How has the fishing been so far?

[Jeremiah T. Bagwell]

Hello Everyone,

 

Since the tournament season started here in the Central U.S. I have been gone A LOT. So far the season is going good and my biggest bass (largemouth) so far is 8 pounds 11 ounces. I caught it in Northern Illinois on a white spinnerbait about a month ago.

 

What are your best catches so far this year? What type of bait/lure?

 

Have a great fishing season everyone. I will be home for a couple weeks, so I will be sure to stop by more often.

 

JT Bagwell

 

[ 09. July 2003, 02:32 AM: Message edited by: Jeremiah T. Bagwell ]

[Newt]

Good on ya JT.

 

I have high hopes. Going Thursday to fish from a small island on Lake Wylie (the South Carolina side) where there have been 2 Bigmouth Buffalo over 50lbs caught over the past week or so. Island is about the size of a tennis court and only reachable by boat. Go, beach it, setup on shore, and fish.

 

I'm hoping to add a 3rd 50+ to that total.

[Paul_D]

Best, or rather most satisfying, fish so far is a Chub at exactly 4lbs caught from the most impossible to get to swim imaginable.

[The Flying Tench]

The bass fishing in USA sounds incredible, and I was amazed to hear there is good lure fishing in Central Park, New york. But do Americans fish with maggots? I sometimes have a dream that the yankee rivers are virgin territory for maggot drowners, and I could go over there and fish out huge virgin roach that no-one had bothered about. But I guess real life ain't like that?

[Tyke]

I envy you Americans and your bass fishing

Pity we dont have them in abundance.

[Peter Waller]

Was reading a trade mag where it stated that a Limey, Bob James, had won a Bass Pro contest out there. I wonder, did he use maggots or lures?

 

Thanks for asking JT. Yes, patchy start to our season but have still had three twenty pounder Northerns and some really good bream fishing. Do you have bream out there?

 

Back to Bob James, a well known UK angler and writer, he was saying that in the States that almost half of fishing permits sold over there are sold to women. Not sure if thats incredible or what. How do you guys get some space to yourselves :confused: ?

[tim d]

the fishing s ben alright so far ive caught loads of carp but not any doubles yet. Doesnt fishing in america get boring as itr seems to be every does the same thing ( lure fishing for bass ) or do people go for different species as well?

[The Flying Tench]

America is an incredible place. I must say, the one time I went fishing there in Utah for trout (on lures in Green River) I can't say I recall seeing loads of female anglers. But it raises questions. Do they all wear tight pink and white striped shorts like female golfers in the films? It would certainly affect the 'ambience'!

 

And are we going in their direction, with a growing trend towards lure fishing? Maybe a little, but I can't really see it. But then we don't have bass.........

[Newt]

Maggots are used in a few parts of the US. Mostly not. For instance, there are lots of lakes near me in North Carolina and quite a few tackle/bait shops.

 

I have never seen one with maggots for sale.

 

For the most part, US bait anglers use gear that is way too heavy for maggots to make a reasonable bait. A #8 hook is considered tiny. 10lb b/s line is considered light. Sensitive UK style floats are almost never seen.

 

That being said, a UK angler who had the proper gear (and you'd pretty much have to bring it) and who knew about baiting up could catch until his arms got tired in most waters.

 

I plan to do a write-up on a fishing outing I took today and you'll get an idea about baiting techniques when I say that the area we fished had been baited (not by me) with 200-300 lbs of dry maize 2 or 3 times a week for the past month by a couple of anglers who regularly fish there. It never occured to them to either cook the maize or to use any other bait instead of or in addition to the maize.

[Eddie]

Newt:

the area we fished had been baited (not by me) with 200-300 lbs of dry maize 2 or 3 times a week for the past month by a couple of anglers who regularly fish there. It never occured to them to either cook the maize or to use any other bait instead of or in addition to the maize.

Careful Newt you will start an uproar if you start suggesting that our carp are capable of dealing with dry particles, even if Fred J reported the phenomena forty years ago and suggested that it should work perfectly well for our carp and tench, over this side we have it drummed into us by those who know best to soak and boil any particles we use.