Spring, but felt like winter

[hookup]

Traveled north to fish with a few buddies last week. It was still winter up there. Cold, had to work hard for the fish. Got some nice fish.

Got the burn of a lifetime on my face - although I used sunscreen I
must have missed a few spots

Here's one of the typical smallies we'd catch



And I got a bonus walleye

 

[Hawnjigs]

Wow, chunky smallies, what river? Are they nesting in the shallows? What were they biting?

What do yah suppose happened to the tail?

 

[Bucko]

very nice. I assume you are south of me. walleye color sends to lighten up father south you go, just speculating though. nice fish! hope to find some walleye myself this weekend for our opener.

 

[LedHed]

WTG hu!!!

 

[StumpHunter]

Nice catch, congrats

 

[Pup]

Nice outing.

 

[hookup]

Wow, chunky smallies, what river? Are they nesting in the shallows? What were they biting?

What do yah suppose happened to the tail?

North Branch of the Susky by the PA/NY border.

I think it was to cold for the bass to be on their beds and they were not even active enough to be called pre-spawn.

Water was up & running good; most bites came in micro-eddies with current seams surrounding them.

The walleye came from a giant eddy by parking a jerkbait right in the middle.

The tail - usually when bass are on their beds the tail damage in on the bottom from them fanning the bed with the tail. This bass had damage on the top of the tail - not sure why. Could have been a bird strike (eagle, osprey,...) a toothy critter strike (there's musky & pike in that water), or some guy marking his fish by cutting the top of the tail (arggggg!).

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Nice fish, I sure hope the damaged tail occurred naturally and not by some guy marking fish. I can't imagine someone doing that to a fish like that but it probably does happen.

 

[Bucko]

Nice fish, I sure hope the damaged tail occurred naturally and notruckt by some guy marking fish. I can't imagine someone doing that to a fish like that but it probably does happen.

heard stories of guys nipping the tails or fins on bass then if caught again they know their home range. long ago with tournament fishermanbefore the electronics were so good. old timer told me about that when he fished tournaments in the late 80s and early 90s down south. I know of guys nowadays that tag the muskies they catch to record their movements, but no fin cutting.

 

[AtticaFish]

If that is a "typical" size smallmouth.......... holly cow! Looks Like heaven to me!