thomas15

Hope you recover soon and completely KyAngler_1120

I'm 25 miles north of Allentown PA. Yesterday (Sunday 3/15/15) I took the very short trip to the launch ramp on Beltzville Lake to have a look see. The ice extends all the way to the shore and the lake is 100% ice covered still. A small amount of slush on top but ice for as long as you can see. Some parts of the lake had over 20" of ice this year. I haven't checked any of the other lakes and ponds in the area. The rivers and creeks have some open water but still some ice cover. You are lucky in VA.

I too am invested heavy in Jigs.

If it were my motor I would take the entire lower unit apart and replace all gaskets, seals and the water pump (impeller). Now that you have run the motor, recheck the gear oil and see if there is any more water in it. When you run your muffs, you only need to turn your faucet about half way, too much water pressure is not good. My advice to you is take it to a repair shop and have them look over everything and make the necessary repairs. Do it now before the shops are indundated with springtime repair work. From the looks of it the motor was not maintained properly. You should have several of those washers on hand just because. Also, you should get the shop manual for your particular motor. Good luck.

Can someone give me an Amen! You and me both Brother. Except I rely more on the pray aspect.

There is a 1000 acre impoundment literally right down the street from me. I went over today to check the conditions, especally the water level which was dropped quite a bit last fall. Good news is the level is almost back to normal. Bad news is the lake is literally ice 100%. Not a single bit of open water, none.

Picked up 7 jars of Uncle Josh pork trailers, various colors and shapes. Also some unpainted Jig heads. Oh, and 2# of Hodgdon Clays!!! (Smokeless powder for handloading pistol ammo).

Joe, I have read some of your posts and feel like we might possibly be long lost brothers! I basically have the same questions/concerns that you have. I did a lot of bank fishing a few years ago and thought I knew how to catch bass. Then last year (late July) I got a boat and have had very little success on the water since. It's like starting all over again. Anyway, I'm determined to have a good year and would like to "figure out" my local mud-puddle. To that end I have watched a bunch of videos and read a number of books, in particular the In-Fisherman books. When I think about what I did last year compared to what I have "researched" over the winter I think I was doing it all wrong. I watched what others were doing and mimicked their efforts and have little to show for it. So if I learned anything last year it is that just because someone say's they know how to catch fish or have a lot of nice gear, it doesn't mean that they really are good at this. I actually began to think that the lake I fish had no bass in it. But I read the state biologist report that was only a year old and watched a weigh-in from a tournament in the fall so I know there are bass in there. Some nice ones! One of my friends fishes weekly summer tournaments on this lake, he has a partner and have been doing it for several years. Another mutual friend asked him if he knew anyone that might be interested in fishing the series, someone that has a boat. My friend suggested that he talk to me. Long story short, I've agreed to fish with this person. One of the problems is that I know more about bass fishing than my partner does and that's not saying much. My plan is to get out on the water as soon as the ice melts and try to figure out where the fish are, then stay with them as the year progresses. I think the main problem I had last year is I thought I knew where they should be but I had no real evidence that they were actually there. I think I was fishing in the wrong place and so were others on the lake. Some of those others had very expensive boats and tackle. I'm going to study the topo maps, read the weather, try to match colors and presentations and most important, try to locate the fish before I spend a lot of time trying to catch what might not actually be there. I also have to be a little less lazy, meaning I sometimes use the same lure or presentation that doesn't work only because I'm too lazy to change it. Also, I'm going to try to watch from a distance others at a few tournaments that will take place before I fish my first tourney. See how others do it. And that's my plan.

My local WalMart also carries some reloading stuff. They have RCBS products, Rock Chucker presses, 505 scales, Uniflow powder measures, a selection of dies and shell holders, misc. tools and primers, even some projectiles. No Powder though.

Stopped in at The Wacky Worm in Broadheadsville, PA and purchased 10 packages of finess and shaky head plastics, some drop shot weights, a wacky tool and a couple of packages of Carolina keepers. Got a bunch more plastics and some Jigs on order from TW. Tomorrow I'm headed out to Cabelas in Hamburg to look at a new sonar for the bow. I have my tackle just about as organized as I can get it. If the ice doesn't melt soon, I will have no money left to put gas in the tank.

Since I started hand loading my own ammo, I really haven't noticed the availability of factory ammo in WalMart or any other mart. All except 22LR, which is available, even though prices are high.

I have lost a few $4.00 crank baits but not many. That's all. In general I try to be careful and will spend quite a bit of time trying to recover an out of control lure. I have decided that this year I'm going to take many more risks in the hope that I will become a better angler and catch more fish. One thing I did recently was take several of my lures out of my tackle boxes and put them in the china closet. On display. This way there is no possibility of losing them. One of them is a original Daredevil Spoon I have had since I was 7 years old (I'm 57 now) and another notable is a Wal-Mart FLW crankbait that I used to catch my first LM. I have caught quite a few bass and chain pickrell with that lure and replaced the trebles at least once. It has been snagged several times and recovered but I would really feel bad if I lost that one at this point. I've had it about 20 years now, I think it cost $2.99. I always considered it my good luck lure. The most expensive lure that I actually paid money for are a few $12.00 soft body frogs. Most of my lures are sub $5.00 tackle. Midway through last summer marked my return to any kind of fishing after a 11 year layoff. I feel both like an old salt and a beginner all in one. I have a boat now, more time to fish and the desire to really get down to the nub. All of my past bass fishing was from a bank, now with a boat it's all new. I did sometimes use a bait caster in the past but now I want to do 90% of my fishing with a bait caster. And really make a study of bass fishing.

There is no such thing as an inexpensive to operate boat.

Todd2 This winter I decided to find out about methods that I don't really know and drop shot is one of them. I did exactly what others here said, read articles on this forum and watched youtube vids. I intend to drop shot this year. I have the specialized hooks and sinkers in my box and I think it will be easy to implement. Can't wait to try it actually.

Hey Dylcook91 Not to change the subject but I see you live in Manasquan. I went to Manasquan HS class of 76. Manasquan is a great place too bad it's so expensive and developed now. Grew up in Belmar. Where do you fish for Bass, Manasquan Res? Have you ever caught anything in either Spring Lake, Wreck pond or Lake Como? Spent 20 years in Tuckerton, worked in Lakewood. There is a little pond on the corner of Cedar Bridge Rd, Oberlin Ave and Vasser Ave by the Lakewood Airport. Used to work on Oberlin and fished in that pond during lunch hour. It doesn't look like it but 10 years ago there were many Bass in there and some nice sized carp also. In PA now living large.

I belong to an Water Rescue Team. We train in the ice and always use a chainsaw to cut a hole big enough for our drills. Imagine trying to cut a 5 foot by 10 foot hole in 16 inches of ice with any kind of hand tool. You do have to pay attention to the saw once you are done. That's me with the rescue noodle.... About 3 weeks ago in 7" of ice. We pushed the plug under the mantle and replaced it when we were done. The next day you could hardly tell we had trained on this pond.

Switching to Knob Creek is acceptable if and only if you select the single barrel version.

Question: In general, what is the required min. size of the live well for tournaments? I know these things vary but just like to know. My livewell holds 10 gallons btw. I'm not planning on fishing any tournaments.

The only good thing about 2014 for me as far a fishing is concerned is that it's over. I simply cannot have another year as bad as last.

I just have no desire to consume LMB.

I only ordered 6 of them.

Compared to some I'm a piker with respect to the amount of tackle and gear I own. But still, I have a bunch and I'm always adding to the mess. I seem to have this fear of losing lures or forgetting which lure I used to catch a particular fish or which brand/action a particular lure is. So I save all the packaging! So I've decided this year will be different. I'm gonna use my tackle and try everything. I'm gonna fish the crap out of my stuff and if I lose half of my tackle so be it. Time to take off the gloves and start fishing.

I just bought $150.00 worth chatter baits, a bunch of squarebill crankbaits, some football jigs and a few worm sinkers and glass beads. There are two things I have plenty of, fishing tackle and smokeless pistol gunpowder for reloading. I wish spring would get here. Thankfully I talked myself out of another pole.

When I first started fishing for LM Bass, it took me probably 10 outings before I caught my fist. So be patient. Also, I caught my first bass using a inexpensive WalMart FLA crankbait. At the time it was about a $2.50 lure. Whatever bait you use to catch your first, retire it becuse you will lose it within a day or so if you don't but if you keep it in a safe place you can look at it during times of poor fishing to remind you to never give up. Look for cover where bass hide and look for baitfish and bluegills, fish those areas. Give topwatters a try and also give small ponds a try. When I finally got my first boat it was like starting all over again skills wise. Instead I would recommend finding a small pond that you know has bass and walk around it trying a variety of baits and techniques. One last thing, I not really a good basser, I know what to do and have all the gear. But for me just being out on the water is good enough and from time to time a fish will take the big ride on my line. My son on the other hand has a gift.

Key word: practice. Do as much practice in the yard that you can stand and then do some more. Learn everything you can about the reel and get a technique. I had to shovel out my driveway this morning. After finishing that task, I took one of my baitcasters out and practiced about 20 casts. In the snow.