Jmontgomery87

Same. We had snow today and -30 wind-chill tonight, 60s next week.

My local Walmart had half price senkos tonight. I got some green pumpkin black flake.

Fished for about 5 hours post cold front at a 500 acre lake Saturday. I threw almost everything in the box and got nothing. There were hundreds of ducks though. Called a few in. I only had 30 minutes to fish this morning. Went to a 5 acre strip pit 10 minutes from home and got one within 10 minutes.

Update: The picture was the condition the reel arrived in before I cleaned it. I went back and added some more grease to the gears and deep cleaned the bearings. I noticed a very faint vibration while spinning the pinion support bearing on a pen. I swapped it with the handle side crank bearing. This completely eliminated the noise but there is a very small vibration in the handle now. The pinion support bearing was definitely going bad and I think the extra grease helped smooth things out. I'll get some replacement bearings eventually but for now I'm happy with it. Thanks for the help everyone!

I recently purchased a lightly used Tatula CT and took it fishing for the first time a few days ago. It functions just fine but I get a whirring noise on the retrieve. It doesn't happen while casting or if I loosen the drag and hold the spool in place while turning the handle. That should eliminate the spool bearings, drive shaft bearing, and worm gear. The rate of the sound seems to match the pinion gear. I've had the reel apart twice to clean and lube. One of the yoke springs was slightly bent but I straightened it out. It almost sounds as if it's rubbing on the yoke but I suppose it could be the gears. I grease pretty lightly so I'm thinking about putting more on to see if that helps. Would replacing the pinion springs maybe help? Any ideas? Forget about it and just fish? You can see the bent spring in the pic. I'm probably just overthinking it.

First time using the Tatula CT this morning. I just spooled it up with some 12lb Big Game I had laying around. 27° air temp; water around 40°. I got this 1.5lber on the first cast and another a few minutes later. Both on 1/2 oz chart/sexy shad KVD spinnerbait. I didn't used to fish in the Winter so I think these are the coldest bass I've caught.

I bought my first spook at the end of September and had a blast catching them through about the end of October. It's so exciting watching them blow up, maybe miss, and come back for it!

Made an offer for $75. Doesn't look like it's been used to me. Clean on the inside but a little dry. I'm going to pick up a 7'3" MH/F Daiwa Aird-X for it.

15° air temp and 43°water temp this morning. First time winter fishing with braid so not only were my guides freezing every cast, but I was getting pieces of ice in my spool causing a few backlashes. I had one hit a Spook and a Super fluke but I lost both. I got outside and got to see some ducks though.

My best producers were a Trick worm on 1/4 oz Texas rig or 1/8 oz shakey head, Super Spook Jr., 3/8 and 1/2 oz spinnerbaits, and a finesse worm on a drop shot. I caught my first and only jig fish in late July and it was my PB. I guess I should fish a jig more.

I was just looking at those on Digitaka. The Christmas JDM bait monkey might have to slide one under the tree.

A 7'ish MH/F is the most versatile rod for me. Texas rigs Jigs up to 1/2oz Spinnerbaits Chatterbaits Swim jigs Topwater That's probably what I'm throwing from the bank 95% of the time. You gotta have at least one.

Best 1. Texas rig 2. Spook 3. Spinnerbait 4. Swim jig 5. Senko Worst 1. Deep diving crankbait 2. Dragging any bottom contact up rocky slope 3. Dropshot on rip rap

It depends on the day. The last month has been probably 95% casting. This summer, when the bite was tougher, it was more like 60/40 spinning. I prefer casting and only fall back on spinning for weightless plastics, drop shot, and shakey head.

I went for a couple of hours before work today. It was the first day in a couple of weeks that they weren't hitting the spook. Switched to a lipless and no luck there either. It was a little cloudy and breezy so I picked up a spinnerbait. This one was 17".

I quit for about 13 years. Last spring I was at my dad's lake house with my daughter who was 3 at the time. She picked up a rod that day and just decided she wanted to start fishing. We caught a bunch of bluegill from the boat that day and it all came flooding back to me. My dad really got back into fishing too. We've done everything from panfish to trout, catfish, white bass, and largemouth. It's been a wonderful activity to bring us all together. I'm never quitting again. Her biggest white bass this summer. My second largest this past weekend.

Down and up of course.

Up and down.

A couple more on the Super Spook Jr. this morning. This one was 3ish lbs 18".

We were at 60 degrees a few weeks ago so we're probably around the same temp. Almost every fish I've caught over the last 2 weeks has been on a Super Spook Jr. but they have all been within about 2 hours of dawn or dusk. Usually a slower retrieve with some pauses. Got this 3lber this morning on one.

A 13" tonight on the Super Spook Jr. again. Why did it take me so long to start fishing top water? It's addictive.

I fish a lot of strip pits with visibility varying from 2-10 ft depending on the pit. I would say most are around 6-8ft right now. Spooks, spinnerbaits, swim jigs, Texas rigged worms, and shakey head finesse worms have been working for me lately.

I've got a similar rod that I throw most of my presentations on; Topwater, spinnerbaits, swim jigs, Texas rigs, lipless cranks, 1/4-1/2ish jigs. I haven't thrown these on it but it would probably be good for chatterbaits and heavier shakey heads (1/4oz+).

First time trying a walking bait today. I swung too soon when this 14.5" blew it up but I got him a couple of pops later. Florida bass Heddon Super Spook Jr.

Nice! I had a '66 4 speed in the same color with a black vinyl top in high school. I miss everything about that car except the non-powered drum brakes. Had to stand on the pedal to get it to stop. Haha.