AJ Hauser

Hey thanks @kdubracing - I clicked "like" but I do not "like" the fact that everywhere is closed! I went to a small park that was supposed to open up May 1st and it was closed... I was not happy... but I guess if that's the worst thing I have to deal with it's a good day all things considered, eh? @ChiSkunk I appreciate the feedback from you as well - I am just starting to see a few smaller bass up shallow chasing baitfish around by me, and those baitfish are a little larger and more numerous and active as well. Things seem to be slowly coming to life. @HenryPF appreciate the heads up - Heidecke Lake is no longer a cooling lake (or power plant lake) you're saying, or it never was? Thanks guys - be well.

Hey @kdubracing - Shabbona is great for kayaking even if you don't decide to fish. There are a few neat spots there, but it is wide open and gets super hot in the summer, so cover up! Maybe the two of you can make a trip and do both

DANG IT! Now I have the search the entire lake!! Lol... oh well, it will be a good exercise, and it's a small lake. Hey on another note @Bluebasser86 could you please PM me if anything is still wrong with my sig or name? Thanks man, and thanks again for the info it has been really helpful!

@kdubracing Heh, nice! Prom photos with some sweet fountains in the background sound awesome So we definitely don't have muskie around here aside from Lake Shabbona, which is about an hour from me. That lake is about 320 acres I think and it's probably closed at the moment since it's a state park. Good variety of species in there, but again, reasonably pressured. That one is still worth a trip. I plan to explore LaSalle Lake a bit more this year as well, but that's a big flat cooling lake and I've heard the wind and waves can get really bad really fast. So heads up if you're in the 'yak. I think that is fantastic that you fish with your wife! I actually proposed in a boat if you can believe that... hid the ring in the bottom of a tacklebox and gave it to my gal to find... she was just mad that I didn't pack her favorite worms and tossed the tacklebox to the side, completely missing the ring. It was hilarious, I had this "smooth proposal" all figured out and it got derailed... she still said yes though after she got done being frustrated she couldn't find her go-to bait You guys only fish bass or other species as well? There are some monster cats in LaSalle Lake, and I believe striper as well.

Thanks! When you say shallow... let's say I have a shallow hump out in the middle of the body of water - will they spawn there too or do they always relate to shore in some way? I'm wondering if they could be in little pods scattered throughout this entire shallow lake - what do you think?

What's up @kdubracing, great guess - Mendota Lake was the one but now it's got a "no fishing" construction flashing sign up because of the lock downs. I would say it ain't worth the trip unless you're up for some exploring and sightseeing in the surrounding area. Fishing isn't the greatest, but I have had a bit of luck from shore in the fall with Ned Rigs with the kiddos. Baker Lake has a few fish in it but it's pretty pressured. I'd suggest hitting that lake EARLY before any of the late morning or afternoon anglers get there and start making a ruckus. It's only about 10 acres I think and smack dab in the middle of town. Baker has signs up regarding social distancing but you can still access it. Looks like Lake Storey is about 2 hours from me. Never fished there. I'm jealous, I'm looking at Google Maps and that looks way more interesting in terms of shoreline.

Yeah there are a few city ponds that are still open, a couple smaller lakes, several have been closed though @kdubracing. I have been out several times shore fishing and I have only made contact with one bass so far this year, and he was COLD when I handled him. The weather this week is crap and I got the itch bad and no way to scratch it!

Hey guys - hoping you can help me figure a few things out... I have a 50 acre lake near me that is very shallow in many areas, and it's also currently very muddy with poor visibility - will bass still spawn up shallow in water like this? Will they spawn near the rip rap or elsewhere, depending on the bottom composition at the base of the rip rap? I have seen little bluegill flipping and flopping up super shallow, along with crayfish bodies washed up here... I have read that muddy water warms faster due to the suspended particles, which could mean the bass spawn sooner here IF the spawn is dependent on water temps and not other factors. Any thoughts? Thanks much!

10-4 @OG Crankster

@OG Crankster I might have to do that in a few weeks! You have a Facebook or Instagram or anything I can check out? I'm over by LaSalle County. 6.15lb is nothing to shake a stick at... jeesh - good for you!

Nice @OG Crankster thems some nice ones - man after my stretch of bad luck I would kill for a good bite... you casting out and doing a straight retrieve by chance? Just like a swimbait? Thanks for the report! Gives me hope! (And of course it's 38 degrees here today after we were in the 70s, lol...)

What's up my dudes - question for you. I've been out about 9 times fishing from shore this year and caught 1 fish. (I know, I know... painful to even admit that in writing...) between mid-March and yesterday, April 11th. I'm in Northwestern Illinois, and I've fished a few small lakes (around 50 acres) and a large pond (roughly 10 surface acres) from shore. I've focused around the rip rap bank in both locations, but also walked along casting a horizontal search bait and a slower presentation on any given day. I'm curious about bass movement more than presentation, and I wonder if I'm not near any fish. The lake is very muddy with poor visibility - will bass still spawn up shallow in water like this? Will they spawn near the rip rap or elsewhere, depending on the bottom composition at the base of the rip rap? I have seen little bluegill flipping and flopping up super shallow, along with crayfish bodies washed up here. The pond is really clear actually, and I've seen a ton of small minnow shaped baitfish and some small bluegill up really shallow. No bass though... or bites... I guess those are my first few questions... any insight so we could have a bit of a conversation regarding movement in small bodies of water would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Got it - thanks @Bankbeater - much appreciated

Cool, thanks @Allen Der aka Al Lindner

10-4, thanks - looks like you're East of me. Good luck!

Nice @OG Crankster, good luck! What county or town are you fishing in? (Sorry if you already said that.)

Thanks @Bankbeater - you place the hook like a Carolina rig near the head of the bait when you're split shot rigging? I think I need to give these a shot fishing that way instead of wacky, which is what I do exclusively... Thanks for the tips @Ogandrews! I will keep this in mind... I find myself fishing the T-Rig less and less these days... we fish for smallies in the summer when we head up to WI. Had great luck on Hula StickZ on a small jighead out on deep water humps, and then old faithful for us is a small jig with some sort of hair dressing and a live leech. Please enjoy my "dad tanktop" from Farm & Fleet ?

I appreciate your willingness to share - I think I will stick with a backpack, but if you're changing baits on a regular basis I could definitely see the advantage of having everything in front of you. Plus you can have some for "after hours" like this guy if you want to flex in front of the ladies a bit

That is a great point - I never even thought of that - thank you! I'm in LaSalle County in IL so I'm thinking I'm still pre-spawn by at least several weeks? Maybe? @MGF I hate to say this but largemouth caught out of clean water are delicious... maybe once or twice a year I'll clean a few under 2lbs along with some pike... pike is delicious too, and we clean more of them. Smallmouth I find to be more "gamey" so we only have 1 or 2 a year as well. Your story about the bike rides brought a huge smile to my face - thank you @OG Crankster THE OG! Thanks for the heads up my man - I was kind of thinking the same thing. Going to head out tomorrow and try to see if I can get anything... not especially hopeful but fresh air (away from other people of course) will be nice. I think it's still pretty darn cold and they're hunkered down... we shall see. Thanks boys!

Thanks @HenryPF - looks like that's about a 90 minute drive for me. Worth a trip you think? And any boat restrictions? Looks like mallard is over 950 acres so that's decent sized. I really appreciate the tip - I'm always trying to find new waters nearby. There are a few small lakes by me that I'm hitting these days but they're more like glorified ponds, honestly. I'm about an hour from lake Shabbona but that gets a lot of pressure. Still had some good luck in there from time to time, though.

I'll give it a go - thanks!

My brain now hurts from all the maths. Thanks for the feedback @Ogandrews - I appreciate it. When you fish those smallies with senkos do you typically find you favor the drop shot presentation, or you you toss those 4" ones around on a t-rig or wacky?

Please share pics of your favorite fanny pack.

I appreciate the info, @MGF - I tell you what, I hope you and your pops get out there this year and things are on an upswing for the better!

Dang this is fantastic guys - thanks for the info @J._Bricker, I bet you guys have some real pigs out there compared to IL. @Bird that makes sense - I have never fished a Senko like that. I will give this a try, I feel like I need to cover more water because I have yet to make contact with anything this year... @evo2s197 when you say spring what water temp or date range does that mean for you? I'm thinking I'm still premature and the bass won't be up for at least a few more weeks... Also appreciate the input @PhishLI - for some reason I just can't get myself to fish a Senko TX style... I don't know what it is, I have a serious mental block about that. I've been used to wacky, but I also missed a really nice fish last year (with snow on the ground) because I horsed a VMC wacky hook out of a big fish's mouth... I think I need to play those a lot more gingerly than an EWG hook - would you agree?