Bass Fishing – Year end Review

Well with the Bass season at or near the end ( Yes I know some diehards who are still out chasing them and will be right up to ice up ) I thought it would be fun to get a little year end review of how the overall season went for all of you.
I will start by saying I’d rate my season as Average to below average. It was just a odd year for me. Big fish #’s were way off for me this year with me only landing a handful of fish over the 20″ mark. #’s was probably also down some this season. For some reason I just was not able to find fish schooled up in the larger groups like I have in some years. I did not really try any new techniques this summer at all. I will say I fished the Neko rig far more this year than years prior. I’d have to list my 3 top Techniques this season as Jig worm, Neko Rig, and the drop shot. I probably caught the fewest # of fish on a jig this year ever. Then again I probably fished it less often as well. I did not make it out nearly as much this fall as I had in past season. Just seemed to be a lot more busy with other things this fall for some reason. I end my post with a few of the better fish from this summer.

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I had the second best season I’ve ever had in 25 years fishing here (my best was in 2020). I’m done bass fishing for the season now but I might muskie fish once more.

The entire season was better than average except one time period from about mid July through mid August when we had multiple heat waves. The water temp during this period was 80+ degrees and it really affected the bite negatively. As soon as the water temps dropped back down into the mid 70’s, they were back on and that tremendous bite continued all the way through last week.

Lots of fish, and lots of quality fish. Largemouth fishing was better than average, but the primary reason I would rank it as my second best all time is because of the tremendous smallmouth fishing I had. I don’t get as many opportunities to target them compared to largemouth.

I finished the season with a bang too. Last week I went twice, once for largies and another for smallmouth. They were both great.

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gimruis wrote:

I would rank it as my second best all time is because of the tremendous smallmouth fishing I had. I don’t get as many opportunities to target them compared to largemouth.

Ya, I did not get out smallmouth fishing but a few times on the Mississippi River here near home. I would love to get out after them more next year. Would love to get in on some of the spring SM on Mille Lacs and some of the fall Sucker Minnow fishing for them
Great year Gimruis !!!

fishthumper wrote:

Great year Gimruis !!!

Thanks

Average to below average for me this season. For some reason early spring was on fire for me. The worst was this late season now usually is when I do well but very sporadic. Even using the new live scope technology was a learning curve for me as well to be honest it didn’t really do much for me maybe as I learn more it definitely helped me stay on weed edges easier but to me was nothing that hyped up about it could see advantage for crappies/sunfish and ice fishing just my opinions though. Did do more Neko rigging and noticed the Ned rig not as much this year but got a few on them as well. Spinnerbaits are all but done for me can’t buy a fish on them any more and as Fishthumper said just did not school up as much.

Very dry this early summer so the river was low, but farm ponds produced my new PB Largemouth. I started using chatterbaits, ned rigs, and wacky rigs this year. Wacky rigging had the biggest impact.

Nice job guys. I had possibly my worst season ever. I won’t keep complaining about it so I’ll keep it short. Biggest fish was 4.6 lbs on a neko rig. I can only think of one day ealier this spring that I felt like I actually figured out a pattern. The summer was easily the worst summer I’ve had since I got comfortable fishing off shore. I never found fish schooled up. It was one fish here and one fish there. This fall has been the same for me. I haven’t been out as much this year and wasn’t able to fish tournaments this year, which has probably contributed to the difficulties.

Glad to see others doing fairly well out there! I will probably get out a few more times and then focus on the banks of the Mississippi for the late fall walleye bite until ice.

Feast or famine year…. Spring and early summer started out slowly but got better, but then things took a dive with the extended heat wave/drought over the late summer. I found myself trying the same things over and over and getting the same poor results. Got restless and stopped all the usual techniques (left them at home some days!). Forced me to try a bunch of new things – some that worked and some that didn’t.

Just happy to be healthy and back in the water this year…

FryDog62 wrote:

Just happy to be healthy and back in the water this year…

Same here. Hope the winter bite out of your Yak is a great one !!!

Smallmouth were below average but largemouth were above average for me this year. I mainly focused on SMB until July 4th and switched over to mainly LMB after that. Never found a good pattern for the SMB and it was very sporatic. Doesn’t help that my go-to smallie lake is seeing an increase in pressure in the last couple of years. I think my most consistent bite was surprisingly late July and through August for largemouth, and solid quality of fish too.

Good #s & good size yet no real pigs (20+ and fat) My fishing reminds me of that Western, “The Quick & the Dead” quick stuff like spinners and DT10s and deadsticking Senkos. Found some good new lakes to add to the lineup. Love when I bump into other species while throwing bass lures, esp. Cats & Walleye- So-so on that front this year.

HEY, GIMRUIS!!! It’s Ol’ Crick.

Molly Mackey wrote:

HEY, GIMRUIS!!! It’s Ol’ Crick.

FryDog is here too Crick!

Frydog!

I had the best fishing year of my life. I didn’t catch big numbers of spring bass, but I caught big ones. Come summer, my average jumped to 35-55 bass per morning with lots (about 60) of bass four pounds or bigger scattered from June through August. Fall was good too. My quantity dropped in the fall, but my quality remained solid.

However, it wasn’t all happy, happy, and more happy. I lost a LOT of big largemouth. I fish mostly swamps where the big bass shucked my lures in the weeds. I’m an old woman and I just couldn’t turn a lot of my big girls from the weeds.

My four longest were two 22+-inchers that weighed 6.71 and 6.75 pounds and I caught a couple that I didn’t weigh, but were way fatter and likely went over seven pounds. Overall, I broke my PB about five times and my top quantity morning was 59.

This was my first season with my own boat and I couldn’t have asked for a better year.

Countless fish over 4 pounds, 2 over 5, and one over 7. I’d be surprised if I ever see a fish that size again.

Can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Big yellow one went 7.18lbs x 21.5”

26.27 was also my biggest 5 ever.

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Molly Mackey wrote:

My four longest were two 22+-inchers that weighed 6.71 and 6.75 pounds and I caught a couple that I didn’t weigh, but were way fatter and likely went over seven pounds. Overall, I broke my PB about five times and my top quantity morning was 59.

I’d say that was a Incredible season. Both Great quality and #’s. Does not get much better than that. Where are you located at?

brandmoney wrote:

This was my first season with my own boat and I couldn’t have asked for a better year.
Countless fish over 4 pounds, 2 over 5, and one over 7. I’d be surprised if I ever see a fish that size again.

Can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Congrats on the new boat. You put it to great use and had a hell of a year. What area do you live. If in Minnesota a 7 Lb. fish may be hard to top. Not many 7 Lb. fish caught each year here in Minnesota. That is a true trophy.

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>brandmoney wrote:</div>
This was my first season with my own boat and I couldn’t have asked for a better year.
Countless fish over 4 pounds, 2 over 5, and one over 7. I’d be surprised if I ever see a fish that size again.

Can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Congrats on the new boat. You put it to great use and had a hell of a year. What area do you live. If in Minnesota a 7 Lb. fish may be hard to top. Not many 7 Lb. fish caught each year here in Minnesota. That is a true trophy.

I’m originally from the cities but I go to school in Bemidji now.

My two biggest fish I caught this season were 250 miles apart but both in Minnesota. That seven ate a frog, one five was on a frog, and the other five was on a jackhammer. I did a lot better fishing shallow than deep this year

I’m a Mainer. Yeah, it was a dream season for me. I had at least two 20-pound-plus bags too.

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brandmoney wrote:

Big yellow one went 7.18lbs x 21.5”

26.27 was also my biggest 5 ever.

Those are FAT bass. I caught some fat ones too, but I only had the above bass on the computer I’m using now. Gimruis and Frydog have seen my fat fish.

Three of my fat gals:

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Three more:

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Hitting the river north of Brainerd on Tuesday for one more try. Had to re-install the graphs from the basement. Might as well give it a shot. Got em on blade baits last year in cold water.