Bluebasser86

You can fish a 3/4oz in shallow water just like you can fish a 3/4oz jig in shallow water. They're not much bigger than a 1/2oz trap, so you likely won't see much difference in the size fish you catch on them.

That's the issue that makes pretty much any bottom contact baits in the ponds I fish, too much slime and leaves.

Jerkbait, a small one. A 65 pointer is my go to right after ice out for our little lakes. 6 or 8lb mono on a medium or ML spinning rod and very soft little twitches. It catches a lot of little ones, but it catches a fair share of those 3+lb fish that are good quality in most public lakes in the area. This was one of those bonus fish from a little 8 acre public lake down by me in February a couple years ago. The bait is similar to the Aurora Brown color but not exactly, not sure what color it is, I bought it on clearance. Not much paint left on it anymore though.

I have my guesses. A friend from work and I have spent a lot of time analyzing his videos and different small rivers to have a pretty decent idea. Hoping to maybe someday make a trip up there to find out if we're right or not. Our rivers have nothing but catfish, gar, carp, drum, and other rough fish in them and visibility of less than an inch in most cases.

I don't think Minnetonka has a lot of them either. I've got a buddy that lives on the lake and he never talks about catching any smallmouth, just largemouth, pike, and occasional muskie. He's on Casco Point, over by Carman Bay. I've only fished it once with him and didn't catch any smallmouth either, just largemouth and pike.

Congrats! That's why it always pays to be prepared, big bass have a way of happening when we least expect them.

Wal-Mart kitchen shears for $.88. They cut braid, mono, fluoro, clam packs, fish spines, thin wire, thin limbs or bushes to retrieve errant cast, whatever you need. When you lose them or break them, buy a new pair for a dollar and go about your life. Kids craft scissors are great for cutting braid too.

Welcome!

LOZ fishes good regardless of the cold weather. Jerkbaits, jigs, shakyheads, and A-rigs are going to be your main players most likely. There was a Bassmaster tournament there last weekend that took almost 17lbs to win. There's a BFL tournament there the 2nd, so I'd check what it takes to win and what areas and baits play are working and try to go from there. Good thing is we've had consistent cold, not back and forth warming to cold so they should at least be use to it and in somewhat of a pattern.

I can flip can make short cast pretty effectively with my left hand after a lot of practice. I'm not skipping any jigs or getting way under overhangs, but for holes in grass or putting a bait next to a log or dock, I'm pretty solid.

Back in my days (or nights rather), of chasing big catfish. Much easier to do when I didn't have a wife and kids at home and staying out all night and sleeping all day wasn't a big deal. Probably 16 or 17 years old with my long lost childhood friend Corey, RIP (say no to drugs kids). We originally thought this was a huge channel cat because there was not suppose to be any blue cats in this little lake and no connecting waters, but I'm pretty sure now it was an illegal transplant that someone put in the lake. One of the hardest fighting catfish I've ever caught whatever it was even though it was only 35.5 pounds. Had to chase it all over in my 2 man.

Agreed, a lot of gill colors are overdone imo. Yes they look pretty, but a juvenile bluegill isn't a brightly colored fish. Ours tend to be blue-green with a purplish tint and a white belly, touch of chartreuse on a bluish tail. I prefer colors like that one that aren't so bright like an adult bluegill, it seems like more fish eat those young gill colors.

I'm sure they'll crush the Berlinetta just like the do the Aventa.

Yeah. I do it often, part of why I started making the big bladed spinnerbaits so I could have the baits I need to do it better.

I've got a big magnet that I've retrieved dropped pliers and knives with, never any lures though. Works best around loading docks and boat ramps it seems to me. Got a couple sets of keys from around loading docks, that's a bad day for whoever they belonged to.

No idea, started fishing when I was still in diapers. I remember some of my favorite lures being a rigged Creme Scoundrel, rootbeer colored roadrunner, and an Original Rapala. I was probably 5 or 6 in this picture and a seasoned vet at by then, catch and release wasn't a thing at this point in my life either.

I learned when I was 13 or 14, fishing pretty much a Strike King Denny Brauer Pro Model jig or Strike King Bitsy Bug, mostly the former. Using an old black Shimano baitcaster I don't even remember the name of on a Shimano BullWhip pistol grip rod with 17lb Trilene XT. I fished almost nothing but a jig for most of a year and it took me most of that year to get the hang of it but I found that I caught bigger than average fish doing it and really liked how I could fish them almost anywhere. Now they're my favorite bait to fish.

I eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, drink a mug of coffee on the way to the lake. I've got a 64oz RTIC water jug I fill up and will usually drink most of that if it's warm out. Always have 2 PB&J sandwiches and also some bags of beef jerky in the cooler in case the sandwiches don't do it for me. I've got a big Sam's Club bag of peanut butter filled pretzel bites I keep in the truck for the drive home from the lake too.

Great job and great read as always!

If I had to use 1 type of fishing line for everything, it would be mono, Big Game. No way I could pick a pound test because I use everything from 4# to 25# for bass. I use 15# more than the rest if that counts for anything.

Agreed, a Bull Shad and Slammer are both a little more expensive but absolutely worth it.

I either swing them or net them. I've been hooked in the hand by struggling fish, don't want to do it again. I've also watched a lot of fish get broke off at boatside by guys grabbing the line, it's not a great move if you don't know what you're doing.

Congrats! Just don't let your new wife see the "Huge" part ?

Sounds like maybe you had it hooked in the joint of the jaw or maybe right behind jawbone. I've had that happen a few times and it can be pretty tough to get out. You got to get a little rough sometimes, give it a little jerk with some force to try to pop it out. You can get cheap wire cutters for $2 at Harbor Freight that will cut any hook out there if you want to have them in the future.

I don't. Some guys do with no issues but I don't take the chance. If you do, you have to make sure nothing else has been in it because even plastic residue can be enough to cause issues.