Spankey

Touch up your hooks if you really want to be ready for next spring also.

You should by a decent pool thermometer and start checking your temps. Cast in into a hole you are not fishing or drop it over the side of the boat. There is a difference between air, surface and depth temps.

Real nice. Don’t let COVID keep you down or slow you down. Stay away from the crowd. Fish for the solitude of it. Fish with your family and grand kids. This was my path before and COVID existed. Stay safe, keep catching them. ?

I guess to some degree it’s a vicious circle. Hope the circle keeps going day after day, month after month and year after year. I like my bass fishing. Don’t want to see any problems with plankton, invertebrates, crustations, shads, minnows or bluegills. Keep the food chain going in a circle. I really have no idea what I talking about but the cycle goes something like that.

If you or I were to swallow a bluegill I would think those spines could get painful. But possibly a bass nerve system is not set up like that. Possible the feel pain differently. But I’m not a scientist. Could be wrong. I don’t think a bass takes a crawdad head first. I think they hit them to orient them to swallow them tail first. But I could be wrong I’m not a biologists.

It’s not you most likely. You know how to handle yourself and you understand bait presentations. The metabolism of the fish change this time of year. What they were reaction striking during the summer is not happening now. The fall feed, the fall frenzy, that window may not be that big. And I’m willing to bet in some parts of the country it’s rather small window. One may feel October, November is the big fall feed feast but north here it may be mid-September into October. Admittedly fishing deep water is a weak point for me. I’m not finding bait all that shallow right now. I’m hoping this big rain we had/having will put some fish back shallower for the weekend. Don’t know all you can do is try. *note* I’m not scientist. I know I don’t have the answer. When you’re out......never give up.

I’m sort of in your neck of the woods. I’ll see how it goes on Sunday. Plenty of rain today. More into tomorrow. I have no idea what I’ll be up against. Probably check out creek mouths first. Maybe a few points with steep drop offs.

Not really many spots up here in the north where I am. But they are on my bucket list of things to get done. Just need to get where they are. Was hoping I didn’t need a guide. Have my own puddle jumper to get around. Hope to find a good bait shop in the area of them and make it worth the owners time for any tips and buy what he suggests to go at them. Not really looking for a trophy spot experience. Just catch spots.

That put one in the boat Sunday along with a Shad Rap.

There is nothing that Rapala doesn’t make in a hard bait. And they work.

Loomis has trout rods. I fish with a St. Croix Trout Series Rod. I like it. But note if you have not touched one, the action is probably faster than what you are use to.

They use to have a ribbon tail worm that was called “Bandit” or something like that. Green caterpillar color was pretty decent. I wish ole Mr. Twister the best. They are like a classic to fishing. But sometimes companies don’t change and become complacent in their own little world in the market. But Try to maintain some type of edge. There are a few others as well. I do not want to dis any of these companies because I’ve successfully used their stuff.

I use to fish a lot of Mr. Twister back when I was younger. Than I primarily fished the Silk Worm 4.0 and the Exude Finesse Worm. Good stuff on the river. Then they stopped handling them and I gave up on them. If they quit, I’ll quit. I still have some of both. Not sure where that company is going these days.

I really like my Avid rods. I’ve been fishing a few ML and Med. versions for years now. Just soft plastics. Haven’t self covered real well. I fish other rods with the split grip, and if I’m bouncing around it does not bother me or do I notice anything. I do not own an Avid X. Why? I don’t know.

If I catch it on sale I’ll be a happy boy. Abu has + & - reviews but I’m very satisfied with mine. Half of the review stuff on anything I don’t believe anyway.

Step up to a 7’ Avid St. Croix, should be about that $$$ money wise.

I hope to score on another Abu “Winch”. I have nothing bad to say about it. The regular price is a bit steep but at a sale it a bit easier to take. Gonna put it with another “Winch” Rod. Their winch series of rods I’m way more than Satisfied with.

I didn’t have weather working in my favor yesterday. Wind started early. Periodic drizzle. I’m finding myself obsessed right now to put that push on for a season ending nice one. Didn’t happen. Fished two rock sections. Couldn’t make anything happen with a spinnerbait. Switched to fishing some Shad Raps and Husky Jerks. Caught (2) 12” fish. Have to rule it’s success. A few guys at the ramp struggled for even a hit. They were fishing an area I purposely stayed away from. I have not been seeing much in the way of baitfish there. I will not be able to get out for a couple of weeks now. Sort of inundated with a couple of things to do at home. My fear is temps will really nose dive, my have to fish a bit differently again. I’m one of those people who like to start fishing at the crack of dawn. May have to delay myself more now. Possibly do later up into dark. I probably can’t put myself into the Rightly obsessed category but still have a strong passion still until Mother Nature hits me in the face. Really don’t know what to expect in a couple of weeks.

This may be a stupid suggestion but you could sink a pool thermometer to the depths and see what it is. I’ve used my floating live well thermometer and done that before. Will get you below surface temps. Quick, easy and cheap. Even if it off a degree or two who cares.

Another half decent worm for you to try is the Zoom Curly Tail Worm. 4” with a ribbon tail. I light t-rig and fish them. I don’t fish a heavy jig or buzz bait and do use them as a trailer on them. They don’t have many colors. I don’t see them around much anymore. Their popularity may have dropped off over the years. As long as I can get them in black and green pumpkin I don’t care that much.

Kicking myself in the butt for not throwing a couple of different double bladed spinnerbaits. Should of just angle casted down a long stretch of bank. I generally don’t throw too heavy of a spinnerbait anyway. I should have tried to fish smarter.

That may be way too shallow for that to happen.

Have a post in a thread above but yesterday was a real struggle. Actually still shaking my head some. We are in fall in the North East but heck it has not been drastic temperature drops. I had all kinds of big expectations about yesterday and got a humbling experience. I had that coming. A reality check type thing I guess. It will be a struggle from here on out for me. I can feel it. I have to come up and approach it differently. I did not get skunked but that was because I fished close to the bank at one point and figured there is always a dink or two hanging there. That can not be assumed at all time either. Never give up I guess.

I couldn’t wait to get out yesterday. Took a vacation day and all. Fog so thick you could cut it. Wet like fishing in a cloud. This generally means success for me. Well I was handed a humbling day yesterday. I had that coming. I’ve been catching some nice bass and yesterday the man upstairs tried to set the reality in me. I was taking those nice fish for granted I guess. The baitfish or lack there of seemed to be my problem. On a few occasions I was marking them suspended at about 16 ft of water when I was over 25-26 feet of water. Did not see larger fish with them. Pretty sure they were shads and alewifes. Bluegill did not appear to be in the pads. Tried to chalk that up to be because of no baitfish and dying off pads and grass. Managed to crank two dinks along a rocky bank section. Was actually greatful that I got that. I believe when I get out in a few days I’ll fish rock and riprap. Suspend some baits along that. I’m no Bill Dance or Roland Martin. Can only give it heck and never give up. Lick my wounds and go back at it. I know and realize that I’m facing a time where they were there yesterday and last week but they are not there now or anymore.

I take note from some of your recent posts that you might be a grub fishing guru. Try using a Zoom “Fat Albert” in some of those fishing situations. They have a bit of a larger profile, active tail. I sort of cut my teeth grub fishing when I went to artificial lure fishing only years ago. Mr. T, Kailin, Zoom and many others have the slightly longer tail types. I find the variety so large that I’ve never gotten into those swimbaits with the boot style tail. I have some like that but always reach for a grub type. Almost can’t fish a grub wrong. A billion colors out there to match or look like a baitfish.