Bankbeater

I usually don't take a cooler with me out on the water. I fill up a couple of 2 liter soda bottles with water and then freeze them. I have ice water to drink all day.

Definitely a steady retrieve for crankbaits.

I have good luck with red crankbaits and lipless baits when the water is on the muddy side.

When I do use a jerkbait it is usually a Smithwick rogue.

I have a spring fed lake that is about a 30 minute drive away that is a coin toss. If the fish are biting you can catch them all day. When the fish shut down you can't even catch a sunfish.

In muddy water I like using a red rat-l-trap. Work it just fast enough to make it rattle, and get as close as possible to the cover.

Years ago I lived near a city lake where you couldn't use live bait. Everyone would be fishing for channel cats using spinnerbaits.

I've always used the plastic chunks. I remember my Dad used the pork chunks back in the day, and he had to cut them off the baits every once in a while.

Some of the lakes I fish see some very heavy fishing pressure, especially in the summer months. Sometimes I can catch the bass on baits that others are not using, and sometimes I am using the same baits as other people, but I am changing up the presentation. I just have to keep playing around and trying different things until I hit on a pattern that works.

This year the tax refund is going to help with projects around the house.

In the past I have used EWG hooks for everything. This year I am going to try some round bend offset hooks to see what happens.

Nice looking bass! Good job!

Nice catching! I love fishing standing timber in winter.

After the ice melts I can get out about 3 or 4 times a month. If I can get away from work I can up that number to 5 or 6.

I try and look for a path that someone else has made. Sometimes I have to make my own. If I am going through waist high grass then I make a couple of pit stops to check for ticks along the way. I do try and stay out of the tall grass when there are a lot of trees overhead. Ticks can drop down from the trees also.

In deep water I like Cordell spots in copper craw for muddy water, and chrome blue back for everything else. In shallow water I'd go with a Mann's 1 minus. Gray ghost in clear water and fire shad in stained water.

Nice looking bass!

I've had a couple of dogs that were pretty smart. One was a hound that would routinely open up a baby gate with a clothespin latch on it.

Nope. I'm good.

Blue and black jig.

At least you got offers. When I was selling my Dad's equipment I kept getting asked if I had more pics of the rods and reels. After I sent the pics I never heard from the people again.

I pull bladed jigs out of the vegetation the same way I pull regular jigs out. I take up the slack and give the bait a quick couple of jerks. It usually pulls right out.

I try and match the color of the frogs I use to the real frogs that live around the lake.

I remember the first time I saw that skit many years ago. Still one of the best.

I've probably spent about $150 from gift cards on new line, replacement hooks, and other small stuff.