So last year I did really

Well. On a select few lures or techniques

Jigs

Neko rig

Texas rig ribbon tail

Top water chopo or popper

I mixed in some weightless stick

Baits occasionally and caffeine shads

Threw the occasional

Spinner bait or blades jig

Winter has me all over the place. I wana throw rattle traps, blades jigs, buzzbaits, ned rigs you name it.

Anyone else get this way over winter? Do you go into the season simple? Or throw the kitchen sink at them? I’m on the bank so I don’t ever take more than 2 rods. Maybe 3 if I’m feeling crazy

I can relate to this. I am prone to cabin fever up here in the NE. The colder the day, the more I am scrolling the forums. I focus primarily on some similar techniques but ended up buying some goodies to start C-rigging. A few Buzzbaits and Rat-L-traps to try this year. I even bought a frog. I have officially reached desperation.

51 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

Anyone else get this way over winter?

I get paralyzed every time I pack for a kayak trip.

I've been in Michigan a little over 15 years, and the first several years I fished here, I definitely did the kitchen sink thing. But every year I've gotten simpler and simpler as my understanding of the specific waters I've been fishing has improved. Once I decide where I'm going to go, I pick a handful of things i know I want to use at that place in that time of the season. that selection of baits is going to be different from place to place, depending on what I've learned from trial and error over the years about what conditions I'm mostly likely to find there, and what presentations will be best suited to it.

My first decision rule is almost always to take at least one thing that can be fished horizontally and one thing that can be fished vertically, maybe a couple options of each. Early in the year, I know I'll be looking for potential spawning areas and I'll want options for shallow as well as adjacent deep areas. I consider what depth and cover options fish will have and how much weedgrowth will be present. How much am I going to cover water, and how much am I going to hit specific targets? That's going to vary place to place, and maybe week to week, depending on progression of the spawn and how conditions are developing at the lake. I usually don't worry about topwater until late May or early June.

Most of these decisions are made before I leave the house on the basis of the timing of season and recent weather, and possibly scouting trips to check out current water temperature, clarity, and weedgrowth.

2 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

I've been in Michigan a little over 15 years, and the first several years I fished here, I definitely did the kitchen sink thing. But every year I've gotten simpler and simpler as my understanding of the specific waters I've been fishing has improved. Once I decide where I'm going to go, I pick a handful of things i know I want to use at that place in that time of the season. that selection of baits is going to be different from place to place, depending on what I've learned from trial and error over the years about what conditions I'm mostly likely to find there, and what presentations will be best suited to it.

My first decision rule is almost always to take at least one thing that can be fished horizontally and one thing that can be fished vertically, maybe a couple options of each. Early in the year, I know I'll be looking for potential spawning areas and I'll want options for shallow as well as adjacent deep areas. I consider what depth and cover options fish will have and how much weedgrowth will be present. How much am I going to cover water, and how much am I going to hit specific targets? That's going to vary place to place, and maybe week to week, depending on progression of the spawn and how conditions are developing at the lake. I usually don't worry about topwater until late May or early June.

Most of these decisions are made before I leave the house on the basis of the timing of season and recent weather, and possibly scouting trips to check out current water temperature, clarity, and weedgrowth.

I like this. I personally

Have a waist pack so I can only bring what I think I may need and very limited options.

I have more baits than I could ever fish in multiple lifetimes. However each winter I buy more baits 😆.

It’s the only cure for cabin fever!

5 minutes ago, Jerkbait22 said:

I have more baits than I could ever fish in multiple lifetimes. However each winter I buy more baits 😆.

It’s the only cure for cabin fever!

I’ve been tying jigs all winter lol

The first few fishing trips I will be conservative . I pretty much know where to go and what to throw until the water warms up . Come summer things will change. I plan on fishing a lot of standing timber for big fish and have already been preparing my tackle for it.

6 minutes ago, scaleface said:

The first few fishing trips I will be conservative . I pretty much know where to go and what to throw until the water warms up . Come summer things will change. I plan on fishing a lot of standing timber for big fish and have already been preparing my tackle for it.

I know what worked last year and took a lot of pictures to put the date and lures used together. So I know what works in my area. I guess I’m just getting antsy lol

It’s cabin fever. I just want to get out too. I have two bait habits that get me this time of year. 1- I tried something new and it works so I immediately need a half dozen colors/sizes/variants of them. 2- I watch someone catching fish a certain way and immediately see myself doing that on my own lakes so now I need that thing. Watching the pros on Guntersville the past two days I’m itching to throw a trap now.

That said, I’ve started to slow down on the ‘new’ and settle into what actually works for me. I’m not done organizing lures yet, but I think I’ll take more out of the boat than I’m putting in. My only tricky part is that i have 3 very different types of lakes around and that’s forces a few things bait wise and I don’t want to take things in and out of the boat.

1 minute ago, casts_by_fly said:

It’s cabin fever. I just want to get out too. I have two bait habits that get me this time of year. 1- I tried something new and it works so I immediately need a half dozen colors/sizes/variants of them. 2- I watch someone catching fish a certain way and immediately see myself doing that on my own lakes so now I need that thing. Watching the pros on Guntersville the past two days I’m itching to throw a trap now.

That said, I’ve started to slow down on the ‘new’ and settle into what actually works for me. I’m not done organizing lures yet, but I think I’ll take more out of the boat than I’m putting in. My only tricky part is that i have 3 very different types of lakes around and that’s forces a few things bait wise and I don’t want to take things in and out of the boat.

I can see that struggle. I’ve been watching the tackle warehouse pro circuit all weekend. Seeing Keith poche fishing makes me want to fish bad I love him and his style.

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.

1 minute ago, bp_fowler said:

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.

See that’s exactly how I’ve always been. That’s why I use a waist pack. Limits the nonsense. So I’m surprised I’m thinking this way. It’s gotta be cabin fever

I think buying and trying new gear is half the fun. Learning new techniques and trying different things, staying or being ahead of the curve can lead to

some of the best days out on the water.

I definitely get this way over winter. I just got a real boat at the very end of summer, so I've got big plans for this year. I've sorted and organized all of my tackle multiple times. Ive got all of my utility boxes thoroughly labeled. On the inside of boxes for lures I'm newer or less confident in, I'm taping a laminated 3x5 card with basic retrieves, tips, color selection, etc. I'll be having back surgery in the near future, which hopefully won't mess up my grand plans too much.

I’m glad I’m not alone here. I know once the water thaws and get there I’ll try some new things here and there but will mostly fish what I know works. Except a lipless crank bait. I’m gonna fish the heck out of one of those this year.

I tend to slim down baits over the winter. My fishing is always three interest; topwater, mid column and bottom. Accordingly I choose the most successful baits of each depth, and then only a couple each.

Topwater, a plopper style bait and a couple frogs

Mid depth, spinnerbait, crankbait and underspin

Bottom, always a Texas-rigged worm, grub-bait (spyder & twistail), and a couple Ned style baits.

However, this year I’m on to a new endeavor, swim/glide baits!

A new heavy/mod rod with an old 200 series reel and around half dozen 1 -2 ounce glide and swim baits has me excited for Spring. My focus is going to be on the bigger lures while having “standard sized” follow up baits to throw but I can see a full day of slinging a 2 ounce jointed lure.

Cabin fever always picks a lure or technique that brings the Bait Monkey out. This year it's the PD Chopper with a 5in Spark Shad and maybe some glide baits.

The way it usually goes. I pick out something like this, struggle and then I go back to the baits that keep catching fish for me. Then later in the year when I feel the need, I start this routing over again to see if I can get some use out of my Bait Monkey purchases before the year ends. Sad thing is that there are so many good baits it's hard to fit them all in with the limited time I have.

Just started going through my tackle yesterday. Checking on what I will be throwing in the Spring. Going to try a few new techniques this year. Can always fall back on the old producers.

I’m just making sure my line is fresh- hooks are sharp and my mind is ready. I know where they’ll be and what to throw. Just gotta be prepared and do my job right and should be a fun spring.

7 hours ago, FishTank said:

Cabin fever always picks a lure or technique that brings the Bait Monkey out. This year it's the PD Chopper with a 5in Spark Shad and maybe some glide baits.

The way it usually goes. I pick out something like this, struggle and then I go back to the baits that keep catching fish for me. Then later in the year when I feel the need, I start this routing over again to see if I can get some use out of my Bait Monkey purchases before the year ends. Sad thing is that there are so many good baits it's hard to fit them all in with the limited time I have.

This. This makes complete sense and basically wha will end up happening to me.

27 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I’m just making sure my line is fresh- hooks are sharp and my mind is ready. I know where they’ll be and what to throw. Just gotta be prepared and do my job right and should be a fun spring.

Kinda where I’m at as well. I know where they will be for the most part. My ponds aren’t huge. And I know what worked last year.

Personally I’m trying to locate a few bags of Chartreuse w pepper curly tail grubs. :)

I get this a lot before tournaments on lakes I haven't fished before. My brain runs through every possible scenario and every bait I think could potentially work and they all make sense to me. I end up with a way overpacked kayak box and way too much extra gear and rods with me and rarely use any of it.

Last season, I made myself stop bringing so much extra stuff. I pared it down to extra line, hooks, baits that I actually use instead of ones I "might use in this situation". The results? Out of a possible 400 points for AOY (100 points for each 1st place finish, best total score from your 4 best tournaments of the season), I scored 399 points and not once did I come across a situation where I wished I had something I left at home.

Within the next couple of weeks I will be able to get out and wet a line. Since Friday night I've emptied out my tackle bag and refilled it twice.

1 hour ago, Bankbeater said:

Within the next couple of weeks I will be able to get out and wet a line. Since Friday night I've emptied out my tackle bag and refilled it twice.

I’ve been doing the same out of boredom lol