Anyone else here going through fishing withdrawal? Been months

jeezus OP this looks like a screencap from a horrifying LiveLeak video

>>660752
Was a shitty pic from a few years back, phone didn't have flash so I'm holding flashlights and the phone

>>660702
I know how you feel OP, I barely got to use my new reel last year due to drought and fishing restrictions laid down by the state. All of my high lakes are snowed in right now and my pos car can't hang. Probably still at least 2 months left before I can start hitting it hard ;_;

>>660763
Me and the wife just had our third kid about 2 months ago so I've been busy, plus we moved recently. Biggest flat I got last year was 17lb :/ spring it rained constantly and my work schedule didn't allow much river time

>>660763
Planning to buy another catfish setup and restock some terminal tackle while waiting for weather to break

>>660794
>3 kids
Brother, you'll find the time to get out there more. Congrats btw

>>660798
I've been organizing my gear and buying new shiny things but I'm chompin at the bit to get back out there. I'm wanting to spend at least 3 days /out/ once I can get to my favorite spots.

>>660816
Thank you. I have a few go to spots but also have a few that require boat access that I'm hoping to get to this year. Want to buy a boat by next year

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>Stuck since October and for the foreseeable future so deep in southern California that I can literally see Mexico from my bedroom
>Can't fish saltwater for shit without a boat
>Can't afford to buy, store, rent, operate, transport and/or insure a boat
>The nearest trout stream is ~5hr. away and I couldn't get to it anyway because it's snowed in and I have no cold-weather gear with me
>Everything accessible to me is a stocked warm-water reservoir

I hate this fucking state so much.

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>>660702
I'm so glad I live somewhere warm and I can fish all year round. Winter would always make me so depressed when I was up north. Couldn't ride bicycles, couldn't go fishing, it was awful.

I'm having withdrawls because I haven't gone fishing since Monday. Work has been crazy, so I have been getting home around 5pm and the sun is about to go down.

At least tomorrow is Friday. I still want to log some more hours on that new Abu reel. Also I need an excuse to use muh knew knoife(s).

>>660702
LOL Winter trout flyfishing STILL GOING HARD

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>>660953
Also my new route at work is in a suburban area out west where there are countless ponds and canals. I really want to keep a rod in my truck so I can cast around, but I would never have the time with how crazy work has been lately. That has been giving me mad withdrawld as well.

This weekend I think I will take a drive out that way and see if I can get some largemouth and peacocks.

>>660925
That seriously blows man, damn

>>660953
Nice setup

>>660953
I think I'm gonna buy another ugly stik tiger rod and either another Shimano bait runner or okuma trio

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>>660967
I have never seen thos Ugly Stik Tigers. Are they any good? Bass Pro just has the regular Ugly Stiks and the Elites. I own a few regular Ugly Stiks and almost grabbed an Elite instead of this Berkley Lightning Rod Shock. I really like that Lightning Rod tho, especially for the price. They only run like $50 and I have the orange one (Shock) that is designed for braid.

How are those Okuma Trios? After getting that Okuma Stratus V on Black Friday, I would definitely consider getting another Okuma.

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>>660702
I forgot this was also a catfish thread.

Caught this guy on a Mighty Mite with a Beetle Spin at some random little pond in IL right before I moved to FL. Only time I have ever gotten a catfish on a lure. I was just dragging it right along the shoreline.

I haven't gotten any catfish since moving to Florida. I'm sure they are around (and big). I fish with lures 90% of the time tho. Sometimes I will toss a live nightcrawler on the bottom, but still no catfish.

>Size 13 for reference
Also that cat was on an ultralite with 4lb line so it was a fun catch.

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>>660980
This is what I caught that catfish on

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Sorry for all the posting, but has anybody ever used pic related?

Years back, a friend got me hooked on them. You need a real gooey and sticky stink bait to use with them. More like a peanut butter texture instead of the dough balls. Put a stick in the end of the contraption nd coat it with stink bait.

I akways had much better luck with those rigs compared to a regular treble hook and dough balls. The stink bait slowly dissolves into the water and gets some attention. Plus the bait sticks on the rigs better than the regular dough balls.

It's been a few years since I last used them, I might need to grab a jar or that bait the next time I go night fishing.

>>660975
I have 2 tiger rods and love them, I had an eagle claw catclaw rod that casted nicer but IMO you can't go wrong with a tiger rod for catfish. Strong as hell but still sensitive. And the okuma trio is awesome as well, no complaints. I've bought 3

>>660975
I have an okuma that looks really similar to that white one, stratus cs 55 I believe. Real smooth reel.

>>660992
I won a box of stink and dip baits from a catfish site I joined, never had luck with those rigs but i honestly haven't used them enough to say how good they are. The past 4-5 years has been dedicated to flathead and I haven't targeted channel cats except early spring when flats are still dormant

>>660980
Nice catch btw

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>>661007
Does the Tiger rod just come in heavier weights? When I went on the Ugly Stik website for a second, it mentioned those rods being more for catfish and saltwater.

Next time I'm at Bass Pro, I'm gonna check out that Okuma. Next rod/reel I do will either be a nice medium weight or a light weight on a 6' rod. Last 2 spinning combos I bought were like medium/light combos. Bigger than an ultralite but smaller than a medium. Something you would run 4lb-6lb mono on. I'm starting to love that size with some 10lb braid. Light enough to cast 1/8oz lures, but strong enough to land 4lb bass with no problem.

Pic related would be my "catfish" rods I guess. The Shakespeare one was some $50 or $60 combo from Bass Pro. 7' MH Ugly Stik. Reel is big enough to easily do 30lb-40lb braid, so I will use that if I go saltwater fishing too.

The Pflueger President is on a 6'6" MH Bass Pro rod. Not a bad combo, but the reel is a little large for bass fishing with lures. Slightly larger than most medium weight reels so I'm sure 12lb mono would spool onto it just fine. I think I put 30lb Power Pro on it, but I should go down to 20lb. I have owned that rod for probably close to a year and haven't used it much. Too bad. Those Presidents are nice reels.

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This was an interesting catch from 2014, late Sept I believe.
>me and buddy fishing Monongahela river for flats using bluegill
>kinda cold and not much activity
>had a number of beers in me after a few hours
>get a crazy run out of nowhere
>set hook, battle begins
>late season around here causes a lot of "seaweed" type growth along river banks
>my fish gets caught in said vegetation and I'm basically heartbroken
>feeling pretty buzzed so I'm not giving up that easy
>few minutes of pulling, walking the bank up and down trying to free up my catch
>nothing working
>use heavy braid and fluorocarbon leader so I'm only worried about the knot breaking
>finally I say fuck it, I'm going out into that river after my fish
>while never setting down my rod I strip to my boxers and start out into the water
>about 45ft from shore, 3.5 ft of water
>getting nervous as I'm getting into the seaweed, it's thick and I can't see what's on the end of my line
>finally see that big green head, hell yea!
>I get my fish and head back to land
>weighs in 27.6lb and I'm happier than a kid on Christmas
If I wasn't quite hammered I would've never set foot in the water that night, it was pretty damn cold btw. I live for those moments though

>>661018
How much did you pay? I think Dick's is clearing them out, so those Stratus V's have been $40-$50 instead of $60-$70 like they normally are. I grabbed it for $30 on Black Friday. Best reel ever for that money. Even at $50, I thought about grabbing another one in a slightly heavier weight.

>>661019
What do you use for Flathead? I have never caught one. Channel cats and random little bullhead were the main thing I would get up north. I haven't really used stinkbait in awhile either. The channel cats I have gotten in recent years were mostly on nightcrawlers. It's always fun throwing out nightcrawlers on the bottom far from shore. No telling what will bite.

>>661021
Thanks mang. Nothing crazy. That's a decent size for those suburban ponds around Chicago.

>>661025
Tiger rod comes in a few variations but there's not many. There's a tiger lite made for saltwater jigging and or trolling, can't remember. There's a medium action bait caster and medium action spinning. There are 2 more sizes I believe but I use the 7' M action spinning version. Although it is medium action this rod packs some serious punch. People have different opinions on them but I swear by them after buying 2. I have geared all my fishing towards big cats since that's about the baddest thing I can catch around here. Have one rhino glow tip rod, 6'6" med action with a quantum reel which I use for catching bait. also love my 6'6" MH classic ugly stik with my okuma stratus on it. Pulled in another 27lber with that setup in 2013, that was a hell of a fight man. Gonna try to get some pics of my 2 main rods if I get the time tonight

>>661030
I payed 45 for that white okuma like 3yrs ago from dicks, it also said clearance on it when I bought mine haha. But I use mostly bluegill for flats. I have best luck with fresh cut gill heads. Where are you from? I'm near pittsburgh

>>661038
I live in Florida now, Ft. Lauderdale pretty much. Moved here a little over 2yrs ago from NW suburbs of Chicago. Last time I casted out half a bluegill in some little pond years and years ago, I got what I believe was a bowfin. To this day, I have no idea how it got in that pond.

And I can't figure out the pricing on those Okuma Stratus reels. They always have that red clearance price tag. But either way, it is a damn nice reel for <$50. Plus they look really good, the design reminds me of a $200 Quantum reel.

>>661034
Can't go wrong with the Ugly Stiks. I own 3 of them. Pretty much everybody agrees they are the way to go if you want a $40-$50 rod. Although after buying that Lighning Rod, I almost got a 2nd one of those. I have been digging rods with faster action lately, especially since I normally fish with braid and lures, and it seems hard to get with the Ugly Stiks. I think I'm finally starting to understand the difference between action and weights.

>>661043
I fished for bass years ago before I was old enough to really figure all that out, want to get into musky. Have you tried the newest ugly stik? The gx2 I think it is. From what I can tell they're more for lure fishing. I've never even landed a fish while using a lure, not my talent I suppose

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>>661043

>>661058
I like the look of them.

What exactly is the difference between that and the regular Ugly Stik and Elite?

When I was at Bass Pro, I was looking at the Elites. They are $50 compared to $40 for a regular Ugly Stik. They had a cork handle instead of the foam. No idea what else.

>>661058
>>661060
I think I figured it out.

Elite has the cork handle, and more graphite in the rod blank which supposedly makes it more sensitive.

Then the Tiger has an even better rod blank, only seems to come in heavier sizes for catfish and anything big, and has Fuji reel seats.

I would def consider a Tiger if I wanted to do another heavier combo for saltwater or whatever.

>>661069
The fuji reel seats are nice. I've never seen the elite in person though. I got a few more pics, just busy doing other shit atm

>>660702
I'm from South Jersey, and just went out fishing with my Dad this morning. Out on our boat, we caught 6 Stripers, 4 of which were keepers. A solid day overall.

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>>661069

>>661073
Nice, my step dad got me into fishing when I was very young but I haven't fished with him in years. You guys get anything sizeable?

>>661071
The Elite looks like a regular one, but full cork handle. Still that black color with red accents. And the cork has "UglyStik" written on it in big, bold letters. Nothing crazy. I didn't play around with it too much tho.

It's always hard not to think about the Bass Pro brand rods. Some of them are nice; and you get a lot for the money. Plus they go on sale a bit.

I like that Abu Vendetta rod I recently got. I wouldn't mind buying a Veritas next. They are expensive though, and i's hard to justify spending over $100 on a rod when the Ugly Stiks are an aisle over for $40.

I also want to try a St. Croix or Fenwick rod. Lots of people rec'd the Fenwicks. Eagle is the popular Fenwick rod iirc.

>>661082
2 were 24 inches, 1 was 26 and the other was 29. I've only ever been saltwater fishing out in the Atlantic Ocean, but I'm looking to expand to other kinds of fishing. Any suggestions??

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>>661088
I doubt much will compare since lots of freshwater stuff doesn't get nearly as big.

I still prefer bass fishing at little ponds and lakes. I use lures, so there is some strategy and technique rather than just watching a bobber. Plus largemouth and especially peacocks fight pretty good.

Too cold to kayak ponds , just starting to ice over
Too thick to kayak through too thin to walk on
River starting to ice over aswell
Don't want to risk flipping and freezing

Trout streams frozen
Fuck this man
Nothings thick enough to oce fish yet

>>661103
Shit sucks

>>661105
I know what sucks more is I hevrnt even touched my ice fishing shit
I mostly hit panfish but I haven't had time to research new lakes or make some small tip ups

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>>660975
Here's a close up of my trio, this reel is smooth as tits and definitely worth the 95$. The shimano has a slightly louder bait clicker but for double the price.

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>>660702
>going through fishing witdrawl
Not me. The last catfish I cleaned, I was using someone else's nail puller and the handles were super slick. Somehow I managed to stick one of the batbs THROUGH my pinky. It's still too early to tell, but I might have a nueroma and I for sure have nerve damage

>>661366
Oh damn, that looks painful. Those fuckin barbs are no joke

>>661366
As someone who has worked at a hatchery and stocked thousands of catfish I feel your pain
>no we can't just shoot them all through the tube
>can't count them that way
>they get stuck in the tube due to spikes

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>>660702
I've managed to catch some large mouth, trout, and some crappie and it has been below freezing.

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>>662125
sorry wrong pic

>>662125
>arctic_char

u fucking wot m8

>>662127
That's a nice bass, if I wasn't so busy I would be hitting the river around here. Water isn't frozen yet

>>662095
Weight on those?

>>662389
Eh, 30ish with some teeners thrown in

>>662464
Nice haul

>>662466
That's a beauty