lo n slo

dont get discouraged. late winter can be/is perplexing. then BOOM, they're everywhere. i like afternoons better than mornings this time of year. sun soaked banks/pockets close to deeper water can be effective. if rocks or stumps are present, work them slowy. dont forget docks and ramps, laydowns too. warming trends are key. patience and persistence can payoff. keep after them!

my home waters are predominantly spotted bass with largemouth mixed in. i started throwing a Zoom Shakey Tail when conditions got tough (late summer/very early fall). they're longish and skinny with an exagerated curly tail. a 3/16 bullet and 3.0 offset works for me in 10-25 fow. the spots love them but i've caught some 4+ largemouth on them too. green pumpkin with a chartreuse dipped tail is my choice for color. catch one for me.

the wind has been blowing every day here for the last two weeks. i've come to expect it every year, this time of year. unless it's outright dangerous, you deal with it. i'm from the anchor down era i suppose, but sometimes you just gotta get out of it. throwing any kind of bottom contact lure is gonna drive you nuts in high wind. go heavy, and try spinner baits or lipless cranks instead. catch one for me.

surface water temps here on Lake Norman (western NC) are still in the low 50's despite the recent soaring air temps. but expect water temps to begin to slowly come around day by day. some fish are trying to move up but the vast majority appear to be holding off shore. Norman has muddied up too, which is uncharacteristic of this impoundment. in some places visibility is less than one foot. we've been having OK days and not so good days the last two weeks. still grinding out some fish though.

git r done

hang in there bill. did you pass out or what?

well done. we went out yesterday and was bombarded with 20+ mph winds, gusting to 30 at times. jeez louise. we tried to get out of it as much as we could but most of our good spots were getting hammered. 4 hours and 2 dinks later, we put it on the trailer. i hate that kinda wind.

this is the method i began with. back in the day all i needed was my 12' johnny, a hundred dollar Eagle depth finder, old window weight(s) anchor, and marker buoys. some of my best spots i kinda found by accident while on the trolling motor. the good old days.

i have one of the earlier models. they were nice reels for under a hundred bucks. keep them cleaned and lubed and they'll work fine.

thinking of you Dwight

incredible the man truly loved the sea. he sailed on for a while, even after death.

lizards are working for me right now. the main thing at present is finding the fish. that's the tricky part. catch one for me.

i quit j/k NICE BASS!

used to be all we had was the local shops, now it's the big boys and internet sites. i remember buying rods and reels at Rob and Don's over in Denver, NC and getting my Diamond Back lizards at Ron's in Concord. local gas stations would dip you out way too many minnows, way too cheap, but would make up for it with their prices on hot sausages, cheese crackers and beer. one local guy would let you dip your own minnows and leave the money under a brick if he was gone or closed. the good old days.

....pouring one out for squeak

lets do this

i have a P Touch label maker. money well spent.

hopefully is wasn't still inside your car when you sealed the passage

anyone else (besides me) rub fish slime on their soft plastic lure after they catch a fish?

good luck. please keep us posted.

goal three was reel maintenance today. cleaned, greased, oiled all reels. removed the AR pawl on my Shimano, man whatta difference. my eyesight aint what it used to be.

yes indeed

there is a particular spot i fish on a road bed that is absolute money when a stiff SW breeze is pushing hard. i will anchor down in 17' of water and stroke a t rig worm off the drop. they'll stack up and really bite. but you cant buy a fish when the wind lays down.

anything crawfish, lizards, worms. think slow. same goes for jerkbaits. i prefer warming trends but sometimes you gotta go when you can. catch one for me.

fwiw - we hit the BPS in Concord, NC this morning (last day of the in-store classic). they were honoring the internet classic sale prices (that lasts until 3/9.) you must have the appropriate sale catalog to present at the check out in order to get the deals. btw - we saw old Woo Daves!