Ersteman

I had Strike King jigs and they chipped whenever you hit anything. I switched to Siebert Jigs and never looked back. They don't chip. I smoked a rock last year and figured my jig was done. Nope, just a small dent on the jig, but paint held up surprisingly and there was no chips. Siebert sets new standards in paint durability.

True. I guess that's why I carry a scale with me every time I go fishing. That way there's little speculation.

Look at Joey Bass' fish he caught in a post in this section of the forums about 10 posts down from your's. His bass was 5 pounds 2 ounces. See how your fish compares to his and there's your best estimate. Keep in mind perspective. You look smaller(skinnier) than Joey Bass, so factor that in too.

Thanks guys

Thanks. You have no problems with hook sets? Do you cut the bait to help the bait slide down the hook? Visually, it doesn't look like there's much room for the bait to move down the hook and to hook into the fish's mouth, but if it works, it works.

I have some Yum Money, some Keitech Fat, and Big Bite swimbaits and would like to use them and try them out this year. What size works for you guys when you throw 5" and 6" swimbaits? The 3/0 seems too small for the 4.8 Keitechs, or maybe I rigged it wrong. It just seems like there is not much room for the bait to slide down the hook shank to get the hook in the fish's mouth for the hookset. Please list your particular brand if it works and explain to me why it works. I like to know the reasons why and not just blindly do things. If you could also explain the particulars on the rigging. i.e. do you cut the bait with scissors? Do you tex-spose the hook? Thanks.

At least you were out on the river. Interesting that none of those techniques worked. Yah, I'm hoping this warming spell will get the bass to move up and feed. Gonna hit some ponds this weekend, maybe today if it's not raining.

I'm right there with you, Woody. Getting my rods and reels ready for a weekend of fishing. Today it's going to be 74 here in Pittsburgh, so the feeling is definitely going to be in the air. Going to hit up a little pond to see the activity levels. Hitting the lakes Sat and Sun. Good luck fishing! Gundog, let me know how you do on the Susky. I've been wanting to take a trip out there this year sometime.

Sometimes bass get smarter and learn and adapt. So too, do you have to adapt. Throw more lifelike lures, throw baits that aren't usually thrown. Vary your presentations and retrieves until you can find something that works. If it were me, I'd go early in the morning, even before the sun comes up and start fishing. Good luck. Are you fishing the ponds now? Weather has been ice cold here in Pittsburgh until this week. I'll be going out the first time this weekend.

Well, I heard Ashley planted brush piles and fished them in the 2015 Classic. Also heard Evers planted brush piles in Grand. I understand it's legal. I don't think it should be legal. Whether he actually fished them or not is another question. If someone could verify or refute this statement, I would appreciate it. I read articles and watched a lot of the classic online, so my memory is failing me as to the source of the "planting brush piles" statement. If the winners are planting brush piles, pretty soon everyone is going to be doing it.

Thank you to those mentioning Fat Cat Newton. I had never heard of him. Funniest fishing videos I've ever seen. I love the comments too, at the people who think he's serious. Those vids caught me laughing out loud at work.

Yah, I would like to see KVD make a run. He was commentating last year, which I enjoyed. Does anyone know if they are going to have a pro commentating again this year? It's kind of like the biggest loser award. You don't get to fish the classic and you have to watch and comment on how everyone else is doing.

x 2 You can thank us later.

Good insight Blue. It will be great to follow the tourney and see how the pros find em. I'm rooting for a warmer February, for sure.

So, I'm getting excited for the Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, OK on Grand Lake O' The Cherokees coming up in a few weeks. I didn't know much about Grand Lake, so I looked it up. Interesting that there's no grass on the lake for a top bass lake. They said it has a lot of shad though. I know this is the first Classic in March, but do you think the presentations will be any different than what they used in February? In 2013, when the classic was there, they fished jerkbaits, crankbaits, jigs, some finesse baits too, but not sure if the spawn starts in March in the Tulsa area. What do you guys think? Any personal fishing experiences there on that lake you would like to share?

I was going to Kayak fish the Susquehanna mid March. Can someone please recommend a decent place to launch and fish the Susquehanna River? I'm coming from Pittsburgh, so somewhere around Harrisburg would be good. Thanks

I just got a Curado I 5:5 and a Dobyns Fury Crankbait Rod. I will be trying my setup as soon as Spring starts here in the Burgh!

Performed well for me. No issues. Wasn't the furthest casting reel, nor the smoothest, but it was great as one of my first baitcasting reels. I caught 1-2 pounders with it.

I live vicariously through you southern guys this time of year. Nice fish. The water behind you looks muddy but not chocolate milk muddy. Was their any visibility, Spinner?

My best day of fishing was with a guide in Michigan on a small lake. First time fishing jerkbaits. My 2 brothers and I caught 20 smallmouths. A 6, a couple 5s, a couple 4s and some others. Beautiful fish in an overcast and chilly day. I'll never forget it.

I've used black max, silver max, and pro max. Very happy with them. No issues whatsoever. I've flipped and pitched with the silver max and pro max and have set major hooksets with them. There was no "flex" felt from me.

Thanks Scott. How did you find the web cams?

I live in Pittsburgh and here in the mid-west we have iced over conditions into March/April. My fishing hole is 60 mins from where I live, so it's not easy for me to just go out and see if there's ice on the lake or not. Besides, going out and looking with your eyes, how do you determine when the lake's ice has melted and when you can go out and fish? I got burned last year. We had weather in the 50s a handful of days in a row. I drove over to the lake and it was covered in ice, so the few warm days in the 50s wasn't enough to melt the ice. I was surprised that the lake was frozen despite the warm weather we had that particular week and was crushed when I drove over and found it frozen. It was a depressing ride home.... So how do you determine if it's fishing time? Is it steady temperatures above X degrees? Does rain help or hurt an iced over lake? Do you check your lake after X days above X degrees temp? I'm realizing you southerners with fishable conditions year round are quite lucky.

Hilarious! Just don't drop a line after you drop a deuce.

Nice catches, double deuce.