SPA Modeler

jkim wrote:Beautiful! Especially the bronze ones! I would love to have access to some smallmouth bass!

One of the things that can seriously eat into my modeling time is fishing. Not just the act but all of the preparation, tackle and equipment associated with it. I recently broke my favorite rod (Out of production Daiwa Zillion 701MXB) and so I've been doing some research to replace it. I settled on a Megabass Levante Braillist so I'm looking forward to getting a new rod in the mail soon!

I have access to a small private pond, which is nice and unpressured. The fish aren't big but is enough to satisfy the bug until the season at Barrett Lake starts.
https://youtu.be/e8gbMOuJh0c

I'm nowhere near as into it as I used to be...but it's coming back! When we were here "on leave"(as a kid)...I'd fish every day. Never understood why my grampa (who loved fishing) never fished here. I asked him...he said "wait 'til you catch a salmon, boy"! Well, I finally did, and pretty much completely lost interest in fishing around here. Now that I haven't caught a salmon in nearly 8 years...the "itch" is growing! I still, pretty much, just stick to Spring. Smallies, L/M, pike and walleye. Best fishing is right out of my parents yard...just a 2 minute walk away! Once the water warms up enough for the rockbass to come in...it's pretty much over for the others....a stray smally or pike here and there, but not worth going after, unless we happen to be having "happy hour" with my folks!
I do miss the farm ponds around Leavenworth (KS)...tons of bass, catfish and great crappie fishing.
I am planning to try a small public pond nearby, this weekend. It's a bit off the beaten path, little pressure and just one small area suitable to get a kayak in. I've been hankerin' for a mess of bluegill to fry up! Our river/lake system has PFAS pollution...DO NOT EAT! This pond is not connected.

My bro and fam, were here last week, on leave. We fished Sunday evening. 1st cast...yet again...I nailed another 5 pounder (L/M)...followed by a smally and another L/M. Had a NICE pike (somewhere in the 30-36" range) on for a few...long enough to see it...it turned just wrong and it's teeth cut my line...BOOOOO.
Bro and his kids caught zero.

Duke Maddog wrote: I couldn't even catch catfish! That is inexcusable for a Southern boy like me!

DUDE!!!! That's embarrassing!!!

Hence the bag over my head....

I'm a lot better at scaring fish than catching them, too, Duke. The only time I ever had any luck was when I flew a group up to Tsuniah Lake in Canada for a week. Mostly I worked on a model airplane in my room but one day I went out with the lodge owner's son and we found a spot where we had to fight them off.

Things have slowed down. I'm still catching fish, just less and they're smaller.
The walleye have come in...I haven't caught any yet, but the neighbor has been getting a few.
Rain has brought the river level up along with the current...neither are favorable, and contributes to the lack of fish caught.

Stopped by my folks place this evening, to put together an office chair for em...on the way out, I told the wife to hold on a sec..."I'm gonna make a cast and catch a walleye"....

One cast...one walleye!!!

You're a wizard

Sometimes!

Last night "felt good", and I even managed to talk the wife into throwing some line...

We caught rockbass....nothing but rockbass.

Fermis wrote:We caught rockbass....nothing but rockbass.

To some degree, I guess.
They will hit anything. To prove that point to my bro...I hooked a blade of grass to a bare hook. In less than 10 seconds...rockbass.

My scoring system is...
1 point per species...and 1 point per fish.
Say I catch 3 smallmouth...that's 4 points (1 for species, 3 for each fish)
My challenger catches 1 smally and 1 largemouth...that's 4 points (1 for each species[2] and 1 for each fish[2])
Rockbass are a negative point (because they're so easy). You do get the species point for the first one, but the negative point negates it, and it's a -1 for each one after that. It's an extra challenge...to NOT catch a rockbass!

They are a great introduction for kids though. Easy to catch, any time of day and in any condition.