Neil McCauley

I like that navigation light/visibility flag. On my to-get list.

I used to change mono every other trip when I used it. It seems to fray, twist, absorb etc very quickly. It is rewarding to change it frequently. I now only have it on one spool and don't use it much, change once a year.

After years slathering on 50spf sunblock I think I may get one of these buff thingies. I have a few patterns picked out but let's see what you are running. Also, anyone ever see a sonar fish finder pattern buff?

There's a pond on the street I grew up on that is only about 3' deep max. It is spring fed and usually freezes over only a few inches thick if at all. A few bass are able to survive every winter. The issue with freezing over is snow covers the ice eventually and blocks sunlight. Weeds without enough light start to die off and don't produce oxygen. The water also doesn't get aerated from the wind/waves. Can kill off a whole pond this way if it's small and winters are long enough. You could also use a bubbler to keep it open- the kind used to protect permanent docks from ice damage- if your pond freezes over regularly. Depends how much you want to invest in this project.

.... w- what is a "crate"?

I put mine on fastest possible. I want to know what's going on underneath by the second and when I'm moving don't want to miss anything. Why do anything other than fast chart speed? So you can look at a longer term record of it on your screen? I don't really care what happened 10 seconds ago or what I passed 10 yards ago. I want to know what's underneath at the moment, or have a decent graphical representation of the bottom and the things I pass over at 3-5mph.

My hardbaits get shredded from the hooks but not while stored, from getting used. Can see a clear wear pattern on the sides where the hook shanks vibrate against them and wear the paint through to the bare body material. Biggest concern with storage for me is the hooks themselves and keeping them sharp. The tip of a very sharp hook is the most vulnerable spot to rust and obviously the most important for sharpness. Any moisture whatsoever and air exposed to tip will dull it, as will clanking against other hooks and lures. I put use moisture absorbing dessicant packets and blow dry the box with a hair dryer every trip. Store them with hook covers. Over the winter put a dab of grease on hooks that you didn't get to use much, replace the ones you did. You will lose 100x more fish to slightly dull hooks than you will to an ugly color/finish.

If they're going to be kept I don't see the big deal, just seems kind of sloppy. I kind of cringe if it's supposed to be released. Admittedly even my own avatar pic is questionable handling, laying on pleather boat cushions. Fish depend on their "mucoprotein" coating for a lot of things and aren't adapted to deal with anything dry coming in contact with it, it strips the coat right off. Grass and dirt probably aren't as bad as modern materials, boat carpeting seems like it'd be the worst. I don't know what difference all this makes on fatality rates after release though, maybe none for an otherwise healthy fish if it was quickly released after a clean hook. What we really need for the problem of how to take pictures alone is a waterproof remote control camera people can mount on their boat's bow or wherever. Yes.. kind of like a "selfie stick." Has to be able to be ready to go all the time though, I do NOT have the time to set up a timer and fiddle around with stuff when I'm trying to release a fish safely.

Fished LG again this weekend focusing on Lakers but caught a surprising # of SMB with some decent sizes, 16" range. Felt like babies compared to the trout though. They were right alongside the lakers feeding on smelt at stream mouths and spawning areas. It would have been a great day if the wind wasn't out of the North and whipping the lake up into whitecaps.

Would be interested in seeing that. I have seen a few skeg set-ups. I gave up on the fin underneath mine for now, it is just too much of a PITA trying to launch from shore with it.

<50 F is still too cold imo. Should be much better this weekend.

I'll start- Lake George, NY 50°F

Ruins everything imo. I refuse to fish on waters with heavy carp infestations. I say, if legal, bring a suppressed .22LR and kill them all.

SMB tend to be around the rock reefs and sunken humps in the southern to middle half of the Northern Basin, LMB are concentrated in the weed beds at the very northern tip of the lake. Though you can find them pretty much anywhere that time of year, 25-30 ft depths are key.

Anyone on LG or Champlain? What're the water temps like?

Carp "making a comeback?"

No bass here, water is 41°F. Still a great weekend. April Lakers are like kind of like catching July smallmouth.

"In laboratory studies, smallmouth fed very little at temperatures below 50°F and lay motionless on the bottom at temperatures below 40°F." If the water temp is below 50 you are absolutely wasting your time. Period.

What is a NED rig?

They will be loving a warm-up like that. Put the back of your hand against the side of an April bass sometime, it's icy cold just like the water. Their metabolisms need warmer temps. They do still peak in feeding behavior during low-light conditions, but in Spring more because low-light is when prey are easier to nap, not because they're avoiding the sun.

The ones I catch are too big and un-tasty. I did keep some SMB last summer for the hell of it and results were so-so at best. I panfried them after a dip in milk and coating with breadcrumbs/flour/cornmeal like I do with Yellow Perch, but the difference was.. uh noticeable. Kind of a pungent fishy meatiness to them, like frozen Tilapia.

What does everyone use? Also, do you sharpen them yourself?

Night fishing in April? Maybe in Georgia I guess.. I'd just go the 2 least windy days, Monday the 18th and Tuesday the 19th. Possibly Thursday the 21st. Wind is really the limiting factor imo, especially if going in a kayak. Personally I arrange trips more based on what conditions are enjoyable to fish in, less around when the fish will biting the best. Probably why I always seem to be out on bright calm days during high pressure systems.

Nothing beats that first trip out in perfect weather. Empty lake, hungry fish, the entire summer ahead.