DitchPanda

Your pops looks just like my best friends dad

Was gonna say what @Glenn just said..last year was pretty busy but this year it went back to normal around here.

Yep its almost spring up here in Northwest Iowa...only another 4-5months

" This sucks...the bass are biting way too good"

My biggest letdown this year was a spinner bait with my close 2nd being a swim jig. I caught some fish on both even some nice ones...but they have been confidence baits for me for several years now and this year they didn't pan out like I hoped they would. That said I did gain slot of confidence in both the Ned rig and a popper...they both caught alot of fish for me. Oh and the buzz bait thing..I smoked em again on it this year for the 4th or 5th year running. Just straight clobbered them.

I've learned the importance of expanding your repertoire and also that its sometimes equally important to scale down and get back to basics. Technique wise the most important thing ive learned is the Ned rig.

Flying a drone by a bedroom window is hardly the same as floating a creek hundreds of yards or maybe even miles away from somebody's house. At that point it's not about property..I don't think people should able to own air just like I don't think they should own water. But peeking in someone's window isn't about ownership its about invasion of privacy.

I think this may be the route I go. Had a few guys mention them in this thread and saw it mentioned alot in some old threads I read thru.

I'm a huge fan of the older presidents...but somewhere around 2018 or 19 something changed. Revros all day everyday. I've got a size 25 president xt I got a few years ago and it has always felt sluggish. Cleaned it relubed it..no change. Heard more than a few stories of the same. I have a 1000 size revros and am very impressed with it for the money.

Oh I understand how it works..but it doesn't make sense. I hear all the time from my fishing buddies about states making absolutely bogus BS laws pertaining to property and ownership. Some states would benefit from having outdoorsman as lawmakers...maybe just anybody with common sense..or at the very least a brain.

That's ridiculous How can somebody own something that is moving. A piece of land is stationary so that makes sense..water moves so either everybody or nobody owns that.

Cool video buddy. Did bum me out..made me realize I caught only 1 dinky small mouth this year.

Was cruising tackle warehouse and saw this minnow wakebait...basically like a redfin, surge shad, long A style minnow wake. Anybody have experience with it? I'm sure its decent..spro seems to have true running baits and they come stock with gammy hooks.

I've been fortunate enough to never run into a situation like this..I've either always been in the right or never run into a ticked off landowner if I unknowingly did trespass. I heard a story about a guy fishing a stream in either a kayak on canoe...totally legal..only to have a landowner run down and raise holy hell. He told the angler if you don't move along now ill drag you out of that boat. The angler casually stood up lifted his shirt revealing a pistol. Told the guy hey if that's what you want come get it. Sad that this is what the world has come to.

So I've never really thrown a floating jerkbait for bass and I want to pick a few up during the tackle warehouse upcoming sale for spring. Now I've thrown rapala floating minnows before for walleye and crappie..and of course I've "accidentally" caught a few bass. But for targeting LMB what is the preferred size Rapala original floater? Are there other floating jerk baits that you prefer?

You know I just watched a couple tribute videos to Aaron...Dave Mercers and BTL...and it really hit me that he's gone. Famous people dying usually doesn't affect me as I didn't actually know the person just what I saw on TV...but this one is different. There are guys I like and root for but I can honestly say I was a true Aaron Martens fan. I feel that seeing his passion and love for this thing we do...always trying to figure it out and seeing the same things in myself made me feel a personal connection with him. Never thought I'd say this about somebody I've never met but I'm truly going to miss him. Rest easy furious hog snatcher..you my friend truly are a legend.

Oh no I know you weren't talking about me..was just stating my understanding and appreciation of the facets of the technique.

Thats me to...just trying to get a few bass before the water hardens. My water temps are already in the mid to upper 40s and we routinely have ice by thanksgiving..a few years back we had ice by November 12th.

I don't believe they are hokey...I believe they were purpose built by a guy and his fishing buddies that have spent decades dialing in a technique.

Yep its pretty basic but I like the simplicity..not every bait needs a technique specific rod, upgraded hooks, a special knot and a 20 page instructions manual on how to use it. Best part is the multi species aspect...this year alone I've caught bass, walleye, drum, catfish, crappie, big bluegill,white bass and I believe a pike.

I'm in northwest Iowa my water temps are mid to high 40s...today I caught 4 bass between 2.5 to 5lbs and 3 nice walleye...all but one fish came on a Ned rig TRD.

So today started out slow...went to a cold water favorite and couldn't buy a bite. Went to my local pond and was able to put something together. It was bright sun and very warm today so I found a North shore and it also happened to have a nice south wind blowing into it. I caught a nice 18inch walleye on an x-rap but it was a Ned rig TRD in mud bug color that did the heavy lifting. Took a while to realize they wanted me to drag it on the bottom with occasional short hops instead of my normal straight swim or swim glide shake- but once I figured that out it saved my day. Ended up getting 2 20in walleye, 3 largemouth between 2.5-3lbs and finally got a 5.05lb bass...my first of the year over 5.

Jerkbaits...finesse jigs...Ned rig...shaky head or light Texas rig with a roboworm.

You can read and watch videos all day everyday do all the research you want but there is no substitute for experience on the water..and if you just started fishing then that's what your missing..experience. I have a good buddy that just started targeting bass this summer but has fished his entire life. I gave him baits, spots and times of day to go on ponds I've fished 20 years...he's getting better but it takes time. We had alot of mornings when he got skunked and I caught 6 or 8. Now after 4-5 months of fishing with me he's consistently catching a few each time we go out. Id definitely try to find a fishing buddy..preferably a guy that's got years on your local bodies of water.

I feel this way completely. When I was the new guy here...almost 2 years ago now...I was never treated poorly or talked down to. If I had been I wouldn't be here now. Just hope that I treat everybody as good as I've been treated.