Got some big ones last year!
Got some big ones last year!
Hey guys, good to be back.
Haven't posted in a while. College is crazy, doing schoolwork all day and I don't have a car with me at school, so I can't fish all day every day like I used to in high school.
I started throwing swimbaits my senior year of high school, and never looked back. Caught some HUGE fish. I think I broke my PB four times in two months.
So, without further adieu, here are some of those fish. Since it's TT I'll give setup info as well.
This first fish was the second bite I ever got on an 8" Hudd, and I caught it the first day I had my Dobyns 807mag. IIRC, I had thrown the hudd for a combined ~50 hours without a bite, just kept telling myself it would be worth it eventually. It was. Broke my old PB by a pound, weighing in at 9 lbs 3 oz. I was STOKED.
Dobyns 807
Luna 300
20# CXX
One week later, different lake, fishing with the guy who originally taught me how to fish. He has been a fishing guide for 30 years, and that day was the first day a student of his took HIM fishing, as opposed to the other way around. He says it was the high point of his career (which is a pretty big honor) and I truly don't think i could ever match that experience. It was incredible. This fish was 9 lbs 7 oz.
Dobyns 807
Luna 300
20# CXX
The next day I went back to the same lake and stuck this 7.9
same setup
A week and a half later I finally became a member of the DD club. Fish hit a hudd on the fall and when I set the hook I thought I was snagged. Then... then she shook her head and almost took my rod and reel with her. I literally could not turn the reel handle at one point she was pulling so hard. Unreal, I was shaking for 2 hours afterwards. She tipped the scale at 10 pounds 3 oz.
same setup
Eight days later, this 7.3 picked the hudd up off the bottom next to a dock and tried to swim away with it. I won.
same setup
Three days later, i got my LDC XH and Calcutta 400TE. If yall throw hudds, look into low down custom rods. The custom xh blank ben uses is the best hudd blank ever. I had to see how it worked, right? So i went and stuck an 8.2
LDC 8'6 XH
400TE
30# CXX
Then my spring hudd bite died. Fast forward a month or two, postspawn. This fish hit a 3:16 rising son. This is the biggest bass I've caught, but it was postspawn and had an empty belly. Weighed like 8.8 I think, but prespawn probably would have been 12+, especially if it was as fat as the DD!
So 2012 was my best bass fishing year ever, easily. I have pics of a bunch of other nice swimbait fish, but these are the big ones. I am FINALLY going fishing this weekend, hopefully I can stick a fish or two.
Haven't posted in a while. College is crazy, doing schoolwork all day and I don't have a car with me at school, so I can't fish all day every day like I used to in high school.
I started throwing swimbaits my senior year of high school, and never looked back. Caught some HUGE fish. I think I broke my PB four times in two months.
So, without further adieu, here are some of those fish. Since it's TT I'll give setup info as well.
This first fish was the second bite I ever got on an 8" Hudd, and I caught it the first day I had my Dobyns 807mag. IIRC, I had thrown the hudd for a combined ~50 hours without a bite, just kept telling myself it would be worth it eventually. It was. Broke my old PB by a pound, weighing in at 9 lbs 3 oz. I was STOKED.
Dobyns 807
Luna 300
20# CXX
One week later, different lake, fishing with the guy who originally taught me how to fish. He has been a fishing guide for 30 years, and that day was the first day a student of his took HIM fishing, as opposed to the other way around. He says it was the high point of his career (which is a pretty big honor) and I truly don't think i could ever match that experience. It was incredible. This fish was 9 lbs 7 oz.
Dobyns 807
Luna 300
20# CXX
The next day I went back to the same lake and stuck this 7.9
same setup
A week and a half later I finally became a member of the DD club. Fish hit a hudd on the fall and when I set the hook I thought I was snagged. Then... then she shook her head and almost took my rod and reel with her. I literally could not turn the reel handle at one point she was pulling so hard. Unreal, I was shaking for 2 hours afterwards. She tipped the scale at 10 pounds 3 oz.
same setup
Eight days later, this 7.3 picked the hudd up off the bottom next to a dock and tried to swim away with it. I won.
same setup
Three days later, i got my LDC XH and Calcutta 400TE. If yall throw hudds, look into low down custom rods. The custom xh blank ben uses is the best hudd blank ever. I had to see how it worked, right? So i went and stuck an 8.2
LDC 8'6 XH
400TE
30# CXX
Then my spring hudd bite died. Fast forward a month or two, postspawn. This fish hit a 3:16 rising son. This is the biggest bass I've caught, but it was postspawn and had an empty belly. Weighed like 8.8 I think, but prespawn probably would have been 12+, especially if it was as fat as the DD!
So 2012 was my best bass fishing year ever, easily. I have pics of a bunch of other nice swimbait fish, but these are the big ones. I am FINALLY going fishing this weekend, hopefully I can stick a fish or two.
Re: Got some big ones last year!
Awesome write up with great shots, thanks for sharing. Impressive fish!
Re: Got some big ones last year!
Awesome man...congrats on your accomplishments and best with furthering your education.
On the LDCs, yes, those modified Black Diamond blanks rock for many applications. Saltwater blanks do great for swimbaits for sure.
On the LDCs, yes, those modified Black Diamond blanks rock for many applications. Saltwater blanks do great for swimbaits for sure.
- spookybaits
- Pro Angler
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Re: Got some big ones last year!
Dude that's awesome!!! What a year!
Those fish are truly something to be proud of... But for me- taking your fishing mentor fishing, and what it meant to him is what made me smile the most.
Keep it up bud, the swimbait bite is still on- they're packing it on right now for the winter.
Those fish are truly something to be proud of... But for me- taking your fishing mentor fishing, and what it meant to him is what made me smile the most.
Keep it up bud, the swimbait bite is still on- they're packing it on right now for the winter.
- Bootytrain
- Pro Angler
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Re: Got some big ones last year!
Wow nice fish! Are these all caught from the bank?
Re: Got some big ones last year!
Awesome fish!!!!!
Maybe I should switch to swimbaits
Maybe I should switch to swimbaits
-
- TT Moderator
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- Location: Oxford GA
Re: Got some big ones last year!
That's awesome Hayden!(I'm assuming you caught them in your native Virginia-if so, even cooler!). Glad you posted this cool story and huge fish-congrats!
He doesn't have a car, much less a boat!Bootytrain wrote:Wow nice fish! Are these all caught from the bank?
Re: Got some big ones last year!
Very true, thanks guys! I share a car with my brother but since he needs it for school and there is really nowhere to park on campus, there is no point in me having one at the moment. I'm trying to decide whether or not I'm going to buy a Corvette C5 Z06 or a truck + boat in a couple years... Decisions decisions.hoohoorjoo wrote:That's awesome Hayden!(I'm assuming you caught them in your native Virginia-if so, even cooler!). Glad you posted this cool story and huge fish-congrats!
He doesn't have a car, much less a boat!Bootytrain wrote:Wow nice fish! Are these all caught from the bank?
Re: Got some big ones last year!
Na they don't work.Cracker wrote:Awesome fish!!!!!
Maybe I should switch to swim baits
- Teal101
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Re: Got some big ones last year!
Freakin epic. Way to go, I need to fish my Hudds more!
- bronzefly
- Pro Angler
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Re: Got some big ones last year!
Awesome swimbait fish, congrats!!
- IlliniDawg01
- Pro Angler
- Posts: 2349
- Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2013 8:20 am
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Re: Got some big ones last year!
Awesome fish man. Your smallest pictured is way bigger than my pb bass of like 5lbs.Fat-G wrote:Very true, thanks guys! I share a car with my brother but since he needs it for school and there is really nowhere to park on campus, there is no point in me having one at the moment. I'm trying to decide whether or not I'm going to buy a Corvette C5 Z06 or a truck + boat in a couple years... Decisions decisions.hoohoorjoo wrote:That's awesome Hayden!(I'm assuming you caught them in your native Virginia-if so, even cooler!). Glad you posted this cool story and huge fish-congrats!
He doesn't have a car, much less a boat!Bootytrain wrote:Wow nice fish! Are these all caught from the bank?
Buy a decent used truck and boat and spend the extra on tackle if that is your passion. A new boat/truck/car will be a used one soon anyways but more tackle is more tackle for years to come.
DaveJ
- triple_illusion
- Pro Angler
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Re: Got some big ones last year!
all solid fish, nice work man!