The Bassman

Finally got one with a little heft to it today. Sorry about the lighting in the pic. Had the sun (which has been in short supply) over my shoulder. Also caught about a dozen smaller ones on a jerkbait and Dark Sleeper. Sleeper's getting a lot of game time lately. 1/4 oz size is identical to most neds just a bit heavier. I catch them with a slow hop rather than swimming it.

We've done this for several years. Just don't lose your PINS.

Temps got tolerable after midday and enjoyed some decent action with Dark Sleeper and Rozante 77. Caught fourteen counters but still no bigs. We've been fortunate since the big chill at Christmas.

This. I've worn glasses since I was 12. Needed bifocals before I was 40 but had trouble adjusting to progressives. Have had cataract surgery for both eyes over the past six years and can't remember seeing so clearly. I stick with my glasses since they help keep attention off of my ugly mug. Also, they've kept me out of trouble a couple of times from flying lures (not the Roland Martin kind).

Most of my fish came on storm drains. The few that were caught on jerks were from a larger pond that tends to stay clear. What also makes a difference is that I was out for over three hours vs 40 min. Sat. I fished as long for two bites. Temps above mid 40's make such slow fishing tolerable.

Enjoyed 60* temps yesterday with decent action. No bigs yet but lots of bites. Weather's supposed to cool down quite a bit but should be able to keep fishing for a while.

Starting to find open water and was able to start putting numbers up for '23. Took a lot of grinding to get these two bites with a Z-Man Ticklrz ned but a week ago would have never imagined being out yet. Looks like there'll be a few more opportunities in the short term as well.

Have some guarded optimism for some open water soon. Not sure how thick the ice is after our bona fide arctic spell but I've been surprised in the past at how quick things can open up. Biggest challenge might be dingy water with a big rain forecast. Clear is always better when water temps are cold. Gonna get that Jan. bass and start it all over again. Can't wait.

And here's to a soon vernal equinox.

As in temps? We've been stuck with single digits plus and minus. lol

Depends on the season. Warm water mostly fast and erratic, cold water 5-10 second hold and light twitches with slow pulls. One thing to note; mine have always tended to rise rather than suspend which is fine if you're fishing them fast. I tune mine with slightly larger or extra split rings. I try to avoid changing hooks since the baits have such a good action. What really helps me is their castability since I'm a bank fisherman.

You upped my whole jerkbait game since I learned about these from one of your posts a while back.

I have good luck with those cheap half fingered stretch arthritis gloves on E-Bay. I keep a disposable hand warmer in each pocket as well. If it's really cold, say mid 30's and wind I just take a quick break every few minutes with my rod between my knees and my hands in my pockets. It's a minor inconvenience if the fish are biting. If things are slow I call it quits pretty quick. The winter thing isn't the novelty it used to be for me.

I've got five Vanfords 1000-3000. Wonderful reels. They're all worm drive oscillation.

I had real good luck last winter with a Chatterbait Micro with a Crappie Magnet trailer and no skirt.

Asking for "best" recommendations is purely subjective. Brand loyalty and personal preferences tend to dictate the responses you'll get. Today's market is very deep as far as quality and performance are concerned. I'm sure either would serve well.

I just saw your post from almost two weeks ago. This thread used to get a lot of looks from a group of local guys including myself but gradually died out a good while back. Being listed as a north east state can't help. Would be nice to revive it. I gleaned some useful info. @Team9nineis a gold mine of knowledge so if things don't take off here make sure and read his posts elsewhere.

When I joined in '16 we had an older guy that went by Hootie who had worked at BPS in Cinn. Hope he's OK.

Best of luck. This totally dwarfs the knee replacement recovery that I'm experiencing now. Get well so you can show us more of those tailrace catches next spring.

Most likely closed out the season today with only three footlongs to show for three hours of 33* and 20+ mph winds. Didn't mess with pics. These shots were from yesterday when conditions were more tolerable. Spring can't come soon enough.

Truthfully, the same goes for me. I've just been so jacked lately with my knee progress that I feel like I want to conquer the world. One thing that I do is plan where I'm going as to orient the wind behind me. Narrower ponds and corner areas still let me fish windward. I really do believe fishing windward is key.

Not so fast. They're giving us mid 30's yet tomorrow. I'm planning on bundling up and taking this to the limit. Switched to jerks today and caught six. Gotta try it one more time. Weather gurus are saying the core of the cold air won't come for several days yet, just seasonal stuff like 20's at night to 30's during the day. So maybe if we can get some wind to keep the ice off? I seem to remember you being the guy who was catching bass in the hole of open water around the fountain a few years back. lol

I'd take a tough day like that any time.

The limited times I have caught white bass have convinced me that if I had to choose one group of gamefish over all others it would be the striper/white/yellow/hybrid group. Crazy hard fighters,fast action, and typically open water with fast moving baits. Don't think it could get any better than that.