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I was making breakfast this morning and had a hankering for pan cakes. I mixed up the batter and brought the skillet up to temperature. I ladled the first one out with great care. I just felt something odd as it sizzled. It was almost surreal. I waited for the batter to bubble and the bubbles to pop, the sign to turn the the delicious treat over. Syrup and real butter had been readied on the counter. Coffee was poured. I carefully flipped it over and my eyes grew large. There before me was a distinct image, one i'd seen before that was seared in my memory. The detail was so clear. It was Ajay holding a brace of six pound smallies. It's a sign !! At least now I know someone will be having a fantastic up coming season although not me. I was depressed it wasn't me. When I get depressed I cope by eating so now Ajay and his freaking six pounders were lathered in butter and syrup and eaten in quick order. At least the coffee was good.

I guess somebody wanted a late snack before they went to bed for the winter, I’ve never seen one around here still out and about this late in the year before, especially with the weather we’re getting.

Irregularities Is what I look for in either structure or cover. Isolated would fall under irregularities. Isolated doesn't necessarily have to be yards away from everything else. A Cypress tree surrounded by hardwoods, a little patch of lilies in hay grass. A river/creek swing near a bank or underwater flat. A hard bottom surrounded by firm or soft bottoms.

Guess we can all agree on the general theme of isolated cover and structure or irregularities being important areas or spots to focus your attention and efforts on, and just agree to disagree on the specific definitions of the terms in play ?

Best teacher around! ?

Took all the advice I got from here and went and fished a local pond on my kayak and caught my biggest bass! She was 21 inches long and 5 pounds. It was a good way to end my slump that I have been in. I slow cranked a blugill colored squarebill. Very appreciative of all the help and encouragement from these forums!!

I'm not 100% quite sure of the question being asked, but in short, structure is my guide. That's what I look for/fish first. The breaks and breaklines on that structure, often the result of what you term "cover", will help me pinpoint exactly where on that structure I would expect to catch fish. I still have to 'check it out' though and fish the structure thoroughly (shallow, deep and in-between). It's possible there may not be any 'cover'/breaks on a piece of structure though, and that's fine, too. I'd rather fish a piece of structure without cover, than a piece of cover without structure (out in the middle of 'nowhere'). YMMV Hope the back gets to feeling better quick!

That's why I got married the second time.

Shall we dance?

Since I usually fish from a boat my routine to locate bass is to determine what seasonal period it is, that helps me to focus on what the prey source may be and tells me where to start looking for both prey and bass. Very difficult to reduce all this into a simple answer like "use a search bait", that doesn't help if you don't know anything about basic bass behavior or the prey source the bass are hunting. My Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar helps to solve your question by indentifying seasonal periods and prey types during those periods in deep structure lakes where I fish. Fishing from the bank reduces your choices of location to the back areas, the bass behavior doesn't change. Getting back to my routine, I launch my boat turn on my sonar and check surface water temperatures. Using my eyes I look under the dock where I launched and use my sonar to determine what depth any bait fish or bass in the marina area. Seasonal period is the 1st key to puzzle, depth is next and prey type determines where to start fishing and what lures types should work. Based on this info I start my days outing and either confirm what is working or make adjustments based on what is actually going on at that time. Tom

I like 3 and 4 personally, but I'm a little biased towards Fenwick, as they're one of my preferred Rod brands. Aside from brand preference, the only real comparative reason for me choosing the Fenwick's is I prefer a M/F or MH/F setup. Again, just my personal preference.

It depends on the condition. If they are suspended I try a spinnerbait. If that doesn't work I try a jerkbait, then dropshot or a blade bait. If they are cruising the banks I try tubes, compact jigs and ned rigs. The fun part is trying to figure them out that day. I caught this on a tube off of a steep bank in 30 foot of water. The water temp was 46 degrees.

Amazon has the Daiwa Zillion ZIL741MHRB for $110.38, although it says 2 left, there is only 1 more as of 10:05AM. Edit: Looks like Amazon's pricing algorithm updated it to $169.99 after I bought one. They also have a ZIL661MXB for $121.71, 1 left. And ZIL721MHRB (Non-G version) for $136.46, 1 left.

Well, the bait monkey hit me with a sledge hammer to make up everyone that abstained. I'd been saving up to upgrade my swimbait and hardbait collection, and BF took care of that and more.

Tacklewarehouse.... that's all

Wow ~ what an epiphany ! And it's interesting that I as sit here next to an early season hot- wood burning stove, it's so painful each time my gaze wonders out the window. The pathetically frozen half white with snow, half brown with dead leaves tundra is starring back at me. Taunting me almost if saying "Ha Ha you poor sap - you could have been fishing". It's just so reassuring to know that someone else is thinking of me and at the same time sharing my pain. Last season Ice-out came a month late and was cut a month short - just brutal. Still I did what I could within the brief time but it wasn't nearly enough to make up for what eventually turned out to be an Epically Poor Pre-spawn. (5 & 6 lb smallies aside). And now to top it all off - I now have to cope with the image of @Columbia Craw in a deep state of depression, scarfing down his flap jacks ~ What's up with THAT ? ! ? A-Jay

I've got a couple in the perch pattern, the green is olive color. Getting the truck serviced this morning and I thought I would start a "Go Fund Me" account.

I know I’m slow to the party, but I went out Sunday afternoon and slung an A-Rig for the first time. I think I’m gonna like it a lot.

My Jamison Struggling Mouse, made in 1917.

My mom used to tell me how easy it was to please me. Just a quality lure every now and then was all it took. My sister wanted clothes, clothes and more clothes. Mom said I would go around in rags but my tackle was top notch. Really, how nice did I need to dress to catch bass?

That was one hungry squirrel.

Agree it's difficult when everyone speaks a different language, terms are important and bass anglers are constantly redifining them to suit their own needs. Lets say cover is something that grows or at some time grew like a tree. Tree we can agree on. Grass to bass anglers is regional word for every type of aquatic plant, it's not grass of any variety, out west we tend to call grass weeds. It's easy to get confused with simple terms let alone nuances of cover and structure like adding breaks, transitions, etc. Tom

I don’t think you are looking at anything wrong. But to have a handful of baits rigged up and ready is not wrong either. It might be a buzzbait. Could be a Rat-L-Trap. The T-rig worm is a good choice. I don’t set there and hammer on one spot. I’ll leave and move on above or below that spot and come back to it. Love to come back over those areas real slow. Especially if I know they are there. When I say know they are there, I assume. I feel strongly they are there. A spot that has a few things that I believe want them to keep there. But if it’s a day where fish are suspended and turned off. Guess you’re gonna have to work even harder. Thats what is nice about a pop-r or buzzbait. You’ll get a pretty good indication on the first or second cast. Really nice in pitch calm water and air. But if I’m having a day where nothing is working. Don’t know if it’s me or the fish. I’ll get frustrated to the point I think all the fish died, I’ll tie on a Rat-L-Trap, or back on, and retrace some of my footsteps so to speak and generally I can make something happen. I don’t want to get skunked. I’ll try to fish to keep from getting skunked. I believe or have to believe we can always drum up even a runt with a 4” Power Worm Mojo rigged. You have to believe, fish hard and some days you have to fish harder.

I look at the video's I post here as a different way to post a "Report". I thoroughly enjoy seeing & reading about BR member's fishing adventures as well as sharing my own. So if a 'picture is worth a thousand words', digital video may be the next level. Perhaps posting about or sharing your fishing exploits is not your thing; (you've never made one here) and that's fine. Either way, your last paragraph above is condescending. A-Jay

Well, at least they got 1 out of their 4 "structure" examples right I do agree they are completely different, and to whatever degree possible, they should be understood as separate things. However, so much use and misuse over the past half century or more, along with the natural evolution of word usage and meaning means we'll never all be on the same page when discussions get beyond a certain level of detail. Even hardcore Spoonpluggers don't completely agree these days on exact terminology. Such is the nature of life.

Keep all 4, most couches are surprisingly comfy...

Random reward, the same reason gambling is so addictive for some.

Advil for now, the next step is targeted steroids shots and they work. It's the cabin fever that drives me nuts. Tom

I think it would be fun to share your fishing experiences. If you never get over 100 subs, so what? If you get 10k, good for you! It's just something to do for the fun of it. At least those my thoughts. One more thing... USE SOMETHING OTHER BESIDES CHEST MOUNT!!! Set the camera up places and move it often so the angle doesn't get boring. This sounds so minor but at least to me the video gets SOOOO much better. If you can get someone to hold the camera underwater during part of the fight and see if you can get the fish in action (this only works with waterproof cameras obviously). Camera movement is extremely important in my opinion. Also, at first I would say do less videos but better videos, later on when you already have a handful of subscribers you can start doing more "whatever" videos but you really want to have some solid first videos. Another thing to do is, like others have said, have a story. Start at your house or the boat ramp or something and do like a time lapse out to the fishing spot. Don't make it too long otherwise it gets boring but just starting out at the lake, having no intro, can make it seem like you don't know what your doing. Take everything I said with a grain of salt because I don't even have a youtube channel but I plan to start one this summer when I move down to Florida where there will be more places to explore and try out. Although I could start in Nebraska I want to start fresh and strong in Florida. And lastly, have fun! Your out to fish and too many youtubers seem to have forgotten that and now just want to put on a show, those are the people I don't want to watch. Good luck!

It went amazing! Caught about 150 bass total (50+ myself). Unfortunately they were all under 2lbs so no new pb. I got good video but I’ve been too busy with basketball to edit it so I’ve got that to do over Christmas break. I will also be filming a ton this spring and probably every other day in the summer so I’ll be making more vids then and start the channel when bball ends. Thanks for asking!!

I'm going this weekend! Like @Russ E said, the worse the weather the better the bite. What really shuts them down is bright bluebird sky on my reservoirs.

I fish a small lake consisting of one half all standing trees in 15 feet of water and the other half a flat, nearly featureless expanse of gently sloping flatland toward the dam. In that large flat are there are just a few very lonely "humps" that stand anywhere from 5ft to 15ft off the bottom. These spots generally have at least one or two crappie fisherman stuck to them all day. My question for you; is there a "prime condition" and not-so-prime for bass to be holding in an area like this? Season? Weather?

"Isolated" is a key word here. In a lake filled with stumps, laydowns, rockpiles, grass, weeds, etc., you have to find out why some are productive and some are not. There are a lot of other considerations that then come into play, time of year, water conditions (clarity, temp, etc) and the rest of the fishing puzzle. BUT.....all things being considered, you can drill down beyond cover to structure to help identify why they are where they are. That's what separates the bank beaters from the fishermen many times. But if either cover or structure is isolated it has a better chance of holding fish as a general rule.

I have the Cabelas rod you mentioned above. And two others. They are fine rods, sensitive, and I like the winn grips much more than I thought I would. The 7'3" rod mentioned is same. I have used it for frogging mostly and is a very nice rod for pulling fish out of lily pads and reeds. I also used to drag a jig around and found it sensitive. It has enough tip to cast well, and enough backbone for ...whatever is needed. Hope this helps

Used my brand new Tournament MB 7 speed for the first time today. It was a fantastic first impression! Caught 4 decent sized fish and it held up perfectly and allowed me to get them in easily and quickly with the 7 speed. I had braid spooled on it with a mono backing. I have also used the Tatula 100 and personally prefer the MB. The MB is much more comfortable in the hand and casts smoother in my opinion. The only concern I have for you is that if you are new to baitcasting the MB might not be a perfect fit. My first baitcaster was an Abu Garcia blackmax. The MB takes some time to set up properly IMO. I am still recommending the MB for you, but just don't be surprised if you backlash or have problems at first with it. I would look at some informational videos on how to set it up to best fit your needs. Also since you are new to casting I would recommend mono line. Hope this helps!

Free 10$ if you're near a gander https://www.ganderoutdoors.com/coupons/cc8853.shtml

I did this to a Dobyns champion, trying to hoist a 4 lb bass into the boat. Snapped the last 6 inches of the rod. Expensive mistake. My favorite way to break an expensive rod is to leave it hanging out of the boat when you pull up to a dock. Works every time. I only do this to $300.00 + rods. never broke a cheap rod. But that is for another thread.

at least someone finally answered his question.

We had to get ready to evacuate from a fire last week and manage to twist my back, hope it settles down enough to be active again. I rather fish structure then cover in general, prefer isolated structure elements over isolated cover, both together is a preference. Some anglers are always looking for cover along the bank, laydowns or weed beds and pass by some excellent structure elements on the outside of the boat, out if sight out of mind. Sometimes the isolated structure or cover may only be the size of a table top that holds a big bass. Many times boats are fishing over the top of isolated structure casting towards the bank at nothing just pounding the shoreline. I know if they are watching the sonar unit it's being displayed while the anglers casting not looking at the screen or think it's too small to waste time on. Wait a few minutes and catch a good bass behind those anglers. Tom

Here we go. Just got these this week. The G. Loomis GLX 785 crank bait rod and the Shimano Chronarch 201E5. I've wanted this combo since it came out. At the time I was working an entry level job and living alone, so it was pretty much out of the question. I never really gave up on the idea, and about 7 years and a lot of Facebook "for sale" posts on local groups later, here it is! Now I know what you're going to say. "But that's just a Curado E painted white!" and "that particular GLX wasn't as good as the current one, the gloss finish added weight to it. And a GLX for cranking is just overkill!". I agree. But look how awesome it looks! ?

Did not buy a single thing!!! Take that bait monkey!

Hope this makes your day a little warmer. Seven months until our gardens look like this. The plants are Lucifer, Hydrangea, Cone Flowers, Day Lilies, and a couple of others that I cannot name.

Her first bass.

There is sooooooo much that goes into dissecting a lake or river that it would be impossible to have a set plan in place before you go out. It would depend on so many factors, time of year, location, water temp, water clarity, seasonal pattern, and on and on.......I have said in the past, when guiding, every day is like a tournament and I start with a clean slate. I consider the day like a 500 piece puzzle and start putting the pieces together. The more of the pieces I can get, the clearer the picture and the better chance I have on finding fish.

I realize I literally CAN'T respond to this without sounding like a crotchety old man so to heck with it. The only question I have is why? No offense but I can't imagine sitting and watching a high school kid fishing and talking about his "technique". I'll watch Glenn or one of the old pro's teach technique because they have experience and knowledge that I desire to have. I actually considered making a froggin video one time and then realized that I have nothing to offer that isn't already on a thousand other videos and I would feel ridiculous doing it AND wouldn't enjoy the fishing which, to me, is the whole point. This would probably be unthinkable to you or your generation but I don't even *gasp* CARRY MY PHONE when I'm on the water. Meh...sorry. For all I know, you might be the next KVD and I'm an idiot but I would most likely still not watch your videos. Not because of you as a person, but because I have no reason to. Now get off my lawn and go fishing. ps......Leave your phone in the car or at home next time. You might find you like fishing even more without the distraction.

You've got two things at play here. First an1/8 ounce is likely too light to properly load a casting rod so you're forcing it. Once the rod, line and weight are in sync casting is like throwing a ball in that it's all about the release point

Best guess is the spool tension is too tight, or you're not loading the rod.