Small lure=Big Bass
 

After some family obligations in the early afternoon, I took the ride to Sussex County to fish Lake Lenape, a private lake that my buddy just bought a house on. The lake was lowered for dam repair over the winter, which limited our ice fishing trips to one. With the dam repaired and the lake level back to normal, we were good to go.

Spotted lots of Yellow Perch, along with LMB's and a few Crappie in the feeder creek mouth and the surrounding cove, but nothing was hitting until near sunset. After picking up a few Yellows, my 2" swimshad got crushed. After a nice fight, I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice spring fattie Largemouth in my net. Fish measured out to 21.5" and had a nice gut. It's amazing how these bigger fish love small lures.

Also, pretty interesting, when I arrived at the lake, my buddy and a few other guys from the lake were relocating some fish structures that had moved over the winter. Nearly all of them had loads of eggs on them. Wonder what they are?

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...pssrcehygp.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...pse0eafqqv.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psmzbfwhm2.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psyia5kuiz.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...psvvztcaig.jpg

Last but not least, the fish sex tree lol...
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ps9mmhrion.jpg

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

Nice fattie.

Eggs are interesting, curious if anyone well versed in that type of thing would be able to clarify.

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

Great shots, Rob... and nice toad bass. Awesome colors on her!

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

The only thing you are likely to see spawning in these temps are perch, pike and pickerel.

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

Way to go skunk!!!Doesn't surprise me wit da small lure,especially this time a yr...She's sure to fatten up quickly over the next month er so....All of em , particularly the big girls will be opportunistic and eat almost anything that comes ther way....Gotta fatten up quick fer baby makin.....I would think wit the long cold winter they will be super aggressive THIS week....Weather this week and weekend look gr8...:)Awesome catch...def jealous

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

That's a HOG!!! Nice fish without a doubt. Well done buddy!!!

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

Good report as always from you, your patience paid off well at sunset. The fish seem sluggish yet? I'm kinda surprised your picking up bass so soon, I thought for sure with the colder weather it would be another few weeks. I'm also hearing bass being picked up already in the Delaware river, so I shouldn't be so surprised.

As far the eggs, hard to tell with the picture effect. My guess would be wood frog or some type of salamander and not a fish. Wood frogs spawn a couple weeks after they thaw out very early in spring, if I remember correctly.

Keep up the catches like those and you'll have another stellar year fishing. Best of luck out there.

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

very nice job! on the yack to boot!!

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

420, we were consistently catching nice Largemouth through the ice this year, some big girls at that. This one came off a shallow flat off the main channel in about 8FOW. As for sluggishness, she put up a great fight. No jumps, but a few straight bulldog runs.

As for the eggs, this tree was completely submerged in about 6FOW maybe 50 feet off the shoreline.

Re: Small lure=Big Bass
 

sweet bass man! you certainly find the fish pretty consistently
but please! stop ruining your pics with all those 70's style aviary filters lol