Nick

...but learning when a fish is going to lay and going about catching spring bass aren't necessarily related. The best big bass action for a trophy around these parts is the first warming days after winter up until late April. In labeled times, it's referred to as the prespawn period. Big fish are healthy, and feeding, and prefer the warming shallows where most fools (like me) can find and catch them.

I know of at least rainy day on the Gascy that #3 woulod have torn then up!

I'm speechless!

Good for you.I retired 7 years ago just to fish and I really like it!

I think they get the temp from the outlet at Bagnell. What I don't know is how deep their probe is in the water. I usualy fish winters in the lower lake where the temps at the surface don't vary much, but this december I was constantly finding the lakes "official" readout about 5 degrees less than my three boat thermometers, and I know mine are accurate with other anglers' measurements. I could tell by how hard and aggressive my bites were that the warmer readings of 45 were correct. Also, broadcast on the radio, a lake temperature reading that comes from Glen Cove Marina, is also quite a bit different. Understandable since it is in a cove. If the main lake is 35, I would expect to see the coves at least partially frozen.

Anyone know for sure if Rapala is still mking their prop bait? I found s few last year, but it wasn't easy.

Duh, We've called them incorrectly "floating" worms forever just because we fish them weightless and snap them up near the surface. We actually like them to sink just a tad, Wayne.

I had a topwater that absolutely crushed the smallies and it was a small sized Rebel Jumpin' Minnow. As I walked it I could hear that BB inside make a clacking noise 50 feet away. After a few hundred bass, that infernal internal BB became dust coated from constantly banging the interior wall of the plastic and became a very ordinary lure. Sadly. most Jumpin Minnows are the devil to walk, and they are poorly balanced. If you can find a good Jumpin Minnow, have yourself a blast, at least temporarily. So maybe your topwaters lost their ability to talk like mine did.

I believe Roland was voted in the top three, after Clunn at least, but in his mind he's #1. Actually, I shouldn't take swipe at all his A.O.Y. accomplishments.

Zoom trick worms in the bright colors esp. merthiolate and bubblegum if you can deal with the light weight, or Gamblers if you need some heavier worms esp. some two tone models. When bass are both roaming for beds and when they are leaving the beds these can be awful good in the wild colors.

Fish for Prezident! Buy all the Bomber waterdogs you can find. When's the last time you saw a tv show where the host promoted a lure he wasn't hawking, and he did it for most of the show. I get a kick out of Fish even out of the boat. Zona's show is so-so, but I must say that having known him before he went "hollywood" that he was a good guy, and one heck of a stick.

That site has been quite inaccurate before by as much as 5 degrees, but I'd say 35 sounds about right with the cold we've had.

$2 each for several models of spinnerbaits in decent colors and finesse jigs for $1. Free shipping over $35. lurenet.com

I have one of those type MinnKotas mounted on the bow of my river jon boat for about 15 years. It does stick out a couple of inches, but it never occurred to me to get bothered by it.

I remember reading an article about catching big Florida bass using a Creme six inch worm on a straight shank hook rigged with a smidge of the worm pulled over the bend in the hook to give the worm a humpback shape. Made the worm swim and rotate. A swivel was advised and rightly so! This article appeared in the late 60's or early '70's probably in Field and Stream. Worked then, and still works today.

I have a Cayenne, a fine low profile bc reel with 9 bearings. Have had it out 10 days this winter using it for casting lite hair jigs on 8 lb line. So far it's very good for the money and quite smooth. Got it on Ebay for under $75. I like it better than my Shimano Citicas and Curados. I also own 2 other Okuma bargain priced spinning reels. They have held up for several years.

You are welcome. If possible, wait until the temps hit that magic 50-54 degree mark. Probably the latter half of March. Much more active and shallow fishing begins in earnest with crawdad crank, jigs, and spinnerbaits. The farther you go up the Glaize itself, the warmer the water could be on a warming trend. Fish the channel sides, but be careful running above PB #1 launch area. Shoot me a pm a week before you come down, and I'll spill my guts.

If it works for you , don't change.

I liked my Okuma spinning reels so much that I bought a new 9 bearing Okuma Cayenne baitcaster for $70. It is some sweet little reel.

Experience with tournament helps. Fishing 20 or more per year will allow to you treat a tournament as a normal day. If you drink coffee, don't do it after 3:00 p.m. If you don't exercise, try getting into strong walking or cardio routine before daylight fades. Make a routine of setting your clothes out, and getting your tackle together perfectly the night before. This can cure the stress of feeling you might be leaving something behind for the big day. On tourney day, all the other guys are worried about themselves and their performance, not about yours, so breathe easy. One last tip: don't try to go to sleep too early. Your body isn't used to the change, so it won't work.

Don't trust the web site readings. Anyone here know the main channel temps at the surface?

Every cove with a V shape on Lake O has some run-off from a deep gully or a small creek. In the Glaize these are quite small except for the Glaize itself whcih can throw a goodly amount of water into its upper end. If we have rain, we'll get runoff for a hour or even a couple of days in all the longer coves, and that warm water often brings some good fish to the backs of the creeks. As far as live creeks go, not really any, but with timely rains, nearly every one has run off. If you're thinking this will help you improve yuour fishing, go for it, but I don't think it's a game changer unless you're fortunate enough to be there just after a good rain.

Don't know about your Arizona conditions, but I would venture to say that rocks cover a whole lot of your lake bottoms, and I'd also guess that your waters are quite clear. Probably small worms would predominate the bait selection for a slow on the bottom deal, and the small worm may outfish the jig in these conditions. Also your water temps may always be above 50, and unfortunately the jig really shines in water temps below this. That being said, I would still use a finesse jig in the clear waters during the prespawn as a go to bait. Subtle colors with a small watermelon or green pumpkin trailer maight surprise you with their effectiveness. Here in the Ozarks we have both cooler waters with much limestone/gravel/sand and some stained waters which are the ingredients that crawdads thrive which make jig fishing a near religion in these parts fished in both lakes and streams pretty much year round, but esp. the cooler months. I just can't get bit in winter by big smallies unless I throw a small hair jig inched along the bottom.

I like a lot of what Sam has to say about rip-rap, but 4 passes is just too much unless I have absolutely no other options. Also, I like Jigman's idea of lighter weights for crawling baits through rip-rap. Jigs are a last resort for me because I can't stand to lose lures. Try for aggressive fish first with spinnerbaits and cranks. Try to tick the rocks occasionally, but don't bury the lure into them. Craw pattersn early in year, and shad patterns later on. Windy rip-raps are usually better, and look for those small differences in depth or contour or size of rock along each rip-rap bank to be key areas. When the rocks extend out several away feet from the bank and into deeper water at least 8 feet, those are the ones I like to target esp. in the warming early spring evening if that rock is exposed to a southern sun. On a really flat lake with few other features the rip-rap may be your best fishing option.

Thanks, gents. That's a different, but slick system.