Bankbeater

My most productive bait this year was a weightless, grape colored, 6" Creme Scoundrel. Fished it on a 6'6" m/f Carbonlite with a Pflueger President spooled with 10# Big Game. The number two bait was a 4" green pumpkin Yum Dinger fished on the same rig.

I don't for catfish too much anymore, but I still go out after panfish, walleye, sauger, and with a little luck I may catch a muskie. The difference is that when I don't catch a bass I am bummed for a little while. I don't feel that way when I get skunked fishing for other species.

I use to do a lot of catfishing off of the bank. The size of the floater always depended on the type of bait I was fishing with, and how far out I was fishing. Easier to see if the floater is large.

When I was growing up my family had 4 dogs over the years. They were family, and dad always said you can tell a person's character by the way a dog responds to them.

Welcome to the forum.

Thursday we had record high temps. Friday the temps dropped all day. Saturday about 1/2 hour south there was 5" to 6" of snow. Monday night we are expected to get more snow. They are saying it won't be very much. We'll see.

I think you nailed it.

Mad Dog was a staple at some of the parties I went to when I was younger. Probably why I don't drink wine now.

I like a 6'6" med heavy / fast casting rod. I like the shorter rod for working the bait. I use to use a m/f spinning rod, but in thick cover that did not give me enough muscle to get the fish out.

I've gotten hooked twice with treble hooks. Once in each hand. The first time the hook went through the corner of nerve tissue, and the second time the hook was very close to a blood vessel. Both times I went to the ER and had the hook removed. There was no way I was going to try to pull those out myself.

So sad.

I've used braid, mono, and fluoro over the years. The braid was always a pain when snagged, even with a leader, which I don't like using. I really never noticed a difference between the flouro and mono, except the fluoro was a lot stiffer. Now I use straight mono for just about everything.

I love pitching a Texas rig into wood this time of year. Thanks Glenn.

I fish with a lot of the older baits. I'm not one to run out and purchase a new type of bait, sight unseen, as soon as it hits the shelves. Nine times out of ten how I try a new bait is that I find one out on the water and tie it on.

You won't be boating that sunfish with 4 lb line.

I only have the light on when I retie, change baits, remove a fish, or untangle the bait. I try not to have it on very long since it tends to draw in bugs,

I've been fishing on days when the temps started out in the high 20's and warmed into the low 40's. That is about it for me. If the high temps are going to be low then I stay home.

About 10 years ago I was fishing with an old Daiwa rod from the bank. I reeled in my jig in and was raising it up out of the water when a big bass hit it about one foot off the bank. In a knee jerk reaction I just flipped the bass out on the bank, and that rod sure creaked when I did. That was a learning moment for me, and the last time I flipped a big fish.

With the high gas prices I stayed close to home this year. I did find a lot of new ponds to fish. Some of them produced bass and some didn't. I managed to hit my numbers goal, which is good because with work picking back up and the weather changing I think I may have only 1 or 2 trips left. My most productive bait was a 6" straight worm fished around vegetation. The best bite came weightless, or on a Texas rig fished on the bottom.

I wouldn't worry about it. You may not have gotten a 8+ lb bass, but you definitely avoided the skunk. Sometimes that is more important.

The worst part about fishing from the bank is that you don't know what is under the water, especially when fishing a new body of water. There are some baits I fish with just to feel out the bottom, and to try to get a handle on what type of cover is out there. Best 1. Texas rig with less than 1/4 weight 2. Split shot rig 3. Weightless Fluke or Senko 4. Topwater 5. Wakebait Worst 1. Carolina Rig 2. Diving or sinking treble hook baits 3. Jig 4. Texas rig with more than 1/4 weight 5. Drop shot

I've been working the same job for the past 36 years. I've seen my share of butt kissers, back stabbers, and people that are just not that bright. All I can say is that I'm glad I will be retiring in a few years.

My mom had shingles back in the late 70's. She said it was the worse pain that she has ever felt. Doctor's office keeps wanting me to get it for a few years now, but I have been putting it off. Doctor's office also wanted my wife to the the shingles vaccine, and my wife politely told them she has never had chicken pox.

Looking sharp

I use either a mh/f or a h/f. Catfish will hit a minnow under a bobber also.