DitchPanda

No doubt everybody gets grumpy. Its just unfortunate when you meet a hero and that happens to be on a crabby day for them.

Yep...gotta have at least 1 spinning rod for stuff like shaky and Ned. 7ft medium fast is a good all around starting point.

I've got a perfect example of this from last year. Was fishing with a buddy whose primarily a pan fish guy...he is the farthest thing from a bass guy you can be. Well we still send reports back and forth alot...one day last spring he reports that he caught 20 or so crappies and I only caught 2-3 bass so he kinda gives me crap with the whole I don't get it thing. Well fast forward a week or two we are on his boat chasing crappies and its tough so I pick up a chatter and a few casts in i smoke a 6lb largie. Get that thing in the boat and he is more excited then I am.."holy s%$@ that's the biggest bass I've ever seen". I look at him and say this is why I do it.

Haha..agreed...there is a water temp range for sure. Below 50 or above 80 a skunking is ok...in that range it is unforgivable!

Some important lessons in there. I look at big bass fishing alot like that...takes some work and time but once it clicks you can duplicate it. Case in point I've caught more bass 6lbs and up in the last 5 or 6 years than I did in the 15 years prior.

I've heard a lot about good blades particularly hildebrandts having the perfect cupping to make them more responsive and easier on the start up...although I feel that have as much or more to do with the swivel. The biggest positive I see with premium blades is how they hold shine and resist tarnish and rust...meaning yeah they are spendy up front but you can use them for years and years over and over on bait after bait. So maybe a set of hildebrandts will set you back several bucks instead of cents but what if you can catch 500 bass on them?

So I've talked on here several times about perseverance ...just being able to put your head down and grinding. So obviously my next question will vary from person to person but I'm just asking in generality. Do you think getting skunked is character building or crippling? To me it is very motivating and while numerous skunkings in a row can suck in general it has no negative impact on my fishing outlook....honestly its the opposite as I use it as a learning tool

BOSS 1\4oz swim jig head in bluegill with a homemade bluegill skirt northern style cut tied with braid...menace grub in summer craw on the back.

I've got some cleanup and reorganizing to do yet...organize plastics...respool and lube reels. As far as purchases I've bought way to much tackle this winter...if it doesn't slow down I may end up single. That said im in the market for a new jerk bait rod and I've got $150 in Scheels cards just burning a hole in my pocket. I've got it narrowed down to a few options and I'm just waiting for them to start restocking for open water.

I throw GP black or purple flake

Ive been bass fishing 20 years and have experienced this a few times. Most recent time was probably 3 or 4 years ago I got to a point where I felt really good then kinda plateaued. Then last year came around and I started to get more technical with baits that alot of people consider straightforward namely lipless,spinnerbaits and jigs. I started to understand some of the finer points and nuances of how they work instead of just knowing when and where the why started to click. This made me take another big step up in ability even tho I thought I was stuck...and I continued to improve all the way til ice up. Two big factors are responsible for this change:1) no doubt being a very active member here has helped alot..lots of guys here that have different strong suits then me so I can pick there brain about that specialty. 2) no doubt building and tinkering with baits has helped. This can be as big as building jigs and spinnerbaits and as small as swapping trebles or even just using dipping dye. Really just gives you a real understanding of the components and allows you overtime to see patterns in what works for you modification wise so you can understand the true drawing mechanisms of different lures. This has been a big mindset change for me and has opened my eyes.

If that's what he's saying I agree 100% that's why I buy boss jigheads and skirting material...I can make a quality jig for a little over $2. If the reaction is for what I said about underspins being as expensive as a nice spinner bait or bladed jig then it doesn't make much sense because both those baits have expensive components as well plus a spinner bait often has two blades and they both have bigger hooks and skirting material .

Point I was making is to you that drive just to see your guy walk onstage is dumb but to some people its just as important as a big concert or fishing trip...maybe they grew up idolizing a certain guy because he was there grandpas or dads favorite and now they finally have the chance to see him and he doesn't show up when he is able to so they are let down or ticked. Its not up to you to decide if its the same in importance for someone else. Now I will add that I agree with you in that I wouldn't drive that far to see one guy but I wouldn't think anything less of someone who did. Now the Mickey Mantle thing...he doesn't owe you a homerun. But if he is able to play he owes it to everybody..fans,teammates...to play that's what his contract is for

Is it any different then driving to a concert to hear a couple songs? How about traveling across country to go on a fishing trip and not catching crap? If that happens should you come home sell your boat and your gear and get a real hobby that always has a determined outcome. Passion is passion...some people love to fish...some people love watching tournaments just like any sporting event and follow there favorite "players"... some people like crocheting or playing chess or whatever. Just because there priorities don't line up with yours doesn't mean they are wrong.

Its not just about fantasy fishing its about people traveling to a big tournament to see there favorite angler only to have him dump his fish and not even show up. So yeah this is an individual sport but how do most of these guys make there money? Sponsors...lure deals you know that stuff. Why do companies back them? Because they sell product for these companies. Who buys said products? Fans...you know the people who show up at ...oh...I'm not sure...for arguments sake lets say...um..maybe an elite series weigh in.

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Couple of favorites are pancho and lefty....and for a lesser known one I love John Conlee-backside of thirty

Hard to tell the difference on those tough days like mentioned above. 3 to 1 isn't a significant enough beating to really hang your hat on anything. Maybe you cast to prime spots that day before your buddy without really even recognizing them? Need a more one sided affair to start to boil it down to what bait,area or cadence made the difference. I've had days when I outfished or have been outfished by buddies 2-1 or 3-1 where I don't really feel like much could have been done by either party...its those days when your buddy catches 2 and you catch 8 or 10 or 23 when you can disect it. Btw...there may be nothing more satisfying then going out with a buddy...both of you jacked up and ready to crank on em and you lay a good ol proper a#$ whooping on them. Makes a man feel good.

Guess my real issue is I know how snaggy a plain old jighead is when they have no weedguard. I mean for where I fish the flashy swimmer is more practical and less then half the price. But listen I'm in no way saying they aren't productive.

I've been called alot of things but socialist is not one of them! Well until now! Not this guy. Maybe I'm missing out but I'm not dropping spinnerbait money on a crappie jighead with a .40c blade attached.

So this is something I don't get. I've never really tried an underspin so I looked into them more recently and I don't get it. They are a jighead with a tiny blade attached and they are charging $5-$8 apiece. You can buy a nice crank bait,spinner bait,bladed jig etc...for that price. I just don't get it.

I've never caught a spot and I've only ever caught 1 small mouth in the 5lb range.

So I've spent the past 20 years in Northwest Iowa. But I grew up on the Texas gulf coast. I traded in hot humid summers for hot but not as hot and humid summers and cold winters. Take for instance this past week...woke up Monday and the temp was -29 without wind chill...don't care how "tough" you are that's nasty cold. The way I deal with winter is I work alot...stock up on tackle...do a fair amount of ice fishing and do a crazy amount of whining about the weather! In all seriousness you get used to it and its just something you deal with and even enjoy in a perverse glutton for punishment way. One thing about it is you really learn to enjoy and appreciate the changing seasons.

Where I live that's a state record largemouth. For a spot...that's just disgusting!

I was gonna say there is something to this. I will use last year as an example. So we had ice out way early last year followed by an extended period of cold and sometimes rainy weather keeping water temps low and the bite slow. Then we went straight from winter to summer temps so there was a shorter period of peak spring bite window. Now I'm not complaining because I had a great spring especially big fish. But I have seen years when we have ice off..waters warm slowly starting in April and we have a strong prespawn into spawn bite that will go on for 6+ weeks under the right temp conditions. I've seen years when I can go out for 3 hours and catch 10-15 solid bass every trip for weeks or even months in end. I feel like with a standard cold winter you get a standard gradual spring that extends that great prespawn window.