Jar11591

Currently sitting at -13° in Clifton Park. At least the wind has finally died down.

I use a minimum of 30lb braid on baitcasters to help prevent digging, and I don’t mess with braid on spinning gear at all.

Wow! Monster. 7th largest bass from Texas ever.

Downright brutal right now. This wind is ridiculous. 40mph gusts with single digit temps is not cool. But then Sunday is going right back up to mid 40s and supposed to stay that way through next week.

Yup. This past fall I was fishing on my home lake, driving over the middle of the lake to fish a different spot. Water was 40’ deep, flat bottom and then a small hump came up to 35’ and it marked several fish right on that hump. In years past I would have considered them to be some hold-over trout from Spring stocking, but given all the new revelations FFS has shown us, I’m now not so convinced they weren’t bass sitting on that hump. I’ve caught them up to 23.5” in that lake, so maybe that’s where they haunt. This spring I’ll be going back to that 35’ hump and really probing it.

There are not many groups I can think of that stand to lose more to urban or commercial expansion than sportsmen and women. @king fisher dang dude that was sad to read.

One rock quarry I used to fish had several quarry ponds in it. Deep, crystal clear and lots of big fish. The stone company that owned it allowed people to fish it as long as it was after work hours. Over the span of a couple years, it got extremely popular with swimmers. Dozens and dozens of swimmers could be there any given Saturday or Sunday, and they would always leave a ton of trash. Beer bottles and garbage and big bonfire remains were all over the place. So the company blocked off the path to get back there, put up no trespassing signs, and that was the end of that. Infuriating. People suck. Another place that comes to mind is a lake that has the most beautifully colored smallmouth in it. It’s on private land, but has a small dirt road and launch that the owner allows the public to access. Last October I drove up to fish it, and found the road to be gated by the owner. But it was off peak season so the owner may have gated it just for the winter. So this spring I’ll be driving up to see if it’s off limits permanently. Hope not.

Ugh, yes we do. That’s why I’m currently looking into options in the future to get out of such a physically demanding career. When I’m older I want to be able to still get around. But physical labor is all I know since I started working 15 years ago. Sometimes I feel like a jackhammer is the only thing that will loosen my back up. Massage therapy is a must. I have one booked for a couple weeks from now and it’s been a long time.

Same for me too. Have a couple pairs of Buffs and Huks. Love both. The Buffs are a little thicker and better for early and later in the season. My Huks are thinner and breathable and great for hot weather bassin.

This is why I use the Strike King Tour Grade spinnerbaits. They’re around $10 and hold up surprisingly well to esox assaults. Occasionally I’ll have to bend the shaft slightly back into place, but it’s rare and it’ll still run true after that.

Jerkbait rod specs usually make good topwater sticks as well. I bought a 6’8” M-XF last year for jerkbaits but it quickly replaced my old topwater set up instead. These specs would also be good as a wacky rig rod.

Agree completely. Fluoro as a mainline I want to be soft and supple and manageable. The fluoro I use as a leader I want I want to be stiff, hard and abrasion resistant. Because it never touches the spool, manageability is a non-factor. I use Yo-Zuri HD Carbon 100% Fluorocarbon leader material. Everything I want in a leader line.

Coldest air of the winter moving in on upstate NY. Few daily highs in the teens and at night supposed to drop well into the negatives. But then Sunday and on will be right back up to mid 40s. Only about 13” of snowfall so far. Way below average. Weird winter.

I love a good PB thread. Been almost 6 years since I got my 9lb 13oz PB. February 2017 South of the border. My domestic PB also came in 2017, September. 6lbs 3oz

I still use a palomar knot, but walking a frog requires a much more subtle twitch of the rod for me. Almost as if you're just trying to shake the line without moving the bait at all.

You seem to be in analysis paralysis, and the only cure for that is unfortunately is to make a decision and spend some time on the water and see how YOU like your set up, as has been metioned. You contacted Kistler and got advice directly from the rod makers mouth which is about as much as you can do. There will never be a general consensus on pretty much anything in bass fishing besides that spending time on the water being the most important. I recommend taking the advice you got from Kistler, and then go fish the rod, and then decide if it works for you. Once you fish it, you'll have a better understanding on how the rod's specs actually apply, and what you want to change, or not change.

@AlabamaSpothunter dang dude a triple?? Killing it! Man I can’t wait to start throwing the A-rig come spring.

I have a 735 and have used it a lot over the last several years. Haven’t noticed any QC issues with it. It’s not my favorite rod at it’s price point, but it makes a good frogging stick. I don’t care for it as a flip/pitch or punch rod.

My old girl keeping me company in the basement this morning while I work on some fishing equipment.

Man that sounds delicious. Haven’t had lamb chops in years. Gonna have to change that.

Awesome. I’ll be sure to keep my eye out on the Latest Catch thread for some of your results come spring!

I think this is the difference between actively fishing and ‘passively’ fishing.

I think its about equal for me. I do believe the rod is more important, but reels get me just as excited. Hitting the water for the first time with new gear, be it rods or reels is very exciting.

This. As someone who snow blows for a living during the winter months, Ariens are kickass machines. They aren’t cheap but they are top notch.