nighthawk25

Looks pretty good!

Predator bass baits x2, also check out dinger baits. Both guys are very good to work with and have quality blanks. Janns also has decent blanks but they don't seem to be the same quality as the other 2. If you want some practice blanks I'd check out wLure. Have caught a lotta fish on some of their lures as well.

Yeah, I'll have to do that. I caught my PB in April on a little Beetle Spin. There's another lake that's closer that is a lot more fertile but gets a lot of pressure. I usually can catch a few keepers there so I have a hard time passing that up.

Sounds like the lake my family has a cabin on. Very little fishing pressure with no public access. It's around 120 acres. Shorelines are shallow with steep drop-offs and very little weed cover. I catch a lotta 10-12" bass that are pale and skinny. I have caught 3 bass over 14" and one was my PB (5.5#). The bluegill are also small overall but there some nice crappie in there. I wanna figure it out but haven't been able to catch bigger ones consistently.

I always use a snap but never a swivel. That allows me to change baits quickly. Also transforms slow floating to suspending or at least very slow floating.

Yes, but it takes a bit til you receive your order.

I don't know when you could test drive but there's a kayak dealer in Bristol, almost at the Michigan line. They don't carry Hobie but they have many of the other top brands, including Native. Its called Fluid Fun.

Not sure I can help but I bought the Titan 10.5 from ACK. It arrived yesterday. If you have a milkcrate your putting on, you'll have planty of more space for a small cooler and a medium sized tackle box behind the seat. It's also pretty heavy to handle alone but it should be doable.

I made a small jerkbait out of cedar that I got close to suspending. I kept adding Suspenstrips until I had enough weight.

I like the look of those carbon grips! My question on the exposed blank reel seats is this: Do I have to get the prcise inside diameter of the reel seat to match the diameter of the blank? I like the idea of the exposed blank but not sure what the best procedure is.

How about some feedback on the TVS or the PTS with carbon insert?

1. Is the exposed blank reel seat better for detecting light bites or is there not much difference? Which do you guys prefer? 2. What is a decent casting guide set that will handle braid? I am thinking of buying the Bradley Roy turnkey kit from Mudhole. Does anyone have this rod? Is it worth it?

I always use a white base coat and use a mix of opaque, transparent, florescent, and pear colors. Example: White base coat, then a pearl white to make it pop, then a transparent green over the upper sides of the back, then a black back making sure the green shows on the upper sides, transparent red throat.

I love watching Jon B, but if I really want to learn a certain technique I'll watch BassResource, Angling Buzz or similar channels.

I got one 2 years ago but haven't used it much. The action is nice but only when retrieved fairly fast.

Yeah there were some guys out last weekend that did decent as well farther NW. The ice didn't leave the lakes in my area so by the end of next week it should be pretty good.

I just used a big cardboard box, beefed it up a bit with 2x3's, and cut a hole in the back. I put a filter in front of the hole and put a fan behind it to suck the overspray toward the filter.

I do some. It's not my favorite but it takes care of the bug during winter.

I have 3 lews speed spools and really like, just got into baitcasters the last year or so. Never used the shimano reels so I couldn't compare.

Zoom super chunks, netbait paca craws and chunks, rage craws and menace bugs would be some good ones. You'll probably get and endless list of suggestions. Get a couple basic colors of the ones that look good and you'll be ok.

Got out last night since the weather was pretty mild. Water temp was 40-41 and stained. Nothing on a blade, jig, or jerk so I went icefishing from boat :). Ended up with a small LMB, 2 bluegill, and a rock bass. An hour or so before dark I decided to hit another spot for bass and caught 6 or so. 1 was around 14" and the rest were smaller. They were in 2-3 foot beside some old reeds. This will probably be my last trip with the boat unless I try for some panfish yet..

If the bottom is relatively snag free, I'd try a blade bait. These can fished in a variety of depths and you can use them to gauge how deep it is. Another great clear/cold water bait is a jerkbait. Also don't forget the Ned rig. I'd look for a steep dropoff and fish the blade and jerkbait.

Yes, I have done that but not since a seal went bad in the trigger stem. The guy I talked to at Iwata said he doesn't recommend doing that but I'll just be more careful if I do it again.

Yeah I'm only a few miles south of the MI line. The little lake I fish has a river going through one end which might make the temps change faster.

What water temp you got? I had 42 on Sat and I doubt it got warmer.. I'd love to get out yet but my motor had some issues so I kinda doubt it'll happen.