Glaucus

I personally hate the cold weather. I can be found fishing a little ways into November, depending on the year, and maybe a couple of times in December, again depending on the year, but after that I'm done until spring. Ice fishing isn't for me, and fishing a decently warm December day to grind out a bass or two isn't my definition of pure enjoyment the way warm weather fishing is pure enjoyment. Other than the fact that I don't like the cold and that ice fishing can be dangerous, drilling a hole and dropping a line isn't for me. I like to cast and work my lures. So meh. My wife and I are planning to move out of Illinois very, very soon. Maybe in a year or two. Other than work and economics, our top choices on where to go will come down to the fishing. On one hand, going south we can fish year round. On the other hand, places you can fish year round don't have Smallies. Happy medium might be Tennessee or some such place where we can fish later than we do now, and start the season earlier than we do now, and that has the Smallies as well.

Tennessee Smallie fishing any good in Jan/Feb? Being an Illinois guy it's not too far a trip to make a weekend out of it, if it will be any good.

I'm aiming for March 31st here in North Central Illinois. Around that time is typically when fishing resumes. March 31st of 2019 will be a Sunday which means I'll be off work. Just hope Mother Nature cooperates.

The TRD Craw is amazing. I liked it on a traditional ShroomZ Jighead. I had been using the Baby Rage Craw for the Bitsy Bug. Didn't even register in my mind to use the TRD Craw until I saw that my favorite kayak angler and river smallie chaser on YouTube switched from using a Kalins grub on his Bitsy Bug to using the TRD Craw. Amazing results.

Based on this past season, probably Z-Man. I spent all season chasing river Smallies. I like the Ned Rig, I like their mini chatterbait, and I started using their TRD Craw as a trailer for the Bitsy Bug. Then it would have to be Strike King for their KVD squarebills and, of course, the Bitsy Bug jigs. I also use 75 and 90 Whopper Ploppers and 4 and 5 inch Senkos.

This is typical of bass fishing. Bass slow down and don't work as hard for food. Anglers have to slow way down and downsize their baits. A good day is catching a bass at all on winter days. Use baits such as Ned Rig, grubs, shad rap, drop shot, shaky head, smaller jigs. Finesse stuff. It's going to be a struggle but it's normal to struggle right now.

I already throw dead artificial baits in the burn pile. I never leave a soft let alone a hard if I can help it.

These stories are why I can not and will not fish in the dark alone. Unknown fact around here is that I have Aspergers. The dark can spook me.

I'm not sure you're aware that the market is flooded with quality reels. Price range would give us a better idea on how to help you.

The internet has destroyed a lot of things. Toy stores, newspapers and magazines, tackle shops, book stores, etc etc. It's a digital age.

I guess for me it's that I don't fish for panfish. I drown live bait and I get a gill or crappie. I drown dead bait and I get a carp or cat. Not my thing. Once in a blue moon I can get a bass. What I can get a bass on most of the time is bass specific lures that I have fun using.

No, but I consider live and dead bait to be boring. I don't like to soak something. Half the fun is being engaged in my bait and succeeding.

I believe there's a God given natural love and talent in hobbies. We all know people who may or may not be pros (it doesn't matter) who are better than the rest, who love it more than the rest, and in many cases we are those people with our hobby. Many of us know really good golf players, really good pool players, really good bowlers, read good video gamers, really good mechanics. People who are in tune with what they do and they love it. Same with us. I'm no pro and many of you aren't pros. But most of us are really good and we love what we do. For me personally, I'm by far the most into bassin compared to my circle of people. By far. Y'all are too. It's why we're here. I and many of you go out and outperform the crowd most days and we're enthusiastic. My wife once asked why I can fish a place and catch fish and catch good fish at 10 times the rate of the rest of us. I told her ultimately I don't know, but if I had to guess it's because of time spent fishing and learning, and loving what I do. We feel the water different. We see the water different. We can identify bass locations and fish them effectively. It's 100 perfect feel for the sport and a true love. Like all sports a hobbies.

Wrong thread

I have 2 fishing buddies. Funny enough their ladies fish and so does mine. So it's 3 fishing couples. Pretty sweet deal if I may say so. One of my buddies told me I get just as excited over a 10 incher as I do a 3 pounder. Yes sir I do. I love to catch them. I love the bass species. I don't care how big or small unless we're talking BIG. I'm a little kid out there every time. As a Packers fan I compare it to Brett Favre playing football. He had the time of his life no matter what. That's how I am fishing. That's how almost all of us fishermen and ladies are. Some men like golf, some like pool, some like video games, some like cars, some like it all and everything inbetween. A hobby hits your soul.

If you've tried drop shot, Senkos, and the amazing Ned Rig and haven't and can't catch a bass, it's as simple as there being no bass where you're fishing. Either in the water period, or in the locations you're picking. Those will pluck out many, many small bass with some good ones mixed in, no matter who you are or what level of fisherman you are. Line could be playing a part. What kind of line are you using? However line isn't solely responsible for zero bass. It's your location. My little kids catch bass on the Ned Rig, and I've caught bass dead sticking Senkos or getting distracted talking and slightly moving my rod as I talk, not even paying attention and getting hooked up. So the point I'm getting across is these baits will catch them no matter who you are, if they're there.

Anyone addicted to bass fishing is addicted because they love it. Like any hobby.

Stuck drinking heavy stouts now til spring like a proper Lutheran boy

Replace fish with a beef steak. Gimmie a nice IPA to go with it, some taters, I'm in heaven.

If a fish that I catch dies, I leave it out for the animals to eat. If one is struggling and keeps going belly up and is a for sure death waiting to happen, I put it out of its misery. I know my fisheries well. I know where to place fish for an animal to chow on. I go back the next day and it's gone. Circle of life. I don't eat fish and I don't take anything with me to keep a fish, so leaving it for animals is the best I can do. Don't get upset about it. Just move on.

Ned will get it done. Shad rap. Drop shot.

Quite honestly if you are feeling you're traumatizing them by catching them, you've moved into a different tier of human and probably shouldn't eat meat you find in stores.

Actually on here. I of course can't remember where, but questions arising over spinning gear. Using 20lb braid because it's typically the diameter of 6lb mono. On ML or M rods rated for under by a fair amount. People posted that rod makers actually admit that their line ratings for rods are irrelevant for the most part. Like people will use 40 or 50 pound braid on a MH rated for up to 20. So common. How does that make sense if rod line rating is relevant? Not many people use 30lb braid on a casting setup and yet MH is probably the most common with 20lb being the most common rating for it. We'd have to be using whale rods if it mattered. Or like is your frog/big swimbait /big heavy cover jig rod really rated for that 65lb braid? No. It doesn't matter

This little Larry fought like a savage. Like I said, it was a Smallie year. Not many lmbs. Got a good release photo on a LMB I had a blast man. So the shopping cart photo needs a little explanation. We parked at my buddies a few blocks from the bar and walked up like smart people. I got lit up and on the walk back we came across a random cart in the road. I wasn't walking too well so they put me in it and pushed me. I don't remember getting back to his house at all lol

This was another cool day from this season. One of my fishing buddies told me I can't crank. We were supposed to go out and he was supposed to lay it to me cranking. Well he dipped out and I went. I caught 5 good ones on consecutive casts and peppered his inbox with them. Can't crank huh buddy? Lol Then I whopper plopper'd one just cuz I can