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The lease we had two years ago only allowed 3 per blind. The blind we have now will only accommodate 3 hunters safely. If we hunt four, like we did on opening day last year, one guy will sit in the boat until someone gets his limit and we'll swap. That was the only day we hunted 4 people.

Seems early for the chinquapin to be dying. (And odd, to me, to see duckweed flourishing under them.) But I've been seeing beans starting to turn, which seems early, too. Maybe I'm late.

We had a similar name change to a lake I grew up on, and family had a houseboat in for 40+ years. It went fro Nigger lake, to Basin Negro, to McReynolds Lake........ I was always told that the name came from the basin of the lake being so deep and dark in color.

"chinquapin" always thought this was a cajun name for a Shellcracker?

Rick wrote:Seems early for the chinquapin to be dying. (And odd, to me, to see duckweed flourishing under them.) But I've been seeing beans starting to turn, which seems early, too. Maybe I'm late.

Leaves on my big poplar tree are falling. It's usually on the early end of those in my yard, but seems a lil antsy for fall

Darren wrote:

Rick wrote:Seems early for the chinquapin to be dying. (And odd, to me, to see duckweed flourishing under them.) But I've been seeing beans starting to turn, which seems early, too. Maybe I'm late.

Leaves on my big poplar tree are falling. It's usually on the early end of those in my yard, but seems a lil antsy for fall

I've come across some bean fields that look ready to cut, and thought it a bit early as well. Signs of fall are around home, like the bees swanning a tree in my yard that my mom had planted some years ago. This tree produces some sort of little bud that I assume has pollen. You can hear the low drone of wings, sometimes load when you're near it. A yearly sign that fall is approaching.

I'm ready for the grass in my yard to quit growing. I just this week replaced a set of very worn blades on my mower. Six hours a week on a mower is getting old, but it's better than less cuts during the rainy times, making hay and having to mulch. COME ON DUCK SEASON!

Deltaman wrote:"chinquapin" always thought this was a cajun name for a Shellcracker?

You thought right, but "chinquapin" (and "granovole-sp?") are also Cajun names for the American yellow lotus. Must admit having to search for the plant's proper name, as I'd never heard it used.

Beautiful reds!

Indeed.

Very nice!

I often ask bass fisherman if they have caught a bass on topwater, to which they respond all fired up about how a bass explodes on the bait and it's so exciting etc. etc.

But then you ask if they've caught a redfish on a topwater lure...........whole 'nother ball game of cool

Or serious trout. Hard, hard, hard to get it through to folks that they shouldn't set the hook until they feel the fish, but making that case beats ducking kazillion mph flying Spooks.

BGcorey wrote:

Rick wrote:Or serious trout. Hard, hard, hard to get it through to folks that they shouldn't set the hook until they feel the fish, but making that case beats ducking kazillion mph flying Spooks.

kazillion mph spooks,, that’s funny.... it was very difficult for me to not set the hook very hard as I usually come out of my shoes for bass ..


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Yea exactly what you dont want to do with topwater reds or trout really. A redfish's mouth position makes it hard for them to get at it, and a trout is just as likely to knock it 5 feet in the air a time or two before actually making a real try of eating it.

But sure is exciting

Nice cooler of fish.

Rick wrote:Or serious trout. Hard, hard, hard to get it through to folks that they shouldn't set the hook until they feel the fish, but making that case beats ducking kazillion mph flying Spooks.

I love topwater fishing, but that is the hardest part. Most heartbreaking mistake for me. I pulled a buzzbait out of the open mouth of a muskie. It took the bait so close I could see it laying in his open mouth, but just reacted I do it a lot at night. React to the big splash and suddenly that bait is coming at you a kazillion mph in the dark I've done that more than once

Most fisherman that have never done it and try, usually quit after about 5 minutes of "walking the dog", due to constant jerking, and don't feel like it is worth it it they don''t catch a fish pretty quickly. Once they do, it is on!!!!!! I caught my biggest Speck to date (7 lbs 10 oz), on a topwater about 5 years ago, and it sold me on using it when the conditions are right.

Deltaman wrote:Most fisherman that have never done it and try, usually quit after about 5 minutes of "walking the dog", due to constant jerking, and don't feel like it is worth it it they don''t catch a fish pretty quickly. Once they do, it is on!!!!!! I caught my biggest Speck to date (7 lbs 10 oz), on a topwater about 5 years ago, and it sold me on using it when the conditions are right.

That must have been awesome. Heard of a 7lb'er caught this weekend at a rig (Breton Sound) that was released to fight another day

Deltaman wrote:Most fisherman that have never done it and try, usually quit after about 5 minutes of "walking the dog", due to constant jerking, and don't feel like it is worth it it they don''t catch a fish pretty quickly. Once they do, it is on!!!!!! I caught my biggest Speck to date (7 lbs 10 oz), on a topwater about 5 years ago, and it sold me on using it when the conditions are right.

During my Capt. Rick phase, everyone wanted to catch big trout on topwaters, with how long that would last depending largely on how many bent rods they could see down the way. Most often, I'd end up tossing a cast net for live bait. But let me hang one or even have a blow-up on top while casting between their hook-ups, and it was back to topwaters for all. For maybe 20 minutes...

Had a lot of friends talking topwater for trout at the time, so I decided to give'r a go, just to see. I headed out solo, super early one morning, and purposely did not buy bait, fishing an area known for big trout. I had one topwater bait in my box, a Rapala Skitterwalk, and had downsized my line to 10 lb flourocarbon (probably not the best decision), the night before, determined to try it. It was that magic time of the day that all duck hunters live for, 30 minutes before sunrise, and I eased my trolling motor into the water and started to work a rocky shoreline near deep water. Like most, after 5 minutes, I was ready to call it quits, but remembering I had not bought any live bait, stuck with it. Sure enough, after 30 minutes or so, I got a huge blowup, and it was on! I could feel the weight of the fish as it shook it's head, and smiled..........just before my line broke..........dammit! Was sitting there in a daze, realizing the only topwater bait I had was gone, when I saw it pop to the surface closeby Cut a little line off, and retied...........and 30 minutes late, the same thing happened, only this time, the lure was gone for good.........I was sold! Bought 7-8 new topwaters that afternoon, and went back the next week, and fished with confidence. Sure enough, within 30 minutes of getting started, had another huge blowup, and this time, got it to the boat. Funny thing is, once they get over 5 lbs, it is downright guesswork as far as weight (at least for me ), and I was thinking 6ish? My largest trout to date at the time was 5 1/2 lbs, and was floored when I weighed this one on a digital scale to see it was quite a bit heavier than my 6 lb estimate. Topwater can be a PIA, and as mentioned before, lots of "trouble" hooks to contend with, but if you ever catch a fish using one, it will change the way you fish!

Deltaman wrote:Topwater can be a PIA, and as mentioned before, lots of "trouble" hooks to contend with, but if you ever catch a fish using one, it will change the way you fish!

By trouble, I assume you mean missed fish. I wonder about that. If the fish takes a swipe at your bait and misses underwater, you probably never know it. However, if they miss on a top water, you are going to know it.

Missing a fish that hits underwater is not nearly as frustrating as missing a big fish that busts your plug on the surface.

I had a 50"+ muskie come nearly full out of the water after a buzzbait. He missed clean, but I went home and bought a bigger rod Zero chance of landing that behemoth on what I was fishing. If he did that underwater, I would have had no clue that anything exciting had just happened.

I'm not convinced that you have any more trouble hooking fish on the topwater. I just think you are aware of how many fish slash at your bait and you do not hook.

The only exception is that pulling the bait away from a fish that slashed and missed and not giving them a chance to come back for a second whack at it, which you wouldn't do underwater since you wouldn't know it happened most of the time. Maybe different for some species of fish, but then again I just love top water. I've even caught carp on topwater Although, slurping stuff floating on the top is not exactly the same as a muskie flying full out of the water chasing a buzzbait bouncing in the turbulence below a low head dam.

From an all-topwater trip we did a few years back:





Had one bigger than that top one that we lost because it straightened all the hooks it had buried in it

SpinnerMan wrote:

Deltaman wrote:Topwater can be a PIA, and as mentioned before, lots of "trouble" hooks to contend with, but if you ever catch a fish using one, it will change the way you fish!

By trouble, I assume you mean missed fish. I wonder about that. If the fish takes a swipe at your bait and misses underwater, you probably never know it. However, if they miss on a top water, you are going to know it.

Missing a fish that hits underwater is not nearly as frustrating as missing a big fish that busts your plug on the surface.

I had a 50"+ muskie come nearly full out of the water after a buzzbait. He missed clean, but I went home and bought a bigger rod Zero chance of landing that behemoth on what I was fishing. If he did that underwater, I would have had no clue that anything exciting had just happened.

I'm not convinced that you have any more trouble hooking fish on the topwater. I just think you are aware of how many fish slash at your bait and you do not hook.

The only exception is that pulling the bait away from a fish that slashed and missed and not giving them a chance to come back for a second whack at it, which you wouldn't do underwater since you wouldn't know it happened most of the time. Maybe different for some species of fish, but then again I just love top water. I've even caught carp on topwater Although, slurping stuff floating on the top is not exactly the same as a muskie flying full out of the water chasing a buzzbait bouncing in the turbulence below a low head dam.

Spinner, I am referring to the treble as "trouble", because I hate dealing with them, and they can be flat dangerous. They are "trouble" when trying to unhook the fish, they are "trouble" if you get hit by one, they are "trouble" when you net a fish and try to get the lure out of the net From what I have seen, if a fish blows up on a topwater lure and I don't catch him, most of the time he wasn't actually hitting it, and the blowup is his tailwash as he turns to leave. Have watched this happen up close, in clear water, and it made all the more sense as to "why"I didn't hook the fish. Don't get me wrong, you can set the hook to soon, especially in clear water, and lose a fish, but I believe most of the time, the fish just didn't eat it. But dammit man, it is exciting!!!!!

Darren wrote:From an all-topwater trip we did a few years back:

IMG_0217.JPG

IMG_0210.JPG

Had one bigger than that top one that we lost because it straightened all the hooks it had buried in it

Now that is some fun!!!!! Those Redfish play hell eating a topwater because the position of their mouth, and fun as hell watching them knock the lure out of the water until they get it right.

Deltaman wrote:

SpinnerMan wrote:

Deltaman wrote:Topwater can be a PIA, and as mentioned before, lots of "trouble" hooks to contend with, but if you ever catch a fish using one, it will change the way you fish!

By trouble, I assume you mean missed fish. I wonder about that. If the fish takes a swipe at your bait and misses underwater, you probably never know it. However, if they miss on a top water, you are going to know it.

Missing a fish that hits underwater is not nearly as frustrating as missing a big fish that busts your plug on the surface.

I had a 50"+ muskie come nearly full out of the water after a buzzbait. He missed clean, but I went home and bought a bigger rod Zero chance of landing that behemoth on what I was fishing. If he did that underwater, I would have had no clue that anything exciting had just happened.

I'm not convinced that you have any more trouble hooking fish on the topwater. I just think you are aware of how many fish slash at your bait and you do not hook.

The only exception is that pulling the bait away from a fish that slashed and missed and not giving them a chance to come back for a second whack at it, which you wouldn't do underwater since you wouldn't know it happened most of the time. Maybe different for some species of fish, but then again I just love top water. I've even caught carp on topwater Although, slurping stuff floating on the top is not exactly the same as a muskie flying full out of the water chasing a buzzbait bouncing in the turbulence below a low head dam.

Spinner, I am referring to the treble as "trouble", because I hate dealing with them, and they can be flat dangerous. They are "trouble" when trying to unhook the fish, they are "trouble" if you get hit by one, they are "trouble" when you net a fish and try to get the lure out of the net From what I have seen, if a fish blows up on a topwater lure and I don't catch him, most of the time he wasn't actually hitting it, and the blowup is his tailwash as he turns to leave. Have watched this happen up close, in clear water, and it made all the more sense as to "why"I didn't hook the fish. Don't get me wrong, you can set the hook to soon, especially in clear water, and lose a fish, but I believe most of the time, the fish just didn't eat it. But dammit man, it is exciting!!!!!

I always wonder if buzzbaits would work for things like reds or trout. Only a single hook or two singles if you add a trailer. That's my go too topwater. No need to walk the dog or any of that. Just cast and retrieve, usually as slow as will keep the blades moving on top. I have little experience in saltwater, but hope to get a lot more over the coming years. My other go to lure, homemade spinners (why I am SpinnerMan and not duck spinners) is another great freshwater lure that I've never heard of used in saltwater.

Spinner, we use Hildebrandt Snagless Sallies (inline spinner) to great effect on Redfish (and Bass), and the Redfish Magic (clothespin style) works pretty good on them as well.

Deltaman wrote:Spinner, we use Hildebrandt Snagless Sallies (inline spinner) to great effect on Redfish (and Bass), and the Redfish Magic (clothespin style) works pretty good on them as well.

Thanks. Good to know. Figured it would work, but I had never heard of that.