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That is pretty cool, Illini. JT, the weather today around here (St. Louis area) is predicted to be windy and colder, but the rest of the week is going to warm up again into the upper 40s and lower to middle 50s. During the year, I keep my boat (14' semi-V) on a small lake during the season and usually get it out around the first of December. It is still on the water and I am using it tomorrow.

This last three days I was a 5. ;D Sun up to sun down.... today yesterday and the day before that..... one 10" greenie. But I saw 6 deer, pair of Canadien geese, flock of snows, a martin, turkeys,an owl and a bald eagle. Nature is beautiful!

I also fish a number of cooling lakes here in Illinois. There are times when the discharge water temp in the dead of winter is in the mid 80s in some lakes. One thing that I have noticed is fishing seems to be much more stable and productive in the areas affected by the current regardless of water temp. One of these lakes here sounds exactly like yours only twice the size (1000 acres) and shaped like a rectangle. No visible cover exists except chunk rock. Many fish are caught here in the current near the discharge with moving lures. Good luck.

I would have to say yes also. bshaner, You have the same mentality as I do concerning the process of fishing bigger events. Although, I am also somebody who lives for the moment. I fish local tournies now and love it.... check or no check. I have fished bigger tournies over the years (without much success) and yet the fire still burns. I just love to fish, period. I have a competitive spirit that fits right into tournaments no matter what the contest. I will chase my dream. If I never catch it, so be it. It is all about the journey, not the destination. That is the beauty of dreams! Once again, good post.

1-5. Bass fishing is an enigma.

My favorite "honeyhole" is a very stained lake wtih no vegetation and LOTS of wood. This last spring (late winter), I started fishing there when the water temps hit 40. Only one to two feet of visibility was to be had everywhere on the lake. Big spinnerbaits with big blades and Texas rigged creature baits such as Beavers and Brush Hogs, served me quite well all Spring. Just make sure you throw it into the junk and fish them slow!

That's funny, fivebass! I thought maybe I was losing my mind or something. ;D DOES NOT COMPUTE..........ERROR.....ERROR....ERROR ;D

I have to agree with Cart on this one. Many people on this site talk about helping out the younger ones here and they do. But Matt's initial title to this thread was very misleading to those of all ages. Fact is, 99% of people here will never be a fully sponsored professional in this industry. And to tell them that spelling is over-rated is simply ridiculous, especially if they choose to apply this notion to everyday life. I actually know someone who told me that they dropped out of school after 10th grade because they already knew enough for the work they were going into and because the teachers were always acting like they knew better than he did. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I get the point that Matt was trying to get across. I agree that performance will outweigh grammar in the task at hand (unless it is proofreading). Yet, I also know that a person who is articulate enough to care about spelling and grammar will ALWAYS get more attention and be taken more seriously.

St. Croix PREMIER has a 5 year warranty. Not sure about the Avids, but the Legend Elites and Legend Tournaments are both lifetime. Speaking of warranties, I had to send a Premier back to St. Croix for fixing. I took it back to my bait shop to see if they could do anything for me. They paid the shipping AND got my rod fixed in about 7 days. I guess this is where "customer loyalty" to a business really pays off. So many people do not realize the amount of preferential treatment one can get by developing a relationship with a local bait shop or company. It really is sort of like being "sponsored". Oh, did I say the "S" word? ;D Seriously though, St. Croix has taken very good care of me and offers a top-notch product and service.

Most ball-bearing swivels already come with the correct size split rings attached. The correct size is important so the split rings can freely move through the drilled out holes on the top and bottom of the swivel.

Tennis racket re-grip works the same as rod wrap for someitmes less than half the price. I use Tournament Pro Grip that had a pic of Pete Sampras on the front. It cost like $18 for 10 re-grips.... at the Wallly world.

Beastie, Are they (IDNR) still spraying the weeds every year on Beaver Dam Lake?

Couple of ways to go about it. I've seen people tie a rope to the boat eyelet and then tie it off to the trailer. Back the boat in fast enough to float the boat away from the trailer and stop. Grab the rope and pull it over to the dock. Personally, I just feed out three feet of winch strap and back in until it floats. Then I catwalk on the trailer to the boat and tie it off, but I am also quite agile.

Exactly what Vyron said. "No sun, paint it."

7.5 lbs. on 6" Toledo Tackle red shad Bandit worm (ribbon tail) An even bigger one (no scale, but probably over eight according to the fish calculator) on white 1/2 oz tandem white bladed spinnerbait wtih a pearl Superfluke as a trailer.

My shirt. ;D

I say the dropshot simply because I lean towards big baits 80% of the time. I am amazed at the amount of C Rig responses. I was not a fan of it either..... until I was showed how and where to fish it correctly and efficiently. It is now always at arm's length. As with a number of finesse presentations (weightless Senko included), I have little confidence in something that I can barely feel. That being said, I also do not own a spinning combo set up for bass fishing. Also, many of the lakes that I frequent are more on the stained side rather than clear. I will figure it out someday... but I won't like it! ;D ;D

Ditto on Jim Blair's response completely!

You got me, Catt. :-? Nowadays, I'm one of those morons who goes OUTSIDE when the tornado sirens go off ;D ;D. Green skies are so cool. 8-)

Good to hear everyone's lights are coming back on. I know what Valascus is talking about. One week ago I bought my wife two tropical freshwater fish. After the power outage, the tank temp dropped to 53 degrees. They sure were moving slow but pulled through just fine. Catt, I feel for you guys down there. I lived on Ft. Polk 20+ years ago. Hurricanes Danny and Jane in '85. They were weak compared to Katrina and Rita yet, were plenty scary for a 12 year-old. Strangely enough, that is about the time my fascination with all weather started :-?. Still 90,000+ without power around here... keep 'em in mind . P.S. Nothing hit my house and my big old tree lost one branch about four feet long. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Spike-It marker pen in chartreuse will work over that white paint.

I was one of the lucky half of a million to lose power in the MO/IL area over the last few days. The power came back on for me about an hour ago. Heat never felt so good!

I don't know what your campus lake is like, but if you can get out to Kinkaid or Egypt or even one of the 10 hp lakes, you need to go now! I just got back from Washington County Lake (Nashville, IL) a couple of hours ago. 5 keepers (over 14") all on jigs. Two days ago I had one 4.5 on a big spinnerbait on that same lake. A week ago, I had two fish over 5 lbs. Both on jigs. The more stained the water, the shallower you can fish for those lakes I mentioned. Oh yeah... the water temps are mid to upper 40s.

Some other good stained water colors are junebug, black neon, black grape, red shad, blue fleck, plum, red bug........ ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

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