Best Days on the water for 2009...

Haven't got to fish very much since May but had 5 very memorable days on the water this year. Nothing else to do so I thought I would share. Feel free to post your days to give me some reading to do while I recover.

Day #1 - First week of May and I take my 5 yr old son Joshua and my wife to Ky Lake for our 2nd annual spring trip to the best spring fishing in KY. Of course we get 4 straight days of rain and temps that never saw 80, which is not good to get your son and wife out in. We did get a couple of hours each day of no moisture with the best of it on Sunday. My pride and joy Joshua is up front with me slinging his Zebco 33, sometimes out in front, sometimes out the back and sometimes it never leaves the boat but casting with a bobber with some worms is hard for a 5 yr old. He did very well especially when he landed those 4 shellcrackers that all went over 2lbs each, which we did keep, clean and eat for he LOVES to eat fish. Never seen a 5yr old that will sit there and eat fish after fish. All he wants if fish, no sides, just the main course. He caught crappie, gills, crackers, bass, catfish, white and a drum all on his "bobber and worms" rig as he calls it. Outfished Mommy in the back of the boat a good 10-1 that morning and Mommy could not be any happier, at least she put on a good show. As a matter of fact he outfished her last year and spent the rest of the year telling how "little her fish was and how it was a sardine factory reject because it was so small versus how big his fish was". He loves to fish and he would send me video text messages from my wifes cell to mine in the morning and before he would go to bed every night when I was in the hospital this year. One particular he said he hoped I got better, could sleep in my own bed and asked if we could have a campfire and go fishing. Just as soon as I can get a bet more better, the marshmellows and hot dogs will be roasted one night and the boat will hit either the river or guist creek the next morning with one happy 5 yr old in tow and a happier Dad and Mom as well.

Day #2 - 3rd week of January and my buddy Henson and I head to Dale on the coldest morning I have ever launched. Our families said we were crazy but as usual I call it dedicated. We launch and it is ZERO degrees on the temp guage in my Explorer. The boat is froze to the trailer, the steering cables are froze up, thank goodness for de-icer (which will always be in my boat). We get started ever so slowly and it is COLD with a capital COLD. Head to my #1 hole that has produced so many good 5+ pounders in the past on the fly and within 10 cast I get absolutely hammered. My bobber goes under at Mach 10, a beautiful 5-8 Brownfish has crushed my jig. We get her in the net, lay her on the golden rule 22.5 inches, and she freezes to the rule. Her fins are froze in both the pictures that we took. She was not out of the water long but her fins froze in a matter of a few minutes. Back in the water she goes, but the best part was yet to come. Not 5 minutes later and by buddy Hens lays the hammer on one that again crushes the FNF. She jumps 3 times and we get her in the net and a beautiful 5-4, 21 1/4 incher. Henson's first over keeper smallie. He has had 5 pounders before but they never measured but this one did. 15 cast or so, less than 15 minutes on the water and the trip was a success. Thought we had the lake to ourselves until shortly thereafter in making a move we see 3 more boats that were just as dedicated and stupid as we were.

Day #3 - January 1, 2009 I take Catchemall to Dale for his initial trip to the holy water of smallies and winter time FNF fishing. We launch out of the state parks new ramp and get to the same spot mentioned above and by 7:15 am which is just a few minutes after sunup, I land a 5-1 and then a few cast later a 4-15 to seal the deal. Certainly the first 5 pound brownfish of the new year and certainly the first 10lb sack of Smallies of the new year. Not a bad way to spend New Years Eve, leaving the house a bit past 2am to drive to meet John for the first time, check in at the lodge and hit the water just in time for the big girls to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Day #4 - 3rd week of April on Monday and my buddy Henson and I are at Ky Lake doing our spring Largemouth thing. Starts out like any other great morning with Henson landing a nice 6-1 on the first spot within the first few cast of his favorite Fire Tiger DT10 Rapala crankbait the same bait he landed his previous biggest on at KY a year earlier. It is going to be a great day. We go on to land 85 fish between us with 22 keepers and I beat my personal best of 63 for the day and land a 5 pounder just with a few cast before sundown before trying to run the bouys to get back across and take out before dark. We were on quality fish all day long and every spot we stopped at seemed to produce. Caught fish on everything from traps, spinnerbaits, plastics, cranks, jigs, tubes, ..... it all worked.

Day #5 - Same 3rd week of April on Friday. I have went back home on Tuesday and then drove back down from Georgetown on thursday night for more good fishing. This trip is with 3sons, Geobasser and Kansas Dave but they are not coming down until Friday night so I am all by myself as the song says Friday. I launch in North KY and start hammering fish from the first cast with my lizard. Fish after fish and the Northwest wind and overcast skies has kept a few off the water it seems for I had one of the most fished bays on the north side of the lake to myself. I had 30 by 9am, 40 by 10am and then it happened when my Dad called. I land 3 fish with him on the phone including my personal best 6-13, I actually sat the phone down and he heard it all. I took pictures and was sending it by cell phone to everyone I know including George and Mike who were coming down that night. Landed 64 that day by 3pm and then decided to take out and head to North Barkley to the big fish spot looking for that one GREAT bite. I had a 24lb sack as it was and was looking for more. I come around into my big fish spot and who do I see sitting there, GEOBASSER and Kansas Dave. They were going the opposite way of where I wanted to fish and was not throwing the bait I was going to throw. George said the phone calls and pictures was tearing him up so they headed down a bit early because they could not stand it anymore. I literally cot off their motor going in the opposite direction and within a few cast I land a good 4lber and a couple of shorties on this one point that I love and then BIG MOMMA came a calling. She inhaled my rattle trap and was stripping my 14lb Flourocarbon off my Curado / G Loomis combo like it was dental floss being pulled from a container. I let out a yell and the fish kept going then she comes to the top, shakes her GIGANTIC head and spits my trap at me. This fish was a 10 as sure as I am typing this. This spot is a known big fish spot that was so graciously given to me by DAVE STEWART and I fish it everytime I am on North Barkley in the spring. I just sat down in my chair and just about cried. I cast back and start landing fish after fish. Landed 10 in all with 4 keepers for a total of 74 for the day and 28 keepers with a 25lb sack. Needless to say George and Dave was asking for lures so I gave them a couple extra and then stopped at the Cabin and bought $50 worth for them on my way out.

There you have it fellas my best 5 days on the water for 2009 and only hope I can get a couple more in December at Dale before going under the knife again. I left out the 24lb Striper I caught on a Med Action spinning rod on a 1/8 oz jig and 10lb test line at Cumberland, it was the only fish of the night but it was a struggle on that spinning rod. Add a few of your own and give me some reading material, hope you enjoyed these. God Bless

Any day on the water is great but some are better than others.The 1s i mite remember may not be the best but for some reason you remember them.It was raining all day and i wasn't feeling good at all in April and i told Bruce if my Tahoe was gone i went home.He gave me a hard time about it and everone went out too fish the tournament at Nolin.I think there was 6 that day out of Wax.I put on my save phaze mask and blasted down the lake even with GPS i made wrong turn and ended up pulling up too the bank i never fished.Had two fish come off in 10min and started too think i was going too have a day like i had a Rough the week before.Then about 5 min later i hooked a good fish,it jumped 5 times and the net wasn't out yet but i got it and netted it.It fell off in the net and i put it in the live well.Then i started acting like Ike.Well after a min i got my act back too fishing and caught a slot fish a few min's later.Man it was raining and i felt real bad.Pulled up and headed back too my Tahoe too get some Aleve for my head and even went in the store at the dock and ate a candy bar.Dried off alittle and headed back out.Fished here and there catching dinks and seen Chris and talked too him.Told him i had a 4lber and a slot.Fished about an hr or so more and still was felling bad even though the rain had stoped.Went back and pulled the boat out and waited about 2hrs too weigh in.The fish was 5.04 and i ended up with over 6lbs.I had won and i felt like a million dollars then.Its funny how good money can make me feel.
Terry Adolph :cool:

My best day on the water was last Sunday at Nolin. We had a small company bass tournament Saturday was an 11 hour day and Sunday was 5. We went down early Friday and fished with about 40 fish caught with only maybe 2 keepers. Saturday was totally different we boated maybe 10 fish all day with 2 slots and that's all. At the end of the day we were next to last place. That evening we discussed changing tactics because of the dismal day we had. For some reason we decided to stay with what had been working except for that day. Sunday morning we take off and stop at a spot and I boat a keeper within 10 minutes a few dinks later we move. Next spot my buddy lands another keeper a few short fish later we move again. The next spot we hit we fish every time we go down and have never seen another boat on. We land 4 more keepers and some short fish. We push our luck on time and head in. We make it to weigh in with no time to spare. Weigh in our bag for a little over 12 pounds. It wasn't the heaviest bag nor the most fish we had ever caught but it was something to remember. Mainly do to the fact we caught so many fish Friday and hardly any on Saturday. Also we were on a spot Saturday and Sunday and the same pontoon pulled within 25 feet of us and dropped anchor. The funny thing is on Sunday one jerk says to the other "you've got to love bass fisherman" to this I say you are darn right I do.

Sept.5 i went too help Fishing4kids out.I was the 1st boat on the lake and Eddie told me too go fishing,don't have too tell me twice.I fished for about 30min,s and boated too small bass the i beached the boat and waited.Talked too PastorBass alittle and Chris till the kids started too show up.I wasn't the 1st but was very close too the 1st.Took too young men out and it took a few min's but i had them both catching fish.Returned too the dock and took a Mom,Dad & son out.Mom didn't fish but i had Both Dad & son catching fish.Dad 4,Son 5 he beat Dad.Seen a pole in the water and Dad caught it.Returned too the Dock and took a Mom & 5 yr old son out and had both catching fish with son catching a lot.Returned too the dock it was time for me too take a break hoping that the line would get shorter but it didn't so i headed too the dock and took 3 young men out.They all caught fish and i returned too the dock.Took 3 young ladies out just for a ride and the last trip.If you have been reading this i'll bet your thinking i used alot gas but the lake was non gas.If you have kids i would make a trip too this event next yr for them.If you have a boat you mite want too help because God know's we could have used a few more but we did get it done and aleast everone i took out caught fish and will remember 2009 Fishing4Kids.When asked a few days ago have i been fishing much i forgot all about that trip.We must of had 30 too 40 boats doing the event and if they all took as many out as me there was alot of people at the event.I'm going too try and do it again next yr.Terry Adolph:cool:

Early May 2009. I spent all winter restoring an old 15 mod v starcraft, was a huge learning experience, got a lot of great info from reading post from guys like all of you, finally finished and have never been prouder of something I have built. I took it out a couple times to test things out but this was my first real time out. I took a vacation day to return the favor and take a buddy out who always use to let me tag along. That morning I get up and there's a terrible thunderstorm going thru all morning. I sat and watched the news channel waiting to see if it would pass like a kid waiting for xmas morning.

Finally at noon I waited long enough and decided the new boat was gonna get wet. What contniued was the craziest day I have ever had fishing. We fished a 50 acre water sheld thru thunderstorms and rain all afternoon. Spent almost more time running for shelter, there wasn't much, than actually fishing.

4:00 p.m. After sitting in the truck and listening to the radio say a tornado touched down 2 miles down the highway, the lightning stopped and we headed back out. Not ten minutes after we got back on the water, I threw my quad shad spinnerbait in a culvert that had about 2 foot of water running hard out of it, and she killed it. Spun the boat around trying to turn her...three jumps later we net her...8lbs.13oz largemouth. It was my personal best and the biggest bass I had ever seen caught. Could've died a happy man, was definetely worth the storms and rain. Not to mention running the trolling motor in 30 mile an hour wind.

I was still shaking as I make my next couple casts and whamm! Another one nails it and my line snaps! :eek: I was so excited I never checked my line after catching that lunker. As I am tying on a new spinner bait my buddy snags something and reels in a long peice of braid. I snag the end and the FISH is still on there. I start pulling line in and lip a 6lbs6oz. We just look at each other and start laughing. Definetely a day I never forget.

Love the stories guys and hope we all get to add a few more this fall.

Went fishing at a gated community in georgetown ky with my brother in law caught 10 bass in 2 hours, largest 6 pound smallest pound and a half wow what thrill, went the next day at a farm pond in paris ky, and caught 10 one 3 pounder the rest dinks still fun.

[QUOTE=elnutsmalljaws;382767]Haven't got to fish very much since May but had 5 very memorable days on the water this year. Nothing else to do so I thought I would share. Feel free to post your days to give me some reading to do while I recover.

Day #1 - First week of May and I take my 5 yr old son Joshua and my wife to Ky Lake for our 2nd annual spring trip to the best spring fishing in KY. Of course we get 4 straight days of rain and temps that never saw 80, which is not good to get your son and wife out in. We did get a couple of hours each day of no moisture with the best of it on Sunday. My pride and joy Joshua is up front with me slinging his Zebco 33, sometimes out in front, sometimes out the back and sometimes it never leaves the boat but casting with a bobber with some worms is hard for a 5 yr old. He did very well especially when he landed those 4 shellcrackers that all went over 2lbs each, which we did keep, clean and eat for he LOVES to eat fish. Never seen a 5yr old that will sit there and eat fish after fish. All he wants if fish, no sides, just the main course. He caught crappie, gills, crackers, bass, catfish, white and a drum all on his "bobber and worms" rig as he calls it. Outfished Mommy in the back of the boat a good 10-1 that morning and Mommy could not be any happier, at least she put on a good show. As a matter of fact he outfished her last year and spent the rest of the year telling how "little her fish was and how it was a sardine factory reject because it was so small versus how big his fish was". He loves to fish and he would send me video text messages from my wifes cell to mine in the morning and before he would go to bed every night when I was in the hospital this year. One particular he said he hoped I got better, could sleep in my own bed and asked if we could have a campfire and go fishing. Just as soon as I can get a bet more better, the marshmellows and hot dogs will be roasted one night and the boat will hit either the river or guist creek the next morning with one happy 5 yr old in tow and a happier Dad and Mom as well.

Day #2 - 3rd week of January and my buddy Henson and I head to Dale on the coldest morning I have ever launched. Our families said we were crazy but as usual I call it dedicated. We launch and it is ZERO degrees on the temp guage in my Explorer. The boat is froze to the trailer, the steering cables are froze up, thank goodness for de-icer (which will always be in my boat). We get started ever so slowly and it is COLD with a capital COLD. Head to my #1 hole that has produced so many good 5+ pounders in the past on the fly and within 10 cast I get absolutely hammered. My bobber goes under at Mach 10, a beautiful 5-8 Brownfish has crushed my jig. We get her in the net, lay her on the golden rule 22.5 inches, and she freezes to the rule. Her fins are froze in both the pictures that we took. She was not out of the water long but her fins froze in a matter of a few minutes. Back in the water she goes, but the best part was yet to come. Not 5 minutes later and by buddy Hens lays the hammer on one that again crushes the FNF. She jumps 3 times and we get her in the net and a beautiful 5-4, 21 1/4 incher. Henson's first over keeper smallie. He has had 5 pounders before but they never measured but this one did. 15 cast or so, less than 15 minutes on the water and the trip was a success. Thought we had the lake to ourselves until shortly thereafter in making a move we see 3 more boats that were just as dedicated and stupid as we were.

Day #3 - January 1, 2009 I take Catchemall to Dale for his initial trip to the holy water of smallies and winter time FNF fishing. We launch out of the state parks new ramp and get to the same spot mentioned above and by 7:15 am which is just a few minutes after sunup, I land a 5-1 and then a few cast later a 4-15 to seal the deal. Certainly the first 5 pound brownfish of the new year and certainly the first 10lb sack of Smallies of the new year. Not a bad way to spend New Years Eve, leaving the house a bit past 2am to drive to meet John for the first time, check in at the lodge and hit the water just in time for the big girls to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Day #4 - 3rd week of April on Monday and my buddy Henson and I are at Ky Lake doing our spring Largemouth thing. Starts out like any other great morning with Henson landing a nice 6-1 on the first spot within the first few cast of his favorite Fire Tiger DT10 Rapala crankbait the same bait he landed his previous biggest on at KY a year earlier. It is going to be a great day. We go on to land 85 fish between us with 22 keepers and I beat my personal best of 63 for the day and land a 5 pounder just with a few cast before sundown before trying to run the bouys to get back across and take out before dark. We were on quality fish all day long and every spot we stopped at seemed to produce. Caught fish on everything from traps, spinnerbaits, plastics, cranks, jigs, tubes, ..... it all worked.

Day #5 - Same 3rd week of April on Friday. I have went back home on Tuesday and then drove back down from Georgetown on thursday night for more good fishing. This trip is with 3sons, Geobasser and Kansas Dave but they are not coming down until Friday night so I am all by myself as the song says Friday. I launch in North KY and start hammering fish from the first cast with my lizard. Fish after fish and the Northwest wind and overcast skies has kept a few off the water it seems for I had one of the most fished bays on the north side of the lake to myself. I had 30 by 9am, 40 by 10am and then it happened when my Dad called. I land 3 fish with him on the phone including my personal best 6-13, I actually sat the phone down and he heard it all. I took pictures and was sending it by cell phone to everyone I know including George and Mike who were coming down that night. Landed 64 that day by 3pm and then decided to take out and head to North Barkley to the big fish spot looking for that one GREAT bite. I had a 24lb sack as it was and was looking for more. I come around into my big fish spot and who do I see sitting there, GEOBASSER and Kansas Dave. They were going the opposite way of where I wanted to fish and was not throwing the bait I was going to throw. George said the phone calls and pictures was tearing him up so they headed down a bit early because they could not stand it anymore. I literally cot off their motor going in the opposite direction and within a few cast I land a good 4lber and a couple of shorties on this one point that I love and then BIG MOMMA came a calling. She inhaled my rattle trap and was stripping my 14lb Flourocarbon off my Curado / G Loomis combo like it was dental floss being pulled from a container. I let out a yell and the fish kept going then she comes to the top, shakes her GIGANTIC head and spits my trap at me. This fish was a 10 as sure as I am typing this. This spot is a known big fish spot that was so graciously given to me by DAVE STEWART and I fish it everytime I am on North Barkley in the spring. I just sat down in my chair and just about cried. I cast back and start landing fish after fish. Landed 10 in all with 4 keepers for a total of 74 for the day and 28 keepers with a 25lb sack. Needless to say George and Dave was asking for lures so I gave them a couple extra and then stopped at the Cabin and bought $50 worth for them on my way out.

There you have it fellas my best 5 days on the water for 2009 and only hope I can get a couple more in December at Dale before going under the knife again. I left out the 24lb Striper I caught on a Med Action spinning rod on a 1/8 oz jig and 10lb test line at Cumberland, it was the only fish of the night but it was a struggle on that spinning rod. Add a few of your own and give me some reading material, hope you enjoyed these. God Bless[/QUOTE]

Elwood...........that was GREAT........it was funny when I saw you blasting up. I looked up, said to dave........THAT looks like Woody.....A couple seconds I yell Elwood......sure enough.....Elwood it was.

In the next 2 seconds he says "you gonna fish that spot.......". I said no, and then elwood did......and MAN.....BAD choice on my point.......He caught a a few there, and then whined like a stuck pig about missing "big MOMMA" :) :) . Had I been a little closer, I would have been over there, JUMPED in his boat, and helped him with a net or something.........

I could hear him 100 yards away though.

GOOD TIMES...........and I cannot wait to hookup with you in December.

Later,

Geo

definatly my first experience on ky lake was one of my most memorable so far this year. elwood's world famous jumbalia, lots and lots of bass, and nearly sinking the boat with 5 foot rollers was the highlight of my year. wouldn't trade those days for nothing, speedy recovery to you elwood, really hope to share a lake with you this winter looking for smallmouth.

[QUOTE=dcbasser;383954]definatly my first experience on ky lake was one of my most memorable so far this year. elwood's world famous jumbalia, lots and lots of bass, and nearly sinking the boat with 5 foot rollers was the highlight of my year. wouldn't trade those days for nothing, speedy recovery to you elwood, really hope to share a lake with you this winter looking for smallmouth.[/QUOTE]


Looks like I will have all winter with no work and a boat. Big surgery moved out to May of next year so it will be a WHILE before I am working again. Plenty of time fo fish Laurel for some Smallies if you want.