bp_fowler

According to the seller it’s a 14ft Old Town. Not sure on the model. It’s light enough that I can get it on and off of my truck by myself without any problems. Edit: after some research I found it’s an Old Town Guide 147 and it’s 14’ 6.96” and weights 82 lbs.

I’m joining the club. Just bought this from a gentleman on marketplace. Looks like I’ll bet getting off the bank this year.

I do when I’m fishing weedy lakes.

Yeah winter can be a bummer. I thought last winter was bad when I didn’t catch anything between November 21st to February 15th. Looking back I now realize I was lucky just to be able to fish. P.S. Give it time and that score will flip dramatically.

Ice has finally started to melt here. The pond we call the Gun Club was first up for since I use it something of a bellwether. If they’re biting there the larger bodies of water aren’t far behind. I started out throwing flatsides, jerkbaits, and slow rolling a double Colorado. I spent about an hour and fifteen minutes with nothing to show. I think in my excitement to get out on the water I was a little too aggressive with my lure selection. I downsized to a 3.25” paddle tail on a 1/8 oz bal jig and worked my way back around the bank. I caught this guy which is way smaller than most of @Team9nine crappies, but it’s my first bass of 2025 so I believe it’s worthy.

I’m on the bank most of the time, so it is far more useful and efficient for me to have a handful of rods that can do multiple things. I can only carry two setups without it becoming a serious PITA. Generally speaking my selection is based upon the relationship between a rods length/power and the density of the primary cover at the body of water that I’m planning on fishing as well as the anticipated casting distance which can vary greatly depending upon the topography.

I’m a huge fan of the Crush City Mayor rigged weedless on a weighted belly hook. It’s tough, easily to skip and catches fish. However the good ol’ SK Rage Swimmer has also caught a ton of fish for me. The smaller 3.25” on 1/8 oz swimbait heads or ball jigs. The larger 3.75” works great as a trailer for chatter baits and swim jigs. When combined with an Owner Flashy swimmer it is my preferred option for underspins.

I used to struggle with jigs. Late last year I got good enough at pitching that they started working well for me. So now the only common bait type that I still struggle with are topwater. I’ve caught fish a few fish with poppers and a Choppo, so I’ll definitely use those. I also have some buzzbaits and spooks, that have gotten swiped at but haven’t caught anything yet. I’d like to change that this year.

By this time last year I had already caught my first bass. Not so much this year. This the first really cold winter we’ve had since I moved back to Ohio. It’s 19 degrees as I write this and all of my spots are still frozen over. I’m hoping for mid March.

yeah but the only ones that get snagged are the ones that get bit.

I just started using them last season and they worked better than I expected. In my opinion they are just a blast to fish, bomb them out there, grind them into the bottom and ricochet them off shallow cover. The bad news is that I’m limited on where and when I can fish them as a bank angler. Once the weeds top out its game over.

I use stuff from all the major brands, or at least what I consider “major”. Shimano, Daiwa, Lew’s, and Abu. Admittedly I’ve been on a bit of a Daiwa kick lately. The last 4 rods and reels (3 baitcasters, 1 spinning) I’ve purchased have come from them. Although I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a “Daiwa Guy” just yet since I still use my other rods and wouldn’t be against buying one of the other brands if it filled a need and the price was right.

I keep mine for bathroom reading material.

Decent year for me. Got a new PB but not by much. Spinnerbait was good to me. Also started to figure out jig fishing later on. New (to me) techniques like floating and swimming worms did very well once the weeds started topping out. Had a memorable trip to McGregor Bay Ontario with my dad and son in August. First time targeting small mouth. It was an absolute blast there. Already planning a return trip next year. Stupid tube was my weapon of choice there with honorable mentions going to the ned and drop shot. Some firsts this year with other species. Hybrid striper, Northern Pike, and saugeye.