Turtle135

The hardest winter bass to catch is that first one. Once you land that first bass trust me, things will start to fall into place. Get a thermometer. If you are fishing for largemouth and the water is under 40 degrees I would stick with the jig and let the jig sit still for 30 seconds before you inch it forward. Once the water gets to 40 degrees and over a jig and a suspending jerkbait are a good one two punch. I have become something of a specialist on the cold water jig bite. I will sit out there anchored crawling that jig over deep structure for 8-9 hours and probably only move to 3-4 spots over the course of the day. The reward is that you can catch the biggest largemouth of the year doing that. If you aren't "feeling it" on a particular day take the day off. Adapt the attitude that if you get out there and put in a couple of solid hours that that is a "win". Good luck!

On that lake the hydrilla will get down to 17 - 18 feet deep in the summer. Very clear water there.

Some AquaVu video. The deep weedline on my local lake in summer.

I have had one for the last 16 - 17 years. First I had one of the big original clunky units. Now I have the 5" screen hand held unit with a built in DVR. Clear water is really a must unless you just want to drop it to the bottom to examine bottom composition. While it has helped me catch fish the real benefit is what is adds to your knowledge of the underwater environment. I would imagine kids who are interested in the outdoors would be fascinated by it. It can be a time bandit and it can be difficult to keep what you want to view in front of the camera. You drop that camera down and the next thing you know 45 minutes of fishing time has gotten away from you. If it does not break the bank get one with a DVR. Frequently I see things while watching the video later that I did not pick up on the water. I have some video at home that I will add to this thread later.

I am 56. Let me give you an example. I fished the KBF Open on Santee Cooper back in March of 2013. I can remember exactly where I found my bass in that event and what presentation I used. I had never seen that body of water prior to that tournament nor I have been back there since but I could still paddle my kayak right back to those exact spots today. However that information that I can recall is "limited". I do not know exactly where or how the anglers in the top 5 caught their fish in that tournament. They were in no mood to share that information then as KBF would be holding another March Tournament on Santee Cooper the following year. Back to my original question. If a tournament was held where no electronics could be used and no historical internet information could be obtained then who would that favor? My opinion, give me a legendary pro like a Rick Clunn who has years and years of experience in locating bass based on seasonal patterns and current conditions. Who would you choose (legendary pro or young gun) and why?

To some degree but I think you would agree that the amount of information that one individual could recall from a tournament that occurred 15 seasons back would be limited.

I find this to be very interesting conversation. I know I became a much better fisherman over the last 18 years for one simple reason (which I will leave out of this conversion for the time being). Prior to that my skill increased at only a glacial pace for the previous 30 seasons. I wonder, who you would put your money on if a tournament was conducted without any fish finders, no gps, no power poles, no spot lock and no wealth of historical information at an anglers disposal?

I suspect the younger anglers are more adept with todays electronics (and electronics have become extremely important in tournament fishing). I am in the computer business. What I notice is that if I hand my teenage nieces and nephews a new IPAD that it takes them about 60 seconds before they are navigating around at light speed. If I hand my brother who is in his late 50's the same device I am still getting phone calls two weeks later about how to accomplish what should be a straight forward task. He gets there eventually but it takes him a lot longer to integrate the device into the way he works.

I prefer to refer to those situations as "long range releases". I do take my hand off the reel handle to land a bass. I do not regularly carry a net, I lip grab (or belly lift) largemouth and smallmouth. I do have the occasional escapee. Most of the time it is due to my allowing slack in the line and the bass shakes free.

Oh here we go again!

My theory on a deep diver is to match the forage. At depth those colors begin to fade (see the image) but I still get bit on the way down and on the way back up to the boat where color might be a factor.

Check these links out. https://fishingskirts.com/ https://fishingskirts.com/boss-spinnerbaits/ https://fishingskirts.com/fishing-skirts/

I will give you fair warning. If you get a Red Shad Craw or Worm around one of those big Blue Cats on the Tidal Potomac you may get your arm ripped off.

Red Swamp Crayfish from the Tidal Potomac River. He was either giving me the big thumbs up or threatening to pinch me.

I know the perfect spot for that bite. Hopefully that area won't be high and dry this spring like it was last year.

here is a DIY kayak cart design: http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/04/diy-bulletproof-kayak-cart-build.html

Yes, you do not need to use a lot of it. I probably fished a jig 80% of the time this past season as I was conducting an experiment. I am still working on the tube I bought last spring.

$ 9.00 for a tube that should last a couple of seasons?

^^^^ this ^^^^ Berkley Powerbait works the same way. Bass will hold onto the bait longer. Also, I believe these attractants mask offensive substances (sunscreen for example) that might be on a bait. I only use it on soft plastics and jigs I do not believe there is any value in adding it to a moving hard bait.

I think the idea is that you tighten up that bungee where I have the red arrow. The bungee runs down into the grooves on the base (keeping the bungee line fairly close to the mounting pole) which keeps the whole assembly straight. It would sit directly over the eyelet you are attaching it to.

If I am reading that advertisement correctly the base on that light does not have a permanent attachment (no screws, no bracket, etc.). It looks like it just clips to an eyelet, a d-ring or some other loop and the tension from that attachment (and the bungee) keeps the whole assembly in place.

They have moved you into prime prespawn! Demand more money for your appearance!

That reservoir I fish does not have a lot of drastic structural changes. If you can find some sunken wood, a rock pile or a change in the direction of the creek channel that will be something the bass will relate to. I spend a lot of time looking at my fish finder and then investigating the irregularity with a jig. I generally only fish this place late fall, winter and early spring. In season they have a boat rental operation (paddle boats, kayaks and canoes) and the recreational crowd will drive you mad.

My local state park reservoir is similar. Lot of skinny dinks but it seems once they can get to a certain size they are able to take advantage of the forage (sunfish, yellow perch, crappie and crayfish) and they get really "tall". I target them on off shore irregularities with jigs.

I almost always tie in a tab of medium round rubber for the action it provides. Silicone tabs for the color.