BassinBrett

Congrats on a good day fishing!

I love to explore new water! With that said it is only two hours away and in Iowa and for the most part the Iowans kinda nice so it to worry. Enjoy exploring the lake and have no expectations. Through lures you know will work year round. I think I would start with a moving bait to cover water and jig. Then if those two don’t produce I would get the Ned rig or drop shot out. Once you have explored the lake you can start to pick it apart. enjoy!

Hit the Mississippi west of Anoka. Spend 5 hours fishing. I did not bring the graph but I am sure the water was cold. I caught 1 smallmouth o. The 3rd cast. I thought it was going to be a great day. Turned out it I got only 1 more bit the whole day! 19.5 inch SB is not so bad though.

If you go with a monofilament leader they would make a good top water walking bait rod.

My favorite always has been the crankbait. From tiny size shallow running squares bills to magnum deep divers. Sometime the bass don’t bite the crankbaits and there place where other lures work better but they are the most fun to me.

When the lakes and rivers freeze up I have to change locations to a power plant on the Mississippi River to keep fishing through winter here in MN. I look for days with the air temp above 32 degrees so the ice doesn’t form on the rod guides. Last year we had a middle winter so most days on the river were okay. This winter is supposed to be colder so I may have tolerate the teens and twenty more.

I am hoping to get out this Saturday for sure. 60 + degrees with light wind.

When to Minnetonka for a couple of hours today. Water temperature is about 49 degrees. End up catching 2 largemouth. 1 was 10 or 12 inches and the other was 17 or so. they were in about 8 feet of water. I forgot my snow pants so only lasted about 2 hours. I think this will be the last trip out in the bout this year.

I have built several spiral wrapped rods for bass fishing. I find I can use few guide and smaller guides if the rod is spiral wrapped. I have not noticed a difference beyond looks between a normal and spiral wrapped. Both work well.

I have driven 5 to 6 hours one way to fish Sturgeon Bay /Door County for a few days. Any farther and I am staying a week.

I put together a 6 gallon rectangle milk crate with 3 dividers. There are 3 slots for 3700 tackle boxes and a larger selection of for odds and ends. Usually large soft plastic swim baits in their clam shells and a smaller terminal tackle box. I have : Rod holds mounted to it and can take 7 rods. and there are the tools in the front hatch bin too. I am wondering why a take so much when never use most of it.

The real problem is if it passes and does no harm. It might then spread to other lakes or states. I could see MN change it mind and scrap the new C&R season here.

Hit the Mississippi today. The weather was nice except the wind. Caught a bunch of little smallmouth and 2 16 inchers. Hook a better one but it through the hook. I did come back to the same spot and I think the same smallmouth nibbled on my swimbait. Interesting.

I took my kayak out on the Mississippi River on Sunday for about 4 hours. Covered about 3 miles. The water temp was 68 degrees. The river is fairly low. I end up catching a few smallmouth in the 14 to 16 inch range and a couple of pike. I did catch two 17 and 18 inches. Most were caught on swimbaits.

Last week I was using a 1/8 jig with a pit boss trailer. The depth was 1 to 4 feet so he light jig worked great. I throw them on a medium spinning rod.

I use VMC Crankbait Snap or Decoy SN-17 Round Snap PG on all my crankbaits.

I think you could throw tubes on just about a rod. I currently use a medium fast action Avid spinning rod from St Croix. I have also used my BFS set up. Both worked. I think a ML /XF would work great too.

I remove split rings form all my crankbaits before I do anything else. I will they would leave the off the baits.

I use a black Duo Realis pencil top water bait it walks well and catches bass. A white one does too.

I wade fish the Mississippi every winter. If it is above freezing I try and get out once a week. Up here in Mn it is the only way to fish from November to March or April. It is cold but fun.

Wake baits! Don’t forget the wake baits! Popper are good too.

I have had good luck on the Mississippi with crankbaits. Cast right next to the bank and reel out while drifting. If I can position the kayak pointing at he bank or up stream I can make cast that angle up stream too. I have used Strike King 2.5 and 4.0 cranks the most. I have also used Rapalas and Black Label Baits wrex crankbaits. I would start with cheaper crankbaits in case you loose one to a snag or pike.

I have just got some new Black Label Baits crankbaits which I will use this summer. Don’t forget Cotton Cordels big O. LC and Rapala make so many I can’t fishing them but they are usually good.

Bait Finesse Empire should have what you need. https://baitfinesseempire.com/product-category/terminal-tackle/lure-hooks/

Awful was the best part. I think the weather had the best in some weird funk. They were not biting for anyone I talk to. Saturday I caught 3 ands that was more than anyone else I talked to. I think the bass were just moving shallow to start spawning. Well it was nice to get out and try somewhere else. I would like to fish door county when it is “ normal”