rods of course. I powered my first one(that I used for 6 years) with a 36# thrust MinnKota Maxxum(expensive but has infinite speed/power control that is better than the 'stepped' kind). It finally crapped(just got noisy but I thought a bearing was about to go) out on me a couple of months ago so I bought a new 40#(the 36'er was more than adequate but I don't think they make it anymore?) Maxxum from Cabelas. I use a Hawker Power Pond gel-type 15 lb(weight) 12v battery but I don't think they are available anymore either Odyssey Battereies has a similar one and is what I would get now.

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/battery/pc545mj.htm

I have a Humminbird Portable depth finder onboard too. I had to form a soft-metal strap to mount the transducer on to as the suction cup would not grip the pebbled finish of the Basshunter. Everything I've mentioned is up front at the bow so I can pitch or cast with everything within reach or sight.

Boat pics:

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=132397&anum=3723

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=112849&anum=3382

http://www.f150online.com/galleries/pictureview.cfm?pnum=112848&anum=3382

There is room to carry 8 rigs; four to a gunwale-trough.

Dan

that's cool re: the tagging. It just seemed weird to me because some of the fish in your pics have a pretty big welt on them where the tag was. Those guys must know what they are doing though. I've caught several fish this year that had been tagged in the back and had a fleshy piece of skin dangling there even though the tag was gone. Either way, it seems like they survive just fine.

One thing I've definitely noticed over the past few years is that if you see fish that are tagged, they are often times really skittish and hard to catch. At one of the lakes here I saw a bunch of double digits on our around beds two years ago that were tagged and they would never never, and I mean never bite. It was like the trauma of being shocked and tagged made them hate the sight of people or something :) They do seem to bite ok when they can't see you though :)

Here's one more to consider... This is a fish I caught earlier this year, it was 10.90lbs. She had a literal handprint on her side and she had a fleshy spot on her back where she had been tagged. Putting two and two together, I would bet that the guys who tagged her squeezed a little too hard, or handled the fish in some way that made the imprint. Check it out

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3984-10.9.jpg

I've caught a lot of tagged fish out of LMV. I have seen some giants swimming around with tags in them too. They have all been tagged in the fin behind the dorsal fin. Didn't seem to bother them too much. It even looked like some sort of small tracking unit shaped like a skinny drop shot weight.

I was sight fishing one day, and happened to be looking down into some fairly deep water when I saw an odd little pink thing. I had to look very hard to see it. Turns out it was a dorsal spaghetti tag stuck in the back of a very nice fish that was hanging on a deep nest. I stuck that fish, and sacrificed it in the name of science. Had that tag not been in that fish I never would have seen the fish. I kinda always felt bad about catching that fish.

I called and talked to the DNR guy at that PFA today. He said he's mailed me a letter thanking me for reporting the two tagged Bass and he included the info on when they were tagged and how much they weighed and their length too. I'm sorry the 9 lber's tag was missing. Would have been cool to see how much she had grown.

He also told me they had instituted a "removal of two Bass only if over 22" long" as a couple of retired guys from where I live had been coming down there and catching 4 and 5 eight+ lb Bass and keeping all of them. The fact they did would take that many(I won't take any!) large Bass out of a 104 acre lake is sickening to me.

I'm going back this weekend and maybe one weekday next week.

Dan