joshuaray83

We just got snow last night, but it's gonna be in the 50s by Friday (almost a high of 60 on Saturday), so I'll be trying to get out this weekend.

Just had our first kid - a girl - in August. Can't wait to start fishing with her already.

I think a big thing that a lot of fisherman take for granted is that it's a far better technique for boaters with a fish finder. It's a targeted technique. You either fish for a fish you see on the fish finder, or at high-percentage areas like docks. As a bank angler, I use it less often, but it can still be very productive near docks, rip-rap, stumps, the dammed end of a lake near the drain, or near culverts with incoming creek water. It just snags very easily, so I try to avoid things like bushes and downed trees, opting for other techniques even though it would VERY likely catch fish there as well.. Edit: it's also my go-to follow up bait if I get a strike on a moving bait but didn't hook them.

@WRB I'm so sorry to hear of the pain you're experiencing. I attend a bible study with a man who lost his mid/late-30 year-old daughter to cancer 3 years ago. Even now, every time he mentions her, I can still see the pain in his face and he has trouble finishing his thought. I just became a dad two months ago and can't imagine losing my daughter. I don't think someone can relate to your pain unless they've experienced it.

Large and smallmouth bass are in the sunfish family, so you've technically just caught a lot of sunfish, lol.

I've actually been strongly considering this. My problem is that a lot of my home waters have mucky bottoms with I would assume is less than ideal for wading. Would you recommend starting with non-insulated ones and warmer months just to start with?

My problem is that a lot of rods have hook keepers that aren't open on one end. This means if I'm running something like a drop-shot rig, I have to hook the hook to the keeper and spin the weight around the rod a dozen times. I hate that.

I have a good amount of carp in my local waters as well. How'd you fair fishing around them?

If you're not set on using Senkos, a local Youtuber who fishes the wacky rig often uses the GrandeBass RattleSnake. I think the ribs keep the o-rings in place a little better. He also uses two o-rings, crossing them over each other and putting the hook in the 'X' that is made by the o-rings crossing. This keeps the hook perpendicular to the bait as well without needing to purchase some special o-ring that's likely more expensive anyway. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/GrandeBass_RattleSnake_Worms/descpage-GRDBRTS.html

No leader. I have 6 or 8 lb mono, but not fluoro lying around. I've never used the stuff. Since I only typically take two rods - one medium spinner with 15 lb. briad and one medium-heavy baitcaster with 30 lb braid - I don't like leaders because I re-tie different lures/baits often.

My heart goes out to you during this long offseason...

I'm in the same boat as you, friend. Getting back into fishing after a long respite. Though, I'm a bank fisher myself. You from the Lincoln/Omaha area? I'm in Council Bluffs myself. My plan is to fish in my warmest clothes until I get too cold for it to be enjoyable. We'll see how long that takes. This'll be my first year doing so.

I went out last Saturday to a local ~12 acre pond near my house that I bank fish often. It was a windy, partly cloudy day with clear water at a lower level than normal due to lack of rain. I threw on a pearlescent Husky Jerk 10 and cast out into the middle since the water level was low and immediately pulled in a decent (for that pond) largemouth. I spent the next 30-45 minutes casting with no luck. Tried a crankbait with no luck as well. I walked to the dammed portion and began bottom fishing a T-rigged craw and picked up another 4 or 5 small, small ones in the next hour. I then proceeded to a tree-shaded portion in which lots of trees overhang the bank. Being quiet, I could see a good number of fish in the water between 3-10 feet from the bank. I was only able to get one to commit to my T-rigged craw, however. With trees lining the bank and the bank I walk being 4 or so feet above the water, I'm unable to cast a moving bait parallel to the bank. What suggestions on bait would you all recommend I use to get a few more to commit? I know a lot of them saw my line on the surface of the water. I was using dark green 15 lb. braid. Do you think line shyness could have been a problem? Any other tips?

Late to the party on this post. I just think this argument is silly. The best places to bass fish are not necessarily the places with the largest fish. Besides, you can't write articles - print or otherwise - and limit your reading audience to 25% of the country just because that's where the largest fish reside. Catching a 6 lb. fish in a "northern" state is just as rewarding as catching a double-digit in the "southern" states. In either location, you're fishing for the largest, most experienced, most wary fish in the area and catching that fish is going to be a challenge. Though, I'm not an expert by any means, so that's just my thought.

Will keep you in our prayers over in Iowa. Dad lives in the Colorado Rockies, so I know how scary those fires can be.

I just started getting back into fishing this Spring after about 10 years of only fishing when I go camping - which is two or three times a year. Now, I'm camping and fishing more often and getting more fishing stuff. I've tried square bills and jerk baits a lot over the last few months and haven't had much luck, so those have been stacked and set aside in favor of jigs, YUM Dingers, t-rigged creature baits, and dropshot roboworms. I just don't have as much luck with the moving baits in general it seems. Probably more an issue with me than the bait, though.

Anyone have experience with the Rapala Husky Jerks? I got two of those - an HJ10 and HJ12 - that I'm hoping to have luck with this weekend.

Good to know. On Google Earth, I see there are some laydowns and brush piles within casting distance, so I might start on those with square bills and spinners for the time being. There are also a few rocky banks where I could see a jig or dropshot working.

Absolutely.

I've got a trip coming up this weekend to this lake. I'll be camping with some family at Lakeview Campground in the state park and doing a good amount of bank fishing. A couple who's coming are bringing two kayaks, so there might be some fishing from those, but I'm not holding my breath. Does anyone have experience with this lake? I know they have Wipers and Walleye, but the LMB population is a bit down. I'm planning on fishing predominantly square bills, spinners, jerk baits, and jigs. Can I target Wipers in the same way as I would LMB? Are there shad in this lake that I should be looking to imitate? In the Fall in general, should I be targeting wind-blown banks more?

I've been doing a lot of reading on Fall bass fishing recently because I'm a pretty novice angler compared to most people here. From what I can tell, there seems to be a consensus that bass start feeding voraciously in the fall once the water temps get in the lower 70s and they continue to feed well until water temps dip below 60. If you're water temps are in the mid-60s, I'd say it's still prime Fall fishing time.

It's been pretty fall-like around here. The high yesterday was 82 and will be in the mid-upper 70s the rest of the week and into the weekend. I'll be camping and fishing this weekend. It'll be partly cloudy most of this weekend with ~10 mph wind and highs in the lower 70s. Perfect weather if you ask me.

No, but while camping recently, I set a cooked and ready-to-eat brat on my camping chair while I went to get my wife a drink. I came back with said drink and promptly sat on my meal. That was fun.

Usually the DNR has some documentation. After Googling, I see a lot about invasive species. There were a few documents on PA aquatic vegetation as well: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285940390_Aquatic_plants_of_Pennsylvania_A_complete_reference_guide

I was always a fan of the Rain City B%$#@ Pigeons, but oh well. In all honesty, the logo is pretty slick. Hopefully they make waves and are competitive out the gate like Vegas.