The Bassman

There were very specific spots that held fish. The bass in the pic actually came from an inflowing drain today. Carmel had a lot more rain we did further south. The nonstop action that I had Sat. was when the wind was gusting hard and created a color line on the windward side that had the fish stacked up. Other areas were mediocre at best. I remember you calling these situations a "sucker shot".

I've enjoyed some fast action this weekend on windy banks. We hit 77 yesterday with today closer to 60. Caught dozens of fun size (10-14") and finally a couple of decent ones today. This one was a little over 3.5 and the other was just over three. Rain and storms tonight and cold temps next weekend, but that's March.

My customer that lives there has caught them over a pound. Incidentally This is the same pond that I caught that 7 lb. walleye two springs ago.

Got out a couple of hours this afternoon looking to build on an improving bass bite but the crappies in this pond stole the show. Here's a few of them. Notice the world's ugliest ned rig in the last pic. It started life as bubblegum before it transitioned to bland peach when mixed with other baits. Works just the same.

I recently bought a Curado 150 MGL and have owned a Chronarch 150 MGL for a while. I haven't fished the Curado yet but am absolutely blown away with it. The Chronarch is a great reel but this new Curado seems incredible as far as smoothness, castability, and ergos.

Welcome. I'm in central IN and have maybe a dozen that I can catch over and over. Actually did catch the same six lbr. twice in the space of a week and a half a few months ago.

x2 bro

Agree with all of that. Can't remember the owner's name but he would always send you away with "Have a phenomenal day". Other than Cabelas in Noblesville the only others I can think of are The Outdoorsman in Greenwood and Honey Creek in Bargersville. I never feel particularly welcome in either of those. They seem to be a bit cliquish with their regulars. Tackle Service in Moorseville is another but haven't been there in a good while. Selection is a bit limited.

I walk ponds so wind isn't an issue. It actually enhances the bite. That said, whitecaps on a two acre pond that throws my bait back at me means it's time to pack it in.

X 2

Depends on what I'm fishing with. Spinning is 8-15 lb. (.10-.20mm) casting is 15-30 lb. (.20-.30mm).

Anymore I use straight braid on everything. I just Sharpie the last few feet. I'm sure I've ripped my share of trebles out of bass's mouths but I catch way more than I lose. I keep my drag fairly light unless I'm fishing large single hook techniques like Fat Ikas. The OCD in me likes not worrying about constantly checking knots and retying. I'll use a leader occasionally with spinning but tend to gravitate back to straight braid. I also find braid to be more manageable on casting gear and the places I fish don't require anything thicker than .30 mm dia.

Was able to find some open water and finally put up numbers for Feb. Really wasn't sure it was going to happen this month. Fished hard for just two but ended a seven week drought. Sorry for the washed out pics. It was really bright today.

Watched Richard Gene slaying with the same rig and conditions recently.

I'm looking forward to throwing my Rozantes at ice out. Only problem is that our forecast is calling for a lot of rain over the next few weeks so it'll probably be pretty dingy which would be a handicap.

Micro Chatter with a Crappie Magnet was magic before ice up. Caught some decent fish, too. One was just shy of 5 lb.

Maybe it's because I fish residential lakes but I find no real relationship with time of day and success. Bright mid day conditions with some wind produces some great action. Traditional early morning or evening calm situations are sometimes slow.

I've found that a bladed jig consistently catches bigger bass for me. Close second is a wake bait such as a 1-Minus or Azuma Wake-Z.

When I remarried 24 yrs. ago I unexplainably became fascinated with landscape gardening. Winter months were spent reading library books, catalogs, and watching gardening shows. Of necessity I would make sure my tackle (then only two outfits) was ready for creek wading which didn't get going until the warmer months anyway. after about fifteen yrs. of this I finally came to my senses. These days high maintenance plantings have given way to pretty much carefree stuff and I'm not nearly as concerned about my lawn as I used to be. Life is good. To quote Richard Gene "Fishing is a sport that's second to none. Whooooo!"

I've had owls dive bomb buzz baits when I used to wade creeks. Even had a great blue heron swoop down on a Rapala I was twitching. Definitely a wake me up.

I'm seeing a real possibility of breaking my string of catching bass in all 12 months here. My last fish was Jan. 5 and the weather forecast doesn't really get encouraging for another week. We've got ice just like the old days now so we'll likely be crossing into March before things get going.

Gotta be a 12 incher to take the skunk off of me. My surest recipe for a bad outing is indecision as far as technique choice. Constant bait changing all but guarantees a lean session for me. Some of my best catches have come at times that I only carried one or maybe two baits.

I also swapped out the stock spool for a CH50 mg one that weighs under 12 g.

It's been for sale since last June in the flea market.

Just soak the stock bearings in some solvent ( I use mineral spirits). Spin and dry, a drop or two of whatever your favorite oil is and you're all set. I've got a CU-100B that I fixed up to my liking that keeps on kicking.