Tlauz

I have two 7ft. MH Creature casting rods. I used them all last year and liked them. They have pretty good BOGO sales on rods.

I love watching MLF. I think the live score tracker has made it very interesting. It seems like in most shows someone is always knocked out in the last 15 minutes. I love how the score tracker affects guys and makes them change what they are doing. I love watching BASS as well, but MLF has added a new element I really enjoy.

First year with the new boat. I loved every minute of it. I was able to spend a lot of time fishing, but when the whole family was together, plenty of room for everyone.

http://www.simpleimageresizer.com/ You can make pictures smaller and then they will post.

Water temps 49 north of Bemidji today. Found a few in the reeds on a swim jig, cold and breezy made it difficult.

Fished Wednesday night and Thursday morning and night. Water temps were around 78. Dead calm both days with sun. Caught quite a few little fish and a bunch of rock bass. Really struggled finding a consistent pattern or bigger fish. Spots that had produced last week did not on this trip. Wacky and popper were the two most productive baits. Still fished weed edges and drop-offs in the 5-10 foot range. I could see fish cruising, but had a hard time getting them interested. The lake I fish is really clear and I could see hundreds of small sunnies, bluegills, bass right above the weeds on every spot I fished. The surface of the water was just popping with small fish. Had at least a half dozen small fish under my popper every cast. Going back out Monday. supposed to be cooler with some wind. Thank God!

Goldeye. They cut them up and use them for bait for channel cats up here on the Red River.

I fished Wednesday night, Thursday morning and Friday morning. Pitching wacky rigs on the weed edges has been the most productive also drop-offs along rocks. The last few days have been calm. Water temps in the 76-degree range. Only fished 7-10 AM and after 6pm. Too hot for me the rest of the time. The bite has been the best it has been for me all year.

I spend 80% of the time in my boat fishing. The other 20% of the time I am pulling tubers and skiers. The lake I mainly fish is about 800 acres and can get busy on the weekends. I usually try to stay away from people fishing but one thing that does irritate me is on a Saturday at 2 pm when it is 95 degrees you have to expect a lake to be busy. One weekend there were two different boats sitting on points that were basically in the middle of the lake. Recreational boats were being respectful, but there was a constant barrage of waves. Where they were positioned you had to go by them. I realize everyone has a right to the water, but I usually try to pick good times and lakes that aren't so busy. I try to fish early and late. When it is hot and sunny and calm I know it is recreation time.

Headed to the lake last Wednesday. It was cold upper 50's. Got on the water around 5 and fished till 8:30. Water temp 73 degrees. There was a breeze so I threw a spinnerbait over weeds and the fish were chomping. One of the better bites I have had. Thursday fished morning (till noon) took a break and then fished 5-8:30. It was still cooler than it has been. It was by far the best day of fishing I have had this year. Fished weed edges where it dropped off. Caught fish on spinnerbait, crankbait and weightless wacky worm on multiple spots. Caught both smallmouth and largemouth off of the same spots. Friday morning was tougher still caught one really nice smallmouth. Didn't fish Saturday but got out Sunday morning briefly. Got one really nice fish on a Mann's mid-one minus (that bait caught 2 big smallmouths this trip) over a flat next to a drop-off. Sun came out and the wind died and fish shut off. The tops of the weeds are starting to poke out so it is really easy to see edges. Water temp was in low 70's every day.

I love it. I fish mainly during the week. Often there are only a few other boats on the water. Sometimes none. It has been an interesting year. I have caught some nice bass and had some very good days but I haven't had a day where I have crushed them. Some days spinnerbaits work, then jerk baits, then wacky worms, then swim jigs, then swimbaits, but nothing seems to produce every day. I have caught a few really big muskies in the last 2 weeks. I was alone so the pics are not the best, but it is something I will always remember.

Jaw spreaders and long needle nose pliers are always nearby. I don't bring them in the boat unless they are so large I have to net them. I usually just grab them behind the head and pop out hooks. Average size here is 20-25 inches so they are fun to catch. On occasion, I will keep a few and remove y-bones. I like the taste of pike. Most people here are chasing walleye, so they view bass as a nuisance fish. I think any fish willing to bite and fight deserves respect.

Pike are common where I fish. I've always liked them. Hit hard, fight hard and sometimes I will keep a few and remove y-bones and they are delicious. They are tough on tackle. Swim jigs and pike don't mix well. Jaw spreaders and pliers should be nearby if you plan on catching them. Also hang on tight when removing hooks. The little guys are like hand grenades when you hold them. They suddenly go wild and are slippery. A friend ended up in the ER last year with the front treble hook in one hand and the back treble in the other. He was basically handcuffed.

My first boat was a 2000 Lund Rebel SS with a 50 HP Mercury motor. I loved that boat. Was a great fishing boat. Easy to tow and load and unload. You should have no problems running electronics off of cranking battery. Enjoy!!

This^^^. Also, I love when the wind blows hard and the only thing I can do is throw a spinnerbait. Some of my best days are windy days when I let the wind blow me down a flat or drop off and I just chuck and wind.

I fish alone 90% of the time. I like being able to try new things and new spots and not have to worry about someone else catching fish. I am lucky that I have a camper at a campground and once I put my boat in I can tie it to a dock. I usually try to go so I can fish a night and a morning at least. I mostly go during the week. I also lake hop to a few area lakes. Unloading is not an issue because most area lakes have very few boats on them so there is no hurry. If I want a pic I set the phone on my console and use the timer. Pics are just so I can look back and remember the good days.

I am not sure if you have a boat you can trailer, but Grace is really close and has good bass fishing. Others that are a little farther away in the area that I fish that aren't really busy are North Twin, Medicine, and Three Island. Big Turtle and Beltrami are good but can be busy. If a lake does have bass, a wacky rigged worm on outside weed edge will let you know if they are there. Swim jig with trailer thrown in shallow works well also.

If you throw spinnerbaits in a lake that has Muskies, you will catch one eventually. The best part is you get to catch bass as well.

April 5th, 2012. Devils Lake North Dakota. There is still 30 inches of ice on a lot of the lake this year.

I think a lot of the older pros still "want to " win as bad as young guns, but they do not "have to" like younger pros. They have good relationships with sponsors, are well known by fans, and may not need to cash a check at every event. This may affect how much time you spend preparing. Also, I know family affects how much time you can or want to spend fishing. As much as we all would like to think we are getting better (mentally yes), physically we are not. You always hear athletes say Father Time is undefeated. I know losing 10 pounds when I was 25 was a snap. Losing 10 pounds now is a major undertaking.

NDYakAngler on youtube makes me want to hit some small rivers. Awesome smallmouth footage. I will be headed to Ottertail River this summer.

Every year I try to fish at least 1 or 2 new lakes. There are so many lakes near the Bemidji area I haven't tried, my goal this summer is to fish a couple new ones and go back to a couple I haven't been to in a few years. A friend has a canoe, and I would like to take a few river trips.

In the past year I have sold all my musky gear, and 6 different rods. Almost all of it had not been used in more than 2-3 years. My view is if I am not using it, why keep it around. I price it low and I have sold items within a week. Often within 2 days. I figure it is worth nothing to me sitting in my garage. I get a little money and someone else gets to enjoy the equipment.

I am in Northern Minnesota and these are the 2 colors I throw.

I have shore fished some rocky areas in the past. After losing too many baits, I now only use shallow running crankbaits that rise when you stop reeling. My favorites are KVD 1.5 and Mann's Mid-1 Minus.