Jake the Cake

Looks like the Shiners we use here in the Ozarks/Midwest, but THAT much purple and those stripes down the fat part of the body make me think it's something else. Definitely has the outline/physique of a bass, just very very tiny.

Dahlberg River2Sea Clackin Crayfish

I've caught 4 this year so far on a Strike King Mini King. Granted that's the one lure I have 110% faith in so it probably gets thrown a lot more than some of these guys.

I have a collapsible net and do not unfold it until I need it. It's always within reach and it unfolds in an instant, but until I need it, it stays folded up next to me. Also someone mentioned bananas, don't know where this came from or why so many people follow that rule but I stick to it. No bananas on the boat!!!!

Put in an order for Siebert Compact Spinnerbaits. Pretty excited for those Bluegill and Bloody Shad skirts!

That's the most beautiful selection of skirts I've ever seen. How long are those arms on the Compact Spinnerbaits? I seem to have more success with blades that are as close to the skirt as it can get. Guess I could always bend it to my liking because those skirts colors are impressive. That Bluegill and Bloody Shad!?!?!?!?!?! Killer! I definitely agree with inline spinners working like magic. I haven't had much luck with them in lakes but they're unbeatable in rivers. 1/8 oz Yellow and Silver Rooster Tail is all I need for a limit in the river.

I've been looking into those Rocket Shad for casting purposes as well. The Mini King is and always will be the most productive spinnerbait I've ever owned but unless you're throwing with the wind, you can't cast them the distance that I would prefer. Hang ups are the only thing that have really shied me away from those and at $3.50 a pop it can't fiscally compete with the Mini King. I love throwing that thing around nasty weeds and brush which ultimately ends up with quite a few lost baits. Is there such a thing as a Weedless Swinging Bladed Swim Jig? Like a Freedom Lure Hydra, with a weedguard, and a Colorado blade. I think I'd be in heaven if someone came up with this design.

I use Strike King Mini King spinnerbaits for when bass are finicky or I'm trying to catch a limit (Which is more times than not). What does everyone else use? I'm perfectly satisfied with the Mini King but it's always nice to know what other options might be.

put a 1" Gulp Alive minnow on the hook. Get them every time!

So it sounds like stepping up my jig fishing and working deep water structure is a necessity for 2016. Maybe venture out to some different waters as well. d**n nice pictures you all have put up too.

Not really sure if you can consider it an underspin, but Roadrunners are always a go to for me. A LOT more affordable too.

I do fish jigs a bit but I'm not the best with them. A majority of my bass come from swimbaits and poppers. I think a lot of that comes from growing up with a dad who loved Crappie and catfish so the patience was never taught from a young age, I had to learn that growing up talking to other fisherman. I fish a Texas rig more than jigs. Yum Bad Mamma on a swing hook has been my latest preference.

I do fish shallow a lot, I'm definitely a cove fisherman. Lots of docks and trees that have fallen into the water. I don't have the best graph so it's hard to get a real quality idea of what deep water structure looks like. Usually if I see something that catches my eye I'll hang a drop shot off the side of the boat with a finesse craw and a circle hook and really watch it for 15 minutes or so then go back to fishing the shores. Might have to focus on covering deep structure more this year. Water diversity isn't the problem because I have no problem traveling for lakes.

Good way to kick off 2016!

So 2015 wasn't a great year in the way of big bass for me. I only managed to snag 2 or 3 that weighed in at about 2.5 lbs at most the entire year. I caught a typical amount of bass for me but the one or two big prize fish just weren't there. I guess the question is, what do you all do to ensure a comeback year?

I don't go out on the lake without lures AND bait. I don't do tournaments, I fish because I like to eat and it's a fun activity. Sometimes lures work best and sometimes baits work best, and sometimes both work equally well. Personally I've found lures to work more times than bait on big bass, and bait will work well on crappie, little bass, walleye, gar, catfish, etc. Word of advice, don't hate the bait. Embrace it. Throw a bobber and a large shiner out in the water then go about fishing your lure. I've been called all the names in the book by catch and release fisherman, but at the end of the day what they don't see is a guy enjoying his time on the lake bringing home dinner for his family. Bait fisherman can't be that bad, right?

I saw one of your other posts and had to laugh myself because my dad still tells me the exact same thing when I start getting frustrated and tying on desperation lures. Little off topic but still regarding bank fishing, how's the fishing down there in those rivers? I drive 44 all the time and pass by Little Piney, Big Piney, Roubidoux (sp?), Gasconade, etc. and they look like decent spots. Would it be worth taking a week off in the spring for Smallies, Trout, Catfish?

I fish the bank and the boat with my backpack. I don't find a need to have a boat's worth of baits to confuse myself even more so I plan everything the night before and stick with 3 plano boxes worth of baits/lures (which is still excessive for me - "Keep it simple stupid"), a few cold ones in the cooler compartment, extra line on the side, a net strapped to it, and one or two poles on the bank and 4 or 5 if I'm in the boat.

Lesson learned. Thank you!

Chalk another vote up for chatterbaits (still haven't bought/used one) and also learned drop shot this year (although I consider a bobber and minnow the same principle - suspended presentation - just different way to go about it). More importantly, I just bought my first baitcaster a couple weeks ago (I'm 30) and officially used it for the first time this weekend. Then I realized trying to learn a baitcaster in 30 degree weather with frozen hands is not the way to go about it. That setup has been put away for spring time fishing, which is also the amount of time it will take me to undo this bird's nest.

I was fishing a warm water lake made possible by a local power plant this weekend and noticed something interesting. 4 of the 12 catfish we caught had eggs in them while none of the other species did (crappie, redear sunfish, LMB). Granted we only caught 3 Crappie, 1 redear, and 1 Largemouth so there wasn't a big population to study. Which leads me to this question, do fish spawn year round in warm water lakes or did something set these catfish off making them spawn early? I know the spawn is early in this lake but Mid-January with full sacks of eggs? And why only the catfish, unless we just happened to catch all males of the other species?

I feel like he should be in the HoF if and only if he didn't bet against himself or throw a game. BUT the rules do clearly state you can't bet on baseball while playing, managing, broadcasting, etc and not only did he do that, he continues to do that knowing the consequences. I can't feel too bad for a guy that continues to knowingly drive his own HoF chances into the ground. Should have made changes a long time ago if he actually wanted to be reinstated. Seems to me he doesn't mind not being a part of it

Local and state conservation departments have all kinds of information on it (species, largest population, ones that fish eat, how long they live, when they're active, etc), but as far as lakes go I would imagine 99% of them will have craws in there. You can also dissect any fish you catch to see what they're feeding on (that's if you plan on keeping them for filets). When it's not 10 degrees out you can go to the lake and flip rocks to see what's hiding under them too.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's a general guideline of the weight of the lure for optimal casting. If a rod says 3/8 - 1 oz, it's stating that anything less than 3/8 will not bend the pole enough for maximum casting (not enough arch) and anything over 1 oz may bend the pole too much for maximum casting (too much arch). It's safe to say factoring in the trailer might help with efficient casting but's it's definitely not something you should worry too much about. I can honestly say I've never weighed a trailer and everything has worked out fine.

I can sympathize but I can't completely relate. Got a nice warm water lake (power plant) about an hour away. It's got some decent Stripers but more known for Catfish and Crappie. At least it's something!!!!!!