BaitMonkey1984

I think all of us have that confidence bait that we throw even when the conditions/fish tell us to try something else. I think we all fish history even if subconsciously as well. My number one fault that I am looking to fix this season is to use my d**n electronics. I just spent thousands last year on upgrading all my electronics and I very rarely use them. I fish obvious spots or spots that did well for me in the past. I need to put those Lowrances to use.

100's of new soft plastics....some of the ones I am most excited about are: Havoc Money Makers Rage Tail Anaconda BPS Shimmy X2 Worms Zero Gravity Jigs and a Number of homemade worms from the local fishing/hunting expo!

Hack Attack is gonna start this year where he left off last year.

BPS XPS 100% Flurocarbon. It is the first fluorocarbon I started using years ago first for leaders, now for bait casters. Although I hear great things about Sniper and other lines, feel no reason to change something thats not broken.

I primarily fish Lond Pond but am on Mascuppic 2-3 times a week. I also had someone run into my trailer and take off a trailer light. Except for the the boat traffic, I usually have a good time out there. Hit me up if you want to share tips or maybe hit the water together in the spring. Or head out on the ice on Long Pond- 8 bass last Sunday for me before the Pats.

On most of my all terrain spinning outfits I have 8 lb power pro super slick 8 with a 14 lb fluorocarbon bass pro shops xps leader. A majority of these set-ups have grubs, senkos, beaver style baits, etc and I love the braid no stretch. I think the sensitivity is increased in this line compared to other lines. I do not lose a lot of fish, but then again I am anal with my knots and maintaining my gamagatsu hooks. You should have no problem with your set-up.

Great movie. My best friend had the honor of meeting the hero, Chris Kyle , overseas during his three tours with the Marine Core. He couldn't say enough nice things about him. These are the real heroes, glad people are seeing the movie so they can see what these men and women sacrifice for the rest of us. Thank a vet.

I generally throw the 5" GYCB senko. I catch more fish on it then other baits so it is worth the increased cost. Plus the O-rings also get me more bites out of each worm too. When I am looking for a bigger profile worm, I throw the BPS Mag they are 6-7" and have a much fatter profiled than a typical bait. They kill in the baby bass color, and they hold up well. Surprisingly they catch a lot of smaller fish as well. I would give this bait and the zoom magnums/ole monster a try they both produce constantly for me. Best of luck. P.S. This is why I buy bait in bulk, I never want to run out of a few of my staple lures/colors/etc.

I really like the hack attack jigs. However, the zero gravity jigs that i just got in this month's MTB look amazing and the slow fall rate has me really intrigued. I cannot wait to get them wet.

So I am sure many of you have all seen this before. Someone leaving many panfish on the ice to die because they believe that the lake is overpopulated by the species, and after all they eat bass eggs. What do you do in this situation? I know what the game warden would do.

We all started off in your position at one point of our fishing career. I got a 6' ft MH Ugly Stick after getting hooked, and having to borrow my girlfriends brothers rod time and time again. I remember at the time thinking that Ugly Stick was the top of the line. Well it might be, for entry level rods. I still have that rod and have caught 100's of fish and given it a beaten. I still use it to this day as one of 20 or so rods. It holds great sentimental value. However, with that being said there are much better rods out there for your price point. An ugly stick is touted as a tough rod. They don't break easily. That is good. It is also bad because it hinders the sensitivity. You need to feel the bite, or you will lose many fish without even knowing it. There are good Bass Pro combos like the carbon lite for $150 that are far, far superior in features and sensitivity than an ugly stick. Also, the st croix rage is a good cheap stick for around $100. I would do your homework, based upon the type of fishing you generally like to do. Bass Pro, Cabellas, Tackle Warehouse all have 100's of reviews so check that out. Spend the money on a good combo now and you will still have it and still want to use it in years to come, good luck.

So many lures, so little space on a 20 ft bass boat. I am a firm believer of plastic worms and crank baits, throw them the majority of time. Storms new Arashi crank baits run true and look good doing it and are a steal for the $8.00 piece average, the KVD line by strike king is good too, esp. the sexy shad rattling cranks. I would load up on colors and depth range then get some plastics for those tougher days. My local pond doesn't hold a bunch of big fish either but have still caught plenty on a bigger worm 7-10'. I would recommend the zoom magnum finesse/trick or the old monster they kill in the grass.

anyone fish the merrimack river? I have no luck once I get on a moving body of water..I know they kill the smallmouth over by Vesper but I still strike out.

I wear my hiking boots ice fishing, a little less weight than my hunting boots and better traction. Timberland gore tex chocurras - lightweight and around $120 is a steal

The bait straight out catches fish and is fun to fish, it was my first confidence bait. Check out the BassResource videos, more information than you will ever need.

Yup use anchors on both my boats but thats because I don't have money for a power pole. Maybe I will be able to get one this year with my tax refund.

I fish a small pond and when I started fishing I didn't think I could get bit on a 10 inch worm. Boy was I wrong. The only downside is overtime I tie one on now I have to listen to everyone and their mother tell me that their aren't fish big enough in the pond to eat that worm.

And so it begins. Remember, you can never have enough tackle, rods, equipment and you will always be upgrading parts on your boat for as long as you fish- it comes with the territory. Welcome.

Where I live winter fishing = ice fishing.

I fish alone about half the time. I like to fish with friends/family but I simply like to fish much more often than them, so when no one wants to go, I go alone. I have no issue with fishing solo and now have gotten used to it, and I produce more fish then when fishing with others. However, obviously it can be a lot more fun fishing with friends and your father. For safety just make sure someone knows what body of water you are on. If you are nervous about falling overboard I would say use your PDF when making runs and always utilize the engine kill switch. Wear your PDF all the time in cold water. Have a paddle, a workign flashlight, a container to bail. Also, if you are older/not physically in shape/ or fishing colder water some manner to get back in the boat should you fall out. It is harder than it looks to get back into the boat, and whether you want to believe it or not it is going to eventually happen.

I fish the same body of water at least 4 times a week from ice out till Archery Season in October. I have fished this lake, this frequency for several years and my girlfriend's family lives on the lake. Because of my time on this small body of water, I know everyone who fishes here regularly. One day, I was fishing the only real piece of structure, a sandbar in the middle of the lake that has a steep drop on one side and scattered boulders on the other. This guy pulls up in a brand new Nitro and trolls over to the side of my boat, and tells me I am fishing in his "secret spot". I laughed and laughed and laughed.. I told him that I fish this lake very often and I never saw him, and this isn't really anyone's "secret spot" it is a well known community hole. He realized his attempt to bully me off my spot was not going to work and he got on the trolling motor to bully someone else off another one of his "secret spots." As he was tolling past me, he ran the trolling motor right into a submerged rock that is well known to everyone. "You think you would know where the rocks are on your secret spot." I have not seen that brand new Nitro back on the water. All he had to was pull up and cast a line, or ask me if he could fish there and we both could have caught em, no problem. He didn't have to go all KVD on me and try to bully me. I even thought about wanting him about the rock but knew his Motorguide would be fine and there would be no damage other than his pride. Still makes me laugh to this day

Ive jot a jointed (J-6) original floating rapala in northern pike that is my absolute confidence bait. It was my first "real" bass lure and it is in large part to responsible for my fishing addiction and hundreds if not thousands of lures. They stopped making it for a while but started back up a few years ago so naturally I stocked up. I still have the original one I bought, it is missing paint on the top, missing an eye, and one treble hook is missing a hook point. I refused to add a new eye or change out the hook. I would eat that d**n lure all day if I was LM because it has something that drives the fish crazy.

The front deck of my Ranger is usually covered with 14+ rods because I want to be able to capitalize on any scenario without having to waste time retying.If I see a fish, or a spot that needs a specific presentation I can pick it up and cast within a second. With that said, out of the 14+ rods brought out on the water I throw the senko rod and crank bait rod 95% of the time. So I think I would fall into the specialist group. Maybe I take some secret pleasure watching the girlfriend freak out at how many new rods the Bait Monkey made me buy over the long new england winter.

Up here in the NE we have a shown on the local sports station called "Charlie Moore that Mad Fisherman." It is a combination of bass fishing in New England and talk show. He has a new guest with him each episode who generally are Boston Sports Heroes. He is the Boston version of Ike. One of the top 5 people I would love to fish with. He actually fished a nearby lake in an episode and I was trying to figure out where on the lake he was fishing. Check him out on youtube.

I mainly use roboworms and zoom on my shaky head setups, and most of the worms in the package work as they should.