Fishin Dad

I agree. Spring is awesome. I still find some shallow later if the conditions are right. It seems the bigger fish move out offshore though. There are a lot of fish in that lake. I assume with the later ice out, the fish are a little behind.

Glad to see the bite looks better up there this year so far. Nice work. Can’t wait to head that way.

I absolutely love these! I have three pair in different colors right now. I wear these much of the summer. Protect your toes, can get wet, comfy, can move well in them. And yes, the tiger stripes are cool too. I will usually wear comfy tennis shoes for a really long day on the boat.

I have noticed a lot more spinning gear in the hands of guys fishing for a lot money recently! When I was in the walleye world, it was almost all spinning. I do prefer baitcasting now, but carry 6 spinning outfits most trips out. Panfish is all spinning as well.

Wow, that is a lot!! I get into a bind while finding gear on sale, I often buy just because it is a great deal. I end up with way more than I can process or choose what to use or bring in the boat. My tournament partner only buys what he he likes and uses most. As I watch the pros in tournaments, it doesn’t seem much to matter what “brand” they throw, they all catch fish. This is helping me try to cut back on buying more. But, just when that happens, I see or read something that tells me I HAVE to try it. It is a never ending battle. I am going to keep fighting and trying to figure it out. Good luck in your battle!! I definitely don’t think you have anything “Missing”!!!! ??

It has been frustrating. I may sleep on the darn boat Saturday night. I don’t think my family will see much of me this weekend. We are waaaaaay over due!!

Geeez, I thought you were my neighbor for a minute. Minnesota has been rotten too. Every weekend has been nasty. Windy, rainy, cold, garbage. SNOW!!!??? I feel a little better now!! Sorry northern friend. Hope it gets better for you.

I have seen a couple videos lately where two great frog fisherman (I think it was Roumbanis and Rojas) both said white frogs produce bigger fish. I might have to test that this summer if the frog finally gets going again this year. Last year topwater stunk. I usually throw black, white, and then mess with other colors when I feel frisky.

Love the Mustad KVD grip pin hooks. Unreal hooks. Plastics stay in place! Owner scewlock Don’ do it often, but have a variety. No favorite yet. Owner downshot or spinshots

Most of the lakes I fish are within an hour of the house. Some are 10 minutes. I have taken a 3 1/2 hour day trip a couple times. Get up at 3 am, drive to pick up my buddy 45 minutes north, continue north to get to the lake around 6:30, fish until about 8:30 pm and drive home. It can be brutal, but I usually catch about an hour nap during the day. The next day I am shot though. Getting too old for that stuff, but it is a fun time with buddies.

I usually throw football jigs and drop shot in the rocks. Last year I hooked up a Neko rig and it was lights out. It didn’t snag much and the fish killed it. I was impressed. This year I am going to try swimming an owner flashy swimmer on bottom. The flatter fall should keep the rig from getting in the small rock jams. At least that is what I am hoping.

Lol. I agree. The sunglasses mask you get looks silly too. The first time out this year, I didn’t have a sun hoody on and had a nice red circle from the opening in my hat burned into the back of my head. That was from golfing, therefore no hoody.

That is crazy!! It would be interesting to have someone else dive down and see what the bass does!

My wife had bad skin cancer, so did my mom. I am in the sun all the time. My wife makes dermatology appointments for the family. By the way, the dermatologist (who is an attractive female) checks everything! She went through all the gears on the stick shift if you know what I mean. I wear sun hoody, lightweight pants, gloves (when I remember), and shoes mostly. Sometimes wear my Keen sandals, which are AWESOME! I do have to wear a hat as I am follicly challenged. I only use sunscreen on my beak and cheeks, and I HATE even that. I cannot stand sunscreen. I use the Neutrogena that Dwight mentioned above. I used to use a dab on that was a liquid, but they don’t make it anymore. It is coming back they say when I looked the other day. I think it is called Ocean Potion. It was awesome. You just dabbed it on with a spongy tip.

That is really interesting. I might have to have my daughters show me on Tik Tok, as much as that pains me. This is too cool not to check out. Thanks again.

That is a cool story. Smallmouth are so inquisitive. It would be interesting to see how long they can “hang out”. I would NOT want to hang out with a musky. They are a different beast. I came across a musky that was floating dead. She had died trying to eat a 28” pike.

I have had the VMC crossover tool and bands for a year and keep forgetting to try them. I have always used two rings crossed over each other and it has worked well. I need to get this system going this season!

I agree that Midway USA is amazing. Their deals are hard to beat and shipping is fast. I also like supporting a company with their philosophy. They have grabbed $3000+ out of my pocket over the last year and a half.

TOXIC, I saw that deal as well. I would assume they are rebranded Doyo or similar and will be fine. I didn’t buy them, but only because I didn’t need them. I think it is a great deal and hope they work out for you!!

Haha 10-4. I might have to switch mine out then. I might have to grab some of the Owners Mr. Hottle recommended to try if the Decoys are a pain. Thanks.

Fry dog, are the snaps bending/breaking or affecting the action? I have heard this, but have caught some BIG pike on those and not had a problem. Just curious if/why I should swap mine out too.

Yeah I agree. I also find pre spawn fish to be way more eager to bite and not very educated after the winter break they get (i.e. easier to catch). We found water temps in north Iowa to be 61 degrees over the weekend. Bite was better a week ago. Pre spawn has moved to the spawn it seemed.

I usually head to northern Iowa and move fishing the pre-spawn. Best chance at a big bass. I hope we open it in Minnesota. There are some years when ice out is early as well. A couple weeks gives you a chance at the best fish of the year.

When I bought my new boat, I read a lot on this. I was really torn. I was swayed to buy the DD26 when I found it on a nice sale. I really like after using for a season. It is light and well made. Seems to work fine. Not sure if it is the best for my transom, but it is easy and a little peace of mind.

Wow, nice catch. Welcome to Bass Resource!