MGF

I need to get out more than 1 day/week and diversify a bit. My wife isn't going to give up her weekend river trip but I have several worthwhile lakes close to home with the potential for decent fish. The only think keeping me from it is being so darned tired after work. LOL

If I had to be without a boat I would spend most of my time on rivers that I could wade. I have a canoe and a boat and I still go wade the river often...especially on a hot summer evening after work. If you're really determined to stay away from plastics I don't have many suggestions because that's what I use most. What about a tube? There are so many ways to rig them. NED rig? There are ned heads with ewg hooks that handle snags pretty well or something like a tiny child rig. I would expect a lot of the baits you mentioned to get hung up more than a jig. What about a swim jig or bladed jig?

My biggest was a brown bass from our river that went 21 inches. Got it on a mostly black 3/8 0z arky head jig in late May. Number 2, 3 and maybe 4 at around 19" were on tubes rigged various ways. I caught a bunch (including some nice ones) on a split shot rigged zoom finesse worm while trying to come up with something to compete with my wife's NED rig. LOL I didn't catch many LMB this year but the largest was a little more than 18" and came on a "tiny child" rig in another small local smallmouth stream. The rig was a green pumpkin TRD with a small screw in worm weight on a size 1 EWG.

I lived in your neck of the woods for 37 years and I never even seen a bass close to that. Good job!

They sure seem to knock down the river population and they stroll over to any pond that's near the river and clean everything out. They clean it out and move on to the next one. Long ago they coexisted but but the ecology was very different then...you didn't have thousands and thousands of fishermen or all the farm run-off for starters. The otters were gone from here...until the government restocked them. My wife and I really enjoyed seeing them at first. That was before we knew better. I don't think the few eagles, osprey and other birds of prey we have kill nearly as many fish. They get some but not like the otters.

For the past 30+ years most of my fishing has been with wife, kids and now the grandkids when I can. Hunting trophies or numbers usually has to take a back seat because there's just more to it...but that's ok.

Up until fairly recent years all I ever used was an improved clinch and I never had a problem. Now I primarily use a uni but for some applications I'll use a snell. The only time I use a palamar is for a drop shot and I would love to find a replacement.

I use a swivel in double fluke rig or a Carolina rig. Blade baits often come without additional hardware but you had best add a split ring or a snap or it will cut your line in short order. My old mepps inline spinners always follow a swivel...usually a snap swivel. Even KVD sometimes uses a snap for attaching crank baits LOL I currently have braid to leader on all of my spinning outfits except my panfish rods. There are so many knots and everybody has their favorite. Do some reading, try a bunch and see which you like best. If I can sit down and take my time I like an FG...otherwise I tie a blood knot.

I missed last night but please count me in for the next one.

When we use the canoe in winter we carry a dry bag with a change of clothes, blankets and fire making supplies. Actually used it all once. We were on a December overnighter. It was a nice day in the 50's but the water was December cold. My wife who was fairly new to the canoe dumped us over not too far from our planned camping spot. In minutes we were in dry clothes and shortly after that we had a nice warm fire. Oh and I tie my glasses to my head. I do carry a spare pair in the truck but it wouldn't be any fun trying to get back without the glasses. Lastly, we haven't been doing those winter trips the last couple of years. We we get older some of that stuff just gets harder.

My most used ned is a 1/20 oz head. My most used line is 10# 832 or power pro to a 10# or 12# FC leader. I have experimented with MANY braid to leader knots and I now use the FG or a blood knot. I use the blood knot more just because I can tie it anywhere. I have trouble breaking off even when I want to LOL.

I don't think I can afford to spool with FC. Most of my fishing is shallow and I use braid to FC leader the most. I skip with all my outfits but my primary jig skipping rod is wearing mono. I'm pretty good at it but I'm fearless so stuff happens. LOL and I can afford it with mono...even braid usually survives. Just yesterday I game my son a lesson in skipping a jig on the lawn. My backlashes came out easy, usually with another cast but he had some real monsters. The line is NOT in good shape but it won't cost much to replace. I'm not saying that FC isn't any good. It's just one item in a long list of things I have to do without.

I too would recommend mono for learning to cast but I go heavier...17 or even 20 pound line. The large diameter makes it easier to get overruns out. Also, peel off a reasonable casts worth or a little more and put a piece of electrical tape on the spool. wind the rest of the line right over it. Now the bird's nest won't go any deeper than the tape so, if needed, you can cut that part off and keep practicing. Practice in the yard. Make sure you have the right amount of weight to cast. Too light or two heavy of a lure for the rod just makes everything harder. I also recommend using a real jig and trailer to practice (as apposed to some sort of casting plug). The weight and wind resistance will be right and you'd be surprised how well you can drag it through the lawn without getting hung up. It's also a lot easier to see when it's in the air which is a big help. And then, depending on where and how you're fishing, you might just be pleasantly surprised at how much actual fishing you can do with that same practice line. I've been using a baitcaster my entire life and I still practice this way. I don't know if I need to but it doesn't hurt and I enjoy it especially when it's too cold and frozen to use real water. Lots of casting and pitching targets in the yard and if you can slide a jig across the lawn you won't have any trouble sliding it under docks or overhanging trees.

I guess I never noticed what was on the package. I'll have to remember to take a look when I get out to the garage tomorrow.

I guess I never really thought of it that way. You should have heard the cracks from the non anglers at work when I mentioned fishing a chatter bait. I'm 62 with children and grandchildren and I still don't get it. LOL

I've caught a few brown bass lately using the baby shad on a drop shot.

I wonder how Frank did. It doesn't look like he's been back. I'm in northern Indiana and I'm kind of a river rat. The cold generally drives me off the water but I fished a stream/small river below and above a dam this past Monday and I never had a bite. I fished a couple of different baits on a drop shot and a ned rig. The week before I was on a larger section of river where it turns into reservoir and bounced a blade around for a few hours. I had one on briefly but hooked nothing and my wife got one LMB off the bank on a ned. I guess that means that I don't know how to catch them this time of year but it's about the same for everybody I've been talking to. The water is high 30's or so but nothing has been stable. The colder weather came and the water temps dropped like a rock. The bite has been about nothing everyplace that I've nosed around. I think fishing will be better when things settle a bit but you have to be someplace where the small mouth are going to winter. I really think that some sections of these small rivers just don't have any fish this time of year.

I spent a couple hours today trying to fish a little creek. I've caught a lot of bass there in warmer water. I fished the area right above and below a low head dam. I thought that would be the most likely spot for fish to winter...maybe they're wintering there but they sure wouldn't eat my bait. LOL The air temp was about 43 F but it got so windy I couldn't hardly cast. I can't say that it was very much fun. I guess I have a few months before any decent fishing. I really do hate this time of year.

I was out on the 10th. It got up into the 50's but was the first time I used my flat bottom boat for an ice breaker.

Sounds good to me. I'm in.

What's new (ish) are the neutrally buoyant jerk baits.

Here too. When I first started using it...how ever many years ago...the numbers were unbelievable. I caught of lot of big fish on it too. The magic seems to be gone. The NED rig seems to be cooling off too.

Is this about length? I guess most of the stick baits I've used are 5" but I have used some 4" and even smaller "finesse" worms. As far as specific baits I use several. I've used the yum dinger more than any and I've caught a bunch of fish on them. I've used some senko's but I chose the dinger based on cost and results. I've also used trick worms. Recently I watched some videos comparing stick type baits and I made a lits of the one's I like. I stopped by a tackle shop and they didn't have any of them. LOL. I did pick up a package of Zoom Zlinky and the action is GREAT. I don't know if they're any more durable than the senko but they're less expensive. I really want to try the others on my list.

I don't know how it could be considered anything like live bait. It's real pork skin but plastics are real plastic. LOL neither is a natural bass food. It's an old standard. Aside from "live bait" like minnows or leeches it's the first jig trailer that I remember. I found an original jar in the bottom of an old box a while back. They're blue and there are two left in the jar.

I've never really been a collector of "things" but going through some of my old tackle boxes I find some lures that go back to the beginning. I'm almost 62 and I've been fishing since my legs were long enough to keep up with my dad walking around the quarries near home. I still have one of the old red and white dardevles that I used to catch pike on while musky fishing with my dad when I was a kid. I found an old river runt that I caught my first small SMB on. I've got a bunch of the reels I used as a kid including an ancient Pflueger bait caster that I got from my grandfather. The list goes on. Oh, I found a little super duper my dad gave me when I was a kid that I thought I had lost. I've learned to not get attached to "stuff" but some of it sure does bring back memories of people, places and times that are worth being attached too.