OK, you guys have been messin’ with me for too long now, so sign me up for membership in your fancy/schmancy RES Club...

Geez, did it blow up after you measured it? :p

George, you are the man. You've got some nice lookin' forage going there; right, Bruce?

Very nice George! I am still trying to catch the first one from our pond, heck I would be happy to just positively ID one visually.

Absolutely. I'm jealous! How is it that every one of George's fish seem to look like this. Something magic in the water, I guess.

So what do I gotta do to join?

Evidently you have to grow a redear sunfish that looks like a pumpkin.

Growing them is one thing, actually catching them is quite another thing.

Put on the Redeared slippers and click your heels together 3 times, while repeating "There's no fish like Lepomis microlophus! There's no fish like Lepomis microlophus! There's no fish like Lepomis microlophus!"

Among the many benefits of membership is an mp3 file of Bruce singing the Redear Club theme song (to the tune of the B-52's "Deadbeat Club").

P.S. Very, very nice, george.

Yeah, Shorty and I have probably 300 of these things between us in our ponds, and we can't get one to even sniff a lure.

I put in 50 2 inchers in Nov. 05. Saw my first one Memorial day weekend. Caught a 2-3 incher in my bluegill trap baited with fish food. This along with about 20 BG. Needless to say, he went back in...the BG, they got wounded and then returned to the water.

George, what did you catch him on? And dont tell me a pellet fly!

Guys try crickets fished deep around structure. Worms same method. We have no trouble catching them. :p

Ditto. Up here in northern Indiana they catch them in deep warer closer to the bottom. I've actually caught them with nitecrawlers fishing on the bottom on breaks.

ewest, did I mention that we have roughtly 250 gazillion snails in the pond right now that are mixed in with roughly 4 acres of coontail? I'm still looking to catch one of these from our December stocking. :p



I have to admit that stocking RES was probably one of the best stocking decisions we've made regarding our pond.

Shorty I hear you. I don't catch many small RES. I don't recall catching any smaller than 5 in. and not many between 5-7in. They may not eat crickets and worms on a hook when small. Catch some of those snails and crunch them up and soak a worm or cricket in the mash and see what happens.

Originally posted by Bruce Condello:

Bruce, have you ever tried a tiny plug called an Ugly Duckling? They make a sinker, right at 2cm length, that is an absolute slayer for RES in deep pond water-can sink to where the RES hang out, and be retrieved slowly. They're made in Canada, and I haven't seen one in a store for ages, though Wally World had a few about 10 years ago.


I feel a little bit like Kwai Chang giving unsolicited advice to Master Po even chiming in on this topic......forgiveness to your presumptious student, O Great One!

Yolk Sac if it works (if you can do it) its not bragging. You don't need to ask for forgiveness if it works.

Growing them is one thing, actually catching them is quite another thing. [/QUOTE]

Try Cecil's AQMX pellet fly - caught many 5-7 inchers last evening and this morning...

:D

Did you weigh that 10 incher, george? I'm guessing just under a pound.

I hardly catch any RES after the spawn. Of course, I've never tried pellet flies.

Just barely over a pound on the boga...

Sheesh! I don't think I'll get in the RES club!

I don't know if catching them is my problem, or if they just decided to call it quits in my pond.

I haven't caught an RES in two years. I can't easily seine my pond, so I set out a minnow trap about once a month during the feeding season. All I ever get are what appear to be bluegill (I'm not sure if I can distinguish a 1-2 inch BG from an RES) and LMB.

My crappie have completely disappeared too -- which does not disappoint me.

I'm not sure if I'm doing something right or something wrong.

Can you find me a picture of one of those plugs, Kwai?

great great fish george

hey, if i'm a charter member of the GSA (that would be Green Sunfish Association as opposed to the Geological Society of America, of which i'm also a member :rolleyes: ) can i also be a member of the RES Club....huh?..... can i?... please?...

at stocking (Early March 07 - ~6 to 6.5 in)


First sampling (Early May 2007 - ~8.5 in )


as we speak (almost)........i'm soon to be a grandad


i guess i'll understand if you shun me for my love of water witchin, fly fishing w/ worms, and giant green sunnies......i shall accept my fate whatever you decide.

Dave, if they let a "half fast" geologist like myself join the RES Club, I'm sure they will allow a distinguished member of our profession join, even if he does fly fish for giant greenies w/worms...

Dave if you put your finger that close to a RES mouth you are IN the club. :p

i'm honored and humbly accept admittance.

eric....note my RES handling protocol has changed now to the sole use of cold hard finely machined stainless steel implements.

a little bird told me that JHAP caught a RES with a rooster tail this week. we may have yet another forum member begging acceptance soon.

BTW, mr. yolk kwai sac, i would like to see one of them plugs too.

Don't know if "Kwai" can find a picture but this is what I found on EBAY.


http://search.ebay.com/ugly-duckling-fishing-lures_W0QQfnuZ1QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ3QQxpufuZx

I don't have any pics of the Ugly Ducks, but I should because they're practically members of the family.

D.I.E.D.-

These are the best GSF lures I've ever found, especially the sinkers-cast to the edge of a weedbed and allowed to fall, a lot of strikes occur even before the retrieve. And the ability to regulate depth makes them especially versatile.

The smallest sizes seem most effective, especially in fairly heavily fished waters-I don't think most fish have seen a crank bait so small. I use the smallest floater [2cm, 1/14 oz] as a topwater bait for big gills with 2lb test; the sinkers are a little heavier at 1/10 oz and can be used with 4lb test. They're also deadly trout baits, and work well in mild-moderate currents.

A small snap is essential to correct action- No-Knot fast snaps, the smallest size, are best.

They have a web site-www.uglyducklinglures.com

As you'll find on the website, very few places in the US carry them, but the Red Rock Store in MN has a great website and is an excellent supplier-I get mine online there. www.redrockstore.com

There's a RES Club????

Can I join, can I???

I'll state my qualifications:

(1) I have stocked RES in my pond as of March of this year.

(2) The very first time I handled a RES it drew blood.

(3) This past week I caught a RES on a "Rooster Tail" lure.

(4) I am capable of entering into a trance like state and channeling Zilon, High Lord and Exhalted Ruler of the Liquid Realm.

I will eagerly await your decision.

Anybody who's had a RES draw blood is given automatic membership.

That's how I got in.

I would assume that being able to accomplish number 4 is pretty much automatic too.

I think I saw a RES once. Can I get in? Can I can I huh?

Having satisfied Dr. Condello’s requirements, the initiation fee - err punishment phase, is to return to link below,
http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000465;p=1, and read verbatim, each and every post very carefully and slowly repeat – I will never – I will never, consider RES bait, err forage again...

Last night I took my kids and their friends out to the Conderosa for a swim. I had to turn off the circulator for safety reasons, and I noticed in the clear water next to the dock a huge male redear guarding a nest. Wish I had my camera. I'd say he was 10 inches plus.

Needless to say we made frequent head counts to make sure all the children came back safe.

how many times have i said that....my first thoughts at times like that are they'l never believe me on PB if i dont post a pic.

i thought you liked kids bruce?

Thanks Bruce and George, I now get to add "Member in Good Standing of the RES Club to my Pond Boss" resume!

Jeez Bruce a 10" RES, I can only dream of the day!

Every time you don't carry a camera you are almost guaranteed that something will happen that you wished you got a photo of!

I was very surprised when I caught my RES on the small Roostertail lure. It was a small RES probably 6" or so but was fun to catch none the less. At first I thought I had snagged some Elodea, the RES didn't hit the lure like a LMB or a GSF. Once I started reeling though that's when it began to put up some fight. I was surprised because I didn't think I'd ever catch a RES on a lure - go figure. Those small mouths make getting a lure out a challenge - unhook the fish, hook my finger, unhook my finger, hook the fish, unhook the fish, hook my swim trunks, unhook my swim trunks, hook the kayak seat, unhook the kayak seat........

Since I was recently demoted to fingerling status, and submitted my first post for PB forum approval, I hereby re-apply for Emeritus status into the RES club.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY.
Freedom Isn’t Free….!

4th of July RES...

That was just caught today? Cool!

Looks like it weighs a solid 1-4. Just a wild guess.

We need somebody to volunteer to be the acceptance committee for RES club. Any nominations?

I'm adding a photo so that I can be considered for lifetime membership.

Holy Moly! How much did that thing weigh, Bruce? I'm still shocked at how tall that thing is! What did you catch it on?

I "caught" RES yoy in the primrose I raked up in our biggest pond. I even handled them with my bare hands. Does that allow me to become a member of the club, or do I have to actually catch one with rod & reel? I'm just glad to see we had RES reproduction.

If you have touched one you are in the club !!

Yep, ewest is right. You're in.

That RES weighed in the neighborhood of 1-12. He had to be released quickly, but he measured over 12 inches.

He released himself after he bit the end of your finger off. :p

My hubby can join the club now, he caught a 10 and 3/4 inch RES today. We went to a lake in Willow Springs Mo. this morning. I thought after he caught that one is was goona be a good fishing trip, but alass we didn't catch any more of the big ones, just 3 more in the 3 inch range.

Bruce - you're the MAN- err, President of the RES club...

When was your RES stocked?
When caught?

Ours were stocked 04-16-04 in a brand new muddy pond that only filled a couple of weeks ago...

Bruce, stop "doctoring" your photos. I'm sure the members that were around a year or so ago, like the original George, will recall what the photo really looked like....
.

I stocked 90 RES in my bigger pond as adults last spring. They promptly disappeared and were feared dead until we ran a seine this spring and the little monsters showed up in the net--and they weren't that little! They ranged at stocking from 7-9 inches and they were 8-10.5 a year later. I finally caught my first one last week.

The fish in the photo comes from a public lake that gets surpisingly little pressure. It's in a high traffic area, literally. The redears caught in this pit generally are 7.5-13 inches long.

Same here – stocked 100, 3-4 inchers in 2004 in ¼ acre pond, and didn’t know we had any survivors until a few weeks ago, when started fishing for HSB to transfer to main pond.
We’ve caught dozens of them...

Serendipity?
:rolleyes:

Those Redears can be elusive. I haven't caught any at my pond for a couple of months. Monday night, neighbors came by with 5 kids (4 their own) to go fishing - 2 of the boys caught RES, one of them for his first fish ever!

The four oldest kids each caught their first fish that night:

6.5" RES
5" BG
16" LMB
24" CC

It was a good night.

Gotta love those multi-species evenings, Theo. Well done.

RES update from the deep south...I was able to get this 12"er out of our 3 acre, stunted bass and monster RES and BG pond east of San Antonio. It was just getting dark (9 pm) and the picture is blurry, but it's a nice fish. If he would have cooperated and kept his tail up, it would have done his size more justice.

nice fish, Dave.

Is this the pond near Poth?

Thanks, BarO. This is the pond just north of Waelder. The ponds in Poth should have RES like this very soon! The Waelder pond is your typical stunted bass lake with numerous 10-12" LMB, and then a few (1-2 per trip) anywhere from 4-9 lbs. The BG and RES are few and big, although the harvesting of the LMB has resulted in more intermediate-sized BG and RES. CCs in that pond are few and large as well, and IMO need to come out. I'm all for having CCs as a nice addition to LMB that are fun to catch and eat, but we have a ew 10-15 pounders that I know are eating lots of live fish. I'd rather use that biomass on four different 3 lb. bass. Too large for what I want to do with this pond. Goal for this pond is a greater percentage of LMB in the 2-5 pound class, with a better variety in BG and RES sizes.