After work today, I decided to stop by the pond out back to see if the fish finally moved into the shallows (I started the job there last August, and haven't fished the pond since today) so I could sight fish them. I went out onto a big rock pile (there is sort of a big cement structure that somebody could stand on, and it surrounds a big shallow rock pile with a sandy bottom) to see if anything was out, wasn't I surprised to see at least 2 dozen bluegill in the 3-6" range. And what's better than that was the probably 1 pound and 3 pound largemouths chasing them around.
And what's even better than that - the even bigger bass that was chasing them around, and even chased the smaller largemouths a few times. This thing is a beast, I kept throwing senkos at her (all I had in my bag at the time) but couldn't get her to strike them. I originally fished them how I always do (wacky rigged and slowly), but after a while with no strikes I decided to just piss her off and try to hit her with the lure. I snagged her in the tail once, but she ran towards me instead of away - so I never got a hookset.
I've caught a few bass in the 6-pound range before (my biggest is a 6-8), and this fish is definitely in that class, if not bigger than that. I am bringing swimbaits out there tomorrow, and if those don't work I'll have an ultralight to snag one of those bluegill, and then throw it on one of the bass rods.
Pics to come if I get that fish :)
Good luck brother....and remember....No pictures, It didnt happen.. ;D Bill
Cell phone isn't working but I've got a camera that I'll use for it. Might not come out great since I'm fishing solo but they'll be somewhere.
I can feel the excitement building...
You're killing me smalls
Me too! I came back just to check this thread.
Sounds like a lot of fun to me. I love sight fishing.
Good luck with the big one, waiting for the photo as well.
I technically get off at 6:30 tonight, but we tutor kids for an hour at a time - so if any kids come in past 5:30 (5:45 to be safe), I'm free to go... right out back and catch that fish
Pics to be uploaded tonight if I catch her
Well, I've got a story to tell.
I got off at like 6:00 or something today, and I pretty much sprinted back to that rock pile to find my fish today. Well, apparently the Fish Gods didn't like my idea, because I didn't see one sign of her. The layout is a big cement pipe, with rocks at the mouth of it going out in about a 15' diameter, with lilly pads around the edges, and then it drops off a bit, maybe to like 4 feet or do (my guess). My prediction is that the fish was holding out past the drop off. I was throwing bluegill swimbaits out there, as well as I had a live bluegill swimming around out there on a pretty tight line - but no takes. After maybe 20-25 minutes, one of the security guards for the shopping center I work in had to kick me out of the pond - even though there aren't any no fishing signs there. He was polite though, and told me a pond in the shopping center that they never check, and said to try going out there. I don't have the time to get out there today, but sooner or later I will be out there. I'm meeting with the manager soon to see if employees of the shopping center can get cards that would allow them to fish the ponds. Hell, I'd be willing to pay a good sum of cash for one of those if I needed to, there are some big fish in those ponds.
Anyways - unfortunately I don't have the fish. No clue where she's staying, but I guess the Fish Gods didn't like that I told a bunch of people that I would be going out to catch the fish today, that wasn't a smart idea I guess. I learned a few other things though, one is that largemouths aren't predictable at all. I predicted that she would be in the same spot, since a) we are in the spawn and b) I had her pretty pissed off with the senko I Was throwing at her yesterday and she stayed in the same spot, so I figured she had a reason for staying there. Perhaps she was past the drop-off and I just wasn't throwing baits at her long enough. Also learned not to fish in any location that has security guards, in general.
So for now, the PB still sits at 6-8. For now though...
Cool beans brother....thats Round 1, Round 2 coming up...remember breath, relax, you got her on the ropes......Come On Rocky!!! The crowds behind you on this ;D ;D Bill
We're gonna get her sooner or later. Next phase is to go out at like 2 in the morning to catch her... at least I'll be alone :D
Quote from: TARFU on April 12, 2017, 03:40:19 AM
Cool beans brother....thats Round 1, Round 2 coming up...remember breath, relax, you got her on the ropes......Come On Rocky!!! The crowds behind you on this ;D ;D Bill
:D :D :D :D :D :D
Quote from: biggiesmalls on April 12, 2017, 10:33:09 AM
We're gonna get her sooner or later. Next phase is to go out at like 2 in the morning to catch her... at least I'll be alone :D
and won't have to worry about the security guard!
Quote from: sdlehr on April 12, 2017, 12:00:12 PM
Quote from: biggiesmalls on April 12, 2017, 10:33:09 AM
We're gonna get her sooner or later. Next phase is to go out at like 2 in the morning to catch her... at least I'll be alone :D
and won't have to worry about the security guard!
There's an unwritten universal law that says the best fishing is usually in a place where you're not supposed to be.
Reminds me of when me and a buddy used to fish at night from a drawbridge fender, all the while trying to stay out of sight of the drawbridge operator and keeping an eye out for the marine patrol.
Nobody fishes in the ponds around the shopping center - I caught my current PB in one of them (right before getting kicked out), and plenty of big fish before that too. They just sit and gorge, usually growing dumb since nobody fishes for them.
Although the fish behind my work seems to have grown pretty smart - somebody must have caught her before.
Bass on the bed are a tough bite...usually all they'll strike is a threat to the nest. Take a real soft wiggly bait of some sort and drop it in the nest, and test your patience. How long can you stand there? After what seems an eternity(usually about 1 minute), just slightly wiggle that bait...and wait again. Good luck...bedding bass drive me crazy...it's an acquired skill. 8)
I've gotta don a mask and snorkel and go out to find her nest, I can't see where it clearly is from the pipe - it's probably on or past the drop-off, though. Although she was sitting in that one spot guarding a patch of pads pretty heavily, maybe she just left for the day or something.
I'll be checking it out sometime again, sooner or later. I'm leaving out of town tomorrow, I Will see if I can get out there tonight.
If you can see the fish, it probably sees you. Try a junebug Zoom finesse worm on a shakey head, slow, from a different approach and also in the pads and around other areas of the pond. Be stealthy.
I found a huge German Brown trout in a stream once, I tried for weeks to catch her. I could tell it was a female by how beautiful she was, and boy the attitude!
But I finally tricked her into picking up the lure of the moment. She carried it about 6 feet before I realized she had it. Then she spit it out. I just said "Ok, you win". That was as close as I got. I caught dozens of smaller ones in there, but boy she just ignored me.
My personal best bass is 6lbs too. I quit bass fishing when I discovered how hard saltwater rockfish pull when they grow to be the same 6lbs.
If she didn't take a live bluegill, sounds like she's gonna be pert near impossible. Probably like you said, educated. Mabey line-shy? A pissed off charge at a fast moving intruder might do it...but what to use?
Gfish
Well, she was chasing live bluegill around when I saw her - so I'm sure she will. She must not have been around when I was back out there or something. I'm gonna try a 12-pound fluorocarbon leader next time I go out just to be sure.
After that, it's just a matter of getting the bluegill to swim to the right place...