rmcguirk

I've been there a few times and I'm going back in January. You're going to have a great time and catch more 2-4 lb bass than you can imagine--and they're going to hit and fight like 3-6 lb fish. If you have any questions about gear, etc., shoot me a message and I'll be happy to share.

Wow! I've got a bunch of deep divers, but it sounds like I need to get more...

Thanks for the tips! I've been reading reports and it sounds like many fish and the bigger ones are being taken deeper. Last year, I went through about as many senkos/dingers as did you. I've got them again if I need them (along with piles of watermelon/red lizards), but I'd much rather catch them on moving baits if the bass are willing.

I'm going in less than a month through Ron Speed and I can't wait. Deja vu, but I'll ask you again (as I did last year). I'm spending a few days at Picachos and a couple at El Salto. I know everything will change by then, but what was the hot bait? What shouldn't I miss? Thanks.

I'll echo what's been said already. I've got a 7'2" MH Expride A and it is a great all-around rod. I use it primarily for bottom-contact baits and it is very sensitive. That TW deal is awesome and, if I were in the market, I'd definitely be a buyer.

I don't often lose skirts--I just lose whole baits to pike.

Super, thanks again. I'm a big fan of swim baits and i've got a bunch of 3/4 oz heads ready to go.

Great video and trip report. I’m going to Picachos thru Ron Speed with a buddy in early March. It’ll be our third trip there together. Our numbers were the same as yours, but we didn’t get any over 4 on either trip. Did you get your bigger fish on any particular presentation or style or was it more of just the bigger ones mixed in? Second question if you’re willing: I’ve stocked up on plenty of senkos, lizards, creature baits and swim baits on the soft plastics side, and top water baits, deep diving cranks, rattle traps and jigs on the hard bait side. What two or three baits, or categories of baits would you recommend getting a few extra of to make sure I don’t run out? Thanks!

Buff and gloves for me along with long sleeve SPF 50 shirt. Plus SPF100 on my face, neck and ears. I had skin cancer on one of my ears, and I’d like to avoid it again if I can.

Yes, only one public boat launch. Was out this past Sunday and when I left surface temperature was 80. We had a fair bit of rain the other day, but I doubt that the temperature will be below 78 come tomorrow morning. Just another couple of thoughts on conditions. First, by 10:00 a.m. there will be a ton of pleasure boat traffic on the lake. In normal years, it is usually a bit later. But, it seems like everyone is sticking closer to home under the circumstances and getting out on the water earlier than usual. With the expected heat tomorrow, I'd expect that to be the case again. Second, the weed edge this year is a bit weird, at least right now. Usually, it ends out at 12-14 feet. This year, its really more like in 8-10 foot range. I don't know what the cause is, but I'm chalking it up to a colder than normal spring. Regarding chasing them generally, advice above still holds: fish the docks when the sun is up or the deeper weed edge. If you're there early tomorrow, I'm betting (hoping?) that there will be a decent top water bite. Good luck. I'll probably see you out there tomorrow.

I kinda like buying and using new gear. I also like trying new techniques. Don't we all? I really don't want to stick to one thing, even if it would catch me the most fish. So, if a swimbait is catching a few fish, perhaps a swim jig would catch more, or bigger. I like to experiment. But, that doesn't mean I don't use what I think will work based on the time of year and the conditions; I just like to try variations on the theme. To answer the question, though, once we have ice out around here, I'll probably have the following on the boat for the first several weekends: 1 MHF BC with a lipless, 1 MF BC with a jerkbait, 1 MHF BC with a larger swimbait, 1 MHF BC with a jig, 1 MHF BC with a t-rig, 1 MF spinning with a smaller jerkbait, 1 MF spinning with a smaller swimbait, 1 MF spinning with a wacky senko, and 1 MLF spinning with a ned rig. So, I guess that's 9 rigs. As the season progresses, baits will come and go from the planned rotation, and I'll add new rods as needed for when the grass comes in heavy. And some days, particularly if the fishing has been tough, I'll only bring out a couple of confidence baits and throw them all day. OK, I can't wait for my season to start!

I try and try with a chatterbait, but I never catch many. I catch a lot on swim jigs. I can’t say why.

I got out both days this weekend on Conesus. Man, fishing was tough, at least for me. I saw some bass cruising the shallows and a few that seemed as though they were tight to beds, but probably the tail-end of the spawn. Also saw a lot of bullhead and carp there as well. But I didn't catch a single fish either day. I'm not great at bed fishing--hunching on a spot and trying to get a bass to commit--so this time of year I typically do poorly. But, I don't think I've gotten a two-day skunking in a long, long time.

Got out on Conesus both days this weekend. Saturday for about 5 hours -- 9:30-2:30. Fishing was slow for me. I only caught four, but three of them were very good, including a 4.1 LM, a 4.5 SM and a 5.7 LM kicker. So close to my PB. Sunday with the weather being sketchy, I got a late start and only got out for about 3 hours from 12:30-3:30. It was actually pretty nice on the water (if you were dressed for it), and I should have gone earlier. Fishing was very, very slow for me. I caught two cookie cutter 1.5 LMs. I also caught an enormous pike. I don't know how long or how heavy as I try to get them out of the boat and back into the water as quickly as possible. I got him on a medium action rod and could barely land him. Turns out, it had slapped at the lure and it was hooked in the side of the face.

Got out both weekend days on Conesus. Saturday for about 3.5-4 hours before it started misting too badly. Windy and not particularly productive. One two-pound LM and one walleye. It was a sizable fish (probably about 23-24 inches) and hit my red craw colored rattle bait pretty hard, but he just didn't have much fight in him. I only catch one or two walleye a year, but that's been my general experience with them--that they don't pull particularly hard. Given my inexperience, is that a wrong impression? Sunday was better, but a little weird. Got out from 10-3. Ended up with 5 bass that went for about 18, with the three best being a 4.3 LM, a 3.9 LM, a 3.8 SM. So, good size average fish (for me), but no numbers.

Got out on Honeyoe for about 2 hours around lunchtime on my kayak. Had three in the first six casts. I didn't get another one for about 30 minutes, but ended up with seven. All on bottom presentations in 6-10 feet of water--six on a wobble head with a rage bug and one on a finesse jig. Nothing else even got a sniff. All of them between 1.5 and 2.5.

I can't tell you about Picachos in May, but I did go to both El Salto and Picachos in late January this year. We went through Ron Speed Adventures. We had a great time. Size at El Salto was bigger on average but we caught way, way more fish on Picachos. It was also a "nicer" lake, if that makes any sense, and there were far less tilapia nets getting in the way. The run-of-the-mill bass we caught on both was in the 1.5-2.5 range. As you may recall, though, they all fight like smallmouth, which is nice. We caught bigger fish on El Salto--numerous 3+, a few 4+ and one 6+, though no real giants. The biggest fish we got on Picachos was probably 3.5. Let's just put it this way: we never once thought "hey, we should weigh that one" on Picachos. But, the sheer number of bites on Picachos was mind boggling. Our second day there, we caught 131 fish. To me, that's a good month...

Condolences on your loss.

For me, too, and for everyone else I saw out there. Given the "perfect" weather, I thought for sure that there would be a top water or reaction bite. While I did get some action on a swim jig, like you guys it was not near what I thought it would be--one big pike and a couple of other pops but no other fish. I never dreamed that they'd be hiding under docks given the conditions. Ah well, live and learn...

So, I’ve got a basic fish and ski boat. Bought it new 7 summers ago. It came with a pretty weak FF—a Garmin Echo 150, with a tiny screen. I actually had a better model, a Garmin Echo 500c on my kayak already, so I swapped them. It has now fried after about 8-9 years of solid use. I can go back to the tiny 150, for the time being, but I’m going to need a new solution. Space limitations on the boat restrict me to a max 5 inch model. Questions: 1. Will the newer Garmin “chirp” models just plug and play, meaning I won’t have to install a new transducer and wiring? Alternatively, will other manufactures’ units plug and play? If so, any recommendations? 2. If I’m going to have to install a new transducer and wiring anyway, recommendations on a new unit. Thanks in advance.

Got out last night on Conesus for a couple of hours after work. Absolutely nothing other than a pike bite off. This morning was better, but not great. Got four before lunch, including a 5.5 LM, which made everything better. Everything came on a wobble head with a rage bug in 3-4 ft. Tried to force feed a lot of other baits and nothing else produced. Got a peck or two on a drop shot, but they we’re likely rock bass or sunnies. Nothing but casting practice from about 11:30-2:00.

Yikes, that's a stud. I don't know what's more impressive: that single amazing fish, the 11 fish over 5 (including another over 6), or the 100+ in the boat on a day that, a few miles away, I was scratching for bites on Conesus. Outstanding!

Got one for Christmas from my boys, but it is going to be quite a while before we've got water around here to try it out...

On Canadice, that was super nice of them, with so little boat traffic. If you run out of gas there, it could be a long time before you run into somebody who could help you out.

Well, gotta say, this makes me feel better--meaning at least I'm not the only one. Due to family issues and a boat issue, in May I only got out last Saturday and then again today on Conesus. Last Saturday, got skunked for about five hours. Skunked in May! Awful. Had high hopes for today. Went the first 5 hours with nothing. I saw one guy locked in on beds with his power poles pull a few, but I don't have those and bed fishing doesn't work well in my rig. Finally, in the last half hour, I finally pulled one smallie. Typical Conesus Lake 2 pounder, but she fought like a demon. I sure hope the season turns around soon, as it has not started well at all.