the reel ess

My rule of thumb is to give them a minimum of 2 cast lengths. That goes for other boats too. That way my line could never touch theirs. I've had someone literally get my line caught in his trolling motor. This when I was there first and anchored 1 cast distance from the bank. Then the guy told me it's a big lake. Use your imagination for what I said. That's a bit too close. There are no bank fishermen where I usually fish now. There are usually no boats. And when there are, about half the time they're crappie fishing.

Straight 30# PowerPro braid for jigs and flipping/pitching T rigs. I have yet to break it. I use a 15# mono leader if I feel the water clarity calls for it.

I'm gonna do it until I'm physically unable.

I'm still catching bass, and the occasional crappie bycatch. I did have one skunk and a couple days with only a couple fish. The skunks come after New Years for me. I just can't seem to find or get the big gals to take since September. This year was phenomenal for me, size-wise, but definitely not for numbers. I'd still go if I only caught 2 pounders, but they aren't a huge thrill. I don't intend to stop fishing this winter.

Thanks. I was hoping to add to those big gals. Not much luck since September. The year's not quite over yet.

That's awesome because I've heard McBrain himself say that he wasn't always fun to be around in his drinking days.

I kept a big fish log this year. Dates, weights and baits. Notice the big fish trailed off a while back.

I read the book Monsters of River and Rock by Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith. He told the story of fly fishing on a tropical island. He walked the beach and someone shouted from his balcony. It was none other than Robert Palmer.

Don't go fishing in the rain. Cover your boat when not in use.

This is not such a large bill that we'll miss a meal. But they send you tax refunds for 2 years then tell you you owe and they'll levy your property or rights to ownership. They could have recouped some or all of this from my previous refunds. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking you actually own property. They give you the right to own it and they'll take it away.

I get to pay some interest the IRS forgot to tell me about from 2017.

Try to catch a few fish in a stiff breeze.

I tried a blade bait for the first time Saturday. It paid off with 2 bass and a big crappie. But I discovered how easy they are to get hung up. They should come in packs of 3.

I have to admit there's no rip rap where I fish them. It's almost all wood cover.

Since this thread has been resurrected, I'd like to mention the Game Changer Lures Trashmaster jig. I like the 3/8 oz. with a Rage Bug. It's the best skipping jig I've found. It's also, by far, the most weedless. I bought two about a year ago. I'm still using one of them.

Debit cards

Yes. It is my habit to do some cardio for about 45 minutes per day, every day if I can. On days I fish I don't do the cardio. I paddle the perimeter of a 30-or-so acre lake. If it's windy, I really get my workout in. I'm always tired afterward so I know I did something. And I only drive 2 miles to and from the lake. I don't eat the entire time I'm fishing. I'm alone so there's no temptation. I don't even think about it. I just drink water. Now, I have one buddy that rarely goes with me who has to have a cooler of beer. In that case, it's the opposite of exercise. But still better than sitting on the couch drinking those beers.

On my spinning combo I use 20# PP and 15# mono leader. It seems to work fine.

Pre

Ol' Mexico. If cost is an issue I'd go to Okeechobee in late winter.

Back in spring I posted in this thread. I had a day when bass were taking the claws off my jig trailer. I managed to catch a nice one but went through a bunch of plastic. I had the same experience yesterday. I missed at least 4 bites before I stuck one. They were swimming off toward deeper water with the jig and I'd set the hook and get my jig back minus the tails. The one I finally caught I let swim around for about 5 seconds. And I still barely hooked that one at the edge of the lip. I could have had a pretty good day for cold water fishing if I'd caught all that bit. Instead it was the usual cold water day. 1 bass. Maybe next time I'll rig up just a craw on a T rig to see if they take it better. On a positive note, the bass did seem to want the craw on the retrieve, not the initial fall.

Depends greatly on the bait, or more the type of hook it has. If it's a trebles lure, when I feel the weight of the fish I just sweep the rod a little and start playing the fish. You can yank trebles out pretty easily if you overdo it. Then there are baits like a jig with a big, fat flipping hook that will not bend out. I set that about as hard as I can. I have had a good, hard hookset only to see a bass come to the surface and spit the lure. There are baits with lighter wire hooks, like the shaky head, that I do a solid hookset. But the drag is a little looser so I don't ever straighten out the hook. Just know the type of hook you're using and plan your hookset before it happens.

While I totally agree with this statement, there's one place I fish where gold will outfish any other hardbait color. Darker gold will outfish lighter gold. I didn't think it made any difference until my buddy made a believer out of me with his dark gold Super Spot. this place has gold shiners. I've also caught some very nice crappie on the gold Spot. That's not to say you could never catch a bass on a shad or chrome bait. The place does have all manner of minnows. But I'm playing the odds. And I've caught bass on gold in places I know the forage is shad.

And bubble gum and limetreuse. You can get that color on Zoom Trick Worm. I also have some Fish Stalker brand.

nm