Paul Roberts

Ditto the little buzzbait. I like the 1/8oz Strike Kind Buzz King triple. Simply killer. Also, the Heddon Crazy Crawler. I think of "finesse" as being quiet as well as down-sized. One of my favorites for high vis conditions is the Zara Puppy. Another killer.

Really good advice above. I think you will be onto fish soon. This is a potentially interesting addition to this thread, and a retention pond! Since there is little cover, or few prominant objects to attract fish, any prominant object may serve. Little drops, or points -and they can be really little- might be considered "prominant". But they don't even have to be in the water. A high bank, wall, or overhanging (or not) tree can count. Then there are added, or "blown in", objects. On one retention pond here, a large tumbleweed had blown in, and sunk along a good shoreline (not all shorelines are equal and the reasons may or may not be obvious). I took several good fish back-to-back from that one tumbleweed. And... the largest pond bass I've had the pleasure to meet (I lipped it for a buddy), was a 23.5" 7+lber that came on a killed (buddy had a backlash ) from under a 55gal drum that had washed up against a stick-up.

Sometimes, I'll just ask. Sometimes people just need a little prompting.

I've never looked at "solunar effects". It's tough enough just trying to make sense of weather effects. My sample sizes are too small. And, in my mind, fishing is just plain a lousy sampling method. There are too many uncontrolled variables. It can become a chess game with your own mind. Mine is too limited to do it by gestalt. And, my attempts at applying real measurements/"data" has fallen way short of useful. I've done real science at a variety of levels, and feel pretty comfortable saying that "fishing ain't it". That said, I'm still given it hell. But, I doubt I'll be applying any voodoo to my intellectual arsenal, at least util I get a well controlled/understood monster data set to apply it to. A well known angler with a research background attempted to apply solunar tables to a large dataset of tournament catch results. Trying/hoping/wishful that sheer size of N would tease out something. It did, I believe finding that there was a slight inc in catch rate during... don't remember -one of the minors, I think. Anyway, it was sent off to a real peer-reviewed fisheries science journal. And it was dinged for weak statistics -the numbers didn't come through the wash well, despite a fairly large N. IF however did publish it, touted it in fact, furthering the -at this point, in my mind- myth. My take-home, at present: If a solunar period, or lucky hat, makes an angler concentrate better, I'm all for it. It's just not for me. I'm still trying to track the weather!

Lures are designed for different purposes, primary among these is where they can go and where they can't. How well you know a lure's attributes will weigh in to what you can get away with. Certain lures are snag magnets. Lipless cranks are one of the best snag magnets. They are heavy, sink like rocks, and the multiple hook tines are unprotected. Wood is particularly difficult bc when you snag it, it is stronger than your line. So, don't use a heavy lipless in shallow water with wood cover in it. Or, there are some things you can do to adapt: -Use a lighter weight lipless, and thicker diameter line to keep the lure riding higher. -Map the bottom: That is, as you fish a spot mentally mark where the trouble is. Then, either avoid it all together, or flirt with it. The latter will likely catch you more fish as fish tend to be cover oriented to begin with. Flirt means to fish close to it, depending on how well you know the layout of the bottom in front of you, how deep your lure runs at what speed, and the configuration of your tackle: lure, hooks, line, rod, ... -Use a different lure type. Lipped cranks, esp wide bodied ones, are more apt to fish through snags better than lipless ones. The hooks are protected by the body, and if you are deft -do not just crash into the cover- they'll fish through weeds, rock , and even wood, pretty well. A snag-retriever is a good investment, but not all that useful from the bank. Hope this helps.

They all work. Modern lines are... amazing. Each will catch you fish, esp after you get to know one. That said, there are differences; Some prominant ones, in my mind: -Nylon mono's (so-called "mono" and "Coploy's") are nearly foolproof, but deteriorate (weaken) quickly in sunlight (UV). They are buoyant, so they shine for near surface applications and for strike detection by line-watching. Are pretty abrasion resistant. -Fluorocarbon mono's sink, so they shine for deeper subsurface presentations. They can be tougher to manage than nylon mono's, esp on spinning gear, being more "wiry" and apt to jump off the spool. They do not handle twist well. They are impervious to UV, and are pretty abrasion resistant. However, they are subject to nicks and abrasion in the course of fishing so, like nylon mono's, they must be cut back or replaced after some fishing, and keeping a watchful eye on them. -Braids are impervious to UV, last a long time, but are not very abrasion resistant so they are usually used with a mono leader that can better handle the abuse. They float so are good for near surface presentations, and are very thin in diameter so they can work well for deeper presentations too. They do not stretch, like mono's do (both nylons and FCs), so hook-setting, and rod power/action adjustments may be needed: Can go a bit easier there big fella. My advice would be to think about what presentation types you'll be using that outfit for, weigh the line info, and go from there. Bottom line, in my mind, is you can scarcely go wrong (Possible exception: If you are new to handling fishing lines, many FCs can be a hassle in terms of handling). Easy route, pick a line, get to know it, and fish. Hope this helps.

Ahhh, it sure is nice to be on the water after a long winter. The tend to be happy too. Very pretty fish.

I do too. (Kinda pulled my zing, there.) And, I certainly know what he's talking about. Exactly. In my first post I was going to add something about patience, but it's not that so much, as the ability to adjust your expectations. (Except for John )

I hear you. If one didn't know better, fishing to fish you can see could be enough to send you home, and pitching your tackle in the dumpster on your way out. Sight-fishing can be darn tough. But, those that we do catch, can tell us a lot about what how fish react to.. fishing. And, give us an idea of what our lures should probably be doing, even when we don't know there are fish hovering over, or even anywhere near, our bait. This is the really scary part.

Heavily pressured fish -got 'em here too. We all have them, to varying degrees, nowadays. We have to learn to work around it, which can mean, knowing when bass are most vulnerable. First, lures are NOT prey. They are mistaken for prey. This is MUCH easier to do under certain conditions, and locations, and when bass are not alarmed. Best conditions: Namely, reduced lighting: Night, deep overcast, wind ruffled surfaces, in and around cover/shade. Best circumstances: When bass are feeding heavily on vulnerable prey. This is not common in most waters most of the time. Tip: Choose times and locations when prey is feeding heavily, and therefore distracted. Best locations: Identify the places where bass get fed. Not all places are equal here. The bass hang around these places. Walk and look. Find concentrations prey. This is easier in some waters than others, due to bottom layout and cover options. Dishpan-contoured waters tend to be tougher to identify spots than convoluted ones. The most challenging might be the “swimming pool” -little cover, high clarity, lots of “open water”. I have a video about this on YT, called “Bluebird Blue Post Cold Front”…. You can look it up if you like. Make use of "ambush points". The word ambush is used loosely, or widely here, this does not necessarily mean the bass are "lying in wait", although they can, but watching for opportunities when prey is vulnerable. Prey is vulnerable when it’s distracted (when feeding, or socially engaged with another fish), around broken cover, … . This its actually how most fish are caught. No, it’s not easy to get our lures in position at the exact time and place when a fish is vulnerable to be fooled. Approach… matters: The actions of fishing: casting and retrieving, mostly, can put fish off. Seek times and places where this is minimized. And -and this may seem counter- bass can become habituated (used to) the presence of people just being (non-invasively) present. So, it can actually be a help to know that these bass are approachable, but, you may have to be thoughtful about how you go about "going invasive" with them. Lighter tackle can help, knowing that your line, landing on, or moving, water, is the most insidious fish spooker you have. Along with the lure flying through the air under high vis conditions. Cast out away from the fish and retrieve to them. Braids land quieter, are generally less invasive, than any other line. Some lures are more recognizably “not food” than others. Nondescript types and colors can be tougher to fish to discern from real food. This may be the best way to “match the hatch”. Forget photo-printed color schemes; They were pasted onto “not food” to begin with. Lures that enter subtly and behave subtly may be best: jigs, tubes, drop-shot, wacky, Neko, shaky, … ditto the Mepps Aglia above: #2, #3. Also, original Rapala, 1/8oz buzzbaits, stick-worms, 6" finesse worms, ... If there is a trick, it's not alarming, or putting off, those fish first. This is your biggest challenge. Break this barrier, and the lures that can work widen considerably. "Killed" presentations can often be best, sometimes the only way -and for some individual fish in particular. Conversely, something they’ve never seen before -as long as the presentation of it doesn’t alarm them- can turn a few heads your way out there. Same can even be true of a color, if those fish have lots of experience with a given color, esp fresh experience. Look around, if their are lots of red 'Traps being thrown... Lastly, realize, not all individual fish are equally “vulnerable to angling”. Some can be caught repeatedly, others have been dubbed “immune to angling”. Hope this helps some. You have your work cut out for you. Here’s to your wider waters opening to you soon.

Great advice in this thread. You'll need a "fishing kayak" and then set it up to fish. Here's what I did to mine, before it even hit the water: -Comfortable seat: A folding "stadium seat". ($50 -got a good one) -Bow Line, to pull the boat around, and tie off. (parachute cord and piece of rubber tubing) -Anchor: If you want to anchor on a short line, which I do, you'll need weight. Seems 5lbs holds mine. The special grappling anchors need a long line to grab. (dumbbell weight from thrift store) -Anchor Trolley. ($30) -Anchor Line Retractor: Clothesline retractor. ($25; got a good one; first try was a cheapy and it failed) -Rod Holders: Made from ABS tubing. (~$10) -Other stuff, but these are the basics to make it fishable. "Fishability" is all about stability (hull design), comfort (for long hours), and control (maneuverability and ability to hold in place as precisely as possible). This last is huge for me. I fish small waters, and use both a kayak and float tube. If your waters are less than 20acres, I'd strongly suggest the float tube. Way more precise control. But it's limited in speed and, therefore, range. Kayak offers range, and ability to sit higher in the water. Control is much less precise, esp with any wind. But, with practice anchoring, it can offer adequate control. I find I just have to get used to -that is, pay closer attention to- the inherent "slop" in the system.

Agreed, one day is not likely to make a huge dent in heat gain. Although, it certainly may be enough to spur activity, in the upper water column/shallows, esp this time of year when the sun is as high as it is now. I just returned from a trip that saw its first 70+F day of the year, following a generally cold spring. Surface temps hit 55F across the lake. One shallow bay with a shallow sprawling inlet, hit 64F! No, the bass weren't spawning; The little lake's core -the mass of it- was 51F. The very next day a front rolled in and the air dipped into the 40s, and I ended up in a down jacket, hat, and fingerless gloves, and still wished I hadn't left my fleece in the truck. Surface temps lost only a single degree over the course of the day though. That would change when the freezing rain came that night. But I was outta there. I did my damage on big females the day before the 75F one, and the day after, on the 45F one. I lost track of them during that hot spell. I have a darn good guess as to where they went, but, I didn't know the lake well enough to follow. Won't make that mistake again. I mapped out that creek channel.

Tom, with all due respect, and I do greatly respect your experience, knowledge, and insight. The work you've done with real temperatures and bass was ground-breaking. Hats off to anyone who'll put rubber to the ground in figuring stuff out. But, here, I have to rebut... in the spirit of what this discussion forum is for. And to clarify my seeming rather bold statement. Not so! This such a statement isn’t terribly helpful. It pretty much waves away the question asked. Everything, air, and water alike, are heated by the sun. (Not many of our bass lakes are affected by volcanic geothermal activity.) Air warms and cools faster than water. Water, with its uniquely high specific heat, much slower, in both directions. In other words it both resists, and holds onto, heat. In my small waters, and in protected coves, lagoons, backwaters, canals, marinas, and many shorelines, in larger lakes, water temps do indeed follow air temps. This is because the same forces are heating and cooling both, at the same time. But due to its specific heat, water lags behind air, at both ends: gain and loss. “Protected” means, protected from the massive core of cold water that developed over winter, as heating mostly happens at the surface and deep water really lags behind the upper layer, and the air. Notice, that these protected coves, lagoons, backwaters, canals, marinas, and shorelines, are where bass spawn. It’s also where one can expect heating and food chain activation. Together, these areas can serve as a magnet for fish this time of year. How do lakes heat? Slowly, overall. But, shallow protected areas accrue heat as the sun comes back through spring. And it holds onto it. While air temps may have us wearing coats at times, water doesn’t react so quickly. There is a lag, of a day or so. Protected areas are protected from from convection (wind, and current) and are "free" to take and lose heat compared to core water. In the spring, the trend is inexorably upwards. This doesn’t mean that a frigid cold front, cold rain (or snow, as we have here) won’t affect water temps. But MUCH less than most people seem to think. And it bounces back fast, because of the heating power of the sun (angle and duration). And because the water is actually storing that heat creating a buffer from the rapidly cooling (and heating air, hence the ~2-day delay. The march toward summer is inexorable. Dented here and there, but will not be denied. To track it has been some work. I've been taking temperature profiles, to learn me how heat penetrates, and distributes in lakes. The different ways heat distributes (radiation, conduction, and convection) vary in power to change temperatures in a given volume of water. The buffering is greater as we go deeper; Deep water is nearly impervious to atmospheric changes. It’s difficult for a water system -even snow- to drastically affect water temps as we descend -very far- from the surface. What changes it most drastically, is mixing (convection) with core water via wind, or incoming currents. Sans these, water follows air, which follows the sun. If we know this, we can actually make some predictions. If we track water temps in protected areas, or core areas for that matter, (but not where both have immediate access to each other), I've found that water temps follow mean air temps. Yes, areas of lakes vary in temperature. But water itself doesn’t vary appreciably in its ability to heat. And it does so via radiation, conduction, and convection. This is generally true. Very generally. Fronts are part of the spawn too. But, by then, those protected areas (and into a certain depth, say, in a small pond) have sucked in enough heat to be able to buffer those fronts. A certain amount of heat accrual, and associated temperature stability, appears to me to be what bass are looking for, to initiate the spawn. So, its true that the spawn is “run by photoperiod”, but very generally. In terms of the activity —the metabolic expenditures— required to spawn, photoperiod may light the fuse, but heat makes it burn. But, water body by water body, and areas within each, vary in how much heat they can absorb. That’s what’s happening out there, and what we might want to track as we fish the transition seasons. Air temps can tell us a lot, if we know what they can tell us. And, yeah, it takes a bit of work to track it. Eventually, we can develop a feel for how quickly water takes on and gives up heat. That’s kind of the core of the issue. From there, we need to find the areas that are protected from the core water. An awful lot of bass sure do. If not -if they choose to spawn (and can be successful at it) along shorelines near core water -they spawn very late in the season. It’s pretty much why the opener of bass season has always been the third Saturday in June, in my old home state of NY. Enough deep cold lakes in that state to warrant it. But, while many bass in the Finger Lakes (400-600ft deep, with nearly vertical walls) are waiting for temperature stability, local pond bass are long done. Mean air temps, with a day or two lag, can give you a ballpark idea of protected shallows (<10fow), where a large percentage of our bass fishing occurs during the transition seasons. I know that's a bold statement, but it works in my small waters, protected areas in bigger lakes, and I've even used it to run down anomalous catches in fishing reports, who report activity that doesn't appear to jive with that day's weather. But a look at the previous few days weather in their area -isn't the internet amazing!- reveals something not so out if the ordinary.

Take average air temps, delay them by ~2days -or take previous 2 day's average, and that should ballpark the near-ST's (top 3fow) in your lake, barring big winds at play. This is helpful, for ballparking presentation stuff. What you need to know to ballpark the stage the season, is to get a bead on the "core" temperature of the lake, or lake area, you'll be fishing. That is, take a temperature at depth (my waters are shallow so I shoot for ~8-10ft; This coudl be AOK in a larger lake but watch out for hydrographical aspect to big winds). In my waters, and many others it appears, if it is <48F you are still in "winter", or in neat-transition from. If it is above you are coming into what I call the pre-spawn "feeding binge" period. When it hits 55F, you are transitioning from binge into the spawn. If it is >58F at the depth spawning beds are laid in your lake, you can expect the first wave of spawners. The reason you need to track core temps is bc surface temps can lead you astray. They do not lead the fish astray, or many of them, for something so critical as when eggs are laid.

Things to look for, to pick out from all the rest. This is what the bass are doing too: -Depth changes within: A channel, hole, pocket. -Unique cover piece -bigger, and/or more complex than the rest. -Prey aggregations -Heat? -Substrate -for spawning, since you mention spawning. Any one of those stumps could attract a bass, and an angler. But, only if there are very few of them. And, it is in proximity to more important things, like those in the above list. Start looking closer! ?

?

I see BR as an archive of bass fishing information; Living up to its name as a true resource. Glenn's video's are a fitting addition to BR. Glenn's also got a great niche on YT, with a veritable library of straight-up instructional videos everybody can make use of. WTG, Glenn. I know you've been at this for some time.

Nichols' Mango. It does everything. Trailer: #11 pork. But... been searching for alternatives. It's been Pit Boss lately.

I love Stripers too. I used to fly-fish them along the NE coast. I would also sometimes bring a passel of FF addicted kids along. And we'd read passages from "Striper Moon", by J Kenney Abrams, in the van on the way. Then, we'd fish the after-dark tides and moons, and sleep in between, what we called "Striper Time". One morning, a kid climbed out of the tent, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Are we ready to go?" The reply was, "Dude, it's 9AM." Get some sleep. "Holy... , Really??!" That boy was deep into Striper Time. Totally good for them. Although it did make readjusting to home and school life a little rough. :))

@Ksam1234 Oh, wow. I just looked them up. That may just be my next boat. You are going to luv it!

"Just hard to locate anything I guess." That right there is the key. Even if you are on fish, they can be tough to interest. "And it truly is just after ice out because there was still some snow covering the hillside." Another way to tell is, since the water is now all the same temperature, the water often looks soupy, gunky, with little bits of sediment, daed, algae, ... rolling up. This has been called "spring turnover" but it's not much of one like it can be in the fall in lakes that develop a good solid thermocline. I've not noticed the spring isothermia affecting the fishing. "This is always the hardest time of year for me." I'd say me too. Only thing that might make the fish even less responsive would be adding muddy water to that frigid water.

If it really is 40F, then you probably are not far from ice-out. Your lake is isothermic -all the same temp top to bottom. I have always checked two options: -Wintering habitat: main lake, steep grades, cove mouths, deeper weeds, inside turns, are good bets. -Spring feeding habitat, preferably heating. Protected cove mouths, inlets, productive bays and coves. Where these are in your lake is your job. Can be tough when catch rates can be low. As surface heats, bass fish will become more surface oriented, and you can expect bass to show up in/near good feeding areas. Sounds like you are not there yet. At 40F you will likely need to fish mighty slow much of the time. It's "winter" so I'm using finesse gear with hair jigs and Ned grubs. Gotta fish soooooper slow. Slower than you probably even think. My under ice videos show bass moving, even hunting, but they look like they are swimming through molasses. (I did video one make a good 8ft bolt after tiny sunfish. So, they can move, if they are so motivated.) Slow swim, and killed (pauses) baits. Then there are moving baits but they should not have much horizontal speed. So, yo-yoing, killed bladebaits and lipless perhaps. Brian Waldman @Team9nine does really well with blades through winter so maybe he'll pipe in here. For jerks, prioritize pauses, minimize horizontal movement, and make it more a short rip, rather than wide darting. Twitch type jerks that give a rolling kick may outproduce darters. These have a larger bill, such as Rogue, Husky Jerks. Good luck with it.

I'm new/late to the WP thing. I ignored it, then circled it warily, for some time. Yeesh, I still haven't incorporated soft plastic jerks into my arsenal. Took me forever to buy a Slug-go. I have two Choppo's (both sizes) I bought over the winter. Love that semi-transparent color they offer. That may have been what got me to pull the trigger. Curious what they will add to my game. I hope LTrain is right. And that the Choppo solves some of the WPs problems.

I guess for me, it's mid-winter. Sometimes we get thaws that give me open water. I can find the fish, but they are tough to catch, at least in the numbers I know are there. I can be happy with two or three most days. The spawn... I guess actual egg-dropping is a tough go. They are pre-occupied. But then, I haven't cast to a pair of spawners since I was a kid. Now, just pre, and post, yes. To the larger females. They are catchable, being somewhat aggressive just pre, and hungry, just post. But, both seem to require really slow presentations: Falling and killed jigs and plastics the best. Tubes seem to do well then. I simply leave the males alone. They are the smaller fish here, and they have a heck of a job ahead of them.

Wow. Doesn't matter what it weighed. Great fish, great story. Great images too.