BigBendFishing.Net

Didn't have anything to do today so I headed out around 2 to one of my favorite bank fishing ponds to do a little topwater. It's a city park pond located in Tallahassee, but it may or may not be entirely legal to fish there so it shall remain nameless at the moment . It's fairly small, dirty and drawn WAY down due to the lack of rain but it has lots of lily pads and is loaded with bait. It was nice and warm out with some overcast periods, knew it was going to be a good day when I saw bass jumping completely out of the water to catch bugs.

Anyway, I was using a Texas Rigged Zoom Swimmin Super Fluke on a 4/0 wide gap Trokar and dragging it across the lily pads. It has a big paddle swimbait type tail and it makes almost as much burbling as a small buzzbait when retrieved at the right speed. Drives them crazy and they hit it like a ton of bricks. Just give it a two count after they eat it and set the hook, I run the tip completely through the back and just barely tuck the point, you won't ever hardly miss a fish if you're using good hooks. This hoss took my Fluke on the 3rd cast, a little over 21'' and fat as a pig. I'm 6'5 and 240 for scale.



Fished till 430 and managed 11 more mostly in the 1-2.5lbs range at this pond and a smaller pond next to it just walking around the edges of the ponds, pitching past the edges of the pads and retrieving it back over the top of them. Saw the V-wake of a bass that looked like it would put the one I caught to shame a little before I left, comin' back for that one

If you think it's illegal, it probably is. I've done my share of "city pond" fishin' before, and know this: FWC will not hesitate to slap you with a pretty hefty ticket, and depending on how far out of the way it is and your response to leo inquiry, confiscate your equipment.

Be careful and try to stick to legal ponds/lakes.


Oh, and nice fish!!! The risk definitely makes the catch more enjoyable, though I've never been "caught," I do not condone doing so, nor will I again.

Git'er done, J Holden. Guessin' you like them Trokar hooks. What's not to like except the price.

Harmsway wrote:Git'er done, J Holden. Guessin' you like them Trokar hooks. What's not to like except the price.

You know I think I paid 6.50 or somewhere thereabouts for a pack of 5 from Wally World, really not that bad in the grand scheme of things. It's those Flukes that will put me in the poorhouse, I usually get 2 maybe 3 bass on one before it's too torn up and only 5 to a bag. They sure do like em though. The 5/0 Owner spring hooks that I previously used for the same thing are a dollar or two cheaper per pack and REALLY sharp but you can tell sticking the bait that the Trokars are a little better. With as good as braid is these days it's pretty rare to lose them anyway.

I have been busted before fishing places of dubious legality (behind the fence at Natural Bridge.. caught a Warmouth back there that may have been a state record on a Zoom Brush Hog of all things) but have been lucky and got off with a warning. All the places you aren't supposed to fish are the good places! My luck is probably running thin, sure wish Jackson would fill up enough to get a 18'+ boat in there.

Wahahaha, thats awesome. Nice fish too! Definitely can't afford these days to get those hooks or get caught by FWC.