joshuaray83

Welcome aboard! Pike fishing has always been my favorite until I started targeting specifically Largemouth Bass. They're so aggressive and tough. It's hard to beat a Pike bite (As long as you don't love your tackle, that is, because they're tough on it).

View the articles that were posted above and view the videos that @Glenn posts on a regular basis. His videos are very informative. In addition, he releases videos that relate to the current conditions. For example, because it's Fall, he recently posted a video about good, cheap baits for Fall fishing. Great content. Edit: Here's a link: https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-videos

For me, it's the T-rig with a stick or creature. I have so much more confidence that I can cast that into thick vegetation or trees without getting hung up (I only bank fish) and I know that's almost always where a fish is hanging around. Second to that would be a jig with a craw trailer for similar reasons. Though they do get snagged more often, they produce much larger fish, so it's worth it.

Wife, the 3 month old, and I went to a cabin for the weekend. Couldn't have asked for better weather. Highs in the 70s and lows in the 60s-50s. Was quite windy and with a young kid, we tried to stay in sheltered areas so she could nap (she has the worst startle reflex with wind). Was able to catch quite a few on the T-rig with a craw or stick on some isolated, barely living pads I found. Also a good number of bites on bushes/laydowns with the same technique. Used a lipless quite a lot as well, but could only manage one on that. Then got a half dozen or so on the Ned rig. Missed just as many bites on the Ned, but I'm new to it.

I just hate using crankbaits from the bank because I always seem to lose them. I do have decent luck with really shallow running ones, however. I have one that I'll try this weekend if I see baitfish.

I'm trying a new lake this weekend and the weather is going to be a little warmer than last weekend was. We've had a few days this week that have been record highs, including one 80 degree day. Crazy... I'll try the shaded banks and see what happens. Heck, I might even throw a frog if there are pads or some tall grasses. Catching a frog fish in November would be a first for me.

I have a Spiderwire backpack that I got for $35 using a Groupon of all things. https://www.amazon.com/Spiderwire-Fishing-Tackle-Backpack-Utility/dp/B00VKO0JRO I'll send pics of my setup when I get home later, but it's been really great so far. Comes with what look to be 3 3600 equivalent boxes, but I think I could fit 3650s. I could also probably fit a fourth 3600 box. Good quality. After about a year's use, nothing's wearing out on it yet. The only thing I don't like is that the main storage compartment is one big compartment separated by a plastic barrier that is velcro'd in place. If you have something heavy in the top, like drinks, the separator can sag into the compartment that contains your boxes.

I'm in the same boat as you (no pun intended). Heading to Lake of Three Fires in southwest Iowa for some cabin camping. Will definitely have to get some fishing in.

Hey all. Doing another After Action Review on a recent trip I had to my local spot. It was a sunny, windy 60ish degree day. I don't have a thermometer, but I would assume water temps were in the 40s as it's been cool recently and the last few days were the first consistent 50ish degree sunny days we've had for a couple weeks. Anyway, I went out for about three hours with plans to fish the jerkbait, lipless, and Ned rig (first time with the Ned). After two hours using those baits, I changed to my confidence bait - the T-rigged craw/creature - using a green pumpkin craw because waters were clear. I also moved to a shaded, wind-blown bank. I hadn't moved there because I assumed that the fish would like the sun for warmth, but on my first cast near some wood, picked up a 2lber. Had decent luck on this same shady bank for the next 30 minutes. I haven't been able to get anything going on moving baits this fall. I'm fishing a jerkbait with quick, successive jerks and will increase the length of time between jerks if I don't get a bite. No luck. I tried the lipless at a consistent speed and by raising the rod, letting the bait fall, and then reeling slack before raising the rod again. No luck. Is it just passed that time or am I fishing them wrong? I know there were fish in the area because I would sometimes spook one close to shore and I saw darting bluegills that I assumed were being chased by bass.

I had similar luck on my trip on Saturday. Went out for about three hours and didn't have a bite on a jerkbait, lipless, or Ned rig for about two hours. Moved to a shady, wind-blown bank and tossed my confidence bait - the T-rig - and was able to pull out half a dozen in the next 30-45 minutes. I did not expect them to be in the shade and the ones I caught were VERY cold, but I guess the high wind we had was blowing a lot of food to that bank.

I wonder if this is even an issue for dead or dying baitfish. They don't have the energy or wherewithal to extend their spines anyway.

Let me know how you do, @DitchPanda. I'll be out tomorrow for a late morning/early afternoon session. I plan on trying a white fluke, hard jerk, small jig, and probably some sort of T-rig. Maybe I need to include a moving bait, I just don't think they'll be that active. But tomorrow is going to be pretty warm. Like 60 degrees warm. So, maybe slow rolling a moving bait like a lipless or chatter bait would work...I don't know.

I do have a 3/8 oz. SK Bitsy Flipping jig, I think. My problem with that one is the lead mold on it comes down over the hook. It doesn't have a keeper and because the lead comes down so thick over the hook, I can't put a trailer on it. I'm almost wondering if it's a defect...

So, I just started experimenting with jerkbaits. I bought a Husky Jerk 10 and 12 suspending. I also have a few white Zoom flukes. I'm thinking about trying them side by side this weekend. Water temps will likely be in the mid-40s (though I don't have a thermometer to check) and weather will be upper-50s and sunny. Should I plan to fish the HJ any different than a weightless Zoom fluke?

So, it's not the cold water so much as the fact that oxygen can't get to the water and fish suffocate. I've wondered what the term "winterkill" was referring to and this makes sense. I think the max depth of the pond I most frequent is 12 feet, so I shouldn't have to worry about the pond freezing completely. Thanks for all the good info. I don't have any Ned rig gear as of yet. I'm usually finesse fishing a drop-shot or small jig. I think I'll be making a purchase of some Ned rig hooks and baits here this week, though. Seems like that is the go-to late fall/winter bait for most.

Dedication.

I'm in the same boat as @DitchPanda here in southwest Iowa. Especially since I mostly fish ponds which are affected by temperature much more quickly. The high today is the upper 50s today and Friday. High of 62 Saturday, so I'm going to get out there on Saturday sometime after lunch. We'll see...

I'm with you there for sure. You can only take off so much clothing... Layers in the winter make a big difference. I might have to start looking for some local streams to fish around here.

I always preface my posts with the fact that I'm a bank angler. I frequent a few ponds around me, but don't have anything like a power plant coolant lake around. My question is: Before freezing over, do ponds ever become completely unproductive? Do bass still bite when the water is 33 degrees? I've heard that extreme cold weather can kill bass. How cold does the water have to get before the bass are killed off? Does this every occur before ice-over?

That's how it was for a pond I frequented until recently. It's got pretty cold already here, so that's probably playing a part. Plus, this place gets a LOT of pressure, so I tend to have to use something out of the ordinary. I'm now doing some research to see if there are some lesser-known ponds nearby that others won't know or care to fish at. My most productive lure by far, though, is a stick bait. I use YUM Dingers because they're cheap. Jigs and frogs are next. Jigs always get me larger fish.

Sounds like something I would do. I've started to spend more money and do more research when making purchases - even small ones like pliers or something - because when I don't do that, I end up not liking what I get. Then, I have to buy something else or spend more money rigging something right.

I'm in.

Have you been able to ice fish the last few years? I feel like the last two years, we never got solid lake ice around here in west-Iowa.

Deck height from the water. Got it. So, on windy days, you're planning on getting wet.

As a non-boater, you're speaking another language here...