Buddy sent me some photos of this weeks fishing;
Ron with a 4lb5oz.
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Darrion with a 5lb5oz
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Outside the bass store in Havasu City
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This coming week is the best time to be there
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Buddy sent me some photos of this weeks fishing;
Ron with a 4lb5oz.
Attachment 338691
Darrion with a 5lb5oz
Attachment 338692
Outside the bass store in Havasu City
Attachment 338693
This coming week is the best time to be there
As much as I’d like to tangle with shell cracker that size.....it’s a long way......LOL.
Regards
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I can’t imagine catching one of those on anything resembling ultra lite tackle. Had to be a whale of a fight.
Serious question...What size tackle would a person have to use to realistically land a 5lb. Redear??
I can guarantee you that ultra light tackle would have a difficult time. I'm thinking 8lb line and maybe light action??
UL tackle would work just fine. I've never had anywhere close to a 5# redear, but I've had 7# carp and bass on 2# line and lots of 8-12# carp and cats on 4#. Alphahawk has landed bigger on 2# line.Quote:
Originally Posted by redearhoosier
I believe the current record for tarpon on 2# line is a 50-pounder. ;)
Wow, those are some pigs. Sure wish I could be there now but will have to settle for April 22. They will still be bedding then I hope. I'm ready to give them a shot if you are. They can be a challenge on ultralight tackle but it can be done. Were they using crawlers on the bottom?
Not as difficult as you think. I know LedHed has the right rods and uses 2# test line. I've been catching Smallies for years using 2# test, many at the 5-6 pound mark. US market UL rods though are just too whippy to do that with.
Regards
Crazy sized fish, How old is that fish I wonder. Hope they made lots of babies.
Those things look like they were photo shopped they are so massive.
cray - as long as you have open water it's a sleigh ride
rh - I use 2lb test, most people I know that fish @ LH use 6lb test. There are lot's of huge fish there - Catfish, Stripers, now the American Shad. Been spooled here 3 different times, from a boat! Another big challenge is the Quagga mussel - like fishing around coral.
JJJ - think they were fishing with crawdads and crawlers
Stan - I am a CPR advocate, except for LH. If you don't keep 2lb & 3lb Redear you won't eat. It's crazy - there is so many trophy fish with hardly any pressure. I've seen bedding areas that looked like the moon surface - for as far as you could see. The lake is extremely fertile and it's not easy to fish (extreme weather). The Bluegill & hybrids are huge too.
Growth rate is probably ~2" a year, figure that fish is maybe 7 or 8 years old.
srs - 4 hour run from Riverside
Wow, just wow!!
I didn’t even know they could get that big..
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Excellent, those are very big. Thanks for posting.
Hey Ledhead! Those are some great fish... do you by any chance know the length of those 2 fish?
Wow! Unreal! They almost look fake. If I hadn’t seen pictures of giants like those, I wouldn’t believe it. Sonny - my offer still stands. If you catch a giant like that and want to know the age, send me the otoliths and I will hook you up. I’m dying to know the age of a 4+ pound redear anyway. Thanks for sharing.
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Thnx as always guys
Instantly thought of you Matt - think you should come out here and do some sampling..... All you need is time and air fare.
VCM - they kind of stop ~15" or 16" then they just get bloated.
I can’t imagine a 15” or 16” redear.... that has to be a blast
Awesome fish!
VCM - This is not a normal lake - fish could live their whole life here and never see a hook. With the American Shad taking off the Crappie are coming back too!
Thnx ETF - sure Ron & Darrion appreciate it.
I’m going to stop posting pics of my little 9”ers. They could be bait for fish like those. Thanks for posting those Sonny.
Don't do that Tim! I enjoy your posts and pics of great lookin fish. I'm sure you're going to be in some of these shortly....
The world record redear was 17 inches with a girth of 19.5 inches and weighed 5.7 lbs. They probably don't get much longer than that but there may be a few longer ones swimming in Havasu. The girth on the big ones are incredible and even the smaller ones are chunks. So much food for them there, they are eating machines.
Wow!! Would love to tie in to some of those !!
SkeetBum (or Dad, as I call him [emoji4]) always taught me that parts is parts and that a snoopy pole and box of rooster tails could be the time of your life. I think it’s safe to say in this circumstance that the rooster tails would be under equipped for this trip, but man would it be fun trying!
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Welcome BGG. Think rooster tails will work too. On a snoopy pole would - that would be something.
Man I gotta put that on my calendar for next year! Maybe warm up by taming some Ledhed's LP coppernose first and then these monsters. I could pretty much throw away the bucket list after that.
f_a - JJJ is coming out Monday from your neck of the woods
Sonny, when are you going out to Havasu? Next week? Looking forward to the pictures!
Just checked the weather Troy - don't look to good. Wind ain't too bad and it's going to get into the 100s (already). Might go look for LP REs when JJJ gets out here.
Pictures, pictures. Hope y’all knock em in the head, wherever you land.
Ran into Darrion on the back side of LP today and he was telling me the Redear was 17" long and had a girth of 20". He was fishing Havasu City - I thought he caught it out of Havasu Springs.
That’s a fish right there... shew... any idea if those fellas use 2lb?
Darrion said he caught the fish on 5lb test - likes to use 3lb - not sure what brand.
That’s a great fish for sure... was just curious... thank you
I posted on the Arizona forum, inquiring about guides on the lake, whether I should plan to tow all the way out there if I can ever make the trip, and a few general questions... CRICKETS! I guess I'm naive, but I thought someone might be willing to share a little!
You’re not naive. That forum’s just dead.Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffordN
"Are there Crappie in the lake, along with the giant Shellcrackers?" - yes, but they are not a lot - have been hearing rumors that they are rebounding
"Are there guides there, or should I plan to haul the boat?" - There are bass guides in Havasu City that will take you out, the Redear hang out where the Bass do in spring. On page 1 Darrion is standing in front of the Tackle store you can contact for a guide. You have to watch the heat and the wind, both can get real bad real quick.
You can fly into Phoenix, AZ - Las Vegas, NV - or Ontario, CA and drive to the lake. LV is a little closer. It's a bout a 3 or 4 hour drive. Havasu City has a small airport - think it's for private planes. It's a 4 hour drive and we come up the south side of the lake. We fish down by the Parker Dam. Lots of campgrounds and there is overnight fishing. You need a CA or an AZ fishing license - doesn't matter which one.
Don't use crickets - fish will only laugh at you - big baits here. Everything eats crawdads (big or small). Also there are Northern Bluegill & Hybrids.
I don’t see me dragging the other woman from way down here, no doubt mechanical issues might show up. Good info for everyone, thanks.
No worries Tim. Forgot to mention that you can rent any kind of boat at Havasu City - they have houseboats too. If you opt for Parker Dam you can stay at Havasu Springs - retirement community that has rooms to rent over the restaurant - that's what we usually do. Or you can stay at Bluewater Casino on the river - nice place. In Havasu City there is a lot more hotels, motels, shopping....