islandbass

I’m started to get antsy myself because I am still trying to nail a bass in the winter. Just over a month left to get this particular monkey ? off of my back ? This cabin fever sucks. It sometimes get so bad something has to keep my mind occupied like calculating the actual number of years I’ve been fishing in another thread.

I’ll have to say no because last season, and this is because of my ignorance, I wouldn’t know if I caught a bass in spawning mode. I probably caught my first female bass that could have been in spawn mode just last year. I released her immediately. Now there is one species I have caught that have been in spawning mode, and that is salmon. I honestly can’t tell it’s sex until I gut them however. People love to eat those eggs. So do salmon and trout. Others convert those eggs to bait or actually prepare them to eat.

I would gather that in this context, the greater than symbol is being used as an arrow. There, the palomar is being pointed to and hence, a good knot. BTW, it is an excellent knot.

They say misery loves company or something like that, lol. Glad I’m not alone. That said, I suppose catching something (trout) is better than catching nothing.?

Indeed. People might not know this but the toothbrush was actually invented by someone from the country. Really? Yep. If it were invented anywhere else, it would have been called a teethbrush.

For me, I don’t think I could use the word years. The more descriptive noun would be seasons. The reason is because actual fishing more or less is 9 months out of a typical year. The “fishing” season for most lakes I fish are only open from the last Saturday in April to October 31. I started fishing in April 2004, so that would be 18 “years” including 2022 — or better yet, 18 seasons through 2022. 18 years = 216 months 18 seasons @ 9 per season = 162 months 162/12 = 13.5 years of actual fishing. I know, this is odd, but it is fair and more reflective of my actual experience. Not only that, in the dead of winter and from the shore where I live, it’s practically a zero chance game in lakes open. I actually proved myself right today… time after time, again and again. Got off of work early today, went to Lake Washington and all I got were two frozen hands that I couldn’t not form into a fist. It was not that cold temperature wise but the strong winds just sapped the heat from my fingers. Still on my quest to get a winter bass. Skunked on bass but I’ve been killing it against trout. But what good is trout if you want to catch bass? Better than nothing, lol. But the “No bass in winter” monkey has been riding me hard for over 20 seasons. ???

I didn’t either! @KSanford33: Thanks for sharing. ?

Indeed, and don’t forget offer up. Someone broke into my daughters car and stole her backpack and the stupid drug addict tweaker posted it on offer up. I almost got it back, but he sold it. And if you’re asking, no, I was not going to pay to get it back. I was going to kick his you know what. And don’t be fooled by my small stature. I would have judo-ed his butt to the ground and made him beg for mercy. I cannot stand thieves. Period. Once again, sorry to @Lonnie Clemens. It didn’t even happen to me and yet it riled me up and ticked me off. ??

Sorry to hear that. A fake camera? Might as well put a sign up for thieves saying no security. The thieves probably realized it was fake.

Perhaps we can call this an analog spreadsheet ? —

Perhaps you can add a field in which you indicate which ones have been most and least effective/productive, and another field for time of year they are effective/productive if such information is still in your head. Then get rid of the ones that are not. You’re halfway there already, now that you made the spreadsheet, lol.

Was it a two piece? It would be a surprise if it were a one piece!

I hate when that happens and I do take precautions. Covering holes, making sure I have a magnet, knee pads, bright flashlight, etc. It’s the dumb, clumsy moves and butter fingers that do me in, no matter how careful I am. What worse than dropping that part? Spending 20 ding dang minutes looking for it, lol.

@Glenn Very true. I do like Seaguar and have used in the past Invizx and Red Label. Love them both. If Gold Label a “main line” fc or a leader line fc? I will guess it’s designed with the intent of the latter since you mentioned leader. Also, does gold label lean toward the limp or stiff side of fluorocarbon line? I have been thinking over this winter considering going an fc leader when I think it’s called for and if I do get say a 200 yd spool, I just realized that if I did use it strictly as a leader material, it would go a long way, much farther than if used fc as a main line as I have in the past. Thanks.

Nice catch! Maybe I should try to target smallies given that lmbs have never given me love in the winter, lol.

Lol. Tying the palomar loop first is okay it the hook eye is large enough but when it’s painfully obvious the loop won’t readily fit through the hole, it’s slappin’ time. I believe I saw it in a YouTube video and the dude “teaching” was having difficulty getting the loop through the hook eye. Why it got to me is still a mystery to me to this day. ???

Willkommen! I used to live in Germany a long time ago and by far it’s my favorite European country. Feel free to ask your questions and to take advantage of all the knowledge here. There are a lot of threads on travel rods here that a few searches should pull up too.

Just so you know, I’ve been tempted in the past to change my screen name to “can’t buy a bite bass”. I’ve been through some serious lows but no one to my knowledge ever had it as bad as my brother. Long story short, it took him 14 years to catch his first fish ever. Any species. So when I start to pity or get negative on myself, I think about what he went through and re-ground myself. ?

Their just ribbing you because we folks in the north start teasing all our southern brethren. For some of us the season could be such that they aren’t even allowed to bass fish. In my area many of my key lakes are closed from October until the last Saturday in April of the following year. A bit of envy and jealousy if you can imagine. We’d certainly take a skunking in warm weather over a skunking in freezing weather. Last Monday, I braved the cold and entered battle knowing full well that this time of year from the shore is nearly a guaranteed zero chance for bass. And I just confirmed that notion. 6 hours straight fishing for bass. Not a bite, super cold, hands down frozen that I could barely put my fingers on the handle to turn the crank. I didn’t want to catch trout so I left that tackle home and focused only on bass. I have been fishing since 2004 and have yet to catch a bass in the winter from the shore. ?? Fast forward to yesterday. Same lake. This time I wasn’t coming home skunked. If bass fishing fails, I was ready to go for trout. Unfortunately, bass fishing failed again so I switched gears. Same bitter cold, but I went 2 for 5 on trout. One advantage of this style is that it is a form of still fishing so you cast out, set it up and leave it hands free, thereby allowing to keep your hands warm. But sometimes it’s so boring so much so you might be tempted to watch paint dry instead. It can however be very effective. It sure felt good not to be skunked be I want my winter bass, lol!!! To your topic, I remember when I was 3 I saw a magnetic ? fishing toy. I thought it was the coolest thing. Maybe I should buy one to hold me over when I can’t fish during the winter, lol. Update: I just found this on YouTube. Imagine honing your pitching and casting skills with this, in the winter of course.

X2!!! @Darth-Baiter when the winds are that strong, does the kayak get pushed by the wind? Kudos to you and your friend for a no excuses day of fishing.

That reel looks sick! Talk about functional eye candy. @Chet C Wow. How in the world could the reel not be under warranty? Sorry for a not so ideal experience. I do have an Abu cardinal and I love this reel, but it’s from the lower end so I’m sorry I can’t help you there. As others have mentioned, it couldn’t hurt to explore Shimano’s reels if you haven’t already.

What a bunch of hooey, this banana and boat superstition. Ridiculous. What ever happened to being rational? How funny bananas scared those sailors but they sure didn’t mind transporting rats and roaches with them, lol. Now if you don’t mind, I have clean all of my golf clubs and balls and make sure that every club is in its spot in my bag and click my heels three times on the first three holes tomorrow and make sure my wife didn’t pack any bananas in my lunch bag. ?? Kidding aside, I bring bananas because it one food that you don’t have to touch that goes down the hatch. With all the slime (fish) and dirt and other pollutants in the water, touching food with filthy hands kind of makes me cringe. So things like bananas, or any food that can be eaten with a barrier (plastic, a wrapper) are my first choices. Besides, I don’t fish from a boat so I think I’m free and clear for any potential bad luck, lol. What would be interesting to know is if anyone has truly had bad luck when they had bananas on the boat. It makes me wonder if the captain in @Mike L’s post had a bad experience with bananas on his boat.

I too prefer the largest spool I could get away with. I’d say give it a go. Also, $100 buys a whole lot of spinning reel if you catch my drift. Heck, even $80 does. The one plus of D or S is their very proven track record. Those here who are fans of either or both are so for good reason. They’ve been tested hard, proven and reliable. Longevity and parts availability are other factors to consider. S and D excel here too. With that said, the level/class of S reels I buy, also no more than $100 no longer have the AR lever and call me a big baby, that’s ticked me off (still love you, S, lol). I think I have to step down to a Sahara or lesser model that has the AR switch. Honestly, I’m not mad. I just haven’t had my coffee yet. IMHO, $80-$100 buys a whole lot of spinning reel. If Lews interests you that much, go for it.

For that price, I’d give them a try.

No problem! We’re good. I will tell you after reading my first post I can see how it could have been construed that way. ‘Til then, keep your line wet and good fishing.