Jar11591

3/4oz spinnerbait fished right in the weeds, and rippin it through em.

Happy New Year to my BR bros, and here’s to a new PB for everyone in 2025!

Haven’t fished Lake Keuka but when I’ve fished the finger lakes, boat docks would hold bluegills and pumpkinseed and rock bass and really all panfish.

93 muskies over 30”, dang. By my math, it should take 930,000 casts to catch that many, but we all know it took you no where near that many. Well done.

I can think of far worse things to be done with my tax dollars.

Already several measurable snowfalls this year in my neck of the NY woods, and when it isn’t snowing, it’s been frigid cold. Lakes have been locked up for a couple weeks. Total opposite of last year. I’ve been cooped up since August healing from a broken leg. Gonna go crazy before February.

NetBait Paca chunks are my favorite. Also love RageTail Menace and Craws.

Most of my 2 dozen bass rods are single purpose, but there are a handful that serve dual roles.

1. I’ve found this to be a double edged sword. Some of the lakes I fish have massive schools of yellow perch, and the smallmouth gorge on them. But when I attempt to fish around the massive schools of perch, I can’t even buy a bite. Why would they take my offering when it’s only 1/10,000? So I’d much rather fish in a location that looks good without any signs of bait, then I would somewhere with so much bait that it’s all you can see. 2. I seem to do better in sunny conditions than I do in cloudy or lowlight conditions, and if not better at least as good. That being said, “shady” spots do hold more fish when the sun is high. For example, when I’m frogging the lily pads, it’s rare that I don’t wait until the sun is up. Before that, I’ll usually be in open water with a popper. 3. I believe depth is an important factor in a good spot. The right depth may not make a bad spot good, but it can make a good spot great. The more experienced I get, the deeper I find myself fishing.

Just watch out for them ground wasps, AKA the yellow jackets. They d**n near killed me back in August.

Spinnerbait

My plans for 2025 are not take any fishing trip for granted. Last August a broken leg ended my 2024 season a few months early and I hated not being physically able to fish. I’m so antsy to get on the water.

Cabela’s Guidewear is hard to beat for cold weather fishing clothing.

I’d rather catch a long bass than a fat bass. Length speaks more to a fish’s potential, as well as its age. I’m usually trying for the oldest bass in the lake.

A chain of convenience store/gas stations in my area sells their own brand of coffee, and it’s by far my favorite. Stewart’s Shops, for anybody who is in the upstate NY area. I drink more coffee than I should. It’s my comfort drink. If I’m home there will always be a pot of coffee on, and if I’m out and about, I’ll always have a cup by my side. Always black, nothing ever in it. Coffee is one of those things that is perfect in its most basic state.

I haven’t found this to be the case.

During the summer, I would ride my bike to the park with my fishing gear and throw a Texas rigged ribbon tail in the nasty pond. Caught a lot of bass there. When my dad would get him from work, I would ask him if he wanted to go fishing at the river which was a lot more fun than the nasty park pond. I don’t recall my dad ever saying “no” to taking me fishing as a kid. Even after he worked a long day, if I asked him to go fishing, we would be at the river in under an hour. Sometimes he’d initially say “not tonight”, but 5 minutes later he was loading the tackle in the car, telling me to grab the bait bucket from basement.

Dang. That time of year already. Today it was over 80 degrees in my part of upstate NY. Could do without that. But I’ll take it over snow.

No kids, so no trick or treating for me, but I still got myself a bunch of candy. Girlfriend is going out with her friends so I get the house to myself. Gonna set a bowl of candy out so the few kids we get can help themselves. And order some chicken wings and I’ll probably watch some basketball or play some games.

I would start on that main point to the right of the 25’ foot hole. Close contour lines plus deep water near by usually equals a good spot. If there is weedy cover or a rocky bottom, then it’s the jackpot.

Not a thing of the past for me. Always lots of bags of Culprit Ribbontails in my boat. #1 Texas rig bait during the summer months.

Slowly healing up from the leg break and subsequent surgery. Pictures are from 4 weeks ago, when I first got the cast taken off. I’m in a walking boot now, and can put light pressure on it as long as I have my crutches as well. Range of motion is still very limited, but I’ve started physical therapy so hopefully that comes back soon. Getting very antsy to get back to my normal life and even more antsy to get my d**n boat out on the lake before it freezes. This has been quite the ordeal, but I’m on the home stretch. Hopefully I’ll be able to join a baseball league next year as I had originally planned. Doctors say 6-12 months before sports are a possibility, so I’m hoping it’s closed to the 6 months.

Spinnerbait.

My state has been giving up some absolute monsters lately.

Black