I've been passing the down time this winter upgrading and supertuning a few of my reels, doing some decorative butt wraps on my favorite rods and I even dabbled with rod building (just finished my third). All this to avoid going ape sh!+ with FWS (fishing withdrawl syndrom) that normally has me tying a piece of yarn to the end of my line and casting for felines in the family room.

I decided to do something about avoiding it, or at the very least postponing it a little.  I got together with a couple of buddies and we're heading south to a lake with open water tomorrow.  WOO HOO!!!

I heard that Lake Geneva has open water access and that got me to thinking about a few lakes south of here that aren't closed to fishing.

We decided on Shabona in DeKalb county here in Illinois and while they will be looking to catch some tablefare in the form of crappie and perch, your's truly will be christening one of my new rod builds and a suspending Fat Free Fingerling and Smithwick Rouge.  Don't plan on catching anything with the posibility of a cold as it's going to be damp and windy, but who cares? Not me!

good luck!!!

A friend of mine in Arkansas went out last

Saturday, on the same kind of day. Cold, damp,and

Overcast. He was using a suspender, and got a

5 lbr.

Fishing is going to be tough after this weather. Finally got to torture test my columbia gale parka in this rain and I was dry to the bone.  I think it might be snowing sunday. 

Hope the weather holds for you, good luck.

Good luck bud.  I'm in upstate New York so I have to drive 8 - 10 hours to find a pond with a chance to catch fish.  Spring can't come soon enough.

Good luck man! Don't give up hope on catching fish. We fished hard in the rain most of the day Thursday and didn't get many bites but one of them was almost 6 and the other was 7 1/2. A couple bites like that makes a tough day very worthwhile!