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New to me that is. She rolled off the assembly line in 1970 and appears to be as structurally sound as she was 47 years ago...wish I could say the same for me. She's 14ft long and rated for an earth shattering 12hp. Came with a 2.3hp but I'm going to soup her up with a 15hp Evinrude that's even older than the Lund. I didn't look too closely at the TM or the fishfinder but I'm guessing they are close to 30 years old. Trailer has new lights, wheels/tires, and a new tongue jack. I need to figure out if I'm going to put a bow mount or transom mount TM on her. Thinking of a HB Helix 5 for locating skinny river smallmouth and walleye. With any luck I can get a few hundred for the motors to help offset the costs of the upgrades.

I find it funny that whenever somebody posts a picture of a big fish they caught, there is a segment of the angling population that spends an exponentially amount of time trying to discredit the photo, rather than simply congratulating the angler on a great catch....especially when they don't even know the guy.

Given your favorite lakes I am assuming you fish in the northeast. Every year the same patterns unfold for me. I am sure there are many many patterns that work. I have the best luck fishing a two prong approach to this time of year. Once the water temperatures drop to around 50 degrees or below the deeper smallmouth bite really heats up and is very consistent in my experience. I target the steepest rockiest drop offs in the lakes I am fishing. It could be a hump, a point, a ledge or a very steep dropping shoreline. Smallmouth love this type of structure this time of year. They congregate in these areas using the steep drop to corral schools of baitfish such as alewives, smelt or young of the year perch. I am typically fishing 15-40 feet, sometimes a little shallower and sometimes a bit deeper. I fish a silver buddy in these areas. I cast out and make small 1 to 2 foot hops back to the boat. Lift up your rod, feel a small vibration, let it rest back on bottom. I do not rip it up off of bottom. Fish will hit the silver buddy on the fall, on the hop, or while it is resting so be prepared. If you have downscan you can also "video game" fish in these same areas. You see the fish on your screen and drop you buddy right on hits head. You can see your lure fall and how they react to it. Most of the time you can catch fish that you see on your screen. If you come a across a school it is almost guaranteed you will catch atleast one of them. These spots will replenish with fish all day long. Its a great tried and true pattern for me. Every year it has been very productive for me. In the bodies of water I fish this pattern produces quality smallies and largemouth too. Most of the bass I catch fishing this pattern are over 3 pounds. Another of my favorite patterns for this time of year is isolated offshore cover.. To be more specific submerged trees way off of the shoreline, some well over a mile from shore, targeting big largemouth. At this time of year perch tend to congregate around these trees and so do the bass. Once the water temperatures hit 50 degrees and below these areas will hold fish. More often then not some of the biggest fish of the lake will be there at this time. I usually fish these trees with a jig, dragged excruciatingly slow. I want to make almost constant contact with the trees I am fishing. I also have had good luck with a squarebill crankbait, even with water as cold as 44 degrees. I'm basically looking for a reaction bite with the crankbait. I want to make contact with the trees I am fishing multiple times on every single cast. In my opinion this is one of the best times of year to fish, fishing pressure is low, many people are hunting, pleasure boaters are long gone, kids are in school and most fisherman have given up until next year. I can assure you some of the biggest bass of the year can be caught right now until ice up.

It's hard to beat being on the water when the sun rises or the dawn breaks and watching nature wake up even though the fish may not be tearing into your baits....and later watching things calm down as the sun sets is another goodie. Now ... inbetween times are also a gift from above sooooo.....I guess I like fishing all day. You never know but when that joy at the end of the line will happen. Today is a gift...Tomorrow is an adventure.

My best tip is to listen to @Turtle135, because he absolutely gets it done in the winter. My best producing winter baits are a lipless crankbait (yes you can yo-yo them but I have caught many fish on a straight retrieve in the winter here), a shad rap, and a texas rigged finesse worm fished SLOW. Like Catt said, 3 days of stable weather will give you a much better chance at having a decent day in the winter. I really like a bunch of warm sunny days followed by an overcast day (fish the overcast day!) in winter.

Raul should chime in soon. My brother lives in mexico and every couple months i send him baits. What he always asks for are swimbaits, magnum lizards, magnum flukes senkos, ol monsters and brush hogs.

Regardless of what's "right" in most anglers eyes.. if I got the chance to fish Mexico I'm sure it'll only be once.. if I was there for a week I'd try all sorts of things and wouldn't hardly stop fishing . If by the last 2 days I haven't hooked into a monster bass. Id be nose hooking one of those tilapia. And get me a Mexican hawg.

Worked like a charm!

That sounds like the right sized lake to start winter fishing on. You can spend a lot of time out there when the water is cold and the bass are just not in the mood to feed. On a huge lake it is easy to get discouraged, start moving around, fishing too fast and missing that days window of opportunity entirely. I fish a 100 acre hydrilla lake a lot in the winter. Over the course of the winter here in Maryland the weeds on this lake completely die back. I try to simplify presentations when the water temperatures drop to 45 degrees or less. suspending jerkbait: LC Pointer 78's and 100's, cast out, sweep down to depth and let them suspend for up to 45 seconds jig: 3/8th ounce football jigs are the staple of my winter fishing, I present the jig at the speed that a crayfish would walk across the bottom with frequent long pauses

Lots of family members hit with some form of cancer. Some survived, some did not. I'll stand for all cancer victims. right I'm trying to stand myself. Had surgery for skin cancer yesterday morning. Tried to do last night with just Tylenol. Had to take something stronger, and have been buzzed all day and evening. Probably shouldn't be on here trying to communicate. Forgive me if I say something really stupid.

Fished a couple tournaments since my last post, figured I'd do an update. The smallie season is winding down, almost time to get ready for ice. About 3 weeks ago we did an open tournament and had a good bite going. The 7 1/4 I posted before was caught during part of our prefish. The bite died on tourney day, but we stuck to our zones throwing smaller swimbaits and dropshots to scrape up a 22 pound limit for 3rd place. A couple days later, I had some time to scoot out and check some new zones and was able to land about 15 fish, the biggest 5 going around 24-25 lbs. The most fun that day was finding a school of herring surfacing over 80 feet of water and getting 3 smallies feeding on that mess. Had my final tourney of the season yesterday and our prefish went well. Morning bite was garbage, but the afternoon was on fire so we knew we would have to capitalize on every bite. We didnt land a fish for the first 2 hours but figured out a deal in 40-50 feet of water and put over 20 fish in the boat, the best 5 going 27.3 lbs. Good enough for 1st place, by an ounce. Tight tourney with several 24+ pound stringers. Good way to end the season!

This may be the last trip ~ but it's hard to put up the boat when there's still a solid Jerkbait bite. A-Jay

Nailed 4 largies this morning on Rainbow Lake. Best went just over 4lbs. A few others right at 3lbs. Chrome sexy shad lipless crank did the damage.....

one of these days when i get a place with more room for a workshop , i can't wait to get to building rods for myself as of this moment have plans for at LEAST 5 more rods

Isn't that like a double negative or something?

Nice to see you back Dam Yankee. My last trip up was just after the cool front came through. Wind was strong out of the north/northeast. I found one of my 2X6's on my boat lift cracked so I had to get that fixed up, plus got a new mattress for our bed so I had to deal with that. I caught a few fish around 16-18 foot deep on a drop shot. I also went to a small pocket I found fish in a few years ago around this same time. About 1/3 of the way across the cove is a bunch of timber/brush laid out in a line going from 20' moving into the cove up to around 12'. I caught 3 on a PBJ football jig and another 3 on a crankbait that dives 10-12'. The next day I was leaving my cove but my engine never came up to temp (probably trash in my thermostats) so I fished a boat dock that has a bunch of brush. I caught one just a hair under 6 lbs. I moved to another side of the dock and noticed in the direction of our camp a big plume of white smoke. I took off for our camp and called the better half asking if the camp was on fire. Not the camp, but the woods maybe 50 yards and across the road were. Called 911 and once they arrived found out there were around 6 other fires along Hwy 1215 plus a couple on 191 by Lanan Bridge. No idea who started it, but with the breeze it was spreading pretty quickly. It smoldered for a couple days until we left. I'll be back in a few weeks. Good luck guys that are going.

Being from NY here are some of my observations on vegitation in the bodies of water I fish that may help you once you have ID'ed what your looking at: Submergent veg: Milfoil = bass.......... if it's green and healthy. Once it turns brown and slimey, and looks like "rust" falls off it when you hit it with a lure, get away from it, as the bass have left it. Milfoil takes it's sweet azz time getting going in the spring, as it really likes nutriant rich, warm water, and a cool dry spring seems to keep it down. Deep water coontail = bass. This stuff stays green in even the nastiest water, and way late into the year. There is ALWAYS life around it. Like Milfoil, it takes a while to get going in the spring, but by late summer it's usually pretty thick, and stays thick and green longer than the milfoil. Curly leaf pond weed = bass......... IF milfoil and coon tail are not available, but if they are, they really seem to prefer the milfoil and coontail. On my lake this weed is the first one in the spring to "take off' and get lush...as it seems to like really really clear water, and cooler temps. But then it wilts and dies in early summer when water temps start rising and when the water starts getting a little color in it, and is replaced in the depths it grows in by milfoil and coontail. Eel grass.........avoid it. They NEVER and I mean NEVER seem to be IN the eel grass, but will cruise the edges of it. At some point in late summer/early fall eel grass uproots, and floats, and makes floating mats...........sometimes they get under it, but they still don't seem to care for it much. carpet weeds........like chara, coon tail moss (looks like deep water coon tail, but just grows close to the bottom in shallow to mid depths)....never seem to be many bass around this stuff or in the area it grows as it mostly grows on soft mucky bottoms Elodia.........looks like hydrilla, but it ain't, and I rarely find bass in or around it Emergant veg: Pads of all sizes............they all hold bass if there is enough water under them, and the bottom under them is to the bass's liking.t Cat tails......... they typically grow in muck, and other than the odd hard bottom areas that intersect with them , I rarely find them to be productive.

Ahhhhh, a nice "upgrade". Go easy with all that power until you learn how to handle it.

That is a nice reel, looks to be in good shape and is probably capable of being part of one's arsenal. That said, why would you choose to spend money on 40 year old technology for any reason other than collecting? My daughter has a pristine '65 Mustang, had it since she was 16. She also has a 5 year old Corolla that she drives to work every day. As cool as the Mustang is, the newer vehicle is a better fit for everyday use. I think you would find the same thing with a newer reel. Your $50 would be better spent towards a new reel.

Wow. You might push me over the edge to buy an old Ranger and refurbish it.

Search "aquatic plants" or "macrophytes" with "identification". You should get many university sites. There's a LOT out there.

I fished the #5 a lot this past winter on 8lb mono and a spinning rod. It was one my best producing baits by far.

Went out today and wasn't having any luck fishing the Kustom Kicker Jigs Freak parallel on some ledges (my go to lately). I tied on the new NX3 Swim Jigs by 2kJigs (not publicly released yet so was stoked) but nothing :(. Switched to some crankbaits, nothing. Tried some texas rigged soft platics, nada. Eventually, I tied on a Sebile jointed jerkbait (and then a Shadow Rap) and it was game on. A game of dinks but enjoyable regardless. I did however have my crankbait come untied and fly off. I spent 20mins casting at it with a jerkbait and finally got it!!

Best value in FC in my opinion...I actually prefer it over some other more expensive and popular lines..

Have only had my Lund for this one season, but so far I'm quite satisfied. This one's 18'9" LOA with a 96" beam - she weighs 1475 hull only. The IPS2Hull design though Time Tested & Dependable is certainly Not a speed demon. However, with the 200 hp 2-stroke it has no problem getting around. Top end is 60 mph with just me & my gear. Additionally, trailering, launching & recovery (solo) are all completely doable, especially considering your own level of experience. Best of Luck to you on your journey from Plastic to Metal. A-Jay

I've used a lot of it, from 6# to 15#. I think it is a very good line for the money.

I agree with the line in the water part,but you can definitely hook a fish while your sleeping.Have fallen asleep while fishing at night in saltwater and what woke me up was the sound of the drag screaming as line is being pulled by the fish.That sound wakes me up better than any alarm clock!

Thank you! Good to be back. Things out of my control but, hopefully I will be around a while now. I have missed the Bend.

Spent four hours on the river with nothing to show but a microscopic spot that somehow pinned himself on the trailer hook of my spinnerbait. Made a stop on my way back to the dock at a spot that usually will produce a walleye at dusk, but this guy found his way to the 4" swing impact instead! Any day on the river in Morgantown that you catch a bass over 12" is a good day. Man, I need to get home for thanksgiving and remember what bass fishing is.

At tonight's WS game the crowd, players, coaches, umpires and announcers all stood up and held a sign with a hand written name of who they "Stand up for" in the fight against cancer ..I thought it was very moving to see. So, with the moderator's permission I would like to start a thread here.. I'm standing up as I type this to say "I Stand Up For"..My Ma, Dad and Brother Who do you Stand Up For? Mike

I did once. Heard it was a great place for smallmouths. Didn't catch anything but only spent an hour there so can't really say if its good or not.

Pinchot lake

There wasn't any striped bass in Castaic prior to the accidental release from Elderbury the fore bay lake. The fore bay was full of big stripers to 40 lbs and thousands got into Castiac. I would estimate the average size striper in the late 90's to early 2000's was 25 lbs, the lake record is 43 lbs in 2004. Today big stripers are rare, they average about 5 lbs with occasional 20 lber, but the lake is full of 3 lb to 7 lb stripers now. Tom

So "YOU" would ask...

From what I understand its just a split shot put a foot to 3 feet from the hook. Similar to a carolina rig but the weight is fixed and doesn't slide. Also no swivel.

Great bait, just as the regular gantarel. Well worth the $30. They have great action, and they sure as heck catch fish.

Paul, you're more "Jeremiah Johnson" than I realized. haha

Make sure when you pull your line to clip gripper not too tight just enough for it to stay. After that you can try to pull the weight lightly to see if it stays at spot you want. Some time the gap between those are too loose then you would need to close the gap with your plier, also if it too tight then open it up abit. This type of dropshot is for you to easily attach the weight and should be also easily to adjust the weight distance, and also be able to pull the less out when snag. Trying overhand knot is easy fix but that woule kill the purpose of this easy grip dropshot type. BTW I do lost the weight sometime when fight with fish but never while casting.

No matter what I throw at them, the ones here will swim up to the bait, kiss it, and spook! I have only caught one sight fishing with an artificial. Live craws on the other hand.... I don't think there's a fish out there that won't hit a shad rap! I caught the fish on a medium extra fast spinning rod.

hate to hear that. hang in there man.

I have a nice clear water lake I have been fishing a lot since this July. I have been sticking to it and two spots it holds in particular because I have a high rate of success there with LMG's and smallies. The problem is, 90% of them are 3 pounds and under. I have found a bunch of very large pigs in a certain spot that will not bite on anything I throw at them, all kinds of lures in all kinds of colors and fished in all kinds of ways. Got them to chase a couple times, then once, one of them finally slammed a small black and blue jig with a Yamamoto craw against the sea wall and I thought I was in business. But no, she would not bite it after nosing it to the sea wall twice and left it alone. One morning I went out to this spot and realized just how pressured it was with a bunch of boats in this small spot, all of them giving it all they got with no luck at all. After I was able to get in a good position I noticed that there was at least 15 of these really big donkeys in there underneath docks and positioned against the sea wall. So again, I spent almost all day trying everything with not one of them biting. I gave up and decided to watch them to see what they were feeding on. Everyone kept saying craws and small minnows, but that made no sense because I had not seen one craw there ever, and the only fish feeding on the minnows were bluegill and perch. After going out there to watch them after a while and over two months with no luck with these pigs that all looked 5 pounds and bigger, I was not lucky enough to see what they were eating until three days ago. Finally, found them all the sudden position themselves and trap a nice size bluegill against the sea wall and work together to take it for an early lunch! So I went straight to the nearest tackle shop and bought the biggest bluegill and perch soft swim baits I could find. I went out yesterday morning and put on a bait fish scent to the bluegill swim bait and caught a 6 pounder and a 4 pounder in 5 minutes! Then no bites for over an hour, so I tied on the perch swim bait and caught another 6 pounder and felt like king of the world! Did not get another bite besides a few 1 and 2 pounders. It took me over two months to learn this lesson, but well worth the wait and frustration.

Also since it's very limp it has a tendency to tangle in the hooks. I'm a huge fan of braid but I know there's a time and place for it. My topwater/jerkbait/crankbait rod does not have it. With jerks and topwaters it's a problem for me. If I was only cranking with that rod it would have braid on it. I use a slightly more powerful rod for squarebills and I throw them with braid.

FryDog, see a doctor. The problem could be solved as easy as a cortisone shot in the tendon to relieve the pressure and pain. Or, you may have to have surgery during the winter months so you will be ready to rock and roll. Have you tried heat and rest? Living in Wisconsin means that the snow and ice is right around the corner so you will have the time to heal. Aleve is great for pain but bad for your kidney's. Be careful when taking Aleve and other pain meds unless you are under a doctor's guidance. Hope you feel better, soon.

Simply tie a overhand knot at the end of your line below where you slide the line through the the weight clip and slow pull the knot up against the clip. Tom

I find all the swivels are to tight and when you try to pull your line up it cuts it then when you cast the force snaps the line at the weight and off it flies!! I use my split ring pliers and open all my swivels a little bit when I buy a new pack and then when I need 1 I gently squeeze them back not to snug and tie a few over hand knots to hold them and I rarely lose any now.

Smash the clip closed with some pliers and then slip the line in. You can also put a simple overhand knot in your line so the weight won't slip past it. I use vos weights and don't have any problems with them falling off if I smash them shut l. if your line gets cut don't pull it as tight through the line clip

There are aluminum hulls and then there are aluminum hulls. Most of the 16-18ft brands have cookie cutter hulls with the main difference being the whole welded/riveted thing In my opinion the layout and storage where they can vary greatly and steer your choice.Your budget will play a roll as well. Cookie cutter boats run $14-$30k new and some of the higher end boats run $30-50k or more. Since we're showing off our tin My 20ft Lund with a 225 Pro XS

Way2slow here are some pics of my Lowe just for ideas. I use both fishing seats some times and a leaning post other times Go take a look at a few videos on you tube. There are some Boat test.com's reviews that are pretty good. If I was purchasing another I would go for a 18 foot with 115 to 150 four stroke myself.

Try online shopping sites that provide tourists stuff, that can be your best option to find maps. Good luck

Grabbed 2 new squarebills, one can never have enough right?