2009 December Winner
Submitted By: willsneden

Jigging for Sauger and Walleye in Tennessee. It was middle of February about 36 degrees. Fishing the Tennessee river just outside of Knoxville. My best Walleye even though I have fished Erie, Lake Michigan, and the Boundry Waters of Minnesota.

Category: Walleye

Caught it on:  
Honorable Mentions

2009 November Winner
Submitted By: FishingFool1

Ok where do I begin. Well my fishing day started at 4:45 in the morning. My buddy and I loaded the boat, picked up some coffee, and headed to some spot he claimed he knew of. We drove for about 30 min on some haul roads to find nothing but Amish houses. He obviously had no clue where he was going. Ok man turn around we will just go to Wills Creek resevoir,so we did. We get there and he backs his truck down to the water and we lift the boat out just to find that we didnt put the trolling battery in the boat, it was at home still on the charger. I was pretty upset at this point. Alright put the boat back in the truck and we will just fish the tiny pond we passed on the way out the old fashion way (by foot). So by the time we got our lines wet it was already 7:00. I make a couple casts with a super fluke and WHAM! fish on, no wait fish off, the knot failed DAMN, I should have retied from last time out. Man that was a good one too. So I grab my other pole that has 30lb power pro on it and walked to the other side of the tiny pond. I made a few more casts just as it started to sprinkle and WHAM!! fish on and this time it was really on. My pole doubled over and I yelled for my buddy " Dude shes a big one I need your help". Oh stop he said not lookin my way. Then the fish sprang from the water, and crashed back into it. His head snapped around and he yells " im comin im comin". She tried to bury herself in the weeds, but I pulled a little harder and kept her above it. After a brief struggle I had her by the mouth and let out a sigh of relief. WOW! what a beauty. My buddy looks at me and says man she makes up for all the crap we dealt with earlier. Yep she sure does. P.S. The luner calender had this day as a poor fishing day. Not so poor after all.

Category: Bass

 
Honorable Mentions

2009 October Winner
Submitted By: Amanda22

My fishing buddy, aka my boyfriend, were fishing at the mouth of 20 mile creek in Erie. According to the other fisherman, It didn't look so good for us when we first arrived at the creek, but I managed to bring in a few. This was my first catch of the day. I believe I was using a white wooly bugger that I tied. It is so much fun catching these fish in these small creeks!

Category: Trout

 
Honorable Mentions

2009 September Winner
Submitted By: crab05

It was our annual trip to lake Erie and we were throwing berkley power tubes and shakey worms. The water was about 80 surface temp. It was august on Erie and realy hot! We had stopped on a set of big bolders in the water and started throwing tubes,when she hit my green pumkin power tube. She jumped a bunch and I didnt know if I was going to land her but my buddy caught her in the net on her final jump and bam!!!! she was in the boat. After a picture we turned her back to make a bunch more just like her. we support CPR(CATCH,PICTURE AND RELEASE). We caught many more that day and had a great time. This year Im going to take some Berkley Gulp Gobies with me to give a try on those lake Erie Bronzebacks! Thanks and tight lines everyone!

Category: Bass

Caught it on:  
Honorable Mentions

2009 August Winner
Submitted By: Smallmouthpro

St. Clair River Thanks Mr. Steve, Tyler and Dad

Category: Walleye

Caught it on:  
Honorable Mentions

2009 July Winner
Submitted By: fishjunky

A friend and I were talking about the advantages and disadvantages of being urbin fisherman. How we have tons of waters with in-short drives of each other and how they are always so crowded. The one argument we had was how he didn't think there was any big fish left for us. So I took him to a lake that dumps into a small creek with plenty of fishing pressure and we begin to fish. I start off on the down side of the dam with a 1/64oz jig tipped w/a 1"lunker city fin-s shad. As I'm catching croppies from a small eddie, B-boy or Jeremy comes up to me and said, I seen the funnest thing just now, a sign with the words WALLEYES MUST BE 18" TO KEEP and I say why is that so funny? He comes back with, like there's even 18" eyes in here! So I say back to him if you only new, and out comes THEN SHOW ME THE <. I change to a 1/32oz jig w/a 2"emerld shad gulp and start fishing a shallow ridge in the center of the dam. It all lasts about 4 casts and pop hooked up. Fish staying down I didn't know what I had but from the side to side head shakes I guess walleye. B-boy comes up and mouths, do u need some help with that big carp? I shot back with no I can get this big walleye myself, bull he says and walks away. He gets half way back to what ever dumb thing he was doing and I yell hay come take my picture boy. Walking back with the aw look on his face and jaw dragging the ground, he asks. How on the sunniest fall day ever, high pressures, all these people, 4 pound test, and in this small creek of all places? I say to him, there still here for us to catch we just have to tickle them right. After taking a pic of this beutiful fish we put her back to live out her life and to never have this conversation again.....

Category: Walleye

Caught it on:  
Honorable Mentions

2009 June Winner
Submitted By: alpo2008

I caught this Hawg in a well managed 4 acre private lake.This was my 8th monster and so far the largest i have caught in a week & 1/2.It's been a wet week down here,but that only seems to make the fishing better.It was cloudy most of the morning,then the sun popped out.After about 20 minutes of the sun beaming down i was ready to look for a shade,so i figured to fish would too! The water had about 6 to 8 inches of visability so i was throwing a Big Dead Ringer Watermelon Seed worm without a weight almost deadsticking it,just pulling it real slow threw the shadow of bushes that grew along the bank, pulling the worm about 6inches then letting it set and soak.After about 10 pulls she picked it up and headed for the deeper water,i set the hook and held on,i was spooled with 10lb fluorocarbon so i just played her out.She made the reel squeele alittle stripping line,but believe me that only added to the excitement.I finally landed her took measurements (26 in.lenghth x 21 in. girth) weight 14 Lbs & 8oz.Got her pictures then proudly released her back, to grow bigger and fight another day.

Category: Bass

Caught it on:  
Honorable Mentions

2009 May Winner
Submitted By: Walleye90

2/25/09. I was ice fishing on Little Bay De Noc in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I had three nice eater Walleyes already on the ice. Only two more to go to make it a limit. I got another bite, set the hook and SNAP!! Line broke, (felt like a heavy fish too) oh well. I tied on another Jigging Rapala and sent it down. It no sooner got to the bottom and a BIG, WIDE line appeared on my flasher fish finder. I jigged it once and that line raced up and SMACKED it. I didn’t think she was real big at first until I got her close to the hole and she went right back to the bottom, screaming drag all the way. I finally got her on the ice(good thing my line broke on the prior fish and not this one!) and just about jumped for joy over my biggest Walleye so far. She is now at the taxidermist and I am really looking forward to seeing her on my wall.

Category: Walleye

 
Honorable Mentions

2009 March Winner
Submitted By: Angler Ace

It was a day I will never forget. I was fishing at a shoreline, lined with many other Striper seekers. There were at least 6 people to my left, and a few of my friends on my right. I was using squid for bait. I don't know what the others were using. When I had the Bite, it took me by surprise, I had casted pretty far out. So by the time I set the Hook, and the amount of line the STRIPER had peeled of my reel, I was not sure if I would recover in time to land him. AS faith would have much to the excitement of the others who rushed over to admire the catch I had this nice 35 pound STRIPER and picture to add to my collection. I was the only person there to catch a fish that afternoon, and missed a bite I had after I caught that fish. Some people think that I'am LUCKY, but I use the BEST FISHING EQUIPMENT I can BUY, and I do NOT skimp on the bait, like many others do.

Category: InShore Saltwater

 
Honorable Mentions

2009 February Winner
Submitted By: Missippifisher

It was just getting dark,i was under a bridge on the mississippi. I had just gotten a snag and had to break the line. I had to tie another jig on, this was not easy by the light of my cell phone. once i had gotten it tied i cast out into what i thought was the perfect angle, but it was too dark to aim right so i ended up hitting the pillar support of the bridge. The ig fell straight down into 3 feet of water, at this point i was preety frustrated. As i began to reel in and recast i felt a bite and i set the hook harder than ever before! Little did i know i had hooked the biggest gator of my life.

Category: Walleye

Caught it on:  
Honorable Mentions