Check Facebook marketplace. James Laseke in Stevens Point, WI has a ‘11 Terrova that he is giving away that has good parts. Message him and see if it will help you?

I believe it is a Poe’s Awaker topwater.

First, I appreciate all the congrats guys! For the north country it is a real rarity to get a fish of that caliber. Especially in the middle of a slow day on an artificial after waiting 3hrs for bluegill boats to get off the spot. Unless your a kid with a worm on the dock (those kinds of stories kill us hardcore fishin nuts, eh?!).
Anyhow, I’ll give you all the deets… the bait is something I’ve been putting together for a several years now. It’s an All Terrain 1/2 oz grass jig with the skirt removed. I thread on a 4.75 rage swimmer. You have to keep the hook in the upper half of the bait or it will run on one side. And not all the jigs are molded straight enough to work. But that is the key; the bait is very unstable and produces an incredible swim action. I was working the bait up hill (inside-out) from deep to shallow into the weed line which is 12-15’ on this deep, clear lake. It’s an angle they rarely see and it gets the biggest bites. I had a leader of 20lb seaguar red label (the best flouro by far for the $) about 12’ long fg knotted to 30lb powerpro. And I always make 100’+ casts with the bait.
And yes, I do spend a LOT of time tinkering and fishing lol.

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Sorry guys, didn’t mean to try to set the bar too high lol. Just had to brag on this one. I spend a lot of time on the water, this one was earned… If I never get a bigger one I am ok with it. The lake is in northern WI and under 120 acres.

fishthumper, don’t ruin your bait by melting it. Wait for the mend-it to arrive and try it. It chemically welds the bait better than any other method. I promise you will be glad you did.

I will second Mend-it. Far and away the best way to repair soft plastic. I’ve gone through more bulldawgs than most guys will ever buy and nothing works as well to repair them. No scorching of the plastic and it will remain flexible, super glue makes it hard.

Ace of Spades by Motorhead
Great White Buffalo by sweaty uncle Teddy

My personal best I don’t have a pic of as I caught it over 20 years ago on a 7” power worm on a 5/0 widegap hook. Thought I had a 4-5 lb bass but it ended up being a 12”+ gill in full spawn colors (which meant it was almost totally black lol). It was caught in a pond in front of an office building in the Chicago suburbs. I’ve caught and released many 10-10.5” gills since but when I pulled the pictured 10.75” fish throuh the ice last week I kept it and it’s at the taxidermist now. I haven’t seen a gill with these proportions in 20 years!!

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Opening day slaunch donkey!! 5lb 14oz and just under 21″!!!

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Still crushing giant smallies in central WI. 21.5″, 20.25″ respectively

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21.75″, 5lbs8oz. Punching the thick stuff.

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22″
slop+hot sunny weather= giant punch fish

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Water temp was 37 degrees and had come up from 35 the weekend before. I looked at the new long range forecast and it doesn’t look good for ice up here. May have to keep chasing musky til the season closes here 12/31…

Central WI. Slow today but great to be out again. Here’s a couple of 8″

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