Woody B

Be careful.

There's no electric only lakes near me that I know of but...... could I take my boat to an electric only lake and simply not start the outboard? Regardless, there's no way I'd get rid of a boat the get a kayak. Added: I launch and load my boat by myself all the time with a rope. Where I tie the rope depends on the location, and how crowded the ramp is. I'll time myself tomorrow from the time I put my truck in reverse until I'm in the boat.

Some people just can't follow directions. First fish of 2022. Jan 1 2022 around 9 am. Hopefully I'll have a 2023 one to post tomorrow.

I never caught, or heard of white perch when I was fishing decades ago. Shortly after I bought my current boat I caught one. I didn't know what it was so I googled the picture. They're not native here. I've probably caught 10 or so this year mostly or maybe all on small to medium sized crankbaits like a Bandit 200. The biggest one might have been 8 inches long. Mrs B caught one that was 11 inches long. It was on a 1/4 ounce Red Eyed Shad. I believe they have similar habitat and eating habits as Crappie.

Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spots, Redeyes. I feel sure I've caught both Florida and Northern strain Largemouth, but I've never learned how to tell the difference. I suspect most of the Largemouth I catch around here are Northern Strain. In the past I've fished in Florida so I'd bet they're Florida strain. I do know that Wildlife has stocked "pure Florida strain" in some lakes here. I believe there's more than one strain of Spotted bass. I "think" most around here are Alabama Bass, but I don't know the different strains. I've caught a few Rock Bass too. I don't think they're the same family as the sunfish we call "Black Bass". For "Bass" Bass. I've never targeted them but I've caught Striped Bass, White Bass, Bodie Bass(Striped bass, white bass hybrid) and White Perch. White perch are actually a Striped/White bass cousin, and actual bass, not a perch.

Let me start by wishing everyone a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous 2023. If you're going to be drinking tonight please don't drive. If you're on the roads, be careful. I suspect there will be some impaired drivers out tonight. What are your fishing goals for 2023? I don't fish tournaments so no goals there. I just enjoy fishing. I want to continue to enjoy catching a few bass. Possibly learn some new stuff, and maybe even help some others. I don't have the fishing knowledge of others here but I'm still a nice guy. Last year (at different times) I towed 3 broken down boats back the landing. I saw a dog fall out of a pontoon, got it out of the lake and chased down it's humans, before they even know it had fell out. I jumped off several boats on the lake and also a few tow vehicles at the landing. Other goals, resolutions? I have the same New Years Resolution I've had for decades. So far I've been keeping it. It's to not die. LOL

I was working when this thread started. I'm an auto tech. I was probably changing someone's oil. (actually I was putting lifter in a 2019 Tahoe) I'm chilling tonight. Mrs B and myself went out for our Friday night Pizza. I'll jump in the shower soon and off to bed. Tomorrow is my Dad's 88th birthday. I'll be spending the day with him. I get to go fishing Sunday for the first time in 2 weeks.

I'm happy where I'm at. I've lived in the same county my entire life so I'm not one to move around much. I've got several decent lakes within an hour, as well as good Deer, Bear and Turkey hunting, as well as small game hunting. I won't catch a world record bass but I think a state record Spotted bass is possible. I caught 1 within 1 1/2 lbs of the NC state record a couple weeks ago. I also caught 1 that was 2 lbs 1 oz short of the state record a while back in a different lake.

I hate hoods. They make me feel like I'm in a tunnel. I wear some type of hat and possible a gaitor too when it's cold.

I'm not a pro, and I doubt I catch bigger fish that you do but it's my believe that the bass that hang around near the ledges go up on the flats at times to feed.

A few co workers fish. We have fishing conversations most every Monday.

I've got a couple, as well as a few Bomber 300s.

You're working for the bait monkey too.

There's crazy warning labels on all kinds of stuff. I've got a little butane torch I use for heat shrink sleeves with wiring. It has a label that reads "keep away from fire and flame". Every time I light it I get a little nervous.

I peg the egg but only one side. I put a weight, and a glass bead on the line, tie the hook on, then use a split shot to keep the weight at the distance I want it from the hook. I'm resisting googling Carolina Keepers. I believe @Catt is working with the bait monkey.

I get a kick out of watching the guys that come flying up to a spot, cast 3 or 4 times, then go flying off somewhere else, out of sight. When I see these people later at the landing they always say something like "it was tough today". Obviously bass aren't in every single square foot of every lake, but I doubt there's miles and miles without any either. Edit/Added. I talk to a guy occasionally at the landing. He says he catches a bunch of bass when he's just fishing but get's skunked every monthly club tournament. I told him he was probably losing his patience, getting in a hurry during the tournament. He came up to me a few weeks later and said he slowed down, made himself be patient during his club tourney, and finished 2nd. Sometimes I enjoy riding around. Sometimes my bad shoulder starts hurting and I'll ride around and explore until the ibuprophen kicks in. If it's an "I feel like riding around day" when I do stop I'm going to make more than 3 or 4 casts. I believe that if you caught fish in an area in April they won't be miles and miles away in December.

I never see "Manns Classic Spinnerbait Trailers" mentioned. I use them on spinnerbaits and jigs. They're tough, pretty much indestructible, until they get near any other soft plastic.

I bought a NC Lifetime Sportsman license decades ago. I don't remember what it cost. It covers most hunting including big game and inland fishing. There's a federal Bear stamp, and duck stamp required to hunt either of them. I've never hunted Duck. I used to bear hunt but that was before the required additional stamp. I just renewed Mrs B's NC inland fishing license. It's $25 per year for a resident. I also fish in SC. SC non resident fishing license is $35 per year, or $105 for 3 years. No discount for the 3 year price but that's the way I go so I don't have to renew as often.

Disclaimer: Mrs B is my partner, best friend, and the best thing that's ever happened to me. She doesn't really take up too much of the bed, but when it's cold she takes all the cover and wraps up in it. When she get's hot she throws the cover on me. She snores too. I'm too paranoid to use ear plugs. She's a sound sleeper. I want to be woke up if something happens. A few decades ago, in our old house there was a BAD ice storm. I laid awake all night listening to limbs break and crash to the ground. She slept through all of it. There were no limbs, or trees close enough to fall on our house, but it still kept me awake. Our diabetic dog needs to go out a couple times a night. She doesn't even try to go to Mrs. B's side of the bed. I have seen her lick Mrs B in the face, and not wake her up.

My fishing hole is a secret. (I've posted this elsewhere, but it seems to fit here too)

So we've got talk about what's warm during the Winter. I've caught bass around rocks, but @TnRiver46 is correct about sitting on a rock and getting a cold backside. So, I'm taking an infrared thermometer with me Sunday. I suspect that anything sticking out of the water into the sunlight is going to be warm. I'll see if there's any difference in sunny banks of different materials too. I'll post up some temperature readings late Sunday or Monday. FWIW Lake Wylie is used for nuke cooling. 2 weeks ago the water at the discharge was barely 1 degree warmer than the rest of the lake. There's an area you can't get into. It's not huge though. You can see the water being discharged. There's a fairly big cooling pond the water sits in before it's discharged. There's also a combination coal/natural gas power plant up the lake. It's rarely in use, but when it is the discharge water is ~5 degrees hotter. Regarding temperatures. Why is one lake several degrees different than another nearby lake. IE, Mountain Island lake, (3000 acres) was 4 degrees warmer a couple weeks ago than Lake Wylie. (13,400 acres) Lake Wylie starts at the Mountain Island dam. I was at Lake Wylie on a Saturday, and Mountain Island the next day. I could see the smaller lake possibly heating and cooling quicker but if that's the case it should have been cooler. There's no power plant discharge on Mountain Island lake.

I've got a Noco GB40 in my boat and a GB70 in my truck. There's no risk of an arc when using a quality jump box like a Noco. Jumper cables "can" be dangerous, but only if they're not used properly. I've jumped off several boats on the lake, as well as a few vehicles at the landings with my jump boxes. I'm not changing batteries until they need changed. A battery may last 10 years, or it may last 10 days. My 50 HP Mercury has a rope under the cowl.....but I suspect it would be really hard or impossible to start with a dead battery. It needs current for the injectors. I've got a friend with a 150. It's got a rope too. I'd like to see that in use.

And....you feel the line rubbing the limb, gently work the bait around the limb, then get a strike. I've never understood the "you don't want a sensitive rod for cranks" mindset. I want to feel everything.

The bait monkey doesn't like that.

I can't imagine not being able to fish for months. Fishing every week actually helps me keep the bait monkey at bay. I normally do my maintenance during the week after work, and fish on the weekend. This is the first weekend I haven't fished since I got my boat last December. I won't be able to go this Saturday due to a family gathering (my Dad's 88th birthday). I'll be back on a lake somewhere Jan 1. I would have been fishing in the 8 degree heat last weekend but had Christmas gatherings during the warm part of the day both days.