WolfyBrandon

Thanks, Some areas have consumption advisories and limits, I catch and release so it's not really an issue with me. http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/portals/0/Health/MoreInformation/LakeCoeurdAleneFishConsumptionAdvisoryMap.pdf WolfyBrandon

Only caught one today, but it was nice... Release WolfyBrandon

My first R2S Bait. WolfyBrandon

Beautiful Fish Paul, Also enjoyed the story. (The spawn is coming up soon in my area, and it looks like I have my work cut out for me to avoid the tough fishing.) Congrats, WolfyBrandon

It looks like your bait selection is good as you have used a lipless for reaction strikes, and a finesse bait like trick worms for feeding bites. Maybe you should focus on your retrieve presentations and speed. Try changing it up, fish faster and see if that helps, if not try fishing slower. Mix it up and also try different baits and or colors until you find something that works. WolfyBrandon

Thanks everyone! It was a great experience that I will always remember, not just because I caught my new PB, but because everything came together as planned. To make things even better when I got home I the replacement part for my Baitcaster was delivered. Today I put it all together and now it's fixed. I'm afraid the next PB will be a Northern Pike that will steal it. I'm going to retire it for now and just rig up another... I got lots. Thanks again all, WolfyBrandon

Hi All, It's late so I have to make this quick, I might edit this post in the future... I've been waiting over a week for the boat I use to be put in the water... Last Friday was the first day I zeroed after the fishing got good, and when I checked the water temperature it said it was 52*. This is relevant because when I checked my 2014 fishing log I noted that right when the water hit 52* last year I struggled for over a week to catch anything. I figured the fish must be transitioning into the spawning phase and must have moved out of the Marina I fish, so I knew it was critical that I needed to get the boat in the water by Monday so I could locate the bass either on points or in coves. After work today I made a call and found out the boat was still not ready, but it could be put in the water today if I help out and believe me I was more than willing. I knew a storm was moving in tomorrow (Tuesday) and today was pre-frontal & overcast so I really had a feeling today was critical. The boat finally got put in the water and the first thing I did was go retrieve two Bladed California Swim Jigs that I made some bad casts with and got hung up. The first one was over two weeks ago and the Keitech was swollen up from being in the water so long. The other one I lost just last week in a laydown but it was still working fine. I rigged up two rods, one with a DropShot (for finesse), and the other with the Bladed California Swim Jig I retrieved from the lay-down (big fish bait). It was getting around 5pm when I finally loaded up the boat so I only had a few hours left as it gets dark at 8pm. I immediately headed toward the near by point to try and locate fish, and after about 20+ casts I had a hit on the Bladed California Swim Jig but no hookup (I was using this bait to try and locate large pre-spawn bass). At this point I knew I was on the right track and after a while I just locked it in my hand and forgot about the DropShot. I made a few casts to some docks before you get to the point and Boom hooked into my first fish a 3lb 0oz Smallmouth Bass (Largest SM so far of 2015). A few docks later I hooked into a 2lb 02oz Smallmouth Bass. By this time it was getting around 7pm and I wanted to check the docks inside the bay for fish that might be moving toward the back where a creek runs into it. (I wanted to check the creek but didn't have time). As I was fishing into the bay about 4 docks into it I made a diagonal cast into the open water between the dock I just fished and the next one deeper into the bay. When I retrieved the bait 1/4 to 1/2 the way back to me ''SLAM!'' I hooked into something big. My rod bent into a complete U shape and the fish started taking drag. I thought I just hooked into a nice pike or probably my biggest bass. As I pulled it closer I could see it was a Largemouth so I quickly pulled it in and lipped it. NEW PERSONAL BEST 6lb 10oz! previous was 4lb 04oz I caught over 11lb of bass today in just 2 & 1/2 hours, and a lot of that time was used up taking pictures for my 2015 log. I think I might retire the bait since I just caught my new PB on it... [ 3/8oz Strike King Pure Posion Chatterbait (Black & Blue) + 4.8'' Keitech Swing Impact Fat (Rainbow Shad)] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pics of the Smallmouth's I Caught Earlier... 3lb 00oz - 18'' 2lb 02oz - 16'' WolfyBrandon

Today I went out fishing again but switched to another color of the same bait. A few casts later I see my line take off and I hook into a nice fish... Release Turned out to be my 6th & largest Smallmouth Bass so far this year. I could see a dropshot hook in the roof of it's mouth which I removed. I changed to another bait later in the day and had another nice Smallmouth hit it right near the dock, but it failed to get hooked up. WolfyBrandon

So... because of all the snow, I was going to wait until tomorrow before I fish again. Today the snow was gone and I figured the water temp would have dropped quite a bit (from 48 down to 46/44 at least). I asked a friend and he said the water might have hit 42/40 which I thought was a bit low. I was curious and had a feeling like I wanted to head out to the lake so I figured I would just go to get data on the conditions after the winter weather. The first thing I noticed was the water had cleared up to around 5ft visibility, I would have thought the run off would have made it more dirty. Then to my surprise I noticed the water temp was still 48 degrees... ummm? Earlier I was thinking that if the water did cool off it might have killed some bait which could trigger the bass into feeding, and looking in a boat slip I did see a small dead bluegill. At that point I had a really good feeling, so I started tossing a Jerkbait around and... ...but there was a half inch of snow yesterday... WolfyBrandon

So I caught my first Largemouth as well as my 4th Smallmouth of 2015 last Friday (you might have seen my posts)... There has been 4 days of warm weather with the full moon this last Saturday not to mention a few weeks ago the temperatures where nearing 70*. I believe this last weekend has to be when the majority of the bass move up from the warm weather and the full moon so I was really excited to fish again today, but woke up to this... OMG... REALLY??? Just when fishing was getting good!!! /rant WolfyBrandon

Hey wait a sec... on March 21, 2015 you posted you hated this time of year... Congratulations, and nice looking fish! Also congrats on the new PB. I believe that bait selection is an important factor this time of year. If one thing isn't working and you believe you have fished an area thoroughly that could be holding fish, don't be afraid to try something different. It could very well mean the difference between catching them and not catching them! WolfyBrandon

It has been a great year so far, I also caught a decent Smallmouth on the same day with the same bait. It was interesting because I believe I hooked the same fish moments earlier but it came off before I could land it. I waited a few minutes for things to settle and then made another cast, this time with slower softer jerks and longer pauses. I believe I managed to hook the same bass again only this time I landed it. 1lb 12oz, 14 & 1/4" Release WolfyBrandon

One of the many reasons I bought this... WolfyBrandon

Luck ''E'' Strike RC STX (Deadly Black Illusion) WolfyBrandon

18 & 1/8'' 3lb 05oz WolfyBrandon

April 03, 2015 First Largemouth Bass of 2015. Release Bait WolfyBrandon

This is how I'm currently rigging mine, Strike King Pure Posion + Keitech Swing Impact FAT. Retrieve is up to your imagination, burn it, slow roll it, hop it off the bottom, rip it then let it fall, etc, etc. WolfyBrandon

XCalibur XR50 Lipless Crankbait in Oxbow Color. WolfyBrandon

I've been throwing a perch colored one earlier this year but haven't had any results. Honestly I haven't had much success on perch colored baits (not that I throw them a lot) but that could be because when I do I haven't had much luck. Thought I would give a few new colors a try, then switch back and see what happens. Not saying perch color wont work, that could be any given bait on any specific day. WolfyBrandon

The action looks great. WolfyBrandon

Fire Crawdad Indeed, I just might have to use it tomorrow! WolfyBrandon

Funny how those days can turn out to be better than planned days. Almost like the fish can read your mind and bite better on days you don't plan on fishing. WolfyBrandon