Paul Roberts

Thanks all. So far, looks like big and long does it.

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Check your water temps too.

Yes! Really fun channel. Baitmaking adds a whole nother dimension to fishing, and Marling adds a whole nother dimension to baitmaking.

We laugh! But it's true.

I still use my Bantam 250. No reason not to.

I like this answer. Lots in there to think about. Agree with the chance for fish coming unpinned with lipless cranks. They are heavy and easy for fish to throw. I like a powerful rod that will keep that line tight. I used to fish barbless hooks on my crankbaits, without complaints -(except with jumpers). Have gone to micro-barbs since and learned more about unhooking. Anyway, I found that I lost more fish on softer rods with barbless hooks. Realized the only way to keep them pinned was keeping the line tight at all moments. Too soft a rod allowed moments, esp on headshakes, when they'd easily spit the hook. Power is required. (Barbless hooks and lipless cranks, like jigs, is a losing combination.) Agreed about rod power being a primary consideration. The bigger the hook, the heavier the bait, the more power needed to both set and keep buttoned. If you aren't getting hooks in, beyond hook sharpness, rod power is worth looking at.

Fishing. Getting out of the house. i buy more stuff when I'm cooped up thinking about fishing.

My wife has wondered why 2-4hrs isn't enough "fishing".

I've had no problems with FGs, down to 8lb Gliss with a 4lb leader. The trick appears to be two main things: -When tying, make sure each tag wrap is tight! I firmly tug at each turn, so that they gather the braid tight. -Pull the knot tight when finished. You should see the knot bind even more. I also use a CA glue at the end. Drop on and rub for friction to set it. Hope this helps.

How heavy a braid/mono could one go and have it slip through rod guides? I'm pretty happy with the FG, but would like one that would be faster --for when my hands are shaking!

Nifty. Is this mono to mono only?

For me, it's all about depth and speed. Where are they, what will get to them, and how willing are they to chase? My bass seem most willing to chase as water temps approach 50F in spring. At least that's when things really pick up. My GoTo "shad/flat-side/potato chip" style bait has been an old Natural Ike. Why it works so well in cold water, esp, is that it gets down well (~6ft), is a super slow riser, and is purposely unstable, so it rolls/flashes a side on a twitch. A Tom Seward masterpiece! The twitch and pause (like a jerkbait) works really well in cold water, mid 40s down. A swim and pause picks up after water nears 50F. I have only have two left, and... I'm scared. I've yet to try the shallow Shad Rap so, that may be next, and I'll probably have to modify them to get a slow riser. Another that I've liked in the cold has been the X-Rap Shad. This is interesting. @Bassjam2000, how deep are these fish? I only have one MB left. I really liked them. We did well with Bombers too though. They are similarly erratic beasts. My original WW's are all steelhead versions. I've picked up a few look-alikes, but... haven't used one yet. So many baits, and seasons are so short.

Bringing this back up, since someone called it to my attention. An update: After using J-Braid8 in finer finesse diameters <20lb, I've found it to be nearly as soft as SW Stealth, causing it to knot itself easily, becoming esp troublesome in fine diameters. Any loop (spinning reels here) and... I've got trouble; Time out to pick apart a fine braid knot. Not what I want to be doing with my precious fishing time. I have to pay close attention to my spool every time I close the bail! So, I've gone entirely to Gliss for my finesse fishing (spinning). I've used 8lb for UL and now 24# for ML. It's been trouble free. It's PE but not "braided". And it handles beautifully. Just beautifully. Despite its slick surface FG knots have held just fine with FC's down to 4lb (.007). Headache solved.

I'd kept written fishing journals since 1977, which morphed into word processed journal entries, into video journals now. The basic info I record are: -Water body -Recent weather trend (usually the week to couple days prior) -Immediate sky conditions (cloud cover) -Wind (“strength”, direction, water surface effects) -Water clarity/visibility (guesstimates) -Water temps: ST's and, eventually, profiles. This evolved into my realizing I needed to learn how, and at what rate, water heats and cools. Became a project unto itself. A chunk of a given fishing day involved tracking temps at various depths and shorelines throughout the day. One is not casting when doing this. Idea was to be able to predict, or get an accurate feel for, how water temps change weekly and daily, so that I could interpret conditions more accurately. -Note events that provide clues to seasonal timing or might affect my fishing. The rest, the fishing, was written about in prose, journaling form, a story about the outing: What I thought was happening and how I approached it. This also helped in triggering memories from that day; Works much of the time. The most valuable uses for my journals have been: -Checking seasonal conditions from previous years before re-visiting a water body. I fish a number of waters so I may not revisit each every year. Helps to get a ballpark bead on what to expect in, say, Late-May on a particular water. However, it’s also shown me how different conditions and circumstances can be year to year. -Fact checking my memory, which tends to err on the positive side. “You mean that day I killed ‘em was 11hrs of fishing and 20min of actual catching?!!!” “You mean that day when egg-laden females paraded by all morning, was a week before the full moon?!” All this said, there are so many variables going on out there that I no longer consider my fishing journals as containing "data". There is simply too much to record, and the protocols for actually divining really good info are projects in themselves. My understanding of aquatic systems, in all their complexity, has come not from my “fishing time” but focused research time in which fishing rods simply get in the way. My advice would be to record basic conditions & circumstances, and then tell the story of the day. But, if you are hoping to maintain one, keep it fun. Do what excites you. I still enjoy going back and revisiting fishing days past, even if they aren't exactly as I (would like to) remember them.

As others have mentioned, any action-tail worm can be great "swum". And, even straight tail worms can do the trick. Think "Slider's" and Ned.

Time on the water, researching how other people fish, researching how aquatic systems work. In that order. However, each inform the others.

For larger, and really dull hooks, I like the Luhr Jensen Hook File, that J Bricker shows.

I started to write that I'd never measured an inversion... but I may have. I'd have to look that up in my journals. I seem to remember measuring mixing following a snowfall. It was a shallow pond though and things equalize pretty quickly. That's a healthy fish. Nice photo.

Thanks, Dangerfield. No disrespect taken. That's another check in the Bob Ross column. I've also been likened to: Mr. Rogers, Bill Nye, Jim Carey, Doug Hannon, Glen Lau, and even Al Lindner (although, I'm much more Ron than Al, I think). I think Bob Ross may be the most appropriate. "I see a happy little Potemogeton ri-i-i-i-ight over there." :)) No sizzle. For fish(ing) nerds only. The rest will be bored.

Excellent read. Well written!

Wow! Great set of observations -timely temperatures, and sonar readings too. You hit it just right to see it happen. Conditions can best be understood by thoughtful measurements. Thanks for sharing this, Fairtax. With a 39F ST, you wouldn't need to take a profile -the whole column is the same. Anything warmer or colder, will sit on top of that mass of dense water. Winter clear water is mostly due to loss of both plankton and active decomposition suspended and circulating through the water column. I call it the "Winter Clear Water" period. It's the main reason why winter bass can be so beautifully marked. Your muddy water bass would probably be washed out in coloration.

Welcome. "The fish are 'there'". Where is 'there'? 4-6ft doesn't describe a spot well.

:)) That's what I've come to call all "shad-style" cranks: "potato chips". Guess we could just call em flat-sides too. Shad Rap is a killer. I once tried a cheap Cabela's "shad", and it failed. It had noticeably little action. I too like the Flicker Shad shallow. And the X-Rap Shad has been a good one.

My waters are shallow. Jerk, and shallow crank regardless of bill shape. More important seems to be rise rate, at least until the water warms. Lipless is in the running too.