senile1

That's an amazing grouping of big fish, Shimmy! You are on it.

That's a nice looking fish! Sounds like a great trip.

That's a nice group of healthy fish. That largemouth appears to have plentiful forage. I hope it doesn't die of obesity before it reaches trophy size.

That's a very sad thing to hear . . . . especially so with the unexpected nature of it. My thoughts go out to you and your family.

Very nice bass!

Very nice fish! That was my first impression too but looking at the young man's hand compared to the mouth makes me wonder if it could be a 4 lb'er. This is a case of needing to know the size of the individual holding the fish.

I'm in Northwest Missouri and the toughest time of the year for me is in the dead of winter. Surface temperatures typically get down to just above freezing when the water isn't hard. If you can find them and wait for a bite window you can catch some, but those windows are short and you have to be out there in the cold to hit one. The summer transition into fall can be tough at times, but if I stay out long enough I usually figure them out and have a decent day on the water.

Is it possible that it isn't related to the engine level? Do you find it is more difficult to start if you haven't used the boat for a while? If my outboard sits for two or three weeks I have to make sure I squeeze the primer bulb 20 - 30 times if I want it to start right up.

That's a nice one. I don't know the size of the kid holding it but I would guess that one is near 4 lbs, if not over. Three or four years ago, I was fishing a shad rap at Table Rock and caught a crappie right at 3 lbs off a stick-up while fishing for bass. Upon further investigation, I discovered the stick-up was part of a brush pile someone had dropped. My wife and I proceeded to catch 8 crappie off that brushpile and all were between 2 and 2.5 lbs. There were no more 3s but it made for some nice eating that evening. I've caught a lot of limits of crappie but I've never caught so many big crappie all together like that.

Never by a bass. A crappie spooled me once.

The fishing buddy is ok as a device to scope out structure, locate underwater cover, and determine depths. I have an older one (not the max) for my tiny tin boat that I use on small lakes. It can burn through batteries quickly but you will get in at least a couple of long trips before replacement. Also, don't attach its bracket too close to your trolling motor. At higher speeds the movement of the water from the trolling motor will make the unit rattle inside the holder on the bracket and transmit that noise into the water. Find, or create, a location to attach it that is more than a couple of feet from the trolling motor. I doubt that you will have a problem finding a place on your canoe.

Wow! It looks like that one came straight out of the freezer. Amazing.

. . . . a belated congratulations to you and your daughter!

That is a beast! Very nice. You must be getting used to this.

It's so awesome to watch your kids catch their first fish! Congratulations to you, your wife, and Lake.

Those were my thoughts as well. Amazing fish!

Go to any place, listen to the political and religious talk, and then, in a very polite, non-confrontational manner, pretend you are for the opposite of what they believe. You will then find out how nice they really are.

Two or three years ago on "The Bass Pros" Edwin Evers fished the Bubba shot with a huge worm. It was one of the best episodes of the show for me as he was catching hog after hog. I haven't used it much but it's definitely a rig that can catch good fish.

Lucky for you, you just came across the next step in the progression of scent products to fish for bass. Bottle that smell and sell it!

Grandma's pics are fine. Nice fish and love that sunset! (I assume its a sunset since you fished in the evening?)

Very nice, A-Jay! You are starting to rack up the catches. Love the girth on that smallie!

Nice largemouth! Poached her from the wife, huh?

Then I would say you need to be looking at Texas! Lake Fork in February is not a bad choice. Since you can go for free, you can use your money to pay for a guide to put you on some Lake Fork lunkers. You will notice the wind on any large lake more than you will on a small one, but if you can fish Toledo Bend in February during the spawn there are a number of people who would say that is heaven right there!

I would add that if you can find them on the bottom in the water just above the thermocline they will be easier to catch with bottom hugging baits. If you can't find them there, then they may be suspending above the 20 foot thermocline in any water that is deeper such as the 40 foot depths you mentioned. I've read that this lake has a great population of threadfin shad which are a pelagic baitfish. If some of your bass are suspending in open water following the shad, the vertical spoons, tailspins, and underspins mentioned by @WRB are useful lures to attempt to get those suspending bass to bite.

Nice fish, Blue! A-Jay, just keep some coarse grit sand paper handy during the winter and scuff up your own thumb when you need to experience "bass thumb."