Fished FCL today from 6:45 until 3:30. As usual my plan was to split up the day between Sunfish & Bass. Started out fishing for bass from 6:45 until 8:30 in one of my usual bass spots...never even got a hit. Moved on and targeted sunnies from 8:30 until 10 am. The sunfish were very cooperative...ended up with well over 100 with some good ones mixed in. Went back and fished the same bass area from around 10 to 12 and still not one hit...This is very unusual. Left the area and found some more colonies of sunfish in some spots I had not tried yet this year with good success. At 2 pm I was feeling bass skunky & decided to give it one more try b4 heading home. They had finally moved in and were feeding on shad, so put on the spot lock and ended up with 22 between 2:15 & 3:15. The 2 biggest were just over 4 lbs. All bass caught on shad swimbaits & sunfish on Gulp Alive 1" minnows in chartreuse & shiner colors. All released to fight another day...

Vog,
Those sunfish are not only monsters, but they are beautiful as well. Certainly nothing wrong with 4lb bass either.

Thanks Rowdy...I agree with you that they are beautiful...every one different & unique in the coloration...

The colors are really hard for me to get the pix to really show off. These of yours look really good. There is this old limestone pit that they made by crushing all the limestone they clawed out fr⁰om the early 80's through 2000. They had a long dig there with such a deep deposit of the limestone in this creek bed. They always had big pumps running 24/7 to keep the water off their equipment. This pit is about 250 miles from me, so it's not a early morning or late afternoon fish. Least not easy.

I fished it more than a few times, even went swimming in it also, while they were still crushing the limestone from it. It's really deep since they have since abandoned it, water is as clear as drinking water, and i t is way cold, it's colder than the water I have carried with me to drink while fishing this huge pit. That freshwater creek has made one nice deep hole. Fishing that creek back in the 80's and had seen what they removed from the creek bed, I would say it's 100' deep. The sides of the pit are straight sheer 90 degrees and make it a tricky mess to fish and swim. Dangerous if your not really sure footed and aware of your footing.
Now the really cool thing is the fishing. There is some monster Warmouth in it as well as other different bream and bass. All these I have caught have some of the best colors I ever saw in freshwater fish. I just wish they had better access to the water, it's to darn cold to swim in lol just need better access to fish.

While swimming in it and trying to keeping my breath from that cold water, I have had some of the smaller bream swarm me and was biting at the hair all over my body lol. Heck some of them actually hurt when they yanked on my hair and bit my freckles. All I can say is they are just little monsters lol.

I have been told there was some walleye put in there and if the case they should be some happy predators with all the deep cold water and all the prey I have seen. Heck the last few times I have tried to get permission to enter the area, there was no one to talk to. It's a heck of a unique place to fish. The fish I have caught unique in color and size as well.
It may get where you have to crawl through the fence to fish it, might be risking getting in all sorts of trouble, but like to fish it again. If I ever get to fish it again, I plan to use one of my flyrods in there. It would be a blast to let these little monsters smoke the drag and show-off all they wanted, a few pix and release lol...

Where I fish locally we don't even get close to these monsters you got. Yours are really special. As fisherman these places to fish as well as the fish should be guarded to the N'th degree... The place your fishing there is obviously a really special place.

Rowdy...2 tricks I use to get the color in the sunfish. 1st, I always try to position the fish in the shade... Especially if it is a sunny day like yesterday. I place my body between the sun and the fish to take the photo where the fish is in shade. 2nd, I use software called Fotosketcher to enhance the pics...It's free & allows you to get as creative as you like...My goal is to make the color look as natural as possible assuming you have ideal light conditions...I also take a lot if video, but have gotten to the point where I only take the video when it's cloudy or mostly cloudy because I don't like the "washed out" color from the light...

As always, beautiful fish Vogey

Great news on the sunfish bite and locations

Any moved into the reeds?

Thanks for the report, as always.

Solid post and solid fish. Brought to you by. "The Master of Fayette"! Good job Steve!

Nice gillz Vogey

Thanks Yesenia Leo & Chuck

Jamie...I did try some reed beds yesterday. What I found was that the Niad grass or Hydrilla has pretty much filled up the edge of the reeds where I used to catch them. The lake is constantly evolving so we have to adapt accordingly. Let me know if you have a trip planned...

Looks like it’s afternoon bite for bass or no bite ! Things are changing for sure.



.

Another great day sir!

Nice catches Steve.
What was the water temp? About time for me to start hitting it again.

Thanks Doc & Thrash...
John...The water temp was 89-92 in most of the areas I fished...I talked to a guy who said it was 108 at the discharge...

Great report Steve
Your pictures are like nothing else. Got my boat out of the shop Tuesday just before going on vacation to Alabama.
I’m planning on hitting the water next week. Hope the little guys are still biting.