End of July 2023 fishing report

 

Right now at the end of July, we are in a major heat wave across the USA. The water temps in the pond is above 80 degrees. The fish are aggressive and will attach the moving baits. I was catching the bass on the Zoom Trick Worm and the Bitsy Craw Mini Jig by Strike King.

I even caught a thick green sunfish slab that was aggressive enough to eat the worm. Interesting enough, I have never seen this species in this pond up until this year. Green sunfish are not an optimal species in a pond of this size as they compete with the bass. It was still fun to catch around 20 bass on this day! Tight lines to you all.

The Day I Got To Play With My Son In A Game

 

I have a lot to say in this post, so bear with me as the thoughts come out. Yes, that is me ripping one to the right side, over the fence, over the lights, and into the night. This was a slow pitch softball game I was invited to play in a month ago. The "swing" is still there, but I am not as fast as I used to be. Father time creeps up every year. LOL. When I run, it takes me a lot longer to get going AND maybe more importantly to stop! I still love the game. I love the comeraderie. I love hearing guys rip each other, telling jokes, and laughing in the dugout. Grown men, lots of cussing, and a need to let off some steam. I often think about the great times with the Smash Softball team I played on, and even the teams I played with before that.  So many different people, players, and fond memories.

Friday July 21, 2023-

I will always remember this day because it was the day I got to play in the same slow pitch softball game as my son. The other team had some problem getting enough players so they actually played the game with nine guys. The second baseman was catching a line drive near second base and landed awkwardly. All of us old guys "cringed" as the player tried to get up. I think he really messed up his hamstring. He had a hard time walkin off so I think it was really bad. 

Well, Lil' Shaka who is now 14 years old comes and watches the games. This year he has asked me to play several times. 😀 I told some of the guys on the other team that Lil' Shaka could play for your guy that is injured. "Yes we'd love to have him!" So I grabbed him from the bench, and told him he was in on the other team.

1st At Bat

I could tell he was excited to step to the plate. I was playing first base so I had a good view. He swung at the second pitch and popped it straight back! Ha Ha. Our catcher caught it and that was three outs. I know he was upset. He told me so many times that he thinks he can crush a softball, so I know he was upset.

2nd At Bat

The game went on and he finally got back up to the plate. This time was a bit different, or maybe a lot different. He's an athlete. Athletes figure it out. Again, second at bat he took a pitch. Then, Boom! The second pitch he hit it on a line drive into left field. The whole crowd yelled whoa! I have to admit for a 14 year old to hit a ball that hard...even I was amazed. The left fielder had to go back quick and made a great play on the ball for an out. He turned a lot of heads and I think he'll get some hits next time.

A Special Night

This was the first game we played in together. I hope at some point this year he gets a chance to sub for our team so I can play with him on the same team. We both had a ton of fun, and he made some comments that it was the most fun he had all year playing ball. I thought that was pretty awesome that he would say something like that. I do worry about that though...I think the baseball game at the lower levels is SO SPECIALIZED and SO SERIOUS now that the kids actually don't enjoy the game for what it is. I also think a lot of kids these days don't actually watch Major League Baseball. They are NOT baseball fans. That is so unfortunate, because there is a gap or a disconnect between the lower levels of the game to the MLB. I could go on and on about this, but that is for another post. All in all, I was grateful I could play in a game with my son and I hope this happens several more times before I am completely done.

The Fever

I think Lil' Shaka got "The Itch" or "The Fever" after getting a chance to play his first softball game. I told him don't fall in love yet, you have a ton of baseball to play before you play slow pitch softball all the time. The next day he wanted to buy a 14 inch softball glove for the outfield! LOL. It was good to see him get excited about the game. That is what it is all about at the end of the day. Men getting to play a kids game, and it is played for the love of the game.

Lake of Egypt Trip July 2023

 

We had a really great family weekend getaway to Lake of Egypt last weekend. The weather was filled with your typical hot and steamy July days in the Heartland. The days I am talking about are the ones you walk outside your house at 5:30am and it is already 80 degrees and muggy. The windows in your house have condensation on the inside of the windows because it is cool and dry on the inside of the house but the outside feels like a wet sauna.

One of the first thing we did from the first picture in this post is catch some crappie! Lil' Shaka and I hooked up with Matt Mavigliano from 3PoundFishing.com who guides for crappie on Lake Of Egypt. If you ever want to fish for crappie on Lake of Egypt we definitely recommend him. HE KNOWS HIS STUFF! We caught about 40-50 crappie on that day. Matt used Livescope for our fishing session and put us on many brush piles all over the lake. It was like fishing in a digital arcade, and you could even see the fish getting yanked off the Livescope screen! To a techie like me, I was more excited at the Livescope technology compared to anything else. Livescope will definitely be something I will get at some point.

On the other mornings that we went out to fish, we had good luck on a couple of different baits. For whatever reason I had success the last couple of weeks using a Strike King Bitsy Bug Mini Jig with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer. I am here to tell you that I was KILLING them on this bait. Good size bass were going after this bait several times in two days. Both Lil' Shaka and I have always had great success using this specific bait. We think it has to do with the slower fall. And, because of the light weight, you can swim the bait back to the boat or bank a little more effectively.

The other bait that was getting it done during the trip was a good old trusty Zoom Trick worm. They were hitting this bait just as much on the fall and also on the retrieve back to the boat. I think Lil' Shaka caught a couple on the Zoom Trick worm and so did I.

As we continue to visit Lake of Egypt, we become more aware of the fishing patterns. We also rented a pontoon boat and took it out for a spin! We did some tubing as well and you can bet we will be back doing our thing again hopefully in the fall.  Tight lines to you all!

We've been bass slayers in the beginning of July 2023

 

The beginning of July 2023 has been good for the bass fishing. Lil' Shaka and I are hitting a new pond that has produced 3 pounders. We've been to this fishin' hole quite a bit over the last two weeks. On this specific day it was overcast, shielding us from the scorching rays of the sun. There was a gentle breeze that whispered through the trees, offering relief from the humid temperatures in the 80s. We were armed with our trusty fishing gear and a sense of anticipation, ready to reel in some big bass.

As we reached our favorite fishing spot, we carefully selected our lures or what we call our "Wep-ONNNs"! Lil' Shaka chose the Zoom Trick Worm in the trusty black color, while I opted for a black and blue jig with a red brown craw trailer. We cast our lines into the still waters, watching as our lures gracefully landed on the surface. With a flick of our wrists, we began to work our lures, hoping to entice the bass lurking beneath.

We were there about 10 minutes without a bite and then Bam! Lil' Shaka caught his first bass on the Zoom Trick Worm. I wasn't that lucky...it took some time...casting and retrieving, feeling the anticipation of a bass biting my lure. Suddenly, I felt a sharp tug on my line, and I knew I had hooked a bass. I set the hook, reeled it in with excitement. It was a beautiful largemouth bass, its glistening scales reflecting the grayish light of the overcast sky. I'd say it was around 3 pounds. It is the first picture in this post.

Lil' Shaka has really learned how to use the plastic worm on the last couple of outings we've had together. Once you catch a few fish with a new lure you gain confidence. He caught 5 bass on this day. The second photo in this post is a really nice he caught on the Zoom Trick Worm!

As the day wore on, we continued our angling escapade, casting and retrieving with renewed enthusiasm. Each catch was a thrill and a "thank you" to the fishing gods for letting us meet a few more bass on this day. The weather, with its overcast canopy and warm temperatures, created the ideal conditions for a successful outing.

We got thirsty after a few hours, so we packed up and headed to Motomart for some drinks!

We have a couple more fishing excursions planned this summer before Lil' Shaka heads back into school for his freshman high school year. More to come, stay tuned.

Last day in June 2023 the bass were active

 

The bass were very active yesterday.  It was 92 degrees out around 4pm here in the Heartland.  The water in the pond was noticeably warm.  I think the water temps were above 80 degrees.  That being said the bass were aggressive!  I could only stand being out there sweating for an hour and fifteen minutes, but during that time I caught around fifteen bass.  Above are a few pictures of some of the bass I caught and also some of the baits I was using.

Mepps Agila Dressed Spinner

The pond has noticeable algae blooms this year.  The water is stained green with algae, but the visibility still seems to be 2 feet.  That being said, I think the Orange feather tail of this inline spinner, and the chartruese colored blade is a great combo during these conditions.  I was right!  Caught several on this inline spinner during this outing.  I was slow rolling the spinner and they were hitting it closer to the bank.

Zoom Trick Worm

The trusty trick worm got it done as well.  I was using a motor oil with a chartreuse tail which again thought would look good to the bass.  I was right about that as well.  The bass wanted it bad, and I caught most of the bass on this day with the trick worm.  

Retrieve tactic

One thing that I have been experimenting with is the retrieve.  I've caught a ton of fish over the years on trick worms in more of a traditional slow worm retrieve.  On this day, they did not want the traditional retrieve.  Because the fish were so active they were reacting to stuff that was moving.  So, I was slow retrieving the trick worm with some twitches and they were hammering it.  That was a fun bite and it is always exciting to figure out a pattern.

I hope you are all doing great out there.  If you are in the United States, have a great Independence Day weekend.