Goose52

WOW - usually you only see that kind of commitment to brand loyalty from Harley Davidson bikers !

Thanks RW! I had picked up some individual fish from that cove over the preceding few days (including a 4 pounder the day before) but I was really looking forward to a repeat of the weather pattern - hoping to score 5 or more quality fish like the previous 3 times. I fished that cove (and the one next to it) for 90 minutes in the morning and nothing. Then, when I thought the weather would be optimum in the evening, I fished for another 90 minutes and nothing...then BAM. This was the only fish I caught yesterday over those 3 hours of fishing but the time was well-spent for sure! 8-)

Thanks Chris! I was fishing alone, from the bank, so no one to take any "glamour" shots. All I could do was lay the bass out next to the rod for perspective and get out the "point-n-shoot" camera. It was nearly dark, and very cloudy, so the flash fired and I got some glare from the fish. It was a very healthy, chunky, and good-fighting fish - much "fuller" than I usually catch in these little lakes. My previous PB was actually an inch longer at 26" but much skinnier at 7.75lbs - that fish just seemed old and tired...

That would be the next goal for sure! To the Florida guys - some of you know that I lived in the Miami area in the 50s through 1967. Used to fish in the Glades with my Dad - biggest bass I got down there was 4 3/4. I never would have believed that I would finally get a 9 pounder in 49 degree water in Tennessee! Go figure... :

Thanks guys! It's been a lot of fun lately. All of these fish I've been catching have been out of a little cove, in water between 39 and 49 degrees. I thought earlier today that the party was over and this pattern was not going to repeat. Then this girl comes along. Just incredible! Too bad our board fishing tournament doesn't start until March 15 - this fish wouldn't have won...but it would be a respectable entry (62% of the TN state record).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for posting this. Reading this yesterday gave me the idea to fish a chatterbait today and I got my new PB LMB - 9.06. Details are in the Fishing Trip forum. 8-)

So I go over to the cove where I've had so much luck lately on spinnerbaits and lipless cranks. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/71085-winter-spinnerbait-and-lipless-crank-bass-1951lb-bag-update-another-14lbs/page__hl__spinnerbait+best+bag__fromsearch__1 I have a repeat of the weather pattern that was successful 3 times before - several warm days to get the fish up and active, then a low-pressure area rolling in to get them feeding before they go deep again. Water temp was 49 - pretty warm compared to the earlier pattern so I had my hopes up. I worked that cove and each side of that cove for an hour with the lipless crank - nothing, no one home. Hopes on the weather pattern dashed. THEN, I thought about a thread I read yesterday about Boyd Duckett using a chatterbait to catch a lot of his fish in the Classic and I remember that I had added some chatterbaits to my last TW order. I've never fished a chatterbait before - so I think, I got nothing to lose. Since the winds were up to 20mph right in my face, I tied one on a spinning rod I had in the car and started working it. I got no trailers or anything with me so I'm just fishing the chatterbait as it came out of the packaging. As I work the bait, I'm thinking - this is pretty cool, lots of vibration, you can work it REAL slow, seems like a good bait. I make quite a few casts around that cove to get the feel of the bait and when I'm making what was going to be just about my last cast (it was getting dark).........BAM. I got my 25 year-old Shakespeare spinning reel with the (marginal) drag singing and a BIG fish taking out line. Got her to the edge of the bank, lipped her, and got her out of the water. 25", 9.06 pounds, my new LMB PB (previous PB was 7.75) Thanks to Boyd Duckett for fishing a chatterbait...and for Skeet22 on this board for reporting that! Life is VERY good, high on the Cumberland plateau in Tennessee 8-)

Outstanding - looks like things are picking up in West Tennessee!

Good show! I've been getting nearly all my fish in the shallows since ice out - those warm days have really helped get the fish up and active in my lakes.

Looks like you had a great day Dwight and Robert. Dwight - so when do you close on your new house in FL... :

Scary indeed. Glad that you and the boat both got back to the ramp...and a MAJOR blessing that you were only 100 yards out................and not in the middle of the lake. The books say you can become incapacited in 15 minutes in 30s water - not much time to get out of trouble or for someone to come get you.

WOW! Great fish. That girl was worth the lobster dinner for sure...

Good deal! You're really giving the Gheenoe a workout!

I start fishing as soon as the water is soft. Living in Tennessee, I actually experience "ice-out" 3 or 4 times. Our lakes freeze, but then thaw several times over the winter. In-between freezes, water temp sometimes never gets out of the 30s so "catching" is sometimes poor (as in nothing!). Sometimes, we get a few warm days and water temps get into the low 40s and you can connect on a few fish. I caught my first bass of the year on New Year's day. This time of year, I'm fishing from the bank (water too cold to put the canoe in) and at ice-out I'll target the deepest water I can reach from the bank. If there are a few warm days in a row, I'll start checking out some of the shallow water areas to see if some fish have come up and are active. I've been doing very well in one particular cove in water between 39 and 48 degrees: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1297129408 One thing that might be different about my situation is that I don't take fishing "trips"...all 11 of my lakes are a 10 minute or less drive from my house so it's easy to drive around the lakes, look for some soft water, and make a few casts. If I get too cold or there's no action...I just drive home. It's not like I drove 50 miles or whatever to get to the lake...

Thanks Big-O! I actually started with a spinnerbait again today - missed a fish on that, immediately followed up with the lipless crank, and kept fishing that until the bite stopped. Then went back to the spinnerbait but still no more bites...

Well, it took 11 days but I did get a repeat of the weather pattern that gave me the great catches that I reported earlier (14.81lbs and 23.41lbs). In the past week, the cove I've been scoring in iced up, then thawed, then we had 2 days of warm weather. Water temp rose quickly from 38 degrees right after ice out to 48 degrees today. A low-pressure front rolled in today - not much rain while I was fishing in the afternoon but it's pouring outside right now. I got 5 more bass on a lipless crank: 21"/4.40lb, 19"/3.10lb, 18"/2.91lb, 18"/2.84lb and a 12" (weight who cares!) for about 14 more pounds. Counting individual fish that I've picked up inbetween the big catches, that makes a total of over 65lbs of bass I've pulled from that cove in the last couple weeks. Not bad for cold water... 8-) Didn't get photos of all the fish today but here's the 4.4lb fish. Life is still good, and getting warmer, high on the Cumberland plateau in Tennessee!

No one knows anything about this reel - only what you see in the BPS sales flyer. It is a new product. There was an earlier thread on this reel at: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1297897340

I'm surprised that it's marked on the rod but it probably means handle #22. See: http://www.gloomis.com/publish/content/gloomis_2010/us/en/conventional/rods/classic_bass_rods/classic_spin_jig.html

X4 I also usually remove the split ring from the bait since I'm using snaps. The snap is just a convenient way to change baits. As was said earlier, you still need to frequently check your line for frays. I re-tie after every fish if I can...and I always check the line and re-tie when I get home, even if I caught no fish. The stress on the knot from repeated casting takes it's toll and periodic re-ties are important.

Same for me - I have a 190 mile round-trip and there's not enough savings on anything I want in the sale flyer to pay for my gas and time. However, if you live close to a BPS, it would be worth a trip, there ARE some things on sale at pretty good prices including 20%/25% savings on baits and other stuff that might be worth a look. The BPS PQ and CL BC reels are at their usual sale prices. I "need" another CL but I think I will try to get price matching on a phone order. Hey Goose are you in east TN? There's a new BPS in sevierville. Is that the store you're talking about when you mention a 190 mile round trip drive? Yes sir - I live a bit north of Crossville...

The sales flyer is now posted on-line. www.basspro.com/classic

Great photos - need more, more ! I see everyone with jackets - what are the air and water temps?

Same for me - I have a 190 mile round-trip and there's not enough savings on anything I want in the sale flyer to pay for my gas and time. However, if you live close to a BPS, it would be worth a trip, there ARE some things on sale at pretty good prices including 20%/25% savings on baits and other stuff that might be worth a look. The BPS PQ and CL BC reels are at their usual sale prices. I "need" another CL but I think I will try to get price matching on a phone order.

Check out Reply #1 in this thread: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1297701000 Set up your centrifugal brakes and cast control tension the same way as described in that thread and in addition, set your magnetic brakes to about 5 to start. If you start to backlash near the end of the cast, you can add more magnetic braking. Eventually, as the thumb gets "educated", you can reduce the magnetic down to 3, 2, or 1. After that, you still have your magnetic braking "in reserve" to handle varying conditions like wind. Good luck!

Are you spoiled for life now? Is the bait monkey whispering in your ear...buy one, buy one... :