Bluebasser86

Got my first few cold water fish yesterday (5 to be exact). It was cold, mid 20's when I went in the afternoon. Ponds just thawed for a few days but will probably be frozen again tomorrow. Took 1 rod and 1 65 pointer because I only had about 30 minutes. This was the biggest one, the other 4 looked like bass colored swimbaits, only smaller.

Welcome!

Welcome back!

Welcome and thank you for your service!

Not a chance I'd try those things. In a normal fishing situation, if a hook gets bent that badly, I'm throwing it out because it's now much weaker than it was originally. When the hook was a light wire hook to start with and then severely weakened, not a good combination.

They're already out there. I know Mattlures lakes one.

Spoons, small jigs, wiggle warts, and Ned rigs are my favorites.

Shawnee gets a ton of trout over 4 pounds stocked every stocking, including at least 4 state record sized fish up to 15 pounds. It has the best average size and top end size anywhere in the state. This video was from this last fall out there.

I put suspend dots on mine, enough to make it a very slow floater, along with upgrading the hooks to a #6. I crawl it through rocks and around wood, sometimes fishing it by pulling the rod and reeling up the slack and then letting it sit and slowly float up. It's a great presentation in cold water.

2 easiest line to line knots I know of. Alberto Knot Double uni

I use the #5 in natural bluegill a lot. 6' 8" M spinning rod with 8lb mono.

I love the Shine Glide 185, enough that I sold all my Deps 175. It swims and glides great, affordable, and flat gets bit. I fish mine on a Dobyn's 795 with a 300E Curado loaded with 20lb Big Game. I use the reel to move the bait, fast crank for a turn or two, then a pause, repeat. Sometimes I'll use the rod a little if I'm fishing it fast.

It works the same way here too. Fish a black buzzbait all day through the timber you mentioned. I like a 1/2oz black on black Cavitron, or 3/4oz black on black Crock-o-Gator. As much as I don't like them, banging a squarebill through timber is a great way to get a big bite too. A jig, beaver, and big worm would be top options for me as well. Another that doesn't get used a lot but has been a great big fish producer for me, is a 7" stick worm (senko), T rigged with a 1/8-1/4 ounce bullet weight and flipped at the trees. Catches fish of all sizes but the big ones really like that big hunk of plastic gliding down.

I have the bottom blank done in lite trout like the R2S version. It's a random color but the fish here like it for some reason.

Caught a lot of <3lb fish Monday and had the lake all to myself, it was really nice other than being pretty cold. Got my first fish on one of my new swimbaits too. Just a little guy, but he smacked it.

Finally remembered to bring the big shad I froze last month and let some soak while I was fishing for bass. Got on a hot bite on a flat point where I just dropped the motor in the mud and sat there, great chance to let some cut bait sit while I was casting. 3 nice blues and a channel liked the spot too added a 4th blue right at the end of the day on a Keitech.

Most all our lakes they have to be over 18 or even 21 inches to keep. I think they probably grow a little faster than that chart here, but probably not by much. I doubt many folks realize how long it takes for a fish just to reach keeper size, largemouth, spot, or smallmouth.

Man I'd think a channel cat would be a tough fish to swallow with that trio of sharp spines to get down.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

I'm much more concerned about the Asian carp than the snakeheads.

This is actually the bait I'm talking about, the line thru sandeel. They're a pretty new bait still, so I'm hoping maybe they'll be released here eventually.

My wife wouldn't even go down the dead end where the snakes were and hurried past where the green anaconda was at. I think snakes are cool, she does not share my sentiment.