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Yeah she was a beat up looking old gal... Lots of people were talking about catching multiple fish that looked beatup like this one. Not sure why. I caught her out of a 15 ft brush pile and there were no tournament weigh-in locations for miles so I doubt she was a recent release fish. If she had been fat, she could've easily gone in the 6 lb range. My 2 biggest ever were 6.5 lbs and they were both only 20.5" long. I think this fish was longer but I never did measure her.

My pleasure... It was a lot of fun!

I've always wondered how most would approach being a co-angler at this level especially when guys will probably be flipping and skipping docks because of the weather conditions. Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

That fish went a little over 5 on my scales so we ran to weigh it in, but only went 4.73 on their scales. She had a big ole head and was pretty long. Just didn't have a big belly. Took 20th place in the 9-11 am slot on Saturday. $190 so I covered my entry fee. If I would've caught her 10 minutes earlier I think I would've got 11th place in the 7-9 am slot. Ended up lucking into one of the early bird drawings so I won another $500 from that. It was a fun weekend! Met a lot of great people.

F'ing Low-lifes... That gear means nothing to them and I know how much it means to you. Sorry brother!

Absolutely Awesome! Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you have an awesome understanding and appreciation at a young age!

Awesome Day! I'd kill for a day like that... Good luck in Minnesota!

The MAN!! Awesome fish brother!!!

Are you looking for a Deps Buzzjet?

That's a good crappie technique too

Awesome! Huge fish and father/son time... Can't beat it!

Macey is the best! Glad you guys had an awesome day on the creek!

I've only watched the first episode so far but I've been looking forward to this series since I heard about it a year or two ago. I heard only a little bit of it was filmed at LOZ. The majority was filmed in Georgia on Lake Allatoona because of tax credits. Apparently a lot of shows/movies film in Georgia for this reason. First episode was good and I've heard good things about the rest. Always been a fan of Jason Bateman. Here's an article with some information... https://www.bustle.com/p/where-is-ozark-filmed-the-netflix-series-faithfully-recreates-the-rustic-region-70975

I heard some really good reports from LOZ this spring with the dirty water. Guys were targeting sea walls with bluegill colored chatterbaits. Probably a pretty similar deal as when guys were hammering them with big thumping colorado blade spinnerbaits. I caught some Memorial Day weekend with a homemade bluegill pattern and I've caught some in the fall on the dock corner deal... But its never been lights out like you said. Great looking baits Mike. I like that bubble gum one!

I've never considered Fitz's prices too high. That's just the cost of fishing gear these days. The expensive stuff is expensive because it's usually good quality. Ed at Bryant's is a good guy and we have given him plenty of business over the years. But Fitz's has the best selection of quality baits/gear at LOZ hands down.

I bought three 6" (2 oz) spoons on eBay last year. They were modeled after the Mini Magnum Ben Parker spoons. No hardware, just the spoons for $17. Added Owner Hyper Wire split rings, Hand-tied Feathered Owner Stinger Trebles Hooks, and Spro Swivels. So probably spent $8-9 per spoon.... Oh and I've yet to actually fish one... hahaha Casted one of the dock on Memorial Day just to see the action. They had an awesome looking flutter and glide but man those things sink fast! Guess that's why they react to them. I couldn't imagine throwing the 9" (3.5 oz) version! Might give them, or some 5" Lake Fork Flutter Spoons, a try next weekend though.

Keep in mind those weeknight tournaments are 4 and 3 fish limits instead of the normal 5. Regardless the bite does sound like it has slowed. Heading down next weekend to see if I can find a few!

Nice! You have found a concentration of Walleye by the looks of it. You catching em cranking?

Awesome report Pat and great pictures! You caught some solid fish with very minimal tools. You'll get one of those 4-5 lb toads soon!

I'm amazed at guys like Wiese and Sykora who consistently catch these 17-25 lb bags every weekend. It's darn impressive. And they don't seem like the kind of guys who just setup camp outside PB2. I don't think I've ever caught 20+ lbs in one day. Best 5 over the course of a couple days yes but never in one 8 hr period. I was on my way one night last summer. Had 4 for 18.5 lbs. Just needed one more keeper. Lost a 4 lber earlier in the night that would've put us at 22+. Thought we had it at the end of the night too but it ended up being a 5.5 lb flathead

I've thrown the Ned with success, but it's usually when I can't get bit on anything else. I just enjoy throwing other baits more but you can't deny the Ned Rigs success. The times I have thrown it, I've caught Bass, Walleye, Catfish, Drum and Gar with it. I threw the underspin/swimbait combo once last year for a very short amount of time and I definitely want to throw it more. Just haven't had the chance yet.

Yep... They don't come much better than Wrench. The guy is crazy helpful!

Awesome Largemouth Al I've always wondered about these really big largemouth (5 lb+ fish) in our streams and wanted to get your take. Do you think that fish was spawned and grew to that size in the river or do you think it's more likely that big largemouth like this one are farm pond fish that have ended up in the rivers after large floods like we've had the last 2 years?

Yes we live in an awesome creek! Good deep stuff and shallow stuff. The bass, crappie, and catfish are pretty thick in there. That's why my father-in-law almost never goes outside of it. I venture out more cause I want to expand my spots and patterns but I usually end up coming back at some point and catching more or bigger fish than I do elsewhere.

That's crazy... I was showing 69-71 all of Memorial Day weekend but maybe my temp gauges were way off... 15 degrees in 1 week seems like a lot but I guess it's possible. They were biting good in that 69-71 degree range