everythingthatswims

I was wondering what sort of crankbaits you guys like to throw in cold water. The only baits I have done much with are a 1/4oz redeye Shad fished as slow as it will run, and last year I got into some fish in mid February on the el cheapo rebel wee-r squarebill when nothing else would produce. With cold water cranks ranging from the little tight wobbling lightweight balsa Shad raps all the way to the other end of the spectrum with a wide wobbling, lead rattle wiggle wart, it seems as though it may be more about a bait that just has "it" and doesn't necessarily follow a specific trend for cold water baits. What baits do you guys throw? What do you throw them on? Water temps, areas to throw them, etc....?

Nice fish!

Do they stay there year-round? I know that eels have to go to the saltwater to spawn and then return to fresh for everything else. They very well could leave and come back to the pond, they can navigate around dams! Crazy but once one of them gets around the dam, the rest follow the scent of its "slime trail" (they do this on rainy nights). Anyone who has handled an eel can understand how they are able to make a slime trail.

Yep, hybrid, and a giant one at that! They must be a more agressive panfish, my brothers and I fish a pond stocked with hybrids, and we have caught multiple 11-12" fish there, some of them eat whole super flukes and trick worms!

We have them all over the place in VA. Pretty remarkable creatures, the migrating they do is amazing, they put salmon and trout to shame. They probably wouldn't stick around very long if stocked in a pond.

Good deal.

Chrome sexy Shad color but any 1/4oz should work. My friend caught one on a 1/2oz this weekend so it may not even matter

Pick up a couple s-waver 168s

Sorry to see that you guys still have some snow on the ground in MD! Hopefully it will get the heck out of there soon for you! Congrats on the fish.

We don't have a trout season in VA .....Stocking October-May and you can catch fish in the summer months if you target wild ones or know what stocked waters hold them when it gets hot.

1/4oz Redeye Shad KVD 1.0

Weightless t-rigs are awesome topwater baits. Try a zoom ultravibe speed craw, they are sort of a finesse buzzbait I guess when you fish them on top.

I catch much nicer fish when I don't have a scale or tape on me. They all become 12" and skinny when I'm prepared to weigh and measure a fish.

It's sort of a borderline topwater catch but I think it qualifies ...I was "waking" a 4" curly tail weightless when this little guy became interested. I had to make 10 or more casts at the same spot, he nipped at it or boiled on it just about every other cast until he finally ate it. Saw a few bass chasing bluegills up against the bank, things are definitely picking up around here!

If I was going to fish for spots I would throw a 68 just because they have smaller mouths and I think they could eat a 68 a little easier. There is a lot more to it than just putting in the time chunking and winding with swimbaits if you want to get bit.

They seem to be very fond of 6XD crankbaits in shad colors When you catch them in the right mood, they will really get agressive.

Exactly, shad don't turn chartreuse during muddy water, and crayfish don't turn black and blue, but that's what we use to get better bites in those situations.

"If your friends tell you that you fish too much, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life."

8" BBZ Slow Sink and a Hudd 68. My I almost lost an s-waver 200 but after spending an hour trying to get it out of the tree standing up in my kayak holding a 12' branch to swat at the bait wth, while trying not to fall out, I actually got it back!

I love them but probably won't be buying any more. $9 each now I think, they were only 5 or 6 when I first got them. You will get 20-30 bass per bait if you are careful when unhooking the fish. I only fish them in clear water, around hydrilla is the best way to do it but as long as you have clear water they work. I fish them on 12lb mono and a medium baitcaster

Havoc Pit Boss Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw Culprit Incredicraw I'll pass on the rage tails... $$$$$$$

Baby boo jig is a good starter jig. It's small, and works well for flipping light cover, dragging or hopping it, and it also makes a decent swim jig. Good bait to experiment with, all sizes of bass will eat it, and you don't need a jig rod with heavy line to set the hook.

Wow nice job on the early topwater bite!

Get a shimano sienna if you won't be using it much. Inexpensive, but quality reel that can handle the salt. I fish a 2500 spooled with 8-10lb braid (even 6lb one time) on a 6'6" ML bionic blade, just because I like fishing light tackle. However, this is definitely a risk when fishing saltwater, and as snook said, you can never be 100% prepared. That's what's cool about the salt, you NEVER know what's gonna hit next, or whether or not you have any prayer of being able to land it, crazy stuff. I once saw a lady on a pier (who had no clue what she was doing) hook a 30lb class cobia on a $19.99-ish walmart combo with either 8 or 10lb mono and a gotcha plug. She wound against her drag so much that the line twisted up and weakened until it eventually snapped when they were trying to gaff the fish.

Yeah I have definitely been there, but when I get "there", I try to get in the mindset that things can only get better from where I'm at. Don't worry, you'll get out of the slump. The only thing that wasn't out of your control would be the hook straightening, I would suggest getting new hooks, or keep the drag on the reel set lower. You may want to get a net so you don't have to tire the fish out completely before beaching the fish. I know wet rocks don't hurt a fish but when you slide them into shallow water they can beat themselves up pretty badly if they start thrashing. A net makes it easier to hold the fish in the water to revive it if you are taking photos or having trouble getting the hook out too.