JonB2

When I got into serious bass fishing last year, I knew right away squarebills would be something I’d be interested in. I agree with @Swimbaitstud , keep it simple and confident. I got a few KVD 1.0 and a handful of 1.5’s in mostly shad and craw patterns. A few rattle, most don’t. I’ve got a 7’ MM rod with 12lb flouro on a 6.2:1 reel and it feels right which is truly what matters for you in fishing. This is my second season and I’m itching to fish more ways this year and much earlier!

Stay away from women and fish your ass off. You just spent 20 years with them and are a free man with none of the problems. Fish, that’s what you do.

How bad is it getting for the rest of you northern bassers? I’m jonsing something fierce and can’t even use pike and walleye to get by because conditions in MI are tough and the inland season close is fast upon us. Steelhead are not the same, but will have to do to atleast be fishing. I will be out trying as soon as we get some good, consistent warmth to get them atleast thinking about it. Every single rig has fresh line and is rigged and ready for deployment. My boxes are cleaned out and back in order and I need nothing for the spring start to our season. Man, I cannot WAIT to go bass fishin’!

The Great Lakes are just a smallmouth mecca all around. I fish off Lake Huron and some of the bass I’ve saw I had to double take to make sure it wasn’t a salmon or trout. Monsters. There’s underrated largemouth too, some huge fish there as well. This spring I’m gonna try to be around early enough in one spot to possibly get a 6-7lb northern MI green bass!

I’m a rough and tumble type man, so my rods and reels go along for the ride.

I bank fish a lot and love it. I like simplicity in fishing. I try to make it as much me vs fish as I can. I did get a kayak last year and love bassin’ with that too. If you truly enjoy fishing, you’re loving it no matter how you get it. I laugh when guys think a watercraft means “getting away from other people” like there isn’t millions of other boats and kayaks around lol

Hit the ice today for a few hours and man am I glad I did. An old boy walked out last trip and offered me some leftover minnows which I was going to decline until he mentioned there were a few big goldies in the mix of perch minnows. That changed my tune quick and I accepted them. I put one out on my tip up in 12’ with still green weeds and it took less than five minutes before flag up and spinning. I was too hyped and lost a monster in the hole after it spit the shiner out. I reset the same bait and off it went again not even 10 minutes later! This time I got it and I swear the same big green head appeared, but was coaxed through the hole this time. Man was I excited at that mondo! After getting her back, I reset the tip up and it went off within minutes. Another good bass. I ended up landing 3 nice bass, losing 2, some gills and 3 jumbo perch. All bass came on the tip up save for one on the perch dead stick. It took 30 min to even get to my panfish holes as the same hole had four flags in the first 20 min! All released of course, perch included.

Long time! With spring atleast creeping somewhat on the horizon for me, bass have started poking into thought. Already thought about getting out atleast one caster just to pretend. I’ve had a heck of an ice season in MI, and lately largemouth have been more active through the ice. They’re real fun on panfish tackle, but a good one really pulls back. I’ve had some fine messes of panfish for people in need. Spring can come if it wants or winter can linger…either way I can find a fish to catch!

I’ve never cared to catch the biggest or even the most fish. That’s why I don’t know exactly how big a lot of my largest fish are; I’m curious, but ultimately…I don’t care that much. I fish for challenge and the thrill I create in my mind, body and soul that day. We all fish for whatever we want, why we want. I respect huge fish people have caught, and it’s cool, but again…I don’t really care. I’d have to know the angler to have a real opinion on them; not a particular catch they’ve made. Just me and how I personally am. I’ve landed a 37.5” 27lb 13oz brown trout on 5lb leader. While a cool fish and fun catch…it didn’t immediately prove I was a good angler.

I plan on continuing to improve in my bass fishing and am extremely excited to hit my waters with a much better knowledge and ability. I’ve already been back in mind on moments I thought “dang, I should’ve did this at that time” etc. I’m gonna try and remember to bring a scale or atleast a tape more. I’d like to get a 6lb NMI largemouth and another huge smallmouth.

Well, haven’t had anything to contribute bass wise since MI is in full winter mode. I did get in a little late fall shore fishing for river-run steelhead, Atlantic and coho salmon. I released everything and while it did give me that little voice of regret having missed most of the good fall bite, I don’t regret pushing bass into mid November. I had about a 10 day, 3 trip river season before it went quickly to early winter. I did well enough to say it was worth those few trips in the chaos.

I think it’s just hard to say no to Rapala lures. They have lots of competition nowadays, and they’ve messed around with some things, but I absolutely still like their baits. One hard knock on them for me though, is discontinuing some older color schemes and also the blasphemy of putting “stripes” on firetiger instead of the original squiggles. They had the best firetiger of all time, but now they’re just another of the same

@Swamp Girl We got to 50 today, but had been in the 30’s steadily with a couple nights in the teens too Those smalleyes were hyper aggressive, darting and chasing those little baits with gusto

I just had to see after the weather stabilized(if you can call it that) and warmed some, if there were any bass still lingering with water at 45-46*. There indeed were but flat, low water made them really skittish. I got one smallie on a jerkbait and one on a drop shot with a mooch minnow. The drop shot fish hit on the fall. I also saw two nice largemouth for a bonus sighting I went back with a few different baits to try for variety since bait had drastically pushed out. Well, not a bite or bass in sight. Decent SW wind had water going out and dropped levels which seemed to draw everything out. So I went to another spot to get my jerkbait fix and tossed around small hj’s in black/silver and black/gold on 8’ ULF rods with 8lb braid/4lb mono and straight 4lb mono respectfully and got perch and smaller walleye which was fun. I just love that jerk jerk stop…pop!

I agree on a spinning rig for tubes, I just prefer the feel of it as I’m sliding and gliding it around. As far as hooksets…a tube isn’t any different than anything else and there have been countless Great Lakes smallmouth taken effectively on spinning tackle with tube jigs. Like always in any fishing; if it feels right and works well…then it’s the right rig period

Well my bass season has come to a close. Cold with highs in the 30’s and straight N winds means raw in northern Michigan in November. First day all fall I had to put the gloves on with wind coming right off the lake. We closed with a whimper, but still produced with a few keepers and a lost-at-shore walleye. Prior trip I got 5 keepers, a walleye and pulled it away from a big male Atlantic. Jerkbaits in bright colors got our fish today and paddles were quiet aside from the lost walleye. I can’t say enough nor complain a bit about my first serious bass season. I didn’t even plan on it at all, but it definitely “kind of just happened”. I fished from shore the majority of the year with a late summer through early fall run with my kayak for largemouth. I started the season with a smallmouth on a paddletail and ended it with a smallmouth on a jerkbait on the same river…I counted literally the other day but already forgot how many fish I’m at, but know it’s just shy of 500

I pretty much post in the latest catch thread because I feel that’s up to date and honest. I often will do a couple trips worth just to mix it up. I’m about to make my last bass outing on Saturday and am optimistically anticipating it. I’ll be sure to put up my results of these last couple trips to close a good year

Man, can our weather turn on a dime. Next week has a few highs in the 30’s, and ever changing wind will likely push my will to grind for a few last bass or call her a wrap for the most part. I had a decent little number day(counting dinks) with one good anchor fish and another day that was “not my day” bass wise as I struggled with 4 keepers, but I did land two Atlantic salmon casting for bass and losing another. I got one nice fish on a jerkbait and the rest on paddles.

Can you still hear yourself say “goodn’, that’s a goodn’” when you set the hook into a solid 20”+? I sure hope so my man! Lol

No idea where they will be, but sometimes a pretty good idea where they might be. That’s how I approach it

I agree with @Pat Brown. Currently, I’m casting small paddle tails on light jigs for big smallmouth. That’s the exact same thing I did to start the year lol. Water is in the mid to low 50’s and slowly falling, but the bite and fish are still around to be targeted effectively for now…

Still at it and still on them for now. Moved around to stay on fish, and numbers are not the game currently. I will trade that for the size as I get later in the season. My measuring stick has been laying in the trunk so I haven’t put any to tape, but I know pretty well what I’m catching. When you can’t really reverse grip a smallie by the jaw do to heft and size; you’re on good fish. I have strong hands and arms, but some of these are a struggle to handle. I got a decent walleye too, when it clouded up momentarily

@Swamp Girl Are you still launching at first light like a crazy person? I’ve found the best bite being late morning-early afternoon lately. We’re 50’s water now, but have time yet. You should have slooooww crept a small paddle tail on a light jig and saw if that got you more numbers?

@Swamp Girl A couple from the bottom, she wouldn’t stop bending. You can see she’s a good size as is, but there’s still the whole wrist and tail fin curved back. That blind eyed one was also long, just @20” Remember, I live in Michigan and 20-21” smallies are not rare at all. Not everyone gets them and you don’t just walk around banging that size. However, a competent bass angler who regularly fishes smallmouth will hit fish that size at some point. Smallies 17-19” are very common here, inland or Great Lakes