Jar11591

I have to amend my guess. March has been extremely warm and the forecast has more of the same. Things may thaw within a week and I’ll be casting as soon as they do. Been a while since I caught a March bass.

@WRB Most if not all but one county allow bass fishing all year provided they were caught with artificial lure and C&R only if caught between December and June 14th.

Yeah I think 8 is a reasonable conservative estimate.

https://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2025/03/angler-hacks-bigger-hole-in-ice-to-land-giant-cayuga-lake-smallmouth-bass.html?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaa8fo8dIh6ORqHnz_dvpMPlhS6zOyNlzncbVhuab_kA4yRhgs2MgnImceA_aem_fZw2SYR29gplG81XOgntuw According to the article, the fish went 8lb and 24”. This is the same lake that is absolutely popping off right now. A 12lb+ largemouth from the same lake broke the NYS record last year. NY has always been an exceptional bass state, but it’s really having its big bass moment. Both LM and SM records are falling. Good time to be a NY basser. In the link it says smallmouth but the picture is clearly a largemouth.

This is gonna be a fun thread. Can’t wait until I can enter a NY bass.

The loons calling to each other. The subtle “plop plop” of the trolling motor. Braid through guides when a fish is hooked. When fishing in the fall, a hunter’s gunshot in the distance.

Give somebody an inch, and them and all their friends will take a mile.

I have a dozen Fenwicks sticks from Eagles to Aetos to Methods and haven’t broken a single one. I guess I’m lucky I haven’t experience any of the breaking issues. I’ll continue to buy Fenwicks with confidence until I have some anecdotal instances.

Larry Csonka’s North To Alaska

@Pat Brown dude awesome

@IYAOYAS that really is a beautifully colored spot.

I brought all my gear from the basement to the garage today, where it’ll stay for the next 8 months. It’s almost 70°. Lakes are still frozen solid, though the 2-week forecast is 100% above freezing during the day with only a couple nights dipping below. I can taste it. Snowblower is staying gassed up though. I took mine out of my truck today, thought about it for 2 seconds, and put it back in.

I’ve seen someone do this before and it would definitely limit casting distance in the way OP is describing.

I don’t have specific search & follow up pairs. Like @Swamp Girl I will follow up a missed strike with a weightless senko or fluke.

Heavier line = more surface area. More surface area = more friction. More friction = less casting distance. I’d find out what diameter line you’re using and maybe try to step it down, and hit it with some line conditioner.

50s and 60s is forecasted for most of this week. Some sun, some rain, and some wind. This has been the nicest March I can remember in a long time. At this point I’d be surprised if the lakes didn’t thaw before April.

Dallas was down to 7 healthy players today against Phoenix after two of their players collided and had to leave the game. The Mavs must have done something to deserve this basketball karma. The “Luka Curse”.

Jigs. Jigs at wood, jigs at docks.

Me either. I would probably forget how to cast all together.

1st period was a 2 man show! They’ve built a nice gap.

I study a contour map pretty thoroughly and have spots picked out that I want to scan. So when I get to the lake I’m not just hoping to come across something on the depth finder. If I do find something on the way to a spot I wanted to scan, I’ll stop and fish it.

The non-scopers aren’t catching em this period. Only 3 or 4 scorable fish combined

Drew Gill wants to “satiate his primitive desire to catch a big one on a buzzbait in March”. I get it. Not something I’ve done but it get the primitive desire part

What a charge by Wheeler! Looks like he’s hooked into a striper now though.

Anything used I’ve bought, I purchased on the flea market section here. Couple reels and a couple rods. Everything was like new and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more used gear from the flea market section.