DaubsNU1

I do not troll much when bass fishing, mainly because my home lake has lots of standing timber and off-shore brush piles that I like to spot-lock near, and cast to. I tried to set my boat up to be a multi-species, and do have rod holders. I will troll when fishing walleye. It's not my favorite thing to do...find it boring. I would rather cast, cast, cast, than troll.

All of my casting reels are Citica's or Curado's, of this vintage. I just like them. A few were purchased brand new back in the day...others picked up via eBay and FB market place.

Fished the home lake yesterday, water temps were just above 60 degrees. Decided to work some off shore brush piles. Landed a nice 16.5" LMB, and they the Crappie started hitting. This 12.5" Black Crappie was the largest. I probably caught ~50 in a few hours. Spot-locked right on top of the brush pile...used the new MEGA 360. Live bait is prohibited, so just tossing small plastics on 1/16oz. jig.

Had to put my Yellow Lab down a few summers back. Our other dog, a rescue, had been in bad health for a while....didn't figure he would last long. We ended up getting a new Lab, and the Shiba...and that old rescue pepped right up, and lived another ~2 years!

Late to the game, but count me in. Watermelon. (( don't judge me! )) "The Nebraska state record largemouth bass weighs 10 pounds, 11 ounces" Hope to get on the board tomorrow.

My Dad and Brother. Wife will join me on sunny summer afternoons...she brings snacks(!)

@gim I used the snow blower exactly two times this winter. Once in late November, and once after the new year.

Mother Nature has been pretty nice to us down here in Nebraska. I have already been on the water and fishing four times this season. Not many fish...but it's nice to be out...and with stories from @A-Jay, I'm just thankful we don't have ice on the lakes(!) Highs in the 80's today...but cooling later this week. My nephew has already mowed three times. But my lawn has taken a bit more time to start growing. I spent Saturday pulling the snow blower, chains and weights...and doing the spring maintenance. Changed engine oil and filter, changed coolant, replaced fuel filter, sharpened blades, and greased chassis and deck, and leveled the deck. Tonight I mow for the first time!

Got out on Sunday to my home lake. Weather was cold and rainy Friday and Saturday, with high temps in the upper 40's. Sunday was much warmer, mid 60's. Water temps started off 52.3 degrees...as I moved to the upper ends of the lake, got to 56.5 degrees. I could not get any LMB's to bite. Did get on a nice stack of crappie...caught ~35 on a 1/16 oz. jig and gulp minnow. Fun! Young kid, probably grade school, was fishing a culvert about 50 yards from me...he was pulling crappie out of the water as quickly as I was. We got to talking and sharing stories. Good time!

I picked up a Frabill Telescoping Lure Retriever. It extends to 15 Feet. Stores neatly behind Bimini top on floor of my Lund. Was not cheap, but paid for itself quickly in saved lures. @Glenn's video has some great advice if you don't have space to store a lure retriever.

Don't stress about getting the right rod, reel, etc. I am still catching fish on a rod purchased in 1992(!) It's not the gear that catches fish...it's the fisherman. All those videos and articles you are reading...they are designed to do one thing...separate you from your money. Gear manufactures win when you buy stuff. The "technique specific" rods, reels, whatnot...just clever marketing tricks to get us buy more stuff. I do have some newer rods and reels. It's fun to do the research, ask around, read articles, watch videos, and don't get me wrong, it's nice get new gear. But don't stress about it. My absolute favorite combo is a Cabela's C44x CDH 602, six foot casting rod, 8-17lb test, 1/4-5/8 oz lure weigh. I've paired it with a Shimano Citica CI-200. I'm running PowerPro 20lb bright yellow braid to 10lb fluoro. I tie on a 3/16 oz. tungsten weight, a 3/0 Gama EWG hook, and the same Berkeley 7" of 10" blue-fleck power worm. Yep, I have been fishing this same set up for 33+ years...and still catching fish. Watch videos, try new things, experiment. You will find a way to catch fish on t-rigged soft plastics. And if you don't, that's okay. I've been trying to find my groove with a jig-n-pig for 30+ years...it's never been my thing...would rather toss the power worm : )

Love me a Blue-Fleck, 10 inch Power Worm. Usually run a 4/0 Gama EWG, with 3/16th oz. bullet weight.

This old Mercury 2 stoke was built in 1971...was a bit finicky at times, but ran well until I sold it in 2023.

On my old 14' aluminum semi-v, I had a 40 lb Minn Kota cable steer, foot controlled trolling motor, and a really old 20 hp Mercury 2 stroke. Most of my local lakes were 5 MPH max, no wake. It was nice having a "backup" for when the battery was running low, or the wind was cranking and getting back to the ramp was difficult. Just fire up the old Merc and make my way back @ 5 MPH. Years ago was fishing with a buddy on an electric only lake down in Missouri in November. Wind picked up and there was no way we were getting back to the ramp with the TM. Buddy decided a potential ticket from the game warden for running the outboard was a better option than getting stranded, sinking his boat, or drowning. We made it back safely.

We need rain in a bad way. Burn ban in effect until mid April. Grass is brown and not growing at all. Still have the Snow-blower on my JD. Expecting rain this week. Crossing fingers.

Just here on Bass Resource. Do not post much of anything on FB any more. Almost never post on Instagram.

@NorthernBasser I've been following your updates here on the forum and just wanted to say how much I admire your strength and openness through all of this! Facing lung cancer takes real courage, and you're handling it with grace that inspires others. While I don't know you personally, know that there are people like me out here rooting for you, sending positive thoughts, and holding space for whatever you need—whether that's sharing stories, advice, or just a listening ear. Wishing you moments of peace, comfort, and strength in the days ahead! You're not alone.

Sunday was Snow & 50+ MPH winds...Monday was a low of 9 degrees....yesterday broke a record that stood since 1934. (go back to bed Mother Nature....you're drunk!) I am headed to the lake this morning. We will see what today brings...

We got just a few inches on Sunday...temps were single digits, and winds gusting to 50 MPH. Friday they are calling for a high of 82, and a high of 83 on Saturday(!)

Saturday calling for breezy conditions, high of 57 degrees. I will likely get the boat on the water. Sunday a low of 6 degrees, with a high of just 34 degrees. Winds gusting to between 50-60 MPH(!), and 1-3 inches of snow. 😶

The install went surprisingly well. I was really worried that there would be a mess of wires around the bow...but it looks really clean. Had it on the water once, pretty cool! Looking forward to getting out more.

Whelp, it's 3:35 AM, and I cannot sleep...since you asked. (warning, the information below is affectionately referred to as my "Tism" by my oldest daughter 🤣) I currently have twenty-one rod and reel combinations. While I cannot accurately track reel purchase prices, I can say when and how much I paid for each rod. The oldest, a Cabela's branded C44x CDH 602, was purchased for $95.92 in 1992. Adjusted for inflation, that rod would be approximately $220 in today's money. The newest purchase was last summer, a Fenwick HMG w72ML-FS spinning rod, priced at $169. Total money spent for fishing rods through the years = $1,830. Math it out and adjust for inflation (remember, nine of those rods were purchased between 1992 and 2005), and the total comes to $2,670. Long way of saying like to stay in the $300-350 price point for rod and reel combinations. And yes, I have this all on a giant spreadsheet. Another "Tism" example -- Purchased a brand new 2004 Chevy 2500HD 4x4, and tracked fuel fill-ups. In the first 65,556 miles, I used 6,077 gallons of gas, averaging 10.81 MPG (Big Block 8.1/496), for a grant total of $14,985. I stopped tracking after that : )

Hold off...you can do much better than that unit pictured. My first fish finder was a Bottom Line Fish-in Buddy. One piece unit, clamped on to the side of the boat. It gave me depth, water temp, and kind of marked fish. Looked like this. Sold it a few years back for $25.

Thursday, 5-March was boat-maintenance day: oil and filter, new plugs, changed lower unit oil, installed batteries, installed MEGA 360, checked all electronics, and loaded the rods. First day on the water was Sunday, 8-March. Temps were pushing in to the 70's by the time I left, around 3 PM. I predicted 15-March would be first day on the water. Water temps were 44-45. Just one bite. It was great to be on the water...bonus, no issues or problems with the boat.

Outstanding, congrats!!