IgotWood

I have the Stryker jacket and bibs. They are SUPER warm! They really are worth the money. I wear them on a 40 degree day, and they're not too warm. I have also worn them on 10 degree days and was plenty warm. They seem very bulky and cumbersome, but they are actually quite comfortable...not to mention they act as a PFD. The StormR gear alo breaks the wind very well. As for gloves, I prefer wool. Orvis make a fantastic pair of 1/2 finger gloves for about 25 bucks. I carry 3 pairs with me. When they get wet, I take them and give them a good shake to get a lot of the water out. Even when they're wet, they still seem to keep my hand warm. You may also look into Kast Gear gloves. They are pricey, but a few of my friends wear them and they keep you bone dry, and WARM. I would wear them, but I like the simplicity of the wool gloves.

Go braid! Most guys don't like it, but I prefer Power Pro Super Slick, and I use it for everything. If I were going to do everything with just one rod, I think I would go to 15 or 20lb braid. You can tie an 8lb leader to it and fish finess worms, or you can tie a 20lb leader and fish a jig or a texas-rig.

This is very helpful, thank you! And thank to everyone else who replied. When you find them deep, are they generally on some type of cover, like wood, rock, drop-off, etc? The lake I normally fish is pretty flat on the bottom, except for some grass, which makes that area difficult to fish.

I really like Keitech's, but they are pretty expensive. I recently tried Jackall Rhythm Waves, and they are almost the same bait, and half the price.

RoadWarrior, WRB, and Turtle....Thank you! This is the exact kind of information I was hoping for. The two lakes I'm fishing are small, and the deepest parts are around 10', and also small in area, compared to the rest of the lake. So this will probably help concentrate the fish in a smaller area? Also, I'm assuming they will still stick to cover?

As winter sets in, I find it harder and harder to catch fish. I don't mind cold weather fishing, I've done it my whole life for trout. In trout fishing, it doesn't seem to matter how cold the air or water is. The sun is what gets the fish moving a little bit because it warms the water, the bottom, structure, etc. Does this same practice also apply to winter bass?? I seem to have a mixed theory. I've heard some people say that a cold, cloudy overcast day will draw the bass off/out of cover to look for food, which I suppose I can buy into. I've also heard people say that a clear sunny day gives warmth and makes bass active. What do you guys think? I also have been wondering if bass move deep once the cold sets in. Again, I have heard mixed thoughts on this. If they do move deep, what temps, or conditions trigger this move?

So, today I fished a different lake due to the wind. Shallow, mostly 2-5'. We're fishing cranks, jigs, and worms...nothing happening. Another guy comes paddling through and asks if we catching. I said no, and returned the question. Right as I asked him, he hooked a fish about 3lbs. JERK BAIT! Then, on his very next cast, he caught another. So, I spent the next 3-4 hours fishing only jerk baits. I caught one fish about 4-5"...yes, INCHES. Whatever...it still beats sitting at home on the couch. Even though I didn't catch, I still feel like the day was well spent. I feel much more confident with this bait. Now I just need to put myself in the right situation to have a better day next time. Thanks again to you guys for the advice.

Great info, guys...thanks! I'm headed out this morning. I'm thinking about fishing only jerk baits for the day. I've done this in the past to force myself to learn a bait, and glad I did it.

I too, have been doing two jerks, and a pause. I have been changing the length of the pause; sometimes 1 second, and as long as 15-20 seconds. The length of the pause is what I was referring to when talking about the speed of the retrieve.

Hey folks. I need a little bit of help with jerk baits. I have been fishing them quite a bit this fall in water temps from 45-55, and also yesterday where the temp topped out at 60 degrees, and depths from 5'-9'. I have been fishing Lucky Craft Pointers, and Rapala Shadow Raps in open water near drop-offs, which is where I have been marking fish on my machine. I've tried fast, moderate, slow, and super slow retrieves, and nothing seems to be working. Perhaps they just are not active fish, or maybe they're panfish, but regardless, I want to learn how to fish jerk baits. What are some of the conditions you fish jerk baits? And what is your retrieve like? Do you ever use it as a search bait? Throw it into heavy cover, like wood? Any advice will help...thanks!

This was my first season for LMB, and I far surpassed my expectation. To improve my fishing, I need to slow down, and fish more thoroughly. I also need to improve on my versatility. If I wasn't banging senkos, or T-rigged plastics off the trees, I wasn't catching. Next year, I'd really like to spend time with a jig, and learn ti fish it well. I would also like to have more success with cranks and jerks. I can read water and identify structure/cover just fine, but determining which parts of the structure, or which depth to target is the tough part for me.

Rage Structure Bug were one of my top baits this year. I did well with the standard colors. PB&J was the most productive for me under all water conditions. I've fished a few style baits, with very little success. I'm sure they all work just fine, but the Structure Bug was an immediate winner for me.

Yeah, I am definitely disappointed. It just never dawned on me that it could potentially break a record. Oh well, I wouldn't have eaten if I killed it anyway, which would disappoint me even worse.

The state record here in VA is 4lbs, and 18" (I think).

I fish a St. Croix Mojo topwater rod. t's 6'8", medium power, x-fast action. I mostly spin with wacky worms, but there are a few scenarios where I prefer a baitcaster, and this is the perfect rod for it. It has a nice light tip for detecting super soft bites, while keeping a somewhat moderate action throughout the rest of the rod which allows solid hook sets, while still providing enough protection for the lighter lines I normally fish with wacky's. It really is a solid rod. It doubles as a great cranking rod for me too. Don't let the "topwater" rating scare you off.

Check out some fly fishing backpacks. They aren't anymore expensive than any other quality bag. They are designed to carry a ton of gear, have specialized pockets for carrying boxes, and even rods. Most of them also have ergonomically designed straps to help distribute the weight to avoid fatigue. They also have a strap to go around the waist, so that you carry the weight on your hips, not on you shoulders/back. I like SImms. Orvis has a nice bag as well.

Just get yourself some Siebert jigs. They offer many different styles, and everyone seems to love them all. Out of the Sieberts that I have used, I prefer the Dredge Brush, and Dredge Football. I am fishing this in some gnarly laydowns. I will admit, however, they do seem to pick up grass pretty easily, but the grass is also very thick where I fish, so every bait picks it up.

So I went out bassin yesterday afternoon for a couple hours. It took a while to find some players, but meanwhile, the perch were out on the field to play. I caught the two biggest yellows I have ever seen. I've caught a lot of big perch growing up in CT, but not quite as big as this. The bigger one taped out at 18.25". I couldn't believe it. I measured it twice to be sure. I don't have a digital scale, so I used the 60lb Boga I had with me (LOL). It teetered near the 3lb mark, but didn't quite reach 3. And as luck would have it, my GoPro wasn't running! I could swear it was, but I was very disappointed when I got home to review the footage. I'm new to the GoPro, and already I want to throw it in the garbage. Anyway, I went on to find some bass in an area which is usually unfishable, due to the weeds. Water was gin clear, and 63 degrees. No big bass, but I did finish up with a legal limit (which were all released), biggest 3 were 15-16". I hope to go back soon to where I found the bass. I think I can drum up a much better bite if I had more time.

Wacky worms. Sqaurebills may also be what you're looking for. Or maybe even soft plastic jerk baits.

Very good info here...I appreciate the replies!

Noted! And thanks for the info! Are you saying that day 1 or 2 of a warming trend is not necessarily the day to fish? Perhaps day 3 or 4? Also, a question about "slow"....Jigs and t-rigs...slower fall? Or slower retrieve and let it soak for a while before moving the bait?

I don't know what happens to the weeds. I haven't spent a winter here yet. Just moved here this spring. However, when I was there in the spring, the weeds were green, thinner, and they weren't reaching the surface and creating mats. It's mostly milfoil and curly-leafed pondweed. By mid summer, the fishing got really tough because the weed was everywhere and very thick. I'll PM you

Cape Cod Tackle has them for $4.79. And yes, the P-Line snaps appear to be almost identical. I have never used them, but I would assume they work just as well.

This is my first season bass fishing, and I had a blast! The fishing was hot for me from April to late August. The fall bite was far from epic for me, but still fun. In anticipation for winter, where should I expect to find fish, and what techniques should I use? The lake I frequent is small, about less than 200 acres, and full of standing cypress trees in the middle of the lake and along the banks. It is also VERY weedy. Depth is 8-10' in the middle, and 2-5' near the banks. Usually the fish are tight to the trees scattered throughout the middle of the lake. How would you approach this place in the winter?

Tactical Angler clips, 50lb.