fishizzle

Looks constipated to me

Thanks RW, thats what I meant to say You are so well spoken and to the point

Thats funny, I also use DT6 and catch smallies. Not a great bait for them though---few and far in between. In deep water I would prefer a dropshot rig, jig or texax rig The DT22 may work well under perfect conds. like deep structure with a rock pile.

Nice fish and great looking area to fish Those pike and perch are huge. And by the way, you are the nicest dressed fisherman I have ever seen!! The pros should take some pointers

OK, Anyone else feel like schlepping their boat on Sun. April 6?

no problem, Al--I'm glad I put you on the fish and got your PB twice in one day...looking forward to more great days on the water

Dumb dog is pretty smart. Don't let his name fool you. He does an excellent job breaking down the system. I also recommend buying name brand lures mentioned on the forum that have a proven track record. If you buy the cheapies to start, you may be disappointed and hold a grudge toward that type of bait Glad you are jumping in with both feet

How can you return a batt. that isn't broken?????

I don't use rattles. Most of our lakes have 4' clarity or more. When One gets mudded up though I just use a larger black jig

I see I'm not the only one that hates losing $6 -$10 lures one after another. And its a pain to go to the store that night to get more lures for the next day.

Hello

Thanks everyone, great ideas I'll try some and report back this summer. Any more?

Love that green pumkin I use 1/8 oz tx rig with a 4" ribbed black worm with curly tail for early spring with Garlic Gravy

Great job -- glad to hear that I had my jig epiphany 4 years ago and I'm glad I did Every year I try to master a new lure or technique

There are all kinds of theorys on whether to match or not. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The bass can't read books, like black and blue is springtime color (wrong). Some theorys sat to match your lure to the color of the bottom because prey are camoflaged to match their surroundings. The bass locate some lures by vibration not color or shape. Have you ever heard a rattletrap underwater. the sound travels 100' or more. Its downright annoying. So I say mimic forage but not necessarily color or shape. Sometimes you want to mimic dead shad or fleeing noises.

I find it hard to believe that you've never lost a lure to a pike. lol I'm not saying that you're a liar. I respect you and know you catch fish. I thought I was a fast hooksetter on spinnerbaits so I don't think thats the problem--They just suck it in all the way. When I set the hook...weightless...nada Could it be that floro doesn't have stretch and I'm better off with mono?

I would think the trade-off is alot less bass bites Is any super line resistant to big teeth?

Is there any way to lose less crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs to these pesky critters? I mostly use 10lb floro Vanish for cranks and 20lb floro for jigs and TX rigs It is becoming a financial issue Please Help!

I know bass eat bluegills as bait in CT because some young kid used to use them. He set his rod up and casted with a small bluegill, then he would play in the sand with his friends. Then the rod would bow and he would reel in a 2-3lber. Sometimes it would sit for 15 min. before the bite.

Can anyone tell me where the thread is with the old folks in their bathing suits? I gotta show my wife, its hilarious!!!!!!!! Thanks

For some reason when the sun goes down the schoolie stripers stop biting. A great 3 hrs would yield 30 fish, an average would be 10 and a bad day 0-3 But you must be an expert caster to cast far sidearm under tree branches so your lure gets to the hole and then stop your lure before it hits the trees on the other side Also not too many keepers are caught in these areas but its still fun

Welcome Fish however you normally catch fish this time of year and fish your strengths. Don't fish how other people are if its not your thing. And remember you may see the only fish they catch all day so stay with your plan and pattern you're confident in it Good Luck There are also lots of threads here on ideas for prespawn

Experiment with new lures that others put their money on and fight cabin fever

Never like you say it but there have been times when I knew it would be slow due to a cold front

Tin, It sounds to me like you are a great Basser and you put alot of pressure on yourself to be competitive at a very young age. You may have burnt yourself out from last year and fishing may not be fun anymore because tournaments are alot of stress. Also school may have burnt you out and the winter blues. It is a fact that many people are affected by not getting enough sunlight in the winter and it causes a mild depression called seasonal affectiveness disorder. Maybe just a hike by yourself to collect your thoughts and have some "Tin Time" Lack of sleep and too much drinking can also attribute to lack of desire to fish and some may claim its your diet and lack of exercise. To sum this up something is off balance. Maybe getting out there and just relaxing is what you need.