Team9nine

I LOVE FLUOROCARBON...and not just as leader material. There, I said it. \ The problem isn't the line - it's either you or your setup. -T9

Yep, that darn "statute of limitations" thing -T9

One problem you might find is that once all the salt dissolves out of a full ZinkerZ, it might actually float the entire rig, jighead and all. That happens a lot with a 1/2 ZinkerZ and a 1/32-oz jighead. For upsizing, we usually go to something like a full sized HulaStickZ. Another popular option is a 4" Zoom lizard - still a small bait, but bigger profile that will work well on the 1/15-oz head. -T9

Kinda' looks like Lemon to me... Nice job! -T9

The temperature readings on the depthfinders are usually close but not perfect. Seems like no two read the same, so it may or may not have been 2 degrees warmer down that way. Would make sense though as the larger deeper water area toward the dam has the most thermal mass and would take much more energy to cool down than the shallower water upriver toward your end. Tossing a Megabass 110 in a pretty clear color - just a normal diving jerkbait. The blade bait fish surprised me...they came from 10'-15' of water. Radar looks a bit questionable, but I'd like to sneak out for a couple hours myself before the rain hits. Will have to wait and see. -T9

Water really changed overnight, didn't it? Fished 3-5:30 and managed 15 or 16. I had 49 degrees down on the lower end where I stayed. Jerkbait was best, but also caught a few on Ned and a blade bait. Many were pulled back well offshore. The rest were either hunkered down in shade or sitting in windblown pockets. Best fish went about 2-1/4 with several others pound and a half to pound and three quarters. About half were dinks. -T9

I've bought and used jigs from both these guys, and they both do good work and are legit. Andy's has the better overall selection, but Supernatural is kind of unique in that he combines bucktail, marabou and living rubber into his creations. Kind of expensive to buy custom ties like this, but always fun to play with. -T9

Jigs around wood and Rat-L-Traps everywhere else -T9

LOL - Hmmm, not sure where he found that one -T9

LOL, and the winner is..... Ned has stated all of these as possible items at some point, but the majority of the time, you'll find his answer as the following: "Most of our lure presentations are focused upon replicating invertebrates," (such as crayfish and immature aquatic insects). But I agree with Raul and IndianaFinesse, don't overthink it. There are 6 retrieves in Midwest Finesse that can easily replicate anything and everything. -T9

Jig and minnow will catch about everything that swims, including walleye, of which it is a staple spring presentation. If you upsize your minnow enough (use larger "bass" minnows or shiners, no reason why you couldn't put it on a Bitsy Bug, though that is a bit unconventional. We throw them (minnows) all the time though on lighter hair jigs, and bass will certainly hit them. -T9

^^ This is the answer ^^ Tracking studies of large bass in these deep, clear strip pit type lakes shows that they suspend a good majority of the time, and stay away from the banks and shallow cover. Topwaters, swimbaits, and anything else you can fish slowly for suspended fish (large wacky Senkos, live bait?) will be the answer. -T9

Whatever looks best to you, but unpainted would work just as well and be a whole lot easier -T9

I pretty much only use chartreuse, flo. red and black - but no, I honestly don't believe it makes a difference. -T9

Yes to the 1st ?? - one of the best "aids" ever created for the angler who knows how to use them properly. No to the 2nd ?? - Fortunately, I've been "trained" to find and interpret structure without the use of electronics, so while it would be a slower process, I certainly wouldn't feel "lost" or like I couldn't catch fish without it. -T9

Never - one of the two best electronics upgrade I've ever made. I was a "late adopter" because I needed to be convinced, but now that I am, I would hate to be without. -T9

I didn't mention what lake I caught them at either I've never caught a 6 from the home lake in the 12 years I've been out there. -T9

Ahh, so maybe you are mortal after all Just kidding, but the earlier catches you were reporting were simply not normal for that lake. I, for one, am actually happy to see your recent catches have been pretty much what most of us seem to catch out there. I was really beginning to think I needed to give up fishing and take up golf or something - LOL. Not saying you won't go on another hot streak as much time as you've been putting in, but anything approaching the four pound mark is a pretty isolated catch most days. Haven't been back out myself since last Saturday after the front when we caught about 35 bass, but nothing over 2 pounds. Keep after 'em -T9

Good, you have options. Lots of bass traffic right now on that lake is geared toward the very shallow upper end that heats up fastest and has historically produced nice catches. Fishing shallow cover in the canals and pockets upriver with a variety of baits is popular. If you stay down lake, focus on slightly deeper areas (pts, drops, etc.) adjacent to the many shallower flats and docks and try and figure out whether the bass are up shallow or pulled back due to weather or water conditions. Bass on that lake spawn early, so after this weekend's big cold front, expect fish to push shallow quickly. Just be careful if you head upriver due to the very shallow water in that area. -T9

Boat or bank fishing?

Busted the lip of a $25 MegaBass today - not lost, but pretty much worthless now -T9

If you go inside the park, I'd check out what they call the bird sanctuary, the old gravel pit up near the 71st St. entrance. Can walk and fish around 2/3rds pretty easily. If you stay outside the park, then the 56th St. causeway is usually your best bet. -T9

I'm pretty convinced that no fish shuts down worse after a cold front than crappie seem to do. With bass, it seems you can always catch at least a few little active ones. -T9

Thanks, Catt - Paul Johnson of Berkley did all the original research that you refer to. It was detailed extensively in Bassmaster magazine back in 1979. There might have been others. He also included some detailed explanations in his book. Like you said, things like rod length, physical stature, etc, made no difference. It was pretty much all technique. -T9

Don't know about more amps or any of that stuff as I'm not an electrician, but I did the exact same thing with my last boat (used waterproof connections similar to what are used for wiring well pumps, etc.) and ran for half a dozen years like that without any issues. -T9