bonzai22

I was using fishidy it costs to get the hot spots. But you can look at the topo maps for free and see some spots with gps.

Welcome! For finding someone to fish with I would check out the local forums and find your area.

I would say 7.5 lbs.

X2 on Illinois being god awful. On the lakes I fish if you catch a limit it's a large miracle.

My first boat didn't have a radio but the one I am getting soon does. I will probably listen to the cardinals game if I am just fun fishing but that's about it.

Monster first thing in the morning then for lunch a sandwich and soda or water depending on what the weather is like.

Black and blue rattleback jig, black and chartreuse brush hog, if the water is cold a chartreuse red eye shad.

I usually keep an eye on the line when I'm throwing braid. It starts out really strong but after awhile it gets weaker. It usually starts getting frayed and turns a different color when this happens I just cut off some line until it looks fresh again.

Dobyns are really good I have a savvy series and its the best spinning rod I've ever used.

This is a very interesting report I have open water where I'm at right now. I'm just hoping it is still that way when the weekend hits so I can go for a few hours.

I have done really well with wave worms sometimes they catch fish when it seems like nothing else will.

If shad aren't visible either with your eyes or on the graph I would try to imitate the other forage. Depending on the time of year certain forage will be what is more abundant to them. I would just match your baits to the different things you mentioned. Also in the spring when the crappie are spawning and up shallow a black and white swim jig is an overlooked pattern.

Nice fish and that jig looks good.

It was mid 50's here the other day but no open water it was depressing.

I do well on a shaky head with a wacky worm on it. I fish it very slow and shake it in place then dead stick it for awhile.

One thing that is a little different is at least on the power plant lake I fish shad are around all year so they are almost always a factor. Also if the plant isn't running or is barely running the fishing is normally a lot slower. If the plant is really going the fish are usually feeding very aggressively. Also the plant creates some current so if it is going you want to be throwing up current and bringing it back where the fish are since they are facing that way.

Wacky worms are a really good bait to start with. Fishing wacky worms in ponds can catch a lot of bass and help a beginning angler learn important skills. Like detecting bites and using a proper hook set. A spinning rod with medium action will work just fine.

I almost always throw 1/2 ounce.

I thought it looked pretty stone faced.

Rage is the way to go!

I need to work on my top water game. I don't think its a factor on my lakes that often but I know frog fishing won some tournaments this year so that is one thing I am gonna work on throwing more often.

Why I am a better swim jig fisherman than you. I have fished the swim jig a lot and have many patterns with it for different times of the year. Just like anything else it doesn't always catch them but I have figured out enough patterns to keep it tied on all year. First off a usually throw it on a 6' 10" medium heavy action rod. I like this rod because the rod being a little shorter makes it easier to cast in hard to reach places. I use a 7 to 1 gear ratio reel because sometimes burning the bait can cause reaction strikes. Also sometimes the fish eat the bait and runs towards you so its easier to catch up and set the hook. I usually throw it on 15lb fluorocarbon line since its sort of a finesse technique. If the water is a little more stained you can get away with throwing it on 15lb braid. Some of the seasonal patterns and colors I use. Usually the swim jig bite picks up when the water gets around 60 in the spring. That time of year I throw a crawdad colored swim jig since the craws are usually out and about. Then around spawn and especially post spawn I match it to a bluegill color. The fry guarders go crazy for it and it seems to get the bigger bites even when the females are still lethargic from the spawn. Then in the summer this year I started experimenting with deeper swim jigs like a 3/4 ounce. Around that time I change to a shad color and also throw the shad color in the fall but switch to a lighter jig. The swim jig bite usually goes pretty far into the fall. Usually I throw a rage craw as a trailer but sometimes throw a bigger craw and rip off some of the back of it. Sometimes the bigger profile with more vibration works but usually the rage craw is the ticket since its very subtle and natural looking. In the summer and fall I sometimes switch to a 5 inch white swimbait for a trailer as well. For retrieves usually you just reel at a moderate speed and fish it like you would fish a spinnerbait. Sometimes burning it can be good and sometimes letting it fall by cover gets a lot of bites. Just like anything else experiment with retrieves until you find what the fish want. Just hold on because some of the strikes are very violent. I hope some of this helps I think the swim jig is overlooked a lot and fish dont see them as much as a spinnerbait or chatterbait. It has helped me catch a lot of fish even on tough bites when it seems like they wont hit anything else.

I haven't bought any yet but my friend just got a few and said they are really nice. I will probably be ordering some soon.

I have done well in similar water with spinnerbaits with gold blades. I got a lot more bites with gold blades than silver. Must just be easier for fish to see in that kind of stain.

I would try pitching a large plastic to cover and I've had luck in similar conditions with a chartreuse lipless crank bait.