TriStateBassin106

There's nothing to be bummed about not catching bass this early in the year... I got back into bass fishing in 2018, my first year I only fished the middle of summer for bass, 2019 I started in June and fished all the way until the middle of November, even grinding it through in December. My last bass caught that year was Nov 17th 2019. A week out from Thanksgiving... 2020 was a late start for me because of well....obvious reasons but my first bass wasn't caught last year until May 8th! 2021 will be my first year since 2018 I will be bass fishing for the entire spring! Am I nervous? Not really but I won't be surprised if I don't get anything until April. It happens. Doesn't mean to give up though.

Ayup. Still haven't caught a bass so far this year. I usually don't until April/May at the latest but I'm hopeful March will get me some results, in overall fish this year I've caught 2 rainbow trout, a yellow perch and pickerel through the ice.

Any videos from him about it you could recommend?

Pictured here are two finesse TRDs in the color "yoga pants" basically black. The TRD on the right has been "roughed up" or "stretched" compared to the one on the left. What is the point of doing this to soft plastics? More salt? Especially the ones zman makes. I've never really done this until it was recommended by another forum member. I am generally curious.

What would you recommend throwing bait wise for pre spawn?

Really? How do you do that?

What do you guys use to polish spinnerbaits? WD-40? Vinegar?

Could've been a skinwalker lol.

What's some tips you guys could recommend for fishing riprap from the bank during pre spawn? What are some good lures to throw and any tips to avoid getting hung up frequently? (Pic is the type of riprap I will be fishing at my local reservoir from the bank.)

I have a bunch of sweet beavers I want to use as trailers, one is pictured below but my problem is the length of the trailer and what length should it be? Should the entire appendages including the little side ones be exposed past the skirt? It kinda makes the jig look very long.. or should the side appendages be buried a bit under the skirt with only half the appendages exposed? (Like pic below)

What's the best way to fish a swimbait in this colder water during the pre spawn (water temps from 45 to 50 degrees) I use weighted underspins.

Senko Powerworm Rage Cut'R Zoom Finesse/Trick worms. Biospawn plasma tail Roboworm Finesse TRD Big TRD (Summer)

You guys ever had some weird/spooky/paranormal stuff happen out on the water? I've been back bass fishing for over 5 years now and I've always heard of weird stuff happening to anglers like seeing UFOs on certain lakes in the morning to full on ghost sightings while fishing abandoned lake property . I personally don't know whether or not to believe these stories but it's always interesting to hear them. Any weird/spooky stuff happen to you guys while fishing? Any zombie bass anglers out there hahaha

How do you retrieve the ned in such cold water? I'm guessing very long pauses?

Both my ponds are half frozen. Water is open by the fountains and none of the shallower banks have opened up yet except the part near the fountains but 65% of the bank is still pretty much covered with thin ice. Water temps are 41 degrees on the dot and water is still at its usual 1ft of visibility. It's slowly gonna rise and eventually be open all around but for now the shallower parts are still frozen. What should I throw in the meantime? Bottom is mud rocks and some dead leafs. Rattletraps maybe?

What's better for drop shotting and shakeyheads? I've had my fair share of catches using the zoom finesse worm on a shakeyhead and finesse texas rig but what's the difference between it and the trick worm? Should I get some or just stick with the finesse variation. I really want to get into drop shot fishing this year.

What's so special about the hammered blades? I never understood that whole concept.

I plan on buying these hooks to use for swimbait fishing in my ponds/lakes during the spring and for slow rolling my keitechs while it's still cold out. My only question is which model should I get? Willow or Colorado? I fish water that is about a foot of visibility. Would the blade even matter?

It's pitching but flipping sounds cooler even though nobody really does it unless they're bed fishing.

That's not a bad idea A-jay lol, how is the SK Blade minnow compared to the zako? Is the action pretty much the same or is one better than the other?

I recently bought a bunch of 3/8oz original chatterbaits in this color as they were in the walmart clearance bin and I got them for only 2 dollars. My question is do they fish even bite these in white/chartreuse? This is coming from a diehard chatterbait angler. I've never caught any fish on white/chartreuse bladed jigs. Only green pumpkin and black n blue. What would be a good color trailer for this? And what's a good time of year/water quality to fish this color? (Besides summertime) would this color work in lakes/ponds without shad?

My ponds are 15 minutes away and my lake we have property on that is private is about 45 minutes away. Any creeks/rivers I fish are also 5 minutes away.

Black is probably one of the most deadliest colors in bass fishing, a 3/16oz bullet weight and a black baby brush hog is one of my panic baits in the summer. I've caught a bunch of big fish on black jigs and black creature baits like pic below. Definitely will be using it again in 2021. Probably even more as the water around my neck of the woods can get pretty stained.

3/8oz is my go to for football jigs. It can be fished from 20 feet of water to 2 feet. Good all around size.