bp_fowler

I don’t know if I have a #1 way that I like to catch bass, but if I did, catching them on a Spinnerbait around shallow timber would be a competitor for that spot.

@Brycecover Congrats on the new PB!

I ordered a Zillion from Digitaka on the 4th and it just arrived today. First experience with JDM very pleased with the experience.

I used to do plyos a lot more. Had some old injuries it aggravated so I scaled it back to a few rounds durning my warmup routine. Anyways the best cardio is the one that you’ll do consistently and if you’ve found that with plyos thats awesome!

Got to my spot just after daybreak. 55 and over cast. Started in the NE corner of the pond and caught 4 in row with a Berkeley Frittside crank bait (my first with that bait and with a flat side in general). Moved to the SE corner to fish around some lay downs but that was a bust so I doubled back and continued fishing along the northern bank. Tried to get a bladed jig bite going and it took me a few different color/trailer combinations before I settled on a white mini max with a 3” mayor in sight flash. Caught the next 9 with that. Including my biggest of the day. Managed on more with the flat side before moving to another pond. That one was a disappointment as I only caught another 4 dinks. Also I don’t know who needs to hear this but the ticks are out, prepare appropriately.

I agree. I’m closer to Erie but have never fished it. The back country hike/paddle/fish seems to be much more my speed.

Well I was off by 10 days. Caught my first fish yesterday, four altogether. Water is still very cold. I had to fish a Ned painfully slow to get any bites.

Finally on the board for 2026. Had a good night of sleep last night at work so I was rearing to go once I got home. I toyed with the idea of taking the canoe out. Even packed my big tackle bag and brought four rods. I had some second thoughts about how cold the water was so decided to go with plan B and fish from the bank. Drove out to the AEP ponds but the area I was trying to had its gate locked. No that it mattered anyways, since many of the ponds in this are were surrounded by steep terrain that keep the water in shadow for most of day as a result they were still mostly covered in ice. Plan C then, I drove deeper into the wildlife area for a trio of ponds that named the pork chops, because that what they are shaped like, or maybe I was just hungry while looking at Google Earth. The first one was a skunk. I alternated between the underspin and casting the wacky rig at discolored spots I could just barely make out further from shore. Figured they were a rock, weed clump or different bottom composition but nobody home. Had to walk another half mile further in to get to the next two ponds. Same story at the second but at the third I finally saw some small bass swimming shallow. Water was clear enough to see that they were not too interested in biting the underspin. Switched to Ned got a few pecks from small bass and panfish. Looking across to the other side of the pond I saw there were three culverts made of chunk rock. Since those were the only real structures in an otherwise featureless bank I decided to concentrate on them. I caught my first fish there. He was unimpressive and the one caught on the next cast was even more so. I moved down to the next culvert and caught a decent one but no other bites. Made to the third and last culvert and caught another dink. I think finesse fishing requires a high degree of patience and I’m not wired that way. I can force myself sometimes but the rain has started coming down and I was already cold and wet with a mile hike ahead of me to get back to the truck so I called it a day.

As stated above, the Tat XT is hard to beat. Shimano SLX is also $99 and worth a look. As far as a 7’ MH/F both lines have one. I feel the XT is a stiffer rod while the SLX has somewhat more moderate feel to me. Your personal preference, I don’t think you could go wrong with either.

That’s a nice set up @A-Jay is that your home gym?

Outstanding job! “Legs feed the wolf.” -Herb Brooks

I realize I’m probably in the minority here but I still use paddle tails as bladed jig trailers. Right now my favorite is the 3” Crush City Mayor on a 3/8oz Mini Max. Might move up to a 3.5” now that those are available so I won’t have to trim the skirt as much.

Keep your head down. Praying for you, your family and all the other innocent people caught up in this.

First off, congratulations on your weight loss. 25lbs is something to be proud of. My best is advice is start light. How light? Lighter than you think. Take the lightest weight that you wouldn’t be ashamed of carrying and subtract 10lbs. Trust me on this. Aim for a given weight at a given distance for a given time. Once again start easy and progress slowly. Set a goal for example say 30lbs for a mile in under 10 minutes. Once that is easy to accomplish on a consistent basis you can increase the distance or weight or increase the pace. Always remember though, you don’t have to crush yourself to make progress. Vest or ruck is personal preference. Vests are cheaper, widely available, and easily scalable. Although there are now companies out there marketing rucks specifically for fitness purposes that can be loaded with proprietary plates or sand bags.

Much appreciated, but I haven’t earned the right to mentioned in the same breath as the heavy hitters on this thread. As to the question at hand I suppose it depends on what you define as hardcore. @A-Jay highly organized and with great attention to detail in his pursuit of trophy brown bass. Freely shares his methods and ideas in a lengthy treatise. Seriously, if you haven’t already, go read it here https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/211811-brown-bass-tools-~-questions-answers/?do=findComment&comment=2382095 @Swamp Girl stylistically, she’s the angler here on BR I have the most in common with. We both drag a canoe through the wilderness to get to our spots. The difference being while I’m in the prime of life she’s out there doing it having seen many more winters than me. Oh, and she just happens to catch literally thousands of bass in a short season. @Pat Brown the zen master. Never to high, never to low and always humble. All the while causally slaying giants from the banks of public ponds. @Team9nine former tournament angler. Has caught quality fish in to totally different regions of the country. Recounts in clinical detail the circumstances of the catch. @TnRiver46 an angler with a stunning amount of consistency given his diverse style. Most of us lock on to one way or method of fishing. While he gets it done whether it’s from the bank, wading, or a boat. @Bluebasser86 a honest to goodness tournament angler with the hardware to back up his competitive prowess. @T-Billy geographically speaking probably the closest BR angler to me. I’ve seen what a grind Muskie fishing can be. If it’s truly the fish of 10,000 casts then he must be clocking over a million casts a year in his relentless pursuit of mean ol’ Mr. Muskellunge. Obviously this isn’t an all inclusive list. There are many others out there, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention @Catt and @WRB-2.0. Two legends who unfortunately I’ll never be able to thank for how much I learned from them.

Probably 80% from a boat. Either that’s my canoe or the back deck of my tournament partner’s bass boat or a 17 ft outboard during my annual fishing trip to Canada. I’ll go where the bass live though and won’t hesitate to fish from the bank or wade a creek. Sometimes there’s just no other option for a particular body of water. Sometimes it’s a nice break from the logistical burden of loading up the canoe, all my gear, and then portaging or dragging it all through the woods.

PM sent

A dozen new jigs 1/2oz made by my Mailman who does it as a side gig. A bunch of new cranks, DT6s, Frittsides, Bill Lewis ATVs. A handful of new Chatterbaits as well. Evo Elites and Mini Maxs, both in 3/8 and 1/2. Probably going to buy at least one new rod, possibly as many as three. Looking at St. Croix, G Loomis, Falcon, and Kistler. New reels also. Metanium or Zillion maybe both.

A white/Shad pattern works best for me over the widest spectrum of water clarity, different bodies of water, and seasons. The vast majority of my chatterbaits are white/Shad but I also keep a couple GP and BB on hand. GP for very clear water and skies. BB for muddy water (chocolate milk) or nighttime (chatterbaits are an underrated nighttime lure IMO).

I like the owner flashy swimmer for Keitechs. Last year I used the Great Lakes finesse under spin for 3” mayors. It’s more of a “finessey” presentation with a light wire hook.

The melting has commenced! Overnight lows still in the teens until Friday. By late next week we may string a couple of days together with highs in the fifties and lows in the mid forties. That should take care of the last of the snow on ground however the Ice on the water maybe another story. With a little luck I may yet get that February fish.

I’m kind of moving the opposite direction. In years past I’d spend the winter researching/buying new stuff to try out. Like the OP I fished mostly from the bank and that kinda limited what I could do at one time. Last year I purchased a canoe and went hog wild instead of 2 or 3 rods I could now carry as many as 5! I could carry a lot more tackle as well. This year I’m trying to simplify and just focus on a handful of presentations that have been highly productive for me in the widest variety of conditions.

Caught my biggest LMB with a 3.5” coffee type in green pumpkin rigged stupid. Also caught this one with a big single blade Colorado, but i didn’t have my scale. Eye test says it’s as big as the first one but I guess we’ll never know. Couple of honorable mentions here a 5.08 on a wacky rigged senko and a 5.03 on a white mini max.

I run braid to leader on all my spinning setups. Up until last year I always used mainline fluoro as leader material. I switched to Seaguar Gold label and despite the increased $ there was no noticeable difference for me. Just my experience, take it for what it’s worth.

Thanks to all who replied. I haven’t quite made up my mind yet. However with your inputs I should be able to make an informed decision on which rods I purchase.