softwateronly

+1 on gambler EZ, also a lot of time with the big EZ and .5" bit off. scott

I do until the heart of summer; 40lb or 65lb power pro, fg knot, 16lb sunline shock leader or 10lb mono depending on what I'm throwing and where. Summer, when the weeds are the thickest, straight braid. scott

Not @Deebo but I fish the same baits with this rod. I prefer 40lb power pro v2 to 10 or 15lb maxima mono depending on where/what I'm fishing. The zebra muscles can really ruin a good fight. Everyone is certainly entitled to their preferences but I think the soft tipped Dobyns rods do really well with braid to leader. scott

For sure, but we have yet to ice up in SW MI. These bass spend 115+ days of the year in water colder than 45 degrees and they put on weight during this time period. Sure, they're cold blooded and respond to their environment but the bigger fish are better adapted than their prey. I think they move in and out or up and down from their wintering holes if the food source does. The warm rain I'm mentioning is part of a 5 day period where only 2 nights are going to be colder than the water temp. I also know that warm water carries a lot more heat than air. Even though ice-in is imminent, I think, but don't know, that there should be a noticeable uptick in activity toward the end of this stretch of warmth. I appreciate everyone's insight, its born of experience. Sometimes I think fisherman in the North forget that on average the bigger the fish, the bigger the advantage they have in cold water. Big bass are ambush/opportunists if they're anything. These are the thoughts without the experience to back it up, hope I can put some of it to the test. Paddling a canoe in the wind will keep me warm, if not a bit of bourbon will. scott

I might not have worded it clearly. I caught 6 last week in 10-12' off sharp breaks from 20'-8'ish, also saw some shallow cruisers, but all under 2lbs. scott

You're certainly correct, but I have experience working outside for long hours in less than ideal weather so sometimes I take a beating for fun. Both yourself and @Catt are correct in tempering expectations. I've seen a cold lake turn on with a warm rain in spring, but I believe that's more related to bait and bass trending toward and actually moving shallow and the rain might have sped it up. That doesn't seem likely going into ice up. I have nearby wintering holes near gradual breaks and sharp breaks to flats near a warm creek/marsh. Was hoping the fleeting warmth might trigger a bit of an uptick in metabolism. The winds are from 10-20mph, the wintering holes are 28'-35'. Water temp was 39 at 15' depth, 40 surface last week. scott

I didn't take a pic but this is real similar to what I've been catching on, great suggestion.... https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=30&searchtext=gambler+ned https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Castaic_Baits_Jerky_Js/descpage-CSB5JJ.html The weedguard is a plus in my book for both the weeds and keeping the hook pinned. scott

Yes.....you really are from Louisiana.... I kid scott

Stable and warm for the time and locale but ultimately as cold or colder than the water. scott

I might be wrong and hope you might know the answer, but I think he is literally only using A-rigs and cranks for off shore bass found with FF sonar. scott

I've witnessed the incredible benefit of a warm rain in early spring, have any Northerners seen a warm rain winter benefit when the overall trend is toward colder? Water temp is between 39-40 and the forecast is for a 50 degree day with .25" of rain. scott

Back when I only had a 7' ML Avid, I even had better than good success with chatterbaits and 5" hollow body swimbaits. I do think braid was partly responsible for that success, but the rod would land anything I got a hook into. scott

X2 I don't have any experience with the Kaden, but the DC734c is a dream to fish moving baits. It does lean more mod/fast, but that makes it very versatile and the power is there when you get to it. Swim jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, showerblow/spooks, dark sleepers, and finesse jigs are the baits that cycle through the year. scott

Twin tail grub for me but I have had early spring luck with TRD craws, might need to try before the ice instead of only after. scott

I have a couple keitech football, SK bitsy bug, and new to me jewel peewee finesse jig. The ned fish I got all seemed to be on alive scrub grass, not in the taller, dead grass and there is no wood or rock to speak of in my water. I wish us luck. scott

I had some decent success with large weedless neds, both nichols and gambler, with fluke style trailers. Water temp was 40 and the sun was out, picked up 3 smallmouth and 3 largemouth in 3 different areas. Silver buddy, 6" trash fish, and full size jig were ignored. Probably should add a tube and finesse jig into the mix. scott

I agree that the XP 734 is one of the most universal rods I've ever fished. My 2 complaints, and they're very minor, is that its a bit too soft to move/shake/finesse a standard 1/2oz jig through the dense weeds and sensitivity is good, not great. All open hook moving baits and trebles are pleasure to fish with, definitely recommend. scott

I have used both, didn't notice a difference. I usually order the camo, but have gotten shiny when camo isn't available. I also use the hog farmer flex rig. My only real observations are my clear water lake does better without blades and for me the bite is best in prespawn and late fall. I have a local shop that carries hog farmer sometimes, otherwise I'm shipping through TW. scott

The only floro I use is sunline fc 100 shock leader, 30lb for big baits & 16lb for most everything else. Otherwise mono treats me better. scott

I agree with Kenny Yi, but I find 40lb power pro is the minimum for braid dig in on hard hook sets. Or at least I find the problem is something I no longer have to pay attention to and I see no performance drop off with 40lb. I run 20lb on my M casting set up, jerkbaits, small t-rigs, small swimbaits, etc and I have to pull line out constantly to make sure I avoid the dig in. You might be better or more responsible, but this is how I handle it and haven't noticed any issues. scott

I have the XP 734 and use 40lb power pro to 12lb maxima or 16lb fc 100 shock leader. I find it hard to really crack em on a hookset with this rod, but with moving baits and braid to leader, my hookup/land ratio has been really good. If you like braid to leader, I think this is a good setup to keep using it. scott

I've only thrown the a rig for a year and a half or so, but the GFunk cali rig has treated me right. Fish always hit the 3 hooks and line twist is nonexistent. I do throw braid to leader, which might have an effect. Following to see if I can learn about future issues. scott

I hear it like this; Dead center of a small cut. Off of the main lake. typical reservoir talk, I'd guess the deepest water in a little protected arm or bay off of the main water body. scott

Poison Adrena 173MH I haven't thrown a squarebill on it yet, but either the poison or the expride will do ok depending on cover. scott

I caught my first 2 december bass last week from my pier. Water temp is 41. A jerkbait in 10-12' of water and a heavy ned w/ a 5" jerky j got smoked on the fall in about 20' of water. scott