Team9nine

Like Paul mentioned, while the occurence is well documented, nobody knows for certain what the cause is. It is most likely not diet related though. Some speculate that it might be related to C&R and excess handling, others think genetic, while still some believe it is environmental (infection or chemical). I've spoken to the lead fish pathologist here in my state and he speculated either chemical or parasitic reaction, but he couldn't state either with any certainty. The researchers at Auburn U. were supposed to be undertaking a study to determine cause, but I have never received a response from them to see if that study ever occurred. I certainly haven't seen anything in the literature documenting any such research. I've watched for it quite a bit here and it seems to be more of a seasonal thing on many of my local waters with the highest incidences in the spring, but that is purely anecdotal. I really need to track it more. I do have pictures of bass I've caught going back nearly 20 years that displayed the blotches, so it is not a "new" thing, at least not in my waters. -T9

Personally I tend to agree that the clearer the water the better, mainly from the standpoint of a jerkbait being a great bait for suspended or semi-active bass that will actually pull the fish to it from a distance when they can see it. That said, and as you experienced, in muddy water a bass will still eat a jerkbait if you can put it right in front of it's face. Much easier to do in a river situation, but can be done everywhere. It's just that most times in muddy, cold water there are better alternatives. -T9

Like has already been mentioned, a lot of this is personal preference. I get the most fishing satisfaction out of going very small with my jigs in very cold water - 1/8-oz. hair jigs, custom hand poured tiny frog trailer (no extra action) and 5#-10# braid or 4-6# fluorocarbon. Add a 6'6" custom ML fast action rod and cold water bassin' life is good 8-) -T9

Ice came off my local reservoir on Thursday. Needless to say, after this long winter I was on the bank for half hour fishing Friday night after work. Saturday was a rain out. Got 3 more hours in on Sunday and another hour in on Monday after work again. Caught 2 on Friday, 9 on Sunday and 4 more on Monday No skunks yet ;D Have the boat ready to go and will be hoping to increase those numbers a bunch this weekend after all this warm weather. -T9

Check out this thread if you haven't already seen it over on the Tackle Forum where guys list their 3 favorite cold water baits. Should give you some real good ideas as well as what the "favorites" tend to be. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1268337352 -T9

Really just depends on your particular lake. Ice just came off the local reservoir here this past Thursday and the bite is already "on" pretty good. Each lake and locale is different and you need to try and figure out what makes the fish "tick" in your lake. One word of advice I would give you though is don't just blindly accept a slow bite regardless of water temp or season. It's frequently a lot better than most guys believe or experience. -T9

The average water clarity on the lakes I'm fishing ranges from 1.5'-3' typically, especially during summer with algae and plankton blooms, but toward the end of the season last year our water cleared up to the point of having visibility in the 4'-6' range. Even with the higher clarity of water in November and December I still had no problem catching bass on the flame green Fireline and red Power Pro braids. I didn't even bother throwing mono or fluoro those last couple months, or using a leader of any sort. -T9

Much like bait colors, it only matters when it matters, which is usually a lot less often than people realize. On my waters I've been catching hundreds of bass with flame green Fireline tied directly to the bait without any leader. I also use regular fluorocarbon, clear, green and blue fluor. monofilaments, and yellow, smoke, green and red braids. I catch plenty of bass on all of the above, so do what seems comfortable or right for your waters or your peace of mind. -T9

You may not see any knicks, but fluorocarbon doesn't like to be pinched, kinked or bent sharply. It damages it internally. Bobby's sol'n is a good one. Another is to first pinch your shot on near the end of your line and then run it back and forth a few times to establish a little groove, then slowly move it up your line to position, cut off the end that you used to wear the groove and then tie on your hook. One last option is to go to a mojo setup with the rubber peg and cylindrical sinker. -T9

Always hard to say without seeing someone elses water. That said, the ice just came off our local reservoir about a day and a half ago and I picked up 3 from the bank this evening after work. There are almost always some bass up shallow, so don't rule that out completely, and don't let the cold water/slow baits mentality fool you either. Traps and cranks can be some of the best baits this time of year, along with the slower drop baits. Mine all came on cranks tonight. Just keep going after them and mixing it up until you figure it out. You'll be a better angler for it after you do -T9

I'd have to go with the BPS Caterpillar Stud Fry, now discontinued. Flip it, texas-rig it, Carolina rigged, wacky, weightless skipped, it does it all and flat catches fish, and good quality fish, too. Found some packs in an estate sale last year and was able to get restocked thankfully. -T9

Hair jigs Blade baits suspending jerkbaits -T9

Depends on your exact definition of "migrate", but studies have shown pretty conclusively that many, if not most, bodies of water have two groups of bass, "homers" and "roamers". Usually the "roamers" are the much smaller segment of the population, but again it varies by lake and species (spots vs. smallies vs. greenies). -T9

At the moment there is nothing in the scientific literature to support such claims for these products, outside of the studies carried out by the companies themselves (which aren't published). They're not just trying to sell this stuff in the bass world either. Several different companies have various "products" on the market, all claiming basically the same thing. Until such time as there is some credible evidence (research) that what they claim is actually occurring, I'll remain a skeptic. There will always be those willing to pay a good amount to have the next "sure" thing or to be one step ahead of the competition. As has been suggested, if they work so well it won't take too long for the market to sort it all out. I'll be watching with interest on the sidelines, still catching bass on my $3 20-ct. bags of non-UV plastics in the mean time. 8-) -T9

If you're going to toss both cranks and spinnerbaits on the same stick, I would default toward more of a moderate action rod, probably MH in either a 6'6" or a 7" (or an odd size in between). You can easily get away with throwing sp'baits on a rod with a more moderate action, but you'll probably pay a price in some missed fish by trying to toss cranks on a fast action rod. I've got a Loomis SBR rod (XF action I believe) that feels great when winging shallow cranks, but it absolutely sucks when it comes to hooking percentage compared to my moderate action cranking sticks. -T9

X2, and line tests back it up. -T9

Speaking of plastics, a few of my favorites from my prized collection of walking worms -T9

x4 or x5 or whatever the count is up to 8-) -T9

I always liked the off-limits period myself. Getting harder and harder to find local circuits that have them though. -T9

X2 - think of it more like the line being coiled, similar to a telephone cord. Its taken a "set".

I rarely use clips as I've had a few issues over the years with several different types. They are very convenient though for those who like to change baits frequently. I know several who seem to use them without incident, just not for me. Additionally, certain lines and knots will hold better with a split ring than a snap due to tying to a piece of metal with a larger diameter. -T9

Larger is always better on a spinning reel 8-) within reason Go with the 2500 -T9

Blow the whistle - personal foul! Distorting the facts. 15 yard penalty. Automatic first down!

I'm a numbers guy myself - always have been, so scenario #1 for me. -T9

X2 - Finesse jigging, dropshot, grubs/tubes, small (<4") plastics 8-) -T9