The Spotted Bass a Worthy Opponent on Any Tackle

I thought I would use today’s post to give you guys some information about the hard fighting Spotted Bass. To me, this fish is on the same level as the smallmouth when it comes to an aggressive fighter. Probably the major difference in the two is the aerobic action the smallmouth has over the spot. I seldom land a spot that goes airborne. This is not to say they want to go airborne, but most of the time they go deep with some awesome strong runs.

I thought I knew this fish fairly well until I read the following article.

 

The Spotted Bass

The Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) is also called Alabama Spotted Bass, Black Bass, Kentucky Bass, Kentucky Spotted Bass, Linside, Northern Spotted Bass and Redeye. It has been known as the Kentucky bass for many years, which was further reinforced in 1956 when Kentucky's General Assembly as they passed a senate resolution establishing the spotted bass as Kentucky's official game fish.

The Spotted Bass is often mistaken for the largemouth bass, though it does not grow nearly as big. It is a lesser known member of the black bass group, but this is a spunky and distinguished looking species that most anglers enjoy catching. While they jump less often as the smallmouth bass, they fight just as well.

Maturity

The Spotted Bass reaches maturity by the end of year one, but will not spawn until year four. The spotted bass can be caught with all traditional baits and lures that work with largemouth bass, though the size of the lures and hooks should be smaller as the record Kentucky bass is no more than about seven pounds. Also smaller hooks will cause less damage, which is key for catch and release in reducing the mortality rate. However, if the fish is going to be lunch, this is likely not a big concern.

The spotted bass is broken down into three subspecies and named the northern spotted bass, the Alabama spotted bass and the Wichita spotted bass. For more details on the differences between these sub species, see our description section above on the right.

Feeding Habits

Juvenile Spotted Bass adults prefer crayfish, midgee larvae while the fry feed on insects and insect larvae The adult spotted bass feed on the same food that other bass eat including worms, leeches, crayfish, fathead minnows, gizzard shad and golden shiners.

As mentioned above, use the same tackle used for catching largemouth bass, just be sure to right-size your lures for the smaller size. We recommend using smaller lures and stepping them up if required.

Spawning

Like all freshwater fish, the Spotted Bass spawn in spring when the water temperature reaches 63°F/19°C. This can happen as early as February in the southern United States. The male clears a gravel bed where the female spotted bass comes to lay its eggs. Once she lays her eggs, she is chased off by the male who looks after the nest and then looks after the fry for a few weeks after they hatch.

Fishing Methods

The spotted bass can be caught with casting, trolling and fly fishing methods. Fly fishing is recommended for more experienced anger and requires a different set of tackle. For beginners, keep in mind that even a basic set of tackle including wadding gear will cost at the minimum $300.

I landed these four keepers today to add to my quest, I am now 65 away

 Betts Popper

 Olive Boogle Bug

The Seal Leech

Another fell prey to the Leech--all four taken on Smith Lake

A Nice Surprise While Bluegill Fishing

Fog and more fog was what met me and my buddy at the launch yesterday morning at Smith Lake. I hate to try to even get on the water when the fog is that dense. After waiting for a half-hour at the launch it was time to make my first cast. I could barely see my popper near the bank, and the only evidence of a hit would have been the sound on the surface of the water.

Notice how thick the fog is right at the water's edge

Nice largemouth to get things going

I only get to count one here, which was taken on the Betts Popper--still fishing with the 4 wt. here

The surprise of the morning was this nice Spot on my favorite popper of all time the Boogle Bug. I landed this male using my 5 wt.  9 ft. with an olive green Boogle. It was a blast landing this fish because of the runs he continued to make to try to break off. The 4X tippet withstood the runs he made mainly because I was able to get the fish on the reel soon after the fight begin. This is why I love fly fishing so much because landing a fighter like this Spotted Bass will certainly test your skills as a fly fisherman.

Using the Wulff Irresistable Dry to Land Super Size Bluegills

My trip to Walker County Lake was kind of rushed Tuesday, because of yard work I had been putting aside for the past week. Does mowing grass, trimming hedges, and weed eating sound familiar to you guys? I made the most of the couple of hours I had, landing numbers of smaller bluegills to keep thing interesting and a few nice ones for the quest. I will be heading to Smith Lake on Thursday in hopes of improving my count.

A nice male bluegill on the Wulff Irresistable in size 6, I just seemed to keep coming back to this dry fly---why because it lands bluegills for me when even poppers won’t get the hit. The lake had been fertilized four days earlier so that made the fish extremely finicky. They continually splashed at the popper, missing it time after time which was frustrating.

One can always find bank fisherman at the lake either fishing for bluegill or catfish. These guys had six nice catfish on the stringer.

The Game and Fish Department has placed numerous fish attractors all over the lake and this one was holding a nice bluegill for me right after I launch my boat. I think this body of water is the best managed lake I have ever fished in the state of Alabama.

The take home catch for two hours of work, I mean fun!!!  ----4 wt. magic---I will count 5 of these for the quest---I am now 69 away

 

 

 

Vintage Antique Lure Collection & More

My wife and I made a quick road trip last week to some antiques shops we had found online in Fayetteville Tennessee. We have always been interested in antiques ever since we got married.

While we were there we discovered His and Hers Antiques that had one of the largest collections of antiques fishing equipment I had seen in quite a while. What really go my attention were the old fly rods and reels and the old fishing lures going as far back as the twenties. I am not a collector of old lures, but my nephew is and he would have had a blast in this place. I can remember as a boy using some of the old lures that were in the display cases in this place. The Lucky 13, Heddon Wounded Spook, Devils Horse and of course the Hawaiian Wiggler, were just a few I fished with growing up in rural Mississippi.
The owner told me he goes to shows all over the United States to collect, sell, and swap lures with other lure collectors. NFLCC Tackle Collectors is his favorite place to keep in touch with other lure collectors and just share information about old fishing equipment. This place got me to thinking about collecting some of those old wooden lures I use to fish with.

or

There was over 600 lures in this one shop.

The fly rod display in the background was special; in fact the fly rod reminded me of my Dad's old Pflueger

Wonder how many fishing trips this old Evinrude has made??

Not a bad price for the entire collection

 

                                              

Continuing The Bluegill Quest on Scenic Smith Lake

My first trip on Smith Lake today was wind out the east and bluebird skies, and we all know what that means. According to the old timers back in the day, they would always say “wind out of the east fish bite the least and wind out of the west fish bite the best” I know this has some merit because one is actually fishing behind a front that has just passed through when the wind is out of the east, and from the west the front is approaching, which means the fish are more active. The bluebird skies derive from the front that has already passed through meaning clear skies with no cloud cover, hence bluebird skies. Another factor that really plays into this scenario is the barometer. In my opinion a good fishing barometer is essential for any serious minded fisherman. I know a lot of you guys don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing the times you go fishing, which makes the wind direction and the barometer a none factor; but for individuals like me who can fish anytime during the day and year, then the wind and barometer play a big part in when I take to the water. This is not to say I don’t go on lousy days, like today but when one has the time to fish as I do, why not make the most of it chasing those bluegill, crappie, bass and trout.

 



The end result of a very slow morning--the bigger bluegills were not in the nooks and not bedding, this big bluegill was on the rock wall--I landed some smaller females but this was all I could muster for the morning--I will count this guy putting me 74 away from my quest

 

Barometer Guide

 

     High Pressure (30.50 +) = Clear Skies = Fishing Medium to Slow = Fish slowly in deeper water or near cover.

Medium Pressure (29.70 – 30.40) = Fair Weather = Normal Fishing = Test lures, baits, and techniques to see what works.

Low Pressure (29.60 -) = Cloudy/Rainy Weather = Fishing Slows = Fish slowly in deeper water or near cover.

Rising Pressure = Improving Weather = Fish Slightly Active = Fish slowly in deeper water or near cover.

Stable Pressure = Fair Weather = Normal Fishing = Best time to test lures, baits, and techniques to see what works.

Falling Pressure = Degrading Weather = Best Fishing = the fish will attack anything you throw at them. (well, pretty much)

So, what is the best barometric pressure for fishing? Answer: When it’s    between about 29.90 and 30.90 and the pressure is rapidly falling. This is when you will find the fish most active and feeding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fishing For Some Beautiful Bluegills With The Betts Poppers

I have spent a few days in Mississippi this week fishing with my brother landing crappie "future Post", and some colorful bluegills that were left behind by the bobber fishermen. Thursday afternoon was best with the temps in the lower 70’s and no wind at all. In other words it was a glass water surface perfect for some fantastic popper action with the fly rod. The water temperature was still in the cool stages from a number of cold nights they had experienced a couple of days earlier. The bite was not explosive but one could differently tell when the popper was being taken. Soft hits are usually the case when you fish after a cold front. I never used anything but the Bett’s popper all afternoon; with a variety of colors used to entice the hits. It just seems one color would not suffice.

This is one beautiful bluegill, notice the orange belly--taken on a white dot Betts Popper

Another counter with the cream Betts Popper

Nice fat dark bluegill on black legged Betts Popper

Another counter on the white legged Popper

The last counter of the afternoon, with the white legged popper stuck in the throat--I count five here making me 75 away from my quest.