Goose52

WOW - that ought to get you started for sure! I see a reel - do you have your deep crankin' rod yet?

I think they sold out fast - both the 1000 and 2500 that they had for $119 say this when you try to add them to your cart: Please review the error(s) highlighted below in red. The following item is out of stock and not available for purchase at this time: Item #: IK - 124748 | Shimano® Stradic® CI4 Spinning Reel | REEL MODEL: STCI42500F Ole' cheapo Goose would have grabbed one or two at this price!

I think the smile on that young man's face is all the reward I would need! It's just great that so many of us still have some soft water and have a chance to fish - catching or not...

No problem Hayden. Anyone that wants to read a lengthy discussion about the possible causal factors for the red lip/throat phenomenon can visit this earlier thread (105 posts): http://www.bassresou...0469-red-teeth/

I haven't fished craw-pattern lipless cranks much...but I'll fish them a bit between now and spring and see what I get.

Nitrofreak - good observations - thanks for taking the time to type them out. I wear a wide-brim hat and try not to look up when I'm in the boat...

Almost the same thing - CL on GLX...

You bet! I wouldn't have paid much attention to that 38 degree viscosity temp when I lived in SoFla or SoCal ... but I sure pay attention to it now! I was fishing in 33 air temps the other day and didn't notice any loss of casting distance with the RemOil - but perhaps I might have with another lube. I've fished sub-freezing with the RemOil and still been OK (the rod guides and reel line guide ice up before I have any lube problems... ).

RemOil has an extremely low viscosity of only 3. I use RemOil on spool bearings, and use Abu Silicote (viscosity 176) on crankshaft and knob bearings and on the wormshaft. The RemOil is so thin that you need more frequent applications than some of the other standard reel lubes. 3-in-1 oil shows a viscosity of 40 at 78 degrees - but it gets real thick (160) at 38 degrees. I have a chart of reel lube viscosities that I copied from somewhere on the web but I don't want to post here as I can't remember where I got it and whether it was copyrighted. A web search on viscosity of reel lubricants might turn up some charts on this topic... EDIT - while I was typing - DVT posted! I think we have the same data.

Thanks RW ! On color, I usually use a "natural" color in clear water / sunny days - for a RES - it is usually "Ghost Minnow." In murky water and/or cloudy/rainy days, I usually use something brighter - could be a chrome or something like Sexy Shad or Chartreuse Baitfish (RES colors) or whatever. Right now, I'm running a little experiment. I bought one of the 12-packs (12 different colors) of RES from BPS for $39.xx. I fish a different color every day. So far, it seems all the colors are working. I usually don't fish craw-colored lipless cranks, but they're getting bit just as well as anything else I guess. Perhaps I would have got a few more fish with certain colors but I'm not sure. I'm only catching fish in the evening during that magic time just before and after sundown when the fish have the feedbag on - I could be wrong but I think any color might get bit. The 5.7 pounder I got a few days ago was on a sexy shad color RES and I've caught quality fish on several other colors in the past couple weeks as well. Having said all that, I might leave this craw-colored RES on the line for a while and see if it does any more hog-calling !

Thanks Dwight ! If this is my last fish for the year, it is indeed a good way to finish. However, I've got three days left to try for another biggun! STILL no ice or snow in the 10-day forecast. The bite is VERY slow, especially since I'm still using a moving bait, but lately when I DO get bit, it's usually a nice fish.

DVT - those are the sizes. As measured on my PQs (and CLs for that matter), there's a 3x10x4 on the palm-side plate and a 5x11x4 pinned on the spool shaft. There's another 3x10x4 under the cast control cap that supports the very end of the spool shaft but don't know if that one is typically replaced during a bearing upgrade.

I remember one thread started by Paul Roberts on the red lips condition. I just found it "Red Teeth" - 7 pages of comments. Only consensus was that it's most likely caused by the cold water. Other theories were inflamed due to exertion in the fight, hormonal/prespawn, and from eating craws.

Big-O you crack me up - THANKS !

Cast out, count-down to depth, bring it across the top of the grass as slow as possible, random rod twitches to change the vibration of the bait.

Water is still soft here - surface water temp is a whopping 44 degrees. I think Paul put one of his Tennessee river bass in my little lake up on the plateau. 23" - 6.54 pounds. Still catchin' on my trusty lipless cranks. Lakes were frozen here last year at this time. I'm still jazzed... Down the hatch - plenty of room for a 1/2oz RES! Only one treble point was just barely hooked between the gills, well behind the tongue - no blood loss.

A GREAT healthy-looking fish, a real fatty, and just wild that she grew up in that little pond! Like A-Jay said, she must be the matriarch! To paraphrase Forrest Gump's mom: little ponds are like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get...

Outstanding! Glad that the river is still hot for you!! After having a pretty good bite through mid-December, my little neighborhood lakes up here on the plateau are finally getting pretty cold and the bite has fallen off significantly...

Sounds like a highlight of the year indeed. Not only a PB for Clay but a bunch of big fish throughout the day - can't beat that !

What kind of boat? How big of water? Lake or river/stream? How much surface veggies. Do you usually beat the bank or work deeper structure? Depending on the water, you might be able to paddle/row or use your main engine to get you to a place, then anchor and work the water. Or, maybe you can drift and cover some water. Maybe you're poling through a lot of junk and couldn't use a TM anyway. BUT, a trolling motor is certainly a great aid and well worth the bucks in the versatility it gives you for moving around. I have a TM on my canoe and wouldn't want to live without it...

I live in the sticks and quite a ways from any of these places with the killer closeout deals; a good thing as it eliminates a lot of impulse buying. I took the wife shopping in the big city on Monday, about 70 miles from home, and visited a Gander Mountain. They had a bin full of Citica 200Es for $89.xx - not a bad deal but easy to pass up. But if they had been selling at $49.99, I may have walked out with a couple...

Bless her heart! and Merry Christmas!! Hope your new one is as accurate as mine have been!

Here's some good info from a similar thread last year: http://www.bassresou...es-for-fishing/ For me - I've been wearing the Under Armour glove liners for the past 2 winters. Good down to about 40deg., not as good in the 30s. Thick enough to provide some warmth, thin enough to use a BC reel. When temps get into the lower 30s, I put a pair of wool gloves over the liners...but then you compromise some dexterity to use a BC reel. I also have a pair of Seirus HyperLite gloves - they're similar to the UA liners but have a longer cuff which is a plus. I wear the Seirus gloves during my morning walks but when the UA liners wear out, the Seirus gloves will be going fishing...

Looks like a great season! That 16 1/2 / 4lb2oz fish is just insane!! (the average weight for a fish that length in my water would be about 2 pounds!)

I'm a fan of the earlier-model Extemes and have 7 of them (including that 6'8"mxf spinner mentioned earlier which is a nifty rod)...BUT, I got them all at sale or clearance prices between $39 and $69 at which price they were excellent buys at the time. This new model Extreme has been extensively revised - grip, guides, perhaps a different blank so I'm not sure that experience with the earlier rods will translate to the new rod. Since the new Extreme has only been available for a few weeks, it might be a while before you find anyone with any experience with them. These may be very good rods, and when they eventually go on sale might be good values. However, at their full price of $100 - there is LOTS of quality competition...