Johnsfolly

Caught this fallfish today in Northern Delaware. Not a world or state record. Only about 8 to 9 inches but in his full glory for the ladies😉

Very nice Jeff😁

Tilapia is cheap. Only explanation needed.😅 But so is dog food but that is likely better tasting than tilapia. Especially over noodles.

That's a beast. It looks like it may have some bluegill in it genetics. Most of the redbreast that I catch are longer and not as deep bodied as that fish. Maybe in a bigger river or pond/lake situation they get deeper bodied like a bluegill. If the state guys confirm it then it's good ... right?

Hey Dave Got any good quagga/zebra mussel fly patterns?

Probably was not a highly productive lake and likely to have been clear before the mussels. It must be super clear if there is a large population of mussels.

Don't call them shellcrackers for nothing 👍

Three vampire bothers are discussing and bragging as to which is the strongest, smartest, and fastest. The middle brother stated that he is the strongest and set off to prove himself. He took off at 100 mph and within 5 mins he came back with blood all over his mouth. He pointed to the village at a collapsed building and said, "See that rubble. I went in and sucked the blood of the family within that house and then tore it down with my own hands!" Both his brothers looked and they agreed that he is the strongest of the three. The oldest brother stated that he was the most experienced and smartest of them all. He took off at 150 mph into the village. 25 mins later he returned with blood all over his mouth and neck. He too pointed at the village and said, "See that village. I was able to convince all of the villagers that there was a deadly virus and they should stay in their homes. Then I went into each home and killed and drank the blood of every villager." The other two brothers were convinceed that since he was the oldest and most experienced that he was also the smartest of them all. The youngest brother was not to be outdone by his siblings. He boasted that since he was the youngest and most fit that he was also the fastest of the three. He took off going over 200 mph. He returned within 10 seconds. His face was covered with blood. The brothers were astonished and asked what he had done. He pointed and said, "Do you see that giant tree a mile away from here?" The two brothers said yes that they saw that tree. "Well I didn't!" 🤣

@rps you just haven't had them cooked right 🤣!

A lot of truth in that assessment 😉

Another nice mixed bag Jeff. Congrats buddy!

If you look in the mouth of the beast that my buddy caught a few years ago, you would see the crappie style crankbait I would be throwing on Pomme😉! Only fished Pomme once for musky. We didn't catch one on that day, but we had some encounters. One was well over 40 inches. It shot out from a deep brush pile and looked like it wanted to eat the 20 inch musky that chased out from under a dock towards my bait.

On my bucket list for sure. You know it's a big redear when you have to use two hands to hold it. I haven't looked enough to know what they are eating in that lake that allows them to bulk up like they do. I would probably settle for just a 2 to 3 lb redear😉

You know @snagged in outlet 3 gets cranky without photos. So be sure to post a couple😅

Great day Jeff! That's a fantastic mixed bag fishing trip with lots of nice healthy fish!

Looks great RPS. Cottage pie at our place. No photos but tasty meal.

@JestersHK Happy Bday Buddy! Hope that you get some fishing in somewhere or go after some pigs. Post some photos when you do cuz you know we like them photos 😁! Not a Unicorn but next best thing😉

I travel quite a bit for lifers. So that drive is not an issue. Haven't hiked that far, typically less than 1/2 mile, to a spot. I will have to look in VA challenges, since we do fish in VA a bit and have reciprocal licenses for saltwater fishing. So only need to buy a freshwater nonres license. I already have a couple lifer targets in VA for this year.

Hey @FishnDave these guys do readily take flies. My first flyfish caught fish was a fallfish in PA a few decades ago (1990). I was fishing a small dry fly drifting it down stream. I lost sight of the fly and went to cast again. The fish went flying past my head on the back cast and landed on the bank behind me 🙄. I'm sure that it was far more surprised than I 😅.

Dan - I don't know if you do this step, but I soak all fillets in ice cold salted water as I am cleaning the fish. I feel that quickly tightens up the flesh. Then I pat them dry and store in fridge before I bread and fry. Crappie are a softer flesh fish than bluegill or white bass. I prefer to eat the bluegill when I am keeping fish for the fryer 😉.

Jeff I just posted the same article🙂

I know that @Ham is interested in catching some larger fallfish, cousin to creek chubs. This guys fish is a monster. My largest is over 11 inches and still far less than a pound. That fish fought hard on light line. I can imagine how this one fought. https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/virginia-angler-catches-world-record-fallfish-in-two-casts/ This guy is on a similar quest as @Devan S. in terms of targeting Master Angler class fish.

I have not caught the tilapia that @Toseythecat caught. I believe that those are most likely blue tilapia, which seems to be well populated around Houston. I have caught an unidentified tilapia species down in FL back in the 90's that we kept and ate. I don't have any photos so that must not have happened (and not on the list) 🤔. Only other tilapia species so far were the much smaller spotted tilapia that we caught in West Palm last April. Didn't try to eat those.

Looks delicious! We just picked up a pork shoulder roast to use for sausage, but maybe not.

I have eaten caught tilapia and enjoyed it. Can't stand farm raised tilapia. I would think that in terms of table fare that there are sufficient species already in MO to warrant not bringing in another one. White bass can certainly match tilapia for size and fight. Won't say that I would be opposed to catching a few of those guys down in Houston 😉