FrogFreak

I have some of the same struggles watching a traditional bass show. They tend to focus on reservoirs and shad as the primary forage base. I fish on natural lakes with very clear water where the standard bass table fare is either bluegills, minnows, or craw fish. Because we have Northern Pike in abundance, I don't pay $20 for a lure. It just hurts too much when I get broken off. However, I agree with most that the same basic ideas apply. Find the food, find the fish. We have more grass up here to contend with and yes it can grow deeper. I disagree with a previous post that indicated a jig is difficult to use. I catch plenty of fish up here on a jig. You just have to work it a bit differently. I've found that swimming a jig over the top of deep grass can be very effective. I bought some "fish grabbers" to handle the smaller Northerns. It works well and minimizes the time I'm screwing around with them so I can get back to bass fishing. One more thought, MN is a great place to bass fish for reasons previously mentioned. There may be many boats on a lake but very few if any are targeting bass. We are the minority and I like it that way. One downside (other than the obvious short season) is that the DNR tends to focus on Walleye statistics so it can sometimes be difficult to find accurate lake information regarding bass populations. I use the MN recreational compass to research lakes and I look for lakes with a protected slot or a catch and release policy. When in doubt, I fish the lake myself and form my own opinion. Most lakes in MN have at least some bass in them. Message me if you want any specifics. Thanks!

I bit the bullet and went out Sunday in the yak. The wind was sustained 20 mph with gusts in the 30s. Air temp was in the mid to high 50s so I wasn't too cold. I was surprised that I didn't see any beds since it was warm last week and the ice has been off the lakes for 6 weeks or more. I wasn't surprised that the fish were deep and neutral at best. With the recent cold weather, I assumed they would be hunkered down. I figured them out but I just couldn't keep the yak in position long enough to catch them. I caught 3 decent bass on a 3/8 ounce brown jig with a gp ragetail craw trailer. They did hit it with authority. If I could have stayed on the spot, I could have caught several more I'm sure. One of the fish was a female full of eggs. Hmm, maybe the spawn will happen next week?

I agree with most of these posts. i got one in a MTB and it took on water right away. I'll stick with Booyahs

I live in North Dakota and fish in Minnesota. The winters are very long up here for a bass fisherman! So finally opener is coming tomorrow morning and I am all ready. I have everything packed, I've spent countless hours getting the boat, kayak, rods, reels, and lures ready. I get back into town today from a business trip and I am driving through snow squalls! When I get home I ignore the weather and pack up the car to go to our camper at the resort in Central MN but as we drive through town I call my son who's already at the lake. I ask him how the weather is and he says "horrible." This from a kid who loves to fish in all weather. It's blowing 15-30 mph with gusts up to 40, raining and snowing and it's supposed to get down to 25 tonight. The high tomorrow is supposed to be 49 but the wind will still be bad. So I turn the car around and now here I sit posting on the forum instead of hanging out at my camper getting ready for opener. Man I need to be medicated about now.

They don't work and no one should use them.......just give your unused Keitechs to me and I'll dispose of them for you for no fee.

Both are great, Pad Crasher is cheaper so I give it the nod. On a related note, I have caught tons of bass on the live target frog but I won't buy another because they are 2-3 times more expensive than the pad crasher and I can't tell you that the live target is any more effective.

Love me some Rage Tail Structure Bugs!

What if your boss is a BassResource member?????

Mark is a poster boy for why energy drinks should be outlawed! I do enjoy what a spaz he is though. Of course he gets on the forums, he loves bass fishing like the rest of us!

Don't forget to try some spoons as well.

Welcome! This is a great place to learn for sure!

Terry, welcome to the forums....a place to go when you can't get out fishing!

Best catch that wasn't a fish...my wife!

I use one of those number counter deals (see pic) to keep track. It's attached to my life vest. Anything more sophisticated and I lose interest. I use the number mostly to compete with my buddy who normally fishes the same weekends I do.

Don't forget to look into the store brands at Cabela's etc. They often have some pretty good rods in the $40-$60 price range. Often they're built by major rod manufacturers and sold to the stores at a discounted rate so you win! I like the Scheels store brand rods that are currently produced by a major rod making outfit that keeps coming up as *** when I type it in here.

Please don't go cheap on a BC reel. It'll just frustrate you. I would recommend saving up and getting a Lews Lazer Speed Spool combo or the American Hero combo from Lews for around $90.

I bought one in each size because where I fish, gills are a main forage for the bass. I'm looking forward to trying them in the spring! Looking forward to hearing more reports on them.

I make my own lures all winter so when it comes to making cranks, I'm still that guy. What if they're biting on the white crank with a gray back and I only have 2 of them???? Better make 3. On the other hand, some of the best days on the water consist of a pretty clean deck with only 2-3 rods out. Last thought here, I despise fishing shows that are simply a thinly veiled commercial for the latest and greatest lure! The industry really irritates me sometimes. So and so won such and such tourney with a super underspin high tech lure that makes electronic pulses that talk to the bass so now you should get 2 or 3 of them for $18 each! Remember when Randy Howell won the Classic with the Livingston crank? Does anyone remember that he caught a bunch of those fish on a good ole Rapala DT crank as well? Well, I have to go, the bait monkey calls my name!

I went out with a friend, his first time on a discount SOT yak he got at a big box store. Well, he decided he wanted to sit on a flotation type deal that put him even higher up in the already tippy yak even though I told him it was a bad idea. I was fishing away and heard a large splash and he was in the drink. It was a pretty warm day but by the time I got over to the dock, he was shivering uncontrollably. I tried to convince him to change into the extra set of clothes I always have in my truck but he wouldn't. I finally made him get in the truck and cranked the heat up (he kept insisting on helping me load the yaks first). This guy knew better, he was a medic in the military but he was too proud or stubborn to change out of his wet clothes. It can happen and does happen. Be careful out there folks!

Man that's a beauty! Up north if it doesn't say Lund, it's a second class citizen. I own a Crestliner VT17 and thought I'd never look at another boat but I feel like I'm cheating on her when I watched the video! Good Luck A-Jay!

Hmm, I always wear a red hat but now I'm thinking about one of those orange flags like you see on bikes since my kayak is camo'ed up for duck hunting.

Hmm, I have a couple: I always listen to country music on the way to the lake I always hit the bathroom before I go out. I bring pop tarts with me in the morning and when it gets slow, I eat them and drop a little into the water to get the fish going Always name your boat, a boat with no name is bad luck. I named my boat the JUBO 3. My grandfather had two boats, the JUBO 1 and JUBO 2. His wife, my grandmother was named June and his name was Bob hence JUBO. I figured I'd keep the tradition alive. He is the reason I got into fishing! When I'm done fishing, I try to remember to take a moment to soak up the moment and thank god for how lucky I am.

I call em hammer handles (the small ones) or Toothies in general. Yes, I can tell quickly that I have a Toothie on because they seem to take off sideways quite quickly. The big ones have a different head shake than a bass does as well. Tackle Warehouse should love em cause they break off lures all the time.

I don't like Northern Pike but I deal with them up here in MN. Some lakes have tons of them. They do effect how I fish for sure. The key for me is to find something they don't want and the bass do want (jigs or t-rigged plastics are ignored more than moving baits). They really irritate me when they start destroying my homemade lures but whatcha gonna do? I've had them cut through braid and I really don't want to use a leader if I can help it. Don't get me wrong, I like catching the big ones. It's all the hammer handles that can be a bit much after awhile. I very seldom throw spinners for this very reason. Pike eat em up here like candy. I feel your pain OP. Here's my solution for handling Northern Pike.

I'm always worried about the other guy when I go past someone. Usually I give them tons of room but there are times that there isn't a ton of room to begin with. I feel horrible for the family and friends on this one. It sounds like someone did something wrong for sure. I started out boating in the Pacific Ocean with my Grandfather. He taught me a lot about boating for sure. I was also out with a buddy last summer and he didn't know to veer to the right when approaching another boat head on. It baffles me. Just do a little research. Heck we spend hours and hours reviewing rods, reels and lures, how about simple boat safety?