Smokinal

Welcome to BR Mac!

I know it! I have been waiting for Catt to invite me down to mow his lawn or somethin...

^^Cool shots Guide! We are getting 14-18" tomorrow. And the 10 day doesn't look good. More snow and cold; no end in sight.

I'm using a med 6'6" spinning rod with a size 30 President spooled with 10 lb braid to 10 lb fluoro leader. I, too, feel I get better action with the no memory braid than I would with all fluoro. I have tried the jerkbait on a casting rod but get better distance with a spinning rod which is very important with jerkbaits. OP, sounds like the setup you have is fine if it's comfortable to you. I too would switch to braid tho.

Good to hear!

Ya know I really respect a guy for that. Very good of him to stop on his way out. Sounds like you had fun.

Well because this one was black.

3 degrees and windy today. What a setback. And over a foot of snow coming Tuesday.

I once saw an albino Polar bear.

Nothin ever nearly as cool as this happens in Maine...

I'm awestruck by the colors in that Redear OP! Just gorgeous. Our Bluegill have a little of that aqua blue on them but nothing like that. Thanks for sharing that today.

Wow, what a slob!!

That's an exciting feeling to have those boys there in your home town for sure. Even more so for a guy in Maine! They were here about 3 yrs ago and I couldn't get out one single day to see them. Just knowing they were all there (and it was a group full of the huge names) was very exciting for me. Wish I coulda gone. Post some pics from the water for us!

Ya, about that "covering water" thing. Forget that for a minute. There are times where that can be a good tool but other times, like in 45 degre water, where it can backfire. You can buzz all the baits you want past fish, covering water, but if they want a slower presentation, you won't get bit. For the start of my season, after ice out, in water 42-48 degrees, nothing will beat a jerkbait fished slowly with a twitch here and there. Having said that, I have had some great days in 45 degree water on a red craw trap. So if the jerkbait think isn't your bag, and you want to throw more of a moving bait, I'd try a red trap (rattletrap or other lipless version). Now, spring, cold water can make them very finicky so try different retrieves with that trap. Try a straight retrieve, a faster, burning retrieve and also a yo-yo where you will let your trap fall to the bottom or just over it and rip it up in a yo-yo fasion. Another early moving bait I've had good luck with is a Keitech or similar swimbait on a slow retrieve. But if none of these are working on that particular day, I'd slow down and jerk it.

We had 50 degrees and rain today. The web cam on my home lake showed puddles all over the lake and it looked darker. I was pretty excited until I saw the forcast of single digits this weekend.

My first 100-150 fish this year will be on a jerkbait. My home lake has a stupid jerkbait bite just after ice out that lasts about 3 weeks. I can usually catch 40-60 or so in a day and try to get 2-3 days of this before it ends. The jerkbait bite is heads and shoulders (or fins and tails) above any other bait going. Can't wait! Thanks ETS, you just got me all fired up!!

Good point about the season. Maine used to have a fishing season which went from April 1st to Sept 31st but they dropped it to open water. Mid May?!? That's horribly late! Anyone else have seasons still?

^^You're kidding! For one thing, to have been fishing that much already this year is awesome in itself; nevermind already catching 76 this year! Nice work. I'm still iced in so it's a little shocking to me I guess...lol I haven't dropped too much. I guess I need to try it some more. I've caught a few on it but haven't had much success so it ends up around 4th in my bullpen of "tough fishing days" techinques.

It's nice to hear these reports. Interesting to hear water conditions around the country; especially near me. It gives me hope that soft water will show up soon!! Thank you folks.

Congrats! You're liking that drop shot thing!

Sweet! Interesting how that works.

I thought we needed an ice-out thread. If not only for informational reasons, maybe just to let A-Jay and I know we are not alone. So maybe you drive by some water each day; maybe you live on the water. Whatever the case, what's your situation? I'm in southern Maine and we are all still iced in. A few smaller ponds have some edges open and ice is a little darker but nothing is really open. On my home lake, there is a live web cam I watch daily and it looks like you could still drive a vehicle on top. It would be good info to hear some reports from across the country. And if you aren't frozen, whats your water temp and your location?

Love the pic!!

Wow! Dad knows how to get on `em too!! Nice job. And I think that bait needs to be tested in Maine waters; just to be sure....