DrKnew

Can't beat Minnesota, Wisconsin , and Michigan. Minnesota is called the land of Ten Thousand Lakes, thereare..s actually more than that. I live in the northcentral part of Minnesota near Nevis....There are well over 100 lakes in a 20 miles radius of my home, and all hold bass, walleye, sunfish, crappie, and most have northern pike, and some contain musky.....You cant beat the quality of the fishing here, and spring, summer , and fall are great weather.......December thru March is the for sure winter, with several feet of snow and temps to -40 f ....Winter sports like snowmobiling, ice fishing , and about anything outdoors .........Seldom are there hot temps, 90 f ,rarely , usually cool nites during summer......The bass fishing here is great, with 5 lbers fairly common, 8-14 is the state largemouth record, 8-0 for smallies.....Beautiful scenery and friendly people.....While you won't catch a 10 lb bass here, good chance you will catch a good stringer of quality fish.

This is actually for a certain pattern, but when it applies it is the difference between catching fish or no fish at all.....Sometimes you need to fish on the bottom with very small plastics, and very slowly crawl them along......It's amazing how much difference it can make when other things don't catch you any fish.....If you feel that bass are where you are ,but no bites, small can be the ticket.

Fight! , Fight!........Dont know if I should put in my 2 pennies worth?....Oh well......Usually the rat ah tat tat is a sunfish from my view.......When I get a firm bite , dont really wait, but lower rod tip to the water surface , and a quick upward lift to the sky. Don't miss too many that way. Of course, frequently check hook sharpness , and frayed line....I've mostly abandoned the cross their eyes method of hook setting, but , yes there are a few times when I revert to the rip their lips off style , such as frogs in heavy cover and flipping in the jungle.I can tell when a Northern Pike hits the lure, it's a solid WHACK, followed by a lightning quick run that will test your drag settings.

Having recently moved to the great state of Kentucky from Minnesota, I can't help but be amazed at how the folks here are almost in a panic when snow or cold happens.....In those conditions that northern tier states carry on as normal, the southern counterparts close schools , and many buisnesses , in a near state of emergency.

In Minnesota there is a saying that when the Lilacs are blooming , the Bass are spawning, and, while only a saying, it seems to play out that way.....Hard to miss as Lilacs have a wonderful fragrance and are plentiful up north.

I measure most bass 4lbs or larger. I have tapes in both the front and rear areas attached to the boat allowing for an easy tape....seldom weigh a bass , unless a 5+..

Sheeeeeese! , what a grouch!......

I fish with a friend that absolutely rips the bass lips off.......I cringe when I know a hook set is coming....He usually fishes with a seven inch power worm rigged Texas style. I pity the poor fish he catches. I normally use a sweep set with good results, and think that with the exception of heavy weed cover jigs or frogs, there is no need for an eye crossing hook set , as long as your hook is sharp.