Bluebasser86

2500

Yes, mine have 2 suspend dots on them and still rise faster than I'd like. Got our trip scheduled to see the man in the red suit at BPS with the kids tomorrow, hoping they might have some suspend strips instead of the dots so I can clean it up a little and get it weighted right, otherwise it's going to have bigger hooks on it too.

Have you tried a small blade bait? If there's not much on the bottom it could be something to consider that would really launch out there and could be fished very slowly. In the ponds around here, when it gets really cold, I downsize my jerkbait to a 65 pointer, Duo Rozante 77 or 63, or the 2.75" Yo-Zuri 3DS suspending minnow and fish it on 6 or 8lb test on a spinning rod with very light twitches.

Welcome!

You can always buy more fishing gear, you can't buy more time to go fishing.

Don't take away from yourself for being a beginner either. I've been fishing my entire life, but a big part of fishing is observing and I've learned a lot from people with much less experience than I have. Everyone approaches a situation differently or has a different tactic they feel comfortable in certain situations and by watching others I've learned a ton from people who probably have no idea that I picked something up from them.

I believe it's the Heavy. I think it's something with the rig being spread out that messes it up. Maybe the rod being a little shorter too? Mine does great with 2-3 ounce glides and wake baits, but the A-rig it doesn't seem to like as much.

X2. Use to be the President but they're not good anymore to put it lightly. Last one I bought after they sold out lasted just over a month and now it grinds like I snagged it from the bottom of the lake. All the finish started flaking off almost immediately also. I have one old one left, all the rest have been replaced with Revros and I couldn't be happier with my decision to switch to them.

White by a landslide for jerkbaits and topwaters for smallmouth.

The ones that say BASSMASTER were made by Bass Pro Shops for Bassmaster and were a perk given to new subscribers along with some other baits and gear if I remember correctly.

If the water is soft, the fish will bite. I've had great days when half the pond was frozen over. A smaller suspending jerkbait is far and away my most productive bait. Rocky banks with deeper water nearby are always good places to look.

Welcome!

Depth, no. Water clarity is my main factor, followed by if it's cloudy or sunny.

Lows in the mid to high 20's and highs in the high 40's/low 50s would be a perfect winter. It was 23* when I launched the boat Friday and it felt just perfect out.

Bleed them out and put them on ice. Personally, I'd toss the nasty things back but they do make excellent cut bait if you like to chase big blue cats ?

I use a Guide Select for A-rigs over my Fury 795. As mentioned, the 795 doesn't load great with an A-rig so casting distance isn't great, which is a big deal with a rig you want to cover water with. The Guide Select loads well and really launches them out there. I use it for standard swimbaits during the warmer months.

I buy a lot of blades from different stores on Ebay. I don't make large quantities of spinnerbaits so smaller lots of 10 blades is more efficient. Plus I mainly make more specialized baits (large blades, hammered, copper and gold, or painted blades), so it can be easier to find those things from places that specialize in them.

Same, and yesterday ?

I have 2 I got a couple weeks ago but then I've not been anywhere to fish them yet. Also got one of the new Norman's Speed N cranks with that order that I'm excited to try, but the water isn't cold enough to chase me to the power plant lake yet, or the cold water jerkbait bite is still too good at the small lakes, however you want to look at it.

Had some terrific weather on my days off this week, and the fishing was right there with it. 23* when I got to the ramp Friday. My buddy was working some OT and wasn't going to get there for a couple hours so I decided to start around the ramp and see if I could do any good. 42* water and good clarity, lost one on my second cast with a jerkbait and then caught 4 more little ones that were tagging the bait. I had seagulls flying all over, fish breaking the surface, and birds diving. Then I got to one of my favorite little pockets and knew I'd found some fish. I dropped a spoon, A rig, 110+1, nothing. I had a blade bait rigged up and finally convinced myself to try it. It was almost every cast I was getting bit, I wasn't landing many, but the whites and wipers were just piled up on that spot, plus a bonus channel cat and I snagged a monster buffalo in the head and fought it to the boat before it thankfully popped off. I didn't go to the back of the boat ramp cove to start but the gulls diving called me back there. Had a good fish pull off a jerkbait, then I pitched into a big tree and had mush when I lifted it, never felt like a fish, just didn't feel right. Hooksets are free and my only jig fish of the day was the results of me cashing in on a free hookset. A couple cast later my jerkbait got wrecked. I wish she was more filled out but still not complaining. About then Jon showed up and we went back to work, catching them pretty steady on jerkbaits back down the bank I'd already fished. Cut across to another little cut, Jon caught a couple dinks and I was watching my line when it just raced off and I swung into solidness. Big, heavy headshakes and a known smallmouth producing spot had us hopeful, but then I saw the big green side and black stripe. She stayed deep the whole time while Jon tried to figure my net out but we got her landed. It was a lot of bouncing around and 1-2 pounders after that. Jon's jerkbait filled with water so I loaned him a Duo 110. We'd just talked to a guy trout fishing and not having any luck when Jon went back to back cast with these two, I could feel the daggers getting stared through us from the dock ? Just when we were about to call it a day I caught my own slime dart. Then Saturday morning I went to a local lake in search of wipers. My wiper spot was barren so I went to another spot that I'd always considered trying but never had. First cast with a blade bait, lifted it twice and it got thumped. Wasn't what I'd hoped for, but it was still a fun fight from 40+ feet of water. I lost a couple other fish, including another hard hit, before catching one of the fattest saugeye I'd ever seen. I hauled them around for a buddy that said he wanted them, and then changed his mind right before I left the lake, so they got a glamour shot at the ramp and then released. Only caught 2 bass, but they sure are pretty when the water is clear and cold.

I hope you learned your lesson. Next time pay someone else to do that stuff AND go fishing.

Welcome!

I didn't, I just have a metal "clicker" that I push each time I catch a bass. I know I didn't break 100 until February, had my first 100 fish day of the year April 16th that put me over 400, caught number 1,800 in early September, but that about as much of a break down as I have.

I have 2 packs I've fished a bit this summer. I think I caught 1 fish. They'd be more likely to replace the baby than the full size for me. The full size hog is considerably bigger than the mid size.

10-15lb Big Game depending on which rod and what I'm doing.