Bream and plastics

Back to work tomorrow after some time off to recover from some sinus infection and other stuff. Weather was good and the river was close and this section was new territory for me. Out came the trolling rods and the 2lb outfits were moved to the top. 1/32 Beetle spin, 1/64 Itty Bitty Swimmer, and a jig and float setup with a 1" tube. All of them worked and I got happy many times during the day as the aggressive hits and hard fights came often enough to keep boredom at bay. I expected some largemouth but they never showed, but I did see some feeding. Total catch was about 20 but I didn't count, just relaxed and enjoyed the low mid week boat traffic. The Shiner in the pic was a giant compared to most I've ever seen and fought hard enough that I'm looking for more in the future. The lizard never moved and was on the north bank of the creek I fished, close to 8' long. The fish were just visitors as they were released at the ramp after the pic. The down side of the pic is that the Red Breasted Sunfish is under 2 others and was far and away the stud for the day. Pounded that little white Beetle Spin with no mercy. Combined they would have made a good dinner for Mom and I, but there will be others. I hope you got a smile like I did when I caught them. Til next time......Skeet

Those are nice! My Bream catching is always an incidental catch. Need to start targeting them!

WOW!!! Thanks for post and pics,nice gills,Big Lizard WOW!!,Light tackle is really fun,What kind of line and # test.My eyes not what they use to be,switching to the Gold.Thanks

Those Redbellies sure put up a fight and are fine eating.

Jackie, I use Stren Crappie 2 lb mono in hi vis yellow, and hi vis Nanofil 2 lb . Both get a 4 to 6 foot clear stren 4 lb leader just for durability. You have to be careful with the Nanofil because it will cast like no other and you will be in the woods before you know it. It also has no abrasion resistance, hence the leader for reason #2. The mono is a good cast also but not near the Nanofil. The clear mono, I have some of that too but didn't use it today, works well and may be a better option in clear water, but it is bonafide tough to see. With the tiny jigs you have to be a line watcher, so you better be on your game. The hits are tough to feel due to the light jig, just a faint tic a lot of the time. All this makes it a ton of fun and keeps me coming back for more.

Excellent report - how's the fight with those lizards on 2lb test and how do you land them???

saw the reports of the frozen gators in Florida - crazy

Sonny, I don't fool with those lizards. There are permits available but I just don't see the need. A few have come to the boat over the years, they love topwater baits, but all released. Frozen huh? didn't see anything about that but it was sure cold enough for a while. The Tilapia are tropical and just barely survived this past cold snap, all one needed for those was a net, but I didn't see any of those either.

looks like a fun trip to me brother , love me some big bream on light tackle for sure ...congrats

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Originally Posted by LedHed

Excellent report - how's the fight with those lizards on 2lb test and how do you land them?

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I don't know about 2# test but I hooked a 5 footer in a farm pond on 12# test. Caught him on a RatL'trap. I got him up to the bank, and I wanted my RatL'trap back but I didn't get it. He did a death roll and broke off.

Great post, I love to catch bream.

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Originally Posted by skeetbum

Jackie, I use Stren Crappie 2 lb mono in hi vis yellow, and hi vis Nanofil 2 lb . Both get a 4 to 6 foot clear stren 4 lb leader just for durability. You have to be careful with the Nanofil because it will cast like no other and you will be in the woods before you know it. It also has no abrasion resistance, hence the leader for reason #2. The mono is a good cast also but not near the Nanofil. The clear mono, I have some of that too but didn't use it today, works well and may be a better option in clear water, but it is bonafide tough to see. With the tiny jigs you have to be a line watcher, so you better be on your game. The hits are tough to feel due to the light jig, just a faint tic a lot of the time. All this makes it a ton of fun and keeps me coming back for more.

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Thanks Skeet!! enjoy the post and pic's.Brenda didn,t like the big lizard,LOL!!

Nice catch.....four of those look like copper nose to me....wish TN had those.

Regards


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Alpha, I'm not sure exactly what they were but they were fillet size. The good coppernose I get have the tell tale splash on their forehead, and I didn't get any of those. With the weather being upside down here lately I felt blessed to get what I did. Once they get active and I get em figured out I'll post some pics of some of the real nice ones we have hereabouts. Keep in mind that are small compared to Ledhed's posts but they sure make a great dinner. I used to make a 2 hr drift, casting into the eddy's behind docks and blowdowns and such. During the drift I would gather between 6 and 18 fillet size 'gills that fed us well in the days when money was tight. My gear was junk compared to what I have now, and only had one UL rod, but it was one of the best things I could do for my attitude. Just one stage of the love affair with these hard fighting little fish. I have some 1/80 jigs that I picked up a few weeks back that will get some play next time out.

Great!!!

Nice gills... you can keep the lizard lol.