rtwvumtneer6

Movement 80x

Thanks for the positive vibes!!

Haha! I've been going since it thawed, and then again in between freezes. Vicious cycle. But, now I think we're in the clear!

Water was all the way up to 43°F this afternoon! Another 10° and the real fun should start??

I can hear Roland Martin right now... "Any color senko will work, as long as it's green pimpkin and black flake"?

I'm curious about how the generous you folks on here are with the rest of the bass fishing community? Obviously most of you are open to share ideas, successes and failures, etc. And please keep in mind I'm talking strictly about leisure fishing, not a tournament scenario. I'm thinking about the everyday little things to help a fellow angler. Example being last year I was on the bank at community lake and I was slamming them on a Carolina rig with a sprayed grass baby brush hog. The next guy over, maybe 20 yards away was struggling and getting more frustrated with every fish I landed. He eventually asked what I was using, and I reached into my bag and gave him a couple plastics to drag around. I don't know if he used them, or caught anything, but he seemed to genuinely appreciate the gesture, and it made me feel good. So, I'd love to hear similar stories, or even let me know if you shove all your rods into the locker 100 yards from the ramp to hide your secret lures ? Either way, I'm glad to help a fellow angler as we are truly blessed to have the opportunity and ability to fish!

This was my winter project... And watching the videos is a great start. As far as personal experience I can say: 1. Heavy line helped. I started with a cheap spool of #20 mono I found for 3$ 2. Dual braking helped while I was learning. I didn't touch the spool tension or internal pins, but cranked up the outer dial similar to if I were out on a very windy day. 3. Commit to it. When I was afraid to backlash, I got "whippy" and "jerky" and, well, it resulted in a backlash. I found that I was physically capable of skipping, but the mental battle was the tough part. Let it fly and you might be shocked at the result. Hope this helps!

Jig & Rage Bug.

If you are riding solo, a tackle backpack (several options out there) might make sense. It'll be secure while you're riding and free up your hands when you're on foot. It also keeps me pretty well organized. I use one as a co-angler and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. My backpack has: 1 box hard baits 1 box skirted baits 1 small box terminal Leader material/extra line Tools, scents, scale, sunscreen Plastics Water bottles/snacks wherever they fit after that ? The only other thing I might have to take is a speed bag for extra plastics and rain gear. It's pretty efficient.

The drop shot is a tool in my box of techniques. I'll complain about it, but it's saved my tail enough times that I would be a fool to give it up. It works, and catches numbers (and size ***read on for explanation). I usually pick it up when I just need to get bit. I guess what I'm saying is I've never been on a good jig bite and set it down to pick up a drop shot. ***As a result, I catch fewer large fish on that particular technique. It's almost become like a weightless senko for me... Never leave home without it, but I don't advertise that was the only thing I could catch them on that day ?

I typically only buy from Bass Pro during this kind of deal. I got my first PQ2 on sale for $120 (rod and reel combo). I just picked up 2 more the first day of this sale. I don't see any differences aside from some blue paint. If I had $100 to spend and the reel was full retail price I would weigh my options, but at $50 you won't find a better reel. Go for it. For $5 I use Reel Grips Pro Series. Problem solved.

I'm looking at a budget pair and strike King has a few options in the $20-40 range. I see the S-11 advertised a lot by guys on the Strike King team, but at this price point I'm curious if there can be much difference between the S-11 and their lower end stuff like the Strike King plus P09. Anyone have any thoughts or experience with either of these glasses?

Couldn't decide what to do about the reel, so I bought 2.

Baby brush hog and 6" lizard on the Carolina rig. Just remember it only works in June ?

Originally I had ordered the Wicked 1.5 but they were out of stock and my patience is non-existent this time of year. The green eye deal on the 6th sense is cool, but again, the fish prob don't care. Buying any new crank online is always a bit of an adventure lol

Oh yeah... Gusts around 25mph Friday morning and one of those wonderful days that get colder as the day goes on. If any areas do open up, I can probably stay long enough to watch them freeze again. The weather here really plays with my emotions.

Just got my backordered TW "Christmas" gifts and realized everything in it was black.... Almost 2 black magic 6th Sense crush 50s (yeah, we're trying out a black square bill) Berkely Bullet Pop in Maverick 2 Missile Flip out jigs in bruiser Zoom black/grape finesse worms And a lonely pack of green pumpkin trick worms Order complete. On to the next!

First I laughed, and then I cried.

Be warned... This is a dangerous combination of not fishing in the last month, mixed with curiosity. I know there must be a thousand and one factors into guessing when a lake might thaw out, but I'm hoping someone out there who is smarter than me can tell me if this is realistic, or if I'm going to be very disappointed. My local county lake is about 65 acres. Average depth of about 6 feet, with the deepest area 17-18ft. As of last week, the ice was 6" (or so the guy standing on it drilling holes told me). This week we have 5 days of temps 50-60°F and lows at night in the high 30s and low 40s. They are also calling for 3 days of rain during that period, follow by partly sunny conditions. Is there any chance I might see some water open up?! Fingers crossed.

PQ for $50... I have one (that I glued the thumb bar back on) but otherwise, might be worth having as a back up. Unless they only run a few of them and sell out in the first day. Hmm......

I've had a lot of discussions with my buddy about this, particular regarding presentations with bottom contact. We both noticed that the majority of our "bigger" fish, relative to our area, have either been a small tick, line-watching or we picked up and felt weight. On the other hand, the smaller bass, say 1-2 lbs often eat the presentation like it's their last meal. My other quick thought is on lure size. I know they eat bluegill on my reservoir, and there are lots of them. Yet, I throw a 1.5 sqaure bill that's a fraction of the size of the real thing. Hmm.... Lots of really good stuff here. Fun read while I'm in the single digits and colder outside.

7'4 H/F Falcon BuCoo 50# PP Curado 8.5:1 I will use 20# Sunline or Seaguar fluoro leader but if it's deeper, clear water but around cover I don't worry about it.

3 chatterbaits gone, in 2 casts. First cast off the day sailed into a tree. It happens. Tied on #2. Snagged it on the bottom just far enough out that I couldn't reach it, or see it in muddy water. Tied on #3 and tossed it (by hand) into the water, only to realize I cut my main line instead of the tag end. Rough start that day...

Progress Report: I have a 12-18" drop from the sidewalk to the driveway that has proved to be an excellent area to practice now that the water is frozen. I might also mention, it's safer than standing on a bucket! I'm throwing fairly heavy 20lb mono, which seems to help contain any overrun from becoming a complete bird's nest. I started with a BPS Pro Qualifier with dual braking. I don't touch my spool tension or inner pins at all, but I do adjust the outer dial, similar to casting on a windy day. So far, so good. I'm able to hit the lure toward the end of my driveway, maybe 12'-15' in front of me and get across the road to the curb of the neighbor's yard. The ultimate goal being that I can cast, pitch and skip without touching any settings. Next step will be setting up some targets, and alternating the type of cast I make... Sort of confusing my muscle memory I suppose. As I suspected, for me, this is a mind over matter deal. Once the fear of the backlash subsided, I made some real progress. Anyway this practice (and this forum, YouTube, TW, etc.) are helping to keep me sane. It something I can do just about any time, and I'm sure will pay off down the road. Bait monkey got me, and I ordered a few of the Strike King skipping jigs, as a mental insurance policy! Don't worry... I'm not smacking them off the asphalt! This weekends project is putting up a peg board! Hope you are all doing well ?

Not sure this was a "sale" but Wally World had these for $4.50. Adjustable with Velcro. Also had a few Abu and Yum hats in the same bin.