Fish'N Impossible

Thank Good you made it back too the boat. Our lakes here on Ohio, well the three I fish all time, something like that happens and you just have to stand up. They are all like 5" deep everywhere. Still wear the PFD though, those Mustang's are awesome don't really even notice it, except when it's 90°

My worst day was the first time I had ever been a co-angler and I got paired with someone who hasn't fished the lake in over a year. It was a BFL on my home lake, not just a pick up tourney. The fish had been spawning for about a week and he insisted on cranking offshore, all day. I snuck 2 in the boat that day. I finished out like 77th, and he blanked. On of the guys in my practice group won, on the same fish we had been killing all week. It was quite the learning experience.

I actually went through the same thing. I grew up on a farm and hunting was our passtime. When i started focusing my attention on bass I handled it the same way as hunting, get to know your prey. I delved into the science (anotomy, Habitat, Migration patterns ect). it actually helped for me A LOT! A decent place to go for information on this is the introductory course of Faculty of Fishing it does cost a little money but the information is good. Just if you do that get a notebook and take really detailed notes because once you watch each lesson it is done. (you can pause and go back while the lesson is playing though). And of course the forums here are amazing. there is alot of information to gather here and it is pretty effectively divided into base catogories. Good luck on your bass education how ever you decide to do it.

Thats great to hear, hope we get the same effects here.

Wired to fish has an article on this, its actually a chart relating what baits are best to use in what temperatures. I think i have the file. if i do ill send it to you in a private message.

I use Powerteam Lures HogTonic on my plastics, unless i want to dye them , then its JJ's for the color. I tend to use Bio Stick on my hard baits because it has an almost lip balm consistancy and stays on the bait longer. my plastics are always treated and i treat my hard baits when it gets tough, or in really clear water conditions.

Spinner baits number one and then lipless cranks. and once you catch a couple keepers or a solid fish slow it down. I love to fish the Mojo Setup over grass pockets like that as a slow option, but the jig and worm are very effective too.

Its probably going top kill alot of bait fish and drive the bigger fish back the creeks. now would be a great time to load up in Tanners Creek. Hope the effects dont linger too long and effect the spawn.

I grew up on the largest inland lake in Ohio as we own a landing there. i started fishing when i was old enough to walk although most of the time it was for panfish and catfish to eat. I actuall y left fisihg for about 10 years and just started back into hard about 5 years ago.

Powerteam Lures Food chain tubes are excellent. the have a solid nose section even on the smaller tubes, which is a little uncommon. You can get the from *** or Powerteamlures.com

welcome aboard Tyler lots of great information here , and awesome people to learn it from.

The neatest things I have seen is a bass suck a duckling under into its mouth, and one make an airial atempt on a muskrat. The duckling lost, but the muskrat was a little too big.

Around my parts when I'm using a lizard its Green Pumpkin, Watermelon Candy, Black. My set up is a mojo rig set up over submerged grass, and a 1/2oz carolina rig set up on the rocks. (1/2oz because our water here is 4ft deep).

To me fun fishing is when you just go out and wing it. Hit the water and have no real objective in mind as to finding a certain type of fish. Go out in the AM try to find some bass, break out the crappie/bluegill rod poke around, and just kinda glide around for the day. Work on the fishermans tan, talk to other boaters on the water and just all around have a fun no pressure day.

check the water temp and that will tell you what you need to know. It takes longer for the water to cool and heat back up than the air. with a bad cold snap like that the surface changes quick but the depth takes a little longer.

My season here in Ohio is general early April to Late October. during that season I hit the lake 4 times a week rasin snow or shine. so 120 days a year no give me a minute to check..... Accourding to my logs I actually only made it out 112 times last year. I am blessed I guess to spend that much time on the water, and have to thank a very understanding and supportive wife for that too. Unfortunately we get freezes here so i also have to spend 4monthes straight off the water too...not a fair trade in my opinion.

Understanding a bass and how it acts based on its environment at any specific time takes skill. Then utilizing that experience or intellect to put your self in the location of where bass should be also takes skill. Casting, positioning a lure to the sweet spot, and working a lure propperly in order to elicite a bass to bite is also skill. Unfortunately the most important factor in compitition angling is the part that greaty relies on luck...the size of the fish on the end of the line. you can use your skill to get you in an area loaded with fish, but you never know what size fish is gonna bite at any given moment.

Lake St. Clair would make an awesome spring trip. water would still be a little cool but its loaded with Smallies and they love that cold stuff. AGive me a hollar if you wanna head that way I help a guy do guides up there.

I use the Gander Mountain Guide series rain suit, its light enough not be overly hot and wind proof. It also has hand gaurds built into the sleeves of the jacket. Whole set runs $150 not on sale. that sbibs and jacket. also light enough that if you wanted to wear it other than fishing pretty nice then too.

Power Team Lures pretty much rounds that out for me Craw D'oeuvre on light jigs 1/8 to 1/4oz Conviction Craw on jigs 3/8 to 3/4oz 4.5" Texas rig jig for a Texas rig set up (have a smaller version if you need to downsize)

I have a printing company as sponsor, Digital Sign Graphics,. Its a local small business and happened to connected to him through my main sponsor Meyer's Lodge. Went in talked to him he was all about supporting outdoor activities, and after talking identified many potential markets that could be impacted. After talking to him more and seeing the operation more in depth he showed me some Vehicle wraps he had dome for companies. And that's when we started talking about Boat wraps the difference in materials and application....and now he is working in an additional market, at a lower price point than most large competitors, and doing it very well.

Because it is several days after this massive cold front, and if you have no more time to practice with regular temps, I would do the norm. Start with what it was taking in the huge bags and after a predetermined set of time if that wasn't working I would make the change. So... 1) Start A-Rig on the points they moved up on. (succeed stay, fail change) 2) move further off those locations and fish deeper; Drop Shot, Shakey head, or Stroke a jig. (Succeed stay/fail move) 3) Move to the best cover around those areas, weeds thick wood/brush, and fish deep inside that cover. Flip, drop shot, shakeyhead) basically if they are they stay aggressive, if they are not deep water deep cover finesse fishing. This is just my opinion I could be wrong...never fished or seen that water so I am working strictly off of bass behavior.

Nice to see a fellow Ohioan here. To pass the time I generally do PM's on gear (reels and rods), organize, repair, inventory, and eliminate/introduce tackle. Read forums, do research Google maps and navionics app is great for IDing New spots. And just to keep things interesting annoy the wife till she starts being as excited for fishing season to start as I.

In the fish world; Gobies are Lays potato chips all its big boys love'em. :-)

Here on Indian Lake in Ohio those are the pretty much everyday conditions, except the entire lake is only 6-8 ft deep. Early in the spring I find wood in the morning not full Laydowns, but decent sized stumps along the shore line. Then flip a subtle action craw right down the wood face, usually a Craw D'oeuvre from PTL, or a regular Berkly Chigger Craw Texas rigged with a light weight 1/8 to 1/4 oz.. Then as the sun comes up it's off to the rocks. Usually start with Live Target crank in ghost blue, or Rapala DT6 in Hot Mustard with two suspend dots by the front hook. If nothing on those I might change over to the green craw color of the Live Target, and drag the occasional chigger craw across the rocks. If the rocks aren't producing, I will either return to the wood (if it performed earlier), or find me some grass with wood or Laydowns running through it. The start throwing traps in green craw color, our a ghost green, my preference is Damiki or one again live target. Rigging it through the grass setting the wood. As you can tell round here in the spring the craw is the thing. That's what the Bass key on early. I flip using a 7'6"MH 10-14# braid, some guys use flourocarbon but with the dirty water I didn't see the advantage and floro get brittle in that cold water. Crank with a 7' M and 10-12# mono