Bluebasser86

This is pretty much how I learned to fish a jig, I picked it up and refused to put it down even when it wasn't working. I had some bad days, but the more I used it the fewer bad days I had with it. Don't make it too complicated. Pick a few tried and true colors and sizes, a couple trailers and trailer colors and just fish them. I found on a lot of those days they wouldn't eat a jig off the bottom, I could tie on a black and blue or white jig and swim it and catch fish like I was fishing a spinnerbait. Still technically catching them on a jig, but giving myself a break from the slow jig fishing routine. Also good around vegetation and muck that makes a jig less effective.

I try to keep it pretty simple, I use green pumpkins, watermelons, black/blue or solid black, junebug, and redbug/plum apple. I tend to use the darker colors more in bigger baits and natural colors more with smaller baits.

How early in the spring? You're either going to be dealing with late winter/early prespawn fish, or prespawn/staging fish I would guess. Just from that map, I would go across and head left. You have a steep bank with a creek channel swing close to the bank (I'm assuming probably a bluff type wall), that you can start on. If your fish are in a winter stage still, you'll find some there. Then it shallows up as the channel swings away from teh bank and there's some docks and small pockets. These are going to be areas where you can find prespawn/staging fish if they're in that phase. So you can quickly fish one bank and try to determine at what phase the fish are in and then concentrate on those areas.

Make sure to tie good knots with flouro, it can be finicky at times so give it a good pull test after tightening your knot down. If you're using the other baitcaster with braid for topwater, don't bother with the leader IMO. I use straight braid for all my topwaters except baits with front props and buzzbaits, works great and one less knot to fail.

Bunch of crybabies whining about the refs here too. I guess I thought the NE/KC game was called pretty fairly. There were a couple non-calls that could have been but there always is and they went both ways so it evened out. I'd much rather watch a game that they're letting them play than having a flag every down. The ball didn't touch Edelmans thumbs, and they got and INT and scored a couple minutes later so that was a non-factor. Berry mauled Gronk a couple times and no flag, no idea how they didn't call those. Mahomes made some young QB mistakes, not taking the easy first down going for the homerun instead, missing a wide open TD in the first half, and running out of FG range and taking a sack and ending the only good drive in the first half was a killer. He also showed some excellent poise bringing his team back and nearly winning the game. You can't expect to win the AFC Championship game not scoring a single point in the first half though, no excuse for that. If the Patriots put the same amount of pressure on Goff as they did Mahomes, game over.

My BIL trapped his first coyote out at our place yesterday. There was tracks everywhere in the snow along the treeline, so there's plenty more for him to get still. It's a muddy, swampy mess from all the melting snow right now behind our house and it was covered in mud, so he'll have some work to do cleaning it up.

All 32 years I've been a Chief's fan have ended in disappointment. Even if this season ends today, for the first time in my life they have a QB that can get them there and that's exciting and finally something to be hopeful for and look forward to. I can't hate Tom, he's had an amazing and long career, but I hope he doesn't have enough left in the tank for this one. I can't bet against him though, he picked apart a much better defense last week and knows how to get it done when it matters most.

I've had Progressive for years and been really happy with them. Spun a bearing an hour from the house once and after a quick call, answered a few questions, boat and trailer was on a flatbed and headed home, not a dime out of pocket.

Bladed jig or a jig.

I went Friday when it was supposed to be one of the best lunar phases of the month during one of the best bite windows of the day, I caught a white bass. Don't think I'll be looking at them in the future.

Doing something to get away from the extreme stress of my job is really important. Too many turn to negative avenues to get their mind away from the things they see and hear and it only makes it worse. I fish for a lot of reasons, but it really helps to hit that mental reset button after a week at work.

I have some lakes I fish at busy times just to avoid crowds, even when I know the bite might be slow. Both the power plant lakes by me don't allow pleasure boats, jet skis, skiing, or swimming. They might be really warm in the summer, resulting in a slow bite, but it's a trade I'm willing to make.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome.. As A-Jay pointed out, gallon Ziplock bags work great for organizing plastics. That's what I use in my boat. When they start to get worn out, a couple dollars and I can replace them all and also weed out any baits that I don't need to carry any longer and restock baits that I'm running low on.

Welcome!

I have it on about 15 different rods, so you could say I like it fairly well. Price is great, strength is good, it fades but I don't think it is noticeable faster than other inexpensive braids.

YUM Craw Papi

Drum love bladed jigs. Can't tell you how many I've caught on them. The worse ones are during tournaments because they smash them just like a big bass I had about a 10lb bright orange koi to the boat today and lost it, actually pretty disappointed about losing it.

1/2 of one on a trout magnet head below a bobber. Cast it out and let it sit, set the hook on any little jiggle.

Fished La Cygne today. It was up and stained as expected. Outlet was 47 again, bluff dropped from 47 at the point to under 43 in about 20 yards and there was a noticeable current flowing from the river towards the lake. I caught a white bass on a crankbait and had 2 taps on a shakyhead that didn't hold onto the bait. Also snagged about a 10lb koi at the outlet on a jigging spoon that came off at the boat, I was kind of sad to lose that one, it was almost completely bright orange. I almost went to Wolf but the fog scared me off, I guess I would have done just as good from the bank there most likely.

I put Owner ST 36 #6 on mine.

Wiggle warts aren't good heavy cover baits while some of the wood squarebills are almost impossible to hang up. I have a couple I can throw in places that are iffy for a spinnerbait to make it through and they'll make it no problem 9/10 times.

There's some great new wood baits out there. I really liked the Thunder Shads but they were Cedar. Black Market Balsa are great too.