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This is a photo from back before I left for Toledo Bend, but I think it's worth sharing. Living the dream!

Got my first few cold water fish yesterday (5 to be exact). It was cold, mid 20's when I went in the afternoon. Ponds just thawed for a few days but will probably be frozen again tomorrow. Took 1 rod and 1 65 pointer because I only had about 30 minutes. This was the biggest one, the other 4 looked like bass colored swimbaits, only smaller.

Hey @A-Jay and @NHBull (and everyone else); so I tried out the Type R+1, and the Type R+2 today. Nothing much happening, although I did catch a scrawny 17" on the first cast with the Type R+2. Went up and down a few breaklines in the main lake where I figured there might be a few shallow fish; with not much (zero) luck other than that one fish, I might add. Too cold I guess. What I can confirm is that both baits seem to dive to their advertised depths (or maybe even deeper, 10# Seaguar Tatsu), and cast exceedingly well. However, I think I'll stick with my confidence jerkbaits until there are a few more fish in the shallows. Pretty much on a whim, I fished around a (regular) 110+1 along the same breaklines. Hooked and lost a dink, then hooked and landed another dink, and then caught a 4#. Maybe they moved up for a while. Who knows. My fingers were too frozen to retie either Type R's (I only had two rods with me); and anyway, I had enough of the cold wind and the overcast afternoon. So I made it back to the ramp to try the Type-R's again another day. Did catch another dink on a plastic near the ramp on one of the last casts of the day.

The tule fog lifted, the sun came out and a friend and I were able to get out on the water with favorable conditions. The weather forecast is showing no rain for the foreseeable future this February, which means a lot of good fishing days. My first decent fish of 2018 was this 4.2lb largemouth.

Thank You Lord the wait is over! I've been waiting a long time for this and finally I start my new job at Academy Sports as an Outdoor Specialist. My first day is tomorrow at 9am to get all my new hire paperwork done and whatever else they need me to do. I'm so happy. Thank you to all that believed in me and kept me in their prayers for this job. It has paid off. God Bless you all! ?

Keep an eye on your PM tomorrow. Got you all spooled up with fresh 15lb big game. Enjoy it man.

I have fished a Fogy a ton and used different trailers on them for different effects of the bait. The blade can and at times will hit the head. Especially when it hits cover and bounces over it. This torques the head when it moves and may hit the head. Which in turn may chip the paint. One of the biggest benefits of the football head I have found is how it comes over cover. The football head acts like a skid plate on a truck going over obstacles. It moves over it instead of rolling to the side and increasing the chance of hanging. The negative of losing a little paint drastically outweighs losing the lure on a side roll.

Just use GPS speed.

From December to March - this pretty much describes me . . . And if I do come out, I'm usually carrying a passport. A-Jay

That's why I keep my bud, @Maico1 around.

Only got one yesterday but I'll take it! Did a little bank fishing after work

Got the trailer all painted up and some of the old parts that were salvageable back on, and put some new pieces on. Probably swap the jack to the other side because the handle from it and the winch touch, and I know I'll end up bleeding from the knuckles at some point if I leave it where it is. Took the hub apart on one side yesterday and cleaned the grease out (there was so much that it was falling out of the hub in big globs), and removed the bearings and seals. Bearings looked okay, seals were shot. I'm still going to replace the bearings as cheap insurance. Figure I have the hubs apart and have to repack bearings either way, might as well be new ones so there's no question on their condition. Undecided on the winch. It's ugly, but functions fine and the cable on it seems to be in pretty good condition also. Need to get a safety chain for the front of the boat, and chains for the coupler. Going to be ordering the tires and installing the light kit soon and then I'll be on to the boat!

Home bent hooks! Those are some of the worst hooks I have seen, avoid those! All you need to do with exposed jig hook is use a dental rubber band under the jig hook eye and stretched under the hook barb. Tom

It had plenty of throttle left to play with just trying to abide by the motor break in procedure. Just shy of 2 weeks from pick up date of boat.

My son is 4 almost 5 and he and I go fishing together when he wants to. Right now I do not bring any of my stuff when he and I go fishing together, I just help him. We also leave almost as soon as he starts to complain. I want him to enjoy the experience as much as possible so that when he gets older we can continue to fish together. I also have made fun games in our backyard for him to practice casting, so he can continue to be more self reliant. I try to set those up whenever he mentions it. He also helps me pick out lures when I go shopping, again, just gives him a bit of ownership of the experience. With my dad.

Great day on the water today. Caught about a dozen LMB including 2 over 3lbs and over a dozen Crappie including this 2.5 lb slab. All on Yo-Zuri jerk baits.

Caught a lot of <3lb fish Monday and had the lake all to myself, it was really nice other than being pretty cold. Got my first fish on one of my new swimbaits too. Just a little guy, but he smacked it.

My daughter is a typical 6yr old. Enjoys fishing for all of an hour - which I am happy to oblige to. Like most young children, the act of not "catching" anything really turns them off. Because of this, our main spot is the pond at our house - loaded with BG and Perch, and we can catch a dozen or two in that hour all while having just a blast of a time. While I have hopes that she will grow to have a passion for bass fishing, as this can set the foundation of an even more fruitful relationship with her throughout time, I cannot force that upon her. In time, as she grows, decisions and passions will be made and created. All I can do now is enjoy the time spent at the pond, make memories, and ensure she's having fun!

My son is 7 and he's been fishing with my wife and I since he was 4. He loves to go out on the boat and this past season we started a Sunday morning tradition of he and I getting up early and going out. He loves to go turkey hunting and deer as well. We've yet to get a turkey together but got our first deer together this past November. I'm pretty lucky he'd much rather be outside than in front of the TV or video games. He got a Nintendo 2ds from Santa this year and my nephew gave him a PlayStation 3 recently and both are old news already. The only obstacles left are drivers license and girls. I've got a while for those two so I'm enjoying this.

I grew up in the city so fishing wasn't really an interest to many. my dad never fished, so I learned from my cousins when I was in my early 20's. my son is 41 and he had a rod in his hand since he was 3. we don't get out as much now but my grandson is now my new partner. he has a passion for it.

My daughter is too young to take out fishing for real yet...But she loves hanging out in the boat while I rig tackle and stuff. She loves all things related to fish and water so I'm hopeful that she will enjoy fishing, we'll probably start going on short trips in the boat this season.

I'm really excited to be in a position to not only learn some new things but also to pass on some things I have learned. I give all thanks to God for leading me to this forum, the ability to retain the knowledge gained from all of you, the ability to pass on that knowledge, the job I start in the morning, all the kind words from all of you and just everything He has done and will do for me. @Mike L if that's what God wants me to do, I'll be running the joint sooner than 5 years...lol. Determination is one of my best God given abilities. Thanks again everyone, y'all are Awesome! ?

I actually don't have trouble with topwater and jerkbaits at all, I just twitch to the side instead of down. Pitching is problematic though; I can kind of do that from the side, but not nearly as well.

The closest place to Richmond I can think of is Susquehanna Valley Tackle, in Columbus PA. It is a bit of a drive but they are right by the river and that part of PA is full of wading spots. It's a great store and having been to the stores you mentioned, it will blow your mind with the stuff they keep in stock.

Maybe it's just because I'm just getting too old, but I actually prefer spinning to baitcasting. Unless I'm flipping or pitching to specific cover. 90% of my fishing can easily be handled with spinning equipment and there are so many good quality rods out there today, that it is probably more of a budget consideration than anything else. Rarely have I found a "bad" rod these days. BPS or Cabelas brand rods should suffice nicely in the med-heavy range of actions. You can find some heavy action spinning rods, but those are usually used for catfishing or musky type baits. A good med-heavy fast action graphite rod should fill the bill nicely.

Topwater and jerkbaits.

i rarely buy a new reel unless it is on sale. I search craigslist and once i find a good deal i will lowball them and sometimes they will take it but the worst they can say is no. I've gotten $300 combos for $75 in almost new condition but you have to search.

This

Right now you could go to Cabelas and choose between a Lews Mach 1 Speed Stick, a Fenwick HMG, or an Abu Garcia Vendetta rod, all of which cost $79. All of them would pair up nicely with that Diawa. Their Cabelas Fish Eagle is a bit cheaper in price and their Cabelas Tournament Z is $99.00 So you could easily find something there to fit your needs. If you have a Dicks Sporting Goods near you, they have rod called a Quantum Escalade. It is a Quantum rod built and sold only by Dicks. I fish one and they fish very well. You can get a 7 foot medium heavy that regularly lists for $99, but is almost always on sale for $49.00. That rod will fit your needs and budget. It specs as an IM8 rod blank and list 1/4 to 1 1/2 oz lures. It fishes as well as many of my much more expensive rods. Check it out online or in your store. Dink Whisperer has hooked you up. I love those reels. I fish several of them along with my fleet of Tatulas. That was a $100 reel just a couple of years ago. Mine fishes just as good as my Tatulas. I use it for bass and stripers. With that reel and a Quantum EScalade you could use the rest of your budget and gift certificate to get some tackle. Go catch some fish and relax. Good luck in school. I just returned to college after 35 years so I understand the demands.

Looking good! ?

Pit Boss, Menace, Rodent, Rage Craw.

@deep ~ Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I don't think the +2 would have place in my fishing - so I'll be skipping that one pending further developments. BTW - As long as a jerkbait is splashing and not bouncing - It's Never too cold. A-Jay

if you really want a deal buy a pack of Z man Laminate Swimmerz. i'll admit when i first got into swimbaits I bought Keitechs to gain confidence in the technique. but 4" sb are so effective i immediately moved on to try every and any brand. in the end every brand tears so i settled on Z man b/c of the elaztech. the tail has a perfect thump and you can catch 50-100 bass on one bait. honestly i have them broken into two selections according to the jig hooks: standard vs extra stout. the standard hooks are for bank fishing b/c i can usually bend them out when snagged and not lose my Z man. the extra stout hooks are for kayak/boat bc i can troll over and use my lure retriever if snagged. a girl once told me once you go elastech you never go back.

You can't get hung up on any one attribute of a rod. Especially since there are no industry standards. What you want to look for is the right blend of power, action, casting and sensitivity for the application. The BassResource.com article referenced is as well written as I've seen. A rod of fast action with a slightly more forgiving butt section is more a change in philosophy than technology imo but I guess that's splitting hairs. Any rod will bend into the handle if enough force is applied. The thing is , lots of modern bass rods are way more powerful in the butt than any bass fishing situation could stress. As for spine, that's 80's theory than many of not most builders have abandoned. You don't fish a rod on just one plane. You cast side arm, underhand, overhead etc. myself and others choose to build on the straightest axis.

Try an underspin with a Keitech off the back.

Another good sunrise on the Upper Potomac this morning.

The fishing is great here though. I can't live in the south, I need my seasons even though winter sucks.

That is way Canada went to the Metric System .... track their willingness to move in millimeters.

It is a little known fact that LMB have a random number generator in their brains, similiar to those found in computerized slot machines or video poker. Every morning, the RNG spits out a number that that particular bass will use that day to determine how far they will chase a bait. Some fish have faulty RNG's that continually give them different numbers throughout the day...

The Moral hooks are a good quality example of the new-ish MWF mold, but I still mantain that the hooks are too big and heavy (in weight) to be "ideal". I thought I had one around for reference, but I guess I have used up the ones that I bought to try. In anycase, below are some examples of assorted Ned heads; From top to bottom they are; 1. Zman Head, 1/15oz, the new style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .091oz 2. Zman Head, 1/15oz, the old style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .072oz 3. Zman Head, 1/20oz, the old style. IIRC it is a #1 hook. It weighs in at .059oz 4. Gopher Head, 1/16oz, #2 hook. It weighs in at .053oz. 5. eBay Head, 1/16oz, from the MWF Mold, #4 hook. It weighs in at .064oz. If we are to take the old Gopher heads as the "gold standard", then the old style Zman in 1/20 is the closest in size and weight. I wish I had a Morel Head (amazing name btw) to weigh, but my memory is that they are almost 1/8oz, so around .09-.125oz. I strongly feel that if you are fishing the Ned with the standard retrieves you are best served with as light a head with as small a hook as you can get away with. I use the "crank crank glide" retrieve maybe 90% of the time and the heavier heads will stop and fall instead of keeping forward momentum and gliding to the bottom like they will with the lighter heads. At the end of the day it might be angels dancing on the head of a pin, but I like to get a little fussy about things.

If I ever have to use more than the single strand guards some customs are being built with, then I figure I need to use something other than "Ned" as the appropriate bait. To date, I've never even used the single strand guard heads and not really planning to, but carry some just in case. That's just me, though.

Stepping up my swimbait game.

Extra Fast! I wanna turn that head & get her coming up on the hook set!

I was down in the Orlando area and fished one day on the Harris Chain. My first largemouth bass of the year weighed six pounds, two ounces:

Thanks to google for putting a *** article on the wifes phone about the prespawn, she wanted to go out today. Had another 4lber slam the chatterbait!!

I have looked around for a breathalyzer lock-out for my computer, but the market for that is very underserved.

Two warm weekends in a row and a little more rain today opened up one of the little lakes in my area after nearly 5 weeks of being frozen solid. Had to take advantage and at least make a few casts after the cold we've been dealing with this past month. Bonus when I managed 7 bass in about 75 minutes from a lake that was still frozen just yesterday. On the board in 2018, about 2 weeks earlier than last year! Looks like another lake in the area will be clear by tomorrow, so hoping for one more trip before we go cold again.

My son is 31 and starting his family, so we only head out a few times a month. My daughter who is 30 will meet me anytime and anywhere for a few hours on the water and she is competitive as all hell!. I am really looking for the grandkids to pick up a rod.

My oldest is 4 now and has the same interest in fishing and the water in general as I did when I was little. He likes to tell people about how much he loves going fishing with me, I hope he continues feeling that way as he gets old enough to make his own decisions.