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Having written more about jigs then most members we have discussed hooks, head shapes, weight and trailers. Skirts have been discussed usually colors and strand count for silicone tabs. We talk about hair and marabou feathers. So let’s discuss what a skirts does and why use all of the above. What does a skirts do on a bass jig? We agree it adds color. Why would you use living rubber skirts vs a silicone skirts or hair? The answer may surprise you! Jig skirts change the rate of fall without changing the jig weight or shape. Hair or feathers fall the fastest because the material folds tight to the body providing a streamline shape with water resistance. When hair or feathers stop moving landing on the bottom they flare out appearing to be alive. Living rubber skirts are the opposite the rubber strands puff out when falling through the water column slowing the rate of fall and have a lot of strand movements looking alive on the fall. Color is limited. Silicone strands are somewhere in between fall faster then living rubber and slower hair or feathers. Silicone strands don’t provide a lot movement itself but colors are unlimited. Silicone skirts advantage is color appealing more to anglers imo then bass imo. Jig skirts are important for the above reasons but it’s the combination of adding trailers that completes a bass jig. Tom

I'm not sure I've ever seen a bait that's more feast or famine than an A-Rig. We had a dramatic pressure drop and fast moving front approach yesterday afternoon, and it was like a light switch flipped. Caught 25.5lbs on the A-Rig in about two hours. 6.11 6.8 6.1

Went fishin Friday after work and got some threadfin for bait, they were slowly dying off at 45-46 water temp. Didn’t catch anything from 5:15-6:30 but kept the shad for today Today it was misty rain but not pouring so I went to a different spot. I followed loons all the way from the dock to where I wanted to try. Caught the first fish, a spotted bass, with a tiny fluke on a jighead. Tossed back into the same spot with a dead shad from Friday and something hit immediately, pulled hard then came off. Rebaited, try again and connected with a decent smallmouth. I was thinking this must be the spot but no more action for a while so I moved around, crossed the channel with no luck. Started heading back toward my starting point and got a nice white bass on a dead shad. I decided to toss the tiny fluke/jighead at the bank for a while got a good hit, boated a 19” smallmouth that jumped many times, always fun. Brought the spotted bass and white bass home for eating

In case you need a reminder about how nothing old is ever forgotten, just shined up and rereleased after most everyone has forgotten (where’s my Ron Lindner quote?). I got this new bait release in my feed from Nishine Lure Works today. Remind you of a bait from the 1980s still considered one of the worst in bass fishing history, rereleased over a decade later by YUM to similar reviews? But maybe a new paint job, a semi-weedless hook design and a flashy spinner blade will turn it into the next great thing in 2025??? Edit: Found my Ron Lindner quote: “Lures and systems move in cycles. If you want to know what’s likely to make a big splash, just look back about 20 to 25 years, see what was hot then but fallen into disuse today, and there’s your answer. You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. Just recycle an old jalopy, slap on a fresh coat of paint, and give it a sexy new name and vivid color scheme. If it worked then, it’ll probably work now. And remember, if the fish haven’t seen it the last 10 years, they haven’t seen it, period. Some old tricks never go out of style. Only out of fashion and popularity.”

I usually go out in January with a single thought.."please dont let me fall in, and if possible not skunk" yesterday was no exception. I was headed to my secret lake when my wife texted that current temps up there was 27 deg. (!). nope. I hooked a right turn, and headed to another secret lake. going there was sketch. I got sideways on ice on a mountain pass road - with my kayak sticking out the back. the rest of the drive was at 7mph. slipping out into the foggy lake, I looked down at my fish finder and in tiny shallow cove I launched into..the water was 40deg. main lake was 43. daunting, and my confidence meter was on low. fish seemed on the bottom..so I went deep. at 10:00 am it was zero fish..when I felt a tic at 20 feet. I bring up what I call an aquarium fish. a bass I could take home and put into an aquarium. it was 4". I look up and," thanks...technically that can be called a no-skunk - funny"... sun is up, I am not chattering anymore and I can finally stand up in my kayak. up till then, my boat was a sheet of ice. I stayed in the seat and if I had to pee, I beached it. then I rolled a jig down the face of the dam. BAM!! I got smashed!! it was a jig day!! I ended up with about 20 keepers with a few 3lb kicker fish. total blast!! I had the lake entirely to myself on the water. shore dudes showed up at 11. I went home, washed my muddy kayak, washed my muddy truck, and was in a really good mood the rest of the evening. January has never played out this well for me. Feb is gonna rock as well!! headed to Mexico!! (I try not to skunk any month of the year. its my thing)

I saw this pic and realized I forgot to post it to impress (should be in other species thread, but meh). This is by far the smallest fish I have ever caught - it was wedged in the bill/split ring, but I still landed it Still a pretty fish

6poundbass got a healthy pike on a tip up today.

I try to be as diligent as I can when cutting line out on the water and ensuring it makes it back to the actual trash. I also try to clean up line when I’m in the kayak if I see it. I try to pick up trash whenever I can. If you need to know why you should be diligent as well, go watch Ocean Conservation Namibia on YouTube and see why… Anyone else? I’ve been noticing lately at the ramps around here the PVC tube containers for waste fishing lines…

I have one simple rule for the low life humans who littler on or near Lake Menderchuck. Shoot to kill. Really cuts down on repeat offenders. OK, I'm not ventilating these losers, but that doesn't mean I haven't considered it. Litters represents The Lowest and most selfish portion of the population. A-Jay

I'll just pile on from Pat's post. We feel like we're in Canada and we are gaining respect for all of you up north. I couldn't do it. Every day I get up and just see how much ice there is and feel sad. Last time out I watched a bald eagle for a while so that was neat. The good thing down here is we aren't used to these temps and neither are the fish. There is a fish kill happening as Pat mentioned, which we are guessing will create a huge buffet for the bass and in about a month we hope to be making PRs with pot bellies. Maybe not, but we have to have hope to survive our month of cold. We are missing our hundred degree summer days right now. At least falling out of the boat won't kill you on those days. Anyway, here's to huge future fish on future soft water, and kudos to the yanks for your fortitude in surviving the winters!

There will always be some low life's who trash the lakes, and it's a shame they do.this. Adopt a leave no trace attitude, and you know you've done your part. Leave no trace is basically leaving the area cleaner than you found it, and, is how we should all be when we go fishing.

Megabass Destroyer P5 110 Stick after first season of with an Aldebaren 50 HG MGL with 9lb Shooter has been by far the best jerk bait outfit I have ever used. Caught several bass and walleye mostly on 110s and 110 Jr it’s a pleasure to fish and you don’t lose fish on this. It’s expensive but at 73 and carpal surgery it’s worth it to me.

I know the coast guard made it mandatory for kill switches if the vessel came equipped with it for boats 26 and less to wear it while at greater than slow no wake. I was paging through the 2025 boater handbook for PA and now it must be on regardless whether it came with one. Just wanted to let anyone know that could be coming here. I think there is going to be a lot of unhappy people on the river. I always wear mine. I keep it attached to my life jacket.

When I saw the title of this I thought it was going to be about your jeans.

Good luck Pat!!!! All I know is that when the levee breaks for you, it's going to be absolutely spectacular. I can't even imagine how much of a benefit it is currently for all your heavily pressured fisheries to be getting ZERO fishing pressure. That would make me so excited! I suspect you're going to experience the most epic fishing of your life before the spawn. You heard it here first 😎

I will NEVER share a photo of my fishing gear storage. I don't want to give @A-Jay a heart attack.

Awesome fish @TnRiver46 Looks like you ate half a SM though 🤣 Your stretch of river seems to have lots of those meanmouths. eta: Thanks Katie and Pat!!!! Now I'll go another two years of chunking and winding that silly thing until lightning strikes again 😁

I generally do not pick up trash when I am recreating outdoors. My policy is to pick up after myself in life because that's how I was raised. That includes when I'm fishing or hunting. Leave the land and water how you find it is generally how I operate. However, I make an exception for discarded fishing line. I don't find a lot of it, but balls of old fishing line can really foul things up and cause a lot of damage. I have found it wrapped around my prop, both bow mount and outboard. I've never seen it myself either, but obviously certain types of wildlife can suffer or die from it too including birds and fish. I caught a tiger muskie (the only muskie I caught all season) in September that had a partially-rusted treble lodged in its mouth with about 2 feet of old fishing line attached. I was astonished that fish could even feed or eat with that thing in there. I properly removed it and then released that fish alive. Ice fishing is in full swing here and certain amount of them are slobs. The DNR and LEOs have really tried to crack down on this in recent years, but there's just not enough of them out there enforcing it. People leave empty propane tanks, trash, beer cans, dead fish, and feces on the ice. Its appalling.

Luck, luck, LUCK! However, all that ice makes me wonder if your wife didn't sedate you and move you and Jake to Maine. Or Michigan. Or Minnesota. OR CANADA! @A-Jay, @gim, and @The Baron, have you seen Pat over your way? I'll keep an eye out for him. I'm suspecting he's now a Yankee or Canuck and doesn't yet know it.

I’ve gone to that type of head also. I switched after loosing 15 Neds in Piney creek one morning. After I got the new mold I went back and fished the same water and only lost 2.

Five turnovers will do that. Stupid ones at that!

Nah. You bass whisper. Beauty, @TnRiver46!

I kind of got away from the open hook jigs. I would snag them on wood so often it felt like a waste of time and money. So I started using the Block Head Jigs from Owner, 1/8oz with a 1/0 hook.

Those in the pictures are all older models. If youre buying them in stores right now, they should all be newer models. They’re one of my favorite jerkbaits but they’re just another tool, not the magic bullet.

I tell myself yesterday is gone, I can't get it back. Then throw a temper tantrum a toddler would be ashamed of. The only way the nightmares of loosing a big bass goes away is loosing another one to have new nightmares over. Maybe I should get some professional help, but as of right now the Bait Monkey is my therapist. If I loose a giant bass, a new rod and reel wont get rid of the pain, but it can lower it a notch or two. If nothing else I need to replace the lure the bass stole with 5 exactly like it, and another 10 in different colors. If the bass didn't steal a lure she simply came unhooked, bare minimum I buy a new rod, and a different line, as well as a couple of the lures she bit.

Here's a few reasons why I like them.

Since I pretty much sit around all day looking for the end of YouTube, I figured I’d get out and do something… Got hired by Cabela’s today to work in the fishing section. 50% off anything BPS branded (hello new guide wear) and 15-20% off of everything else. This could get interesting…

Last trips before the Arctic blast. Hitched a ride with a friend for about 90 min Fri, then put in 3 hours today in steady 20 mph winds gusting to 35 as the high pressure system barrels in. Was 57 when I launched, but just 45 when I left a few hours later. Cooling off fast. Avoided a blank both trips though - got 3 or 4 Fri and 2 today. Water 43-44. That’s it for at least a week.

IMO the Sammy is the easiest walking bait to walk. I found one in a tree and used it for 3 years with much success. Mine was Blue and chrome.

^ The NC fishing was not good while I was there. It will get better

I have found dead birds wrapped in fishing line, nowhere near any water. When I discard line, be it mine or not, I always cut it into very small pieces before placing it in the trash.

One of the biggest differences between first and third world nations is the quality of their watersheds. Nothing is more striking than looking at pictures of rivers in India or China. It's beyond sad, it's maddening and depressing. As the supreme intelligent being on the planet, it's our responsibility to protect the environment so that every other organism has the chance at a healthy life. I guess we're tree hugging friends now 🤣

Here's a photo of my fishing gear storage system. Basically it's a mixture of clear-ish storage drawer organizers, and while it works the drawers always seem jerky and don't always slide open smoothly. I'm wondering if anybody can recommend an improved solution that doesn't need any more storage space than what I am using here. One redeeming feature of these is that they are clear/semi-clear which helps to recognize at-a-glance what is in some of the drawers even though I have tried to label them.

That’s colder than the temps we’re going to see the next few days. 😂

I have those drawers. The base is too light so they get jerky and slide around. Here's my MacGyver for you... Take out all the drawers. Drill holes in the base. Big boy zip tie them to the wire racks Put drawers back in. BONUS... put some wood under the base (same thickness as base) and drill through that as well so the zip ties pull against it and the plastic when you use the drawers. Added stiffness and weight helps too. Pegboard is the best for plastics and a shelf with planos for hard baits. But wanting to keep the footprint you have, do the zip tie and drill method.

Don't forget about the battery charger. Probably going to need one that's combatable with the new power source. Good Luck. A-Jay

BKK Silent Chaser . I am actually starting to use a lot of their hooks.

I think this is worse than the dud the Vikings played on Monday. The Lions were at home and had an extra week to prepare and rest. For as historically good as the north division was this season, it was a colossal flop in the playoffs. 0-3

Finally had a chance to go see the boat it looks great. Now the long wait for open water.

Fished with mine for about 15 months now, easily the best jerkbait rod I've owned. Run mine with an OG Steez and 12lb Daiwa J Flouro Hidden Concept.

These are the ones I use. You will lose rhe head before the worm comes off

Sad fact from the NFL playoffs. They said it was the first time the commanders had made NFC championship game in 33 yrs. The sad part? I specifically remember watching the last time they made it on a 13” TV 😂 #markrypien

@Glenn As a Chief's fan, I agree that the referees blew it on those calls. But then again, when I watch NFL games objectively I see bad calls on all teams, including the Chiefs, and unfortunately sometimes they affect the outcome of games. And it is more irritating when it is your team that is hurt by the bad calls. I do wish the referees would do better. Of course, those 8 sacks of Stroud had nothing to do with the Chiefs win, right? 😉

The type of cover (tules) I was saying the technique is very suited for @OkobojiEagle. When it comes to the braid, the surprising thing is the fish aren’t line shy.

That is rough. I haven't lost anything overboard... but granted I don't spend a lot of on a boat. However, of the few times I ran my boat, I almost lost my Leatherman PST original overboard. I have since procured a nice pair of $1 needle nose pliers to use for such occasions. Leatherman will stay safely in my pocket unless it's an absolute must.

I have 4 of the steez A 1 as well as a Steez A II. There's no difference in spool between the two. Difference is gears but I've put the USDM zillion set in my steez A's. These reel's excel at 1/4oz +. I have one dedicated to 1/4oz swim jigs that casts/skips with ease.

I’ve tried it on multiple rods. Maybe it’s the 16lbs line but I found anything 1/2oz and up it would bomb the baits and below 1/2oz wasn’t cutting it for me so I never used it. Hopefully not the case for you. I’ve used it on medium power to heavy power rods. Never found the “perfect” rod for it where I’d say it found a home for me. YMMV…

That's what I'm talking bout let's GO Alex!!!

Went with the wife and k9 mango to the quarry from 5-6 pm. Caught one little bass where the water flows out of a cave into the pond. The girls saw lots of birds and scared 4 deer. Fun evening !