Who's Fishing?

Magnum

Well-known member
I took the kid out fishing again yesterday , had some nibbles and a couple stolen worms but nothing on the hook. It was hot, about 92° and humid and there was no shade. Too hot for fish and too hot for me, so we packed it in and we'll try again next weekend. I'll have 4 days off for the 4th so I may try to find a different local spot that has a few more trees and less goose poop.
 

Olon

Active member
I've been trying to get out to catch some bull heads, one of my normal spots has some nice sized ones maybe about 20" but can't get any night crawlers. Even don't see liver in the stores, but the liver seems to catch turtles better then bullhead lol. Or go down to the Delaware for some nice channel cats, then bluegill work fine.

Wish I had a smoker since there's some nice eel fishing to.

Do you have any corn or hominy? I've had pretty decent luck with corn at least.
 
Do you have any corn or hominy? I've had pretty decent luck with corn at least.
normally I have corn, but out of it right now. I use it for Carp but don't think I've caught a catfish on any, I know they will eat it. The one lake I've caught a lot of bullhead on bass spinners and crappie grubs, but that's random.
 
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Magnum

Well-known member
normally I have corn, but out of it right now. I use it for Carl but don't think I've caught a catfish on any, I know they will eat it. The one lake I've caught a lot of bullhead on bass spinners and crappie grubs, but that's random.
Corn works for Illinois crappie too. Around here it's a lot of bluegill and other panfish & bass. I've been fishing around here for 30 years and I have only caught one catfish and it was by chance. Guys I know catch cats but they never like what I'm putting out. I go for walleye and get a few here and there and there are monstrous carp that like bread, fun to catch but almost no one eats them, a lot of times they want you to just dump carp on shore instead of putting them back. It's been 3 years since I've had time to fish, now that my oldest daughter is old enough to come along I can fish again, which is great. I live very close to the "chain of lakes" which has some excellent fishing but it's best to have a boat- I sold my boat about 6-7 years ago so I'm stuck going with my buddy who's more worried about getting drunk than fishing and he almost never takes his boat out.
5 years ago I lived a block off a fair sized lake and I would fish a few times a week, but I moved and had kids so that's out the window. I'm going to get a little more serious and invest in some decent lures, all I have been using is grubs (wax worms), night crawlers and bread. I've got a small creek a few blocks from home where I can scoop minnows but I need to plan ahead to go down and get some the day before I go fishing. Everything with a toddler takes 10x as long , so I'm thankful just to get out there.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
Little one strikes again, a lake monster of epic proportions...
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Magnum

Well-known member
She got herself a pretty good slabside there! Is dad cooking supper?!
I'll really only keep & cook bluegill if I've caught a bunch of them. So that guy swims to be caught again. I've gotten some massive panfish but even one of those isn't much eating. Seems water temperature affects the consistency of the fish too, the fish I get through the ice seem firmer and better tasting . might just be my justification for freezing my butt off all day on the ice. My friends sister and her husband came up here from Texas last winter specifically to ice fish, they loved it (strange) and they caught a few northern and a few other good sized fish that we cooked up the same day- it was excellent.
 

Magnum

Well-known member
Little one reeled in this wee little bass on my FIL's pole, good fight for a lil peanut. It was bigger than anything she's brought in so she was scared and wouldn't get close. We also caught a couple bluegills but nothing with any size to it.
IMG_0497.jpg



- on a side note, I found several panfish on shore with their heads removed cleanly and the body & tail left behind. What the heck is someone using bluegill heads for? Turtle bait or something?
 

Magnum

Well-known member
i was all set to go, had my license, tackle, but too many things came up here at the house, that took up my time.

maybe next year?
I'm fine with just catching a few panfish and throwing them back, that's one thing that appeals to me about fishing. Any body of water (with fish), anywhere on earth, there are big ones and little ones. For sport we all like to get the trophy but for R&R , little ones do just fine. I like bass fishing , it's low key and you can get by with a few items. Pike require more gear but are more fun. Catfishing is boring but I like to eat them. Salmon are a ton of fun but around here it's big bucks to get out on lake Michigan to get them. I've fished saltwater once as a teenager and caught a few fish, nothing huge but I'd love to go after marlin , shark ect at some point, if nothing else but just to say I did it.
 
Me and my dad when I was a kid would go fishing every other day, my uncle has a nice 5 acre pond, nice panfish. We never brought any home, it's more fun that way. About 5 feet from the pond is a nice little creek they stock trout, we would keep a few now and then.

Down the road a few miles was are friends farm, just over 100 acres after he sold some of the swamp part. Has a 25 acer lake on it. For years we were the only ones who fished it, had very large fish and great numbers for a small lake. A few 8+ pound bass were not uncommon in spring of early summer. We got more then a handful of 9-10 pound bass. Dad a 11lb 12 oz bass one day, around 1997 verified by the local deli scale lol.

Some very nice pickrel to, I measured a few over 30" one was 33 ish. I got a nice one about six years ago before work, I didn't have a tape or scale. I call the big ones hump heads. I think I had a picture of that one still.

IMAG0127.jpg

Found it, don't look to big but I'm I size 13 shoe, looks a little over 6 shoes wide. Not my biggest but one I happen to take a picture of. Wish we took pictures back then, now a 5 pound bass is rear anymore.
 

Selena

Active member
You never know what you may have started. Indiana Veterans Home has a stocked fishing pond on campus. When I was volunteering at the Home there was one hero that I took to that pond with my two children. If you can imagine this somewhat frail World War II veteran calmly and firmly keeping a rowdy six-year-old boy in line as they fished. While IVH has a strict catch and release policy they also have a grill and picnic table a short distance from the pond. I cleaned two of the fish while my daughter peeled and sliced potatoes and onions. I fried the fish in a cornmeal batter together with the potatoes in a cast-iron skillet.

Well I'll admit I broke every rule in the book with that little adventure… When he finished his meal the man looked at me and said simply – and I quote – "if I didn't know better I would say my mama taught you how to cook fish." I had never before and have not since had a greater compliment. These days my son will bring home fish he is caught and insist they be fried in cornmeal batter.
 
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