u/Ok-Gas7587

10 mins in at my local spot on the DPR, and this mf decided it was hammer time.

Coppertreuse TRD been on 🔥

Went right back to the Fox after waiting out the ⚡️ in a local Walmart with the wife. I thought I was done for the day after the smallie, but once I seen no rain, knew it was time for round 2 lmao.

Hit the dam again for another hour, got snagged, retied, and thought I was snagged again when this mf hit the Ned. Once I seen him belly up I knew he was a channel cat, it’s crazy how much he bent my rod tho. First channel cat, first time at the Fox.

Check comments for a video of the fight. You’ll see a smallie breach the surface right by the cat as I’m reeling him in.

🤙🏽

Hit the Fox for the 1st time since the DPR has been 💩 with all this rain. Originally wanted to get to the dam at 1 and stay till 3, but the rain decided to show up earlier. Stood in some light rain for an hour before I caught this smallie in the whitewater. Right after heard thunder and 🏃🏽‍♂️

Definitely will be back, reminds me of the St. Joseph in Indiana.

Another full shore grind success with OwnAbbreviations2222. Bro beat me to the lake this time at 5:30AM, and I got there around 6:45AM. We started hitting the shore near Northerly Island till 9 before we decided to park at DuSable to fish there and the Chicago River for a bit. Bro beat the skunk at the river with a LMB, so after that I was on a mission💀.

Dipped from River around 10:45AM so we could go back to Burnham and see if we’d catch Fish Chicago there. I had a hard stop at 12:30 that was originally 12 and sure enough I caught this mf at 12:20. POPPIN PIKE CHERRIES, LFG.

Started off today at Central Park around 10:30-11AM. Fished for about an hour and only got a Rock Bass. Figured I had to move since I didn’t get any bites after that.

Got in the car and drove a few blocks over to the Mishawaka Riverwalk to keep fishing the St. Joseph River. Within the first hour caught a smallmouth dink, then got distracted by an elderly couple who seen me yesterday fishing there. Chopped it up with them for a bit before I got back to casting.

Popped the rod a few times, and felt a HUGE hit. Type of hit that feels like a snag when you know it’s not. Dude was so heavy he was peeling drag like crazy, thought I almost lost him getting him up and over the rail. Pretty sure Mike and Barb are my good luck charm😂. (Video in Comments)

Smallie @ Central Park in Mishawaka on a Ned Rig. Used a ZMan Finesse TRD in Goby Bryant. Got there around 8PM after checking out Prickett Park which was a bust. I was fishing the Ned for an hour with no luck till a guy told me I needed to cross the bridge. Soon as I went where he said, I cast twice and got a big hit. As I’m unhooking the fish, sure enough the guy who put me on walks by. Shout out to him 😂.

Shout out to Mark too, he’s not pictured but was good company. Indiana folks are the best 💪🏽

Me and the homies hit the lake this morning. I got there at 6:30 AM, but the bros overslept so I had a little solo session first.

Started at the Planetarium, worked over to the Shedd, then all of DuSable by Buckingham Fountain. I was throwing a Z-Man Finesse TRD (Goby Bryant) on a Ned rig. Got a solid bite after a while but got too excited and set the hook early.

Right after OwnAbbrevations2222 rolled up on his bike and it’s go time.

We keep pushing toward Navy Pier, hitting spot after spot with nothing until Monroe Harbor around 8:30 then BOOM. A smallie absolutely wrecks his crankbait and launches out of the water. Had to be at least 3 lbs, that mf had weight (check comments).

We kept moving north toward the Fire Department Dive Squad docks around 9:30 fishing a few different spots with nothing before he pointed out a nice stretch of pilings. First cast, I let the Ned hit the bottom. One little pop and I got a hit. After the hookset I actually thought I was snagged till I eventually seen him come up. Landing him with the FD Helicopter in the background too was super cinematic lmao (check comments).

One PB smallie for him, and a solid largemouth for me. Met up with the other homie back at the Planetarium afterward and didn’t catch shit for the rest of the day 🤣💪🏽.

YO. I know it sounds like I’m gassing him up, but this juicy mf was sitting in barely a foot of water under a dead tree and absolutely SMOKED my Whopper Plopper. Hit it so hard one of the treble hooks snapped off while I was trying to unhook him. Then I had to get the lip ring out after the lure was already off. Ironically this happened to the PB smallie I caught yesterday at the same spot.

To make it even better, I had my drag set way too loose when he crushed it, so I was reeling like a goofy and forgot to tighten it😂. This was a good way to end since I was out there for a few hours and only got a mini dink before him on a Ned Rig.

Definitely getting a scale next, tired of not knowing what these mfs weigh lmao.

Pretty sure this is a PB! Feels heavier than the last one I caught here, mind you this is only the 3rd smallie I’ve ever caught too.

Anyways, I only had an hour to fish today, so I hit my local spot after work around 7 and fished till 8. I first was using a Berkeley Power Worm, but the water was super calm so I switched over to the Whopper Plopper Loon for some top water action. Right before switching I seen two fish breach the surface so I figured it was that time.

I ended up losing two fish on at first, which is strange since my lure has double treble hooks, but right at the top of the hour this mf smoked it. I swear he felt like a tank during the fight, I thought I was gonna lose him. These smallies got balls of steel!

Fished for an hour, same spot as yesterday on the DPR. Got two on the first and second cast. Got the third after walking a bit further down the river. Whopper Plopper 60 Loon is straight ⛽️ 🔥.

Pulled up to the DPR with the wife, cast once as a demonstration, and as I’m talking got a hit 💀. Great fight, and he’s a bit of a bigger dinker than the last I got here. Whopper Plopper Loon is on 🔥.

Yesterday I wanted to hit the DPR with the Whopper Plopper Loon, but I thought it was stupidddd hot and bitched out. Later that day I saw No_Champion2816 got 2 smallies at the DPR and instantly had FOMO😭.

Today after work hit the river, saw something jump, cast right over it, and this dinker smoked it. He got hooked nasty though so I had to snap a pic quick then unhook him. Sure he was hearing 🎷

Didnt get shit after him, but aye cheers to my first smallie 🥃.

Got there around 6:45 PM and started catching bluegill for the hell of it till one of em swallowed the hook. Knew he was a goner, so made him bait.

Tossed the bluegill on a bobber in about 5ft, and this guy smoked him 😭.