hooah212002

x2 field and stream inline spinners x1 SK Redeye Shad (Blue/chrome 1/2 oz.) x4 1/8 oz. XCalibur Tungsten bullet weights x4 VMC pro Seires 1/4 oz shaky head jigs Total price: $10.54 Thank you Dicks Sporting Goods

that is what I have heard the most: FL strain are VERY succeptible to even slight temp. changes.

I certainly hope it warms up this weekend. Today was brutal. Productive, but brutal. I really wanted my son to go out but it was just too cold. Good luck to you when you get out. Not sure how much further north you are than me, but the lakes around here have already reported 60 degrees. However, that was before today and this cold front.

I got my license today in preparation or the opener tomorrow and I couldn't wait any longer, so I went to the neighborhood pond with my ultra-light gear and an inline spinner in search of some "panfish". Those pesky bass and trout wouldn't leave it alone! I caught about 15 dinks (and I do mean dinks) in total in only an hour!: about 6 rainbows (my first time EVER catching a trout!) and the rest bass. I hooked into about 6 more, but the spinner i was using is kinda old and the hook is obviously not very sharp (I really didn't plan on catching anything, so I threw it on just to get out fishing). I would have stayed out longer, but rain + wind + barely above freezing makes for a cold afternoon, especially when you leave your house and think "eh, it's not that cold". The moral of this story (and one that would make for a good topic): make sure your hooks are sharp. Also: trout are fun. I can see the allure. Even though they were only little guys, they ran around like crazy. There were a bunch that made me think "man, finally a good one" only for it to be another small one that had a lot of heart. This is going to be a good year if it starts like this.

When I was younger, I got myself a baitcast reel. I had to get one that a 12 year old kid could afford so it was not a very good one. I had the same problems that you described. I couldn't ever cast it without getting a backlash. This was solved both by experience and getting a better quality reel. Mind you, this was when braking systems were not commonplace. Now, pretty much every price range of reel has some sort of braking system and baitcasting is much more accessible to beginners. I have heard lots (and lots and lots) of good things about the H2O Mettle at Academy as a more than sufficient beginners reel. It is next on my purchase list. Also, the Abu Garcia Black Max. I am never at all one to advocate "spend more money" (I am the opposite, rather), but in this case it does pay, so to speak, to shell out a bit more dough. Your experience will be far more pleasant. When you do make the investment, try some mono WITH LINE CONDITIONER! KVD Line and Lure is an utter life saver. There are other brands that other people attest to, but I have not used them so I cannot speak to their efficacy.

Dang guys, lighten up. Preeeettyyy sure this was meant to be light hearted.

Football jigs are (mainly) for rocks. Throw a http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/index.php/brush-jig'>brush jig or http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/index.php/grass-jig'>grass jig. Brush jigs, imo, are more universal. Grass jigs tend to get stuff caught up on the eye (in my experience, which is limited).

Since your eyesight is not so great, run a Q-tip over both sides of the guides to see if there are any nicks. This will catch one no matter how minor that your eyes may have missed.

How small and what kind of circulation do they have? How are they fed (how do they get new water)? What sort of algae management is there? I would also suggest an email to Bass Edge and address it to http://www.bassedge.com/pages/show/Contact_Us'>Bob Lusk, the "Pond Boss" (only so that if it gets read on air you can win a gift card lol) or just a straight up email to http://www.bobluskoutdoors.com/'>Bob himself.

Because: opinions and personal preference.

Would be nice to see an underwater video comparing the action side by side to see which is more "alive".

You might want to check the historical context of the word because that is incorrect. The term has historically been used as a descriptor of skin color. But, as with most other racial issues, those with enough privilege seem to think otherwise. Now, whether one wishes to take offense is obviously up to them and I am not saying I do, but that is because I am a privileged white guy. It would be akin to having a team called the Yellowskins with a Chinese person as a mascot or the Blackskins with an African as a mascot (or, more apt, they would called the N******s (self censorship) since that was historically an acceptable name for African Americans). Just because you don't find it offensive doesn't mean it isn't offensive.

BR will most certainly tell you that it is crap because it is inexpensive. It doesn't cost tons of money so that obviously means it is low quality. Everyone will chime in and tell you to "save your money for the $400 Dobyns. Don't waste your money on less than $100 rods". The cynicism is strong with me today.

You are actually going out on lake Geneva on opening weekend? There are certainly better ways to not have fun fishing. Noodling for musky is one option that sounds more fun than Lake Geneva on opening weekend.

Ahh. See, Wisconsin is different. You cannot even target game fish until the first Saturday in May. Obviously, if you catch it "on accident", you have to release it.

I would say this is something you ought to talk to your friend about. To me, if you can catch a fish, catch it. The only time I would say it "doesn't count" is if the fish was stuck in the mud and you just went over and picked it up, you just snagged it in general or you used some other nefarious non-sportsman like method (dip net for game fish). But catching them out of season? Fair game as far as I am concerned. *note that I am NOT advocating the violation of local ordinance by targeting out of season fish. Me saying it is fair game is just me saying that it counts for your personal bragging rights or personal record.

What jig head would be ideal for rocky bottom with heavy grass/weeds? I found a new spot (pond sized) near my dads house that is an overflow or a flood management system for an adjacent (payment required to enter) lake. It is full of soccer ball size rocks and heavy weeds or moss. I did not get a chance to fish it (no IL license yet), but my sons did. I don't have many jigs so I don't want to start tossing them and losing a bunch. Weeds tell me brush style, like http://www.siebertoutdoors.com/index.php/brush-jig'>these Siebert ones, but the rocks tell me football head. I have both styles. I am fishing from shore since I both have no boat, but there is no launch either, so I will be casting and retrieving as opposed to flipping/pitching.

http://www.lake-link.com/Wisconsin-Fishing-Reports/'>Lake Link is what you are looking for.

I'll second this. If not for the stretch, but because it is pure crap. I only bought it because it was way cheap on sale at Dicks. I get more birds nests with that stuff than any other line ever. Yes, this was even with copious amounts of KVD L&L.

Line conditioner will make your life much easier with if you go with mono or copoly. It's a must, imo.

And I am now sorry I actually did that research since it goes unnoticed.

This guy looks pretty red to me. And uncooked.

Isn't this a bit like asking why black bears are black, or why Cardinals are red or Blue Jays are blue? It's genetics more than diet, but diet and location played a role in the past. Go to an area with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procambarus_alleni'>Blue Crayfish and blue hues will be hot in the spring instead of red. An article for sauce: http://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/2013/03/more-fun-facts-on-blue-crayfish.html

That depends on water clarity. It's not a black and white issue (pun somewhat intended lol). As the article indicates:

Here is a pretty good article on it: http://www.midwestoutdoors.com/magazine/article.cfm/44/Does-Color-Make-A-Difference-To-Fish/. (a more in depth reading would be beneficial to get a better understanding)