The Bassman

Basically same as the SLX MGL with X-Ship pinion bearing and a red paint job.

Got that rod in a 6' or 6'6"(can't remember) for Christmas with a 300 when I was 16. Great memories. Tip guide would groove after a while. My dad taught me to smooth it out with some fine wet sandpaper.

I used to buy 30.00 Shimano TX's and beat them to death when I was wading creeks. They were plenty smooth when new and I liked the quickfire trigger. They'd start getting wonkey after a season or two and I'd find another one. Life was simpler then. You didn't worry about dropping things.

Pretty calm this afternoon. I just got home and will get out shortly. Gonna start with plastics unless the wind kicks up. Good luck.

I'm in your neck of the woods so maybe I can shed some light. I fish HOA lakes near my house on the SE side and around Carmel. What I'm finding is they're either on or off, little middle ground. After Saturday's rain I did real well (15 or so in a couple of hours with four around three lbs.) This afternoon I struggled to catch four 12-15 inchers. For me some wind really enhances the bite. I seem to do better this time of year with reaction baits like lipless cranks. Calm water means finesse tactics and sometimes can be painfully slow. I do much better when consistently cold weather kicks in. Hope this helps. Had one afterthought. You mentioned a lack of activity. Your fish might be in a turnover mode if you deal with deeper water. The ponds I fish are mostly under ten ft. deep. My gut feeling is that after this weekend (we're going below freezing probably) we might have our usual Nov. warmup (trying to be positive here). Might kick off some great fishing.

I caught fish all winter at those depths last year. I do fish smaller waters like you're describing. FWIW Ned Kehde fishes less than 10' all winter in KS.

Again, as last Wed. windy and dark. Got out for about an hour and a half. Caught 17 very aggressive bass. (Most were hooked outside the mouth.) Yesterday was clear and calm. Very little activity. Foul weather makes a big difference. I'm a bank fisherman and can deal with wind. Like @Catt mentioned I also deal with pain (knees, feet). Had just gotten home from work (I paint). The notion that fish were active was more incentive than aches and pain. Tonight I'm paying for it.

We had windy, cloudy, upper 40's weather a couple of days ago. Came home from work mid afternoon just itching to get out. Went to a favorite HOA lake and the bass were going crazy. Lipless crank had 'em chasing and hitting at my feet. I caught several between 2 and 3.5 lb. in a short time. Quite the rush.

I think this kind of reinforces the recent debate about lures vs. live bait. Can't blame the fish, though. I'll take a real steak over a soft plastic one, thank you.

Kinda comforting knowing that all I have to look out for are muskrat runs around the ponds I fish. Fell in one yesterday and messed my knee up. Better than having a leg bit off, though.

This is the main problem I notice. Just takes a little string of snot moss between the body and prop to jam it up.

I'm using KVD Elite triple grips with the barbs smashed down. They seem to hold real well. I tried the single hook route but have concluded that my percentages are better with the trebles. Being barbless really helps with dicey unhooking situations.

I've noticed that bass that aren't eating tend to be gray. Big heads, no gut = gray bass. Have seen it happen rather quickly in some ponds I fish. Wish I knew what was going on.

I've noticed it on BFS spools when I tied a short length of mono under my braid. But we're talking spools under 8 grams. Just use a small piece of tape now.

Can't thank you enough. This site is a gold mine of info.

Welcome. These forums are directed towards freshwater bass fishing. (There is one forum for other species.) Your question is so broad that I would recommend exploring the whole site (reading forums, articles, etc.) Specific questions will come from that. Enjoy developing your skills here.

Calm, clear water today dictated using a weightless Zoom finesse worm dead sticked. Sight fished several that I would have never caught with most other methods. Wasn't a Senko but same idea.

Close your eyes and it's a Scorp 1001XT only way smoother.

I have both and they're both very smooth. I do like the way the Bantam palms better. For me casting is about the same. Some say that the Bantam comes up a little shorter because of the close line guide orientation. I don't notice any difference.

#5's have been a go to for me on windy fall and spring days. I do change out the smaller rear hook.

Looks like those Zebco Bullets are working just fine.

Most guys will recommend the 7. I personally like a 6.something on my bc's. They seem smoother with less resistance. When I'm fishing I really don't feel handicapped by the speed difference. I think the emphasis on speed has gotten kinda silly in recent years.

I find that a screw lock gets me more mileage out of a t-rigged Senko.

Nice pic. That's how we should be here but we're headed back to 90 tomorrow.

Jimmy Houston likes it so much that his trademark is to kiss every one he catches. And FWIW I know what you mean by puppy breath. Goes with those little needle sharp teeth nipping you. My first bass of the season was on New Year's Day this year and I couldn't smell a thing in 35 degree weather.