The Bassman

Arthritis in my hands made it clear last summer that frogging was a thing of the past. I'd just purchased an SK Poppin' Perch and was getting bit with it including a 4 lbr. when I had to stop and go home because of the pain. I looked forward to that technique when vegetation made my usual methods impractical.

Stranger things have happened. I know a local guy who just caught an 8 lbr. on New Years eve from an HOA lake.

Our Indiana state record was over 14 lb. and if I'm still remembering right was pure northern strain.

I'm trying to recall any one lure that I've tried and blanked with. I do know this, though. The baits that I have little confidence in don't seem to get bit and the reason is obvious. I don't put them in the game long enough to give them a fair chance. A good example is the chatterbait. For a couple of seasons they weren't key producers for me for this very reason. On one outing in Jan. '19 during a warm spell I made myself commit to it and did very well. They are a key tool in my rotation now. My biggest bass this past season came on one. Lures are tools. My experience is that if one connects depth, size, speed, and to a lesser degree, color with conditions they'll all catch bass to some degree.

Thought I was done fishing for the near term but temps got above freezing this afternoon. So I gave it a go in spite of a lot of wind. Toss away hand warmers are indispensable. Caught seven though no bigs. I've managed to get out three of the first five days of the year but will have to wait a while now since we'll doubtless ice over after tonight.

I frequently do better in cold water conditions than I do in summer. I do find that fish have distinct "bite windows" where I experience brief flurries of action followed by long periods with little or none. Could be that the fish are more grouped up in winter. I fish ponds so that minimizes the location factor. I'm in central Indiana so we're probably going to ice up soon. Got out one more time yesterday and caught about a dozen in two hours on a blade bait and micro chatter. I really enjoy this time of year when conditions allow.

You should name her considering it's likely a female.

Like others have mentioned, 1/16 ned with in my case a shortened Hula Stikz in whatever color's handy. Certainly not my favorite to use but indispensable.

Yeah but 67 yrs. old and getting creaky.

I was able to get out briefly after an all day rain and get on the board for '22 even if they weren't particularly impressive. Jan. can be a tough month here so I though I better jump while I had a window. Trying to keep my 12 months of bass streak going.

7.2 on a 1/4 oz. chatterbait with RazrShadz trailer.

Yes, but originally from Asia.

I use several different models of Z-Man chatterbaits. One thing I notice is that some run perfect and others don't want to start up or veer off center and stop vibrating. If this is what they refer to as hunting I don't care for it. I've had less than consistent performance with the Chatterbait mini (not the new one but the older cheaper one). Maybe the Mini Max is engineered better. Lately I've been doing well with the Micro. The one I have starts up and tracks perfect.

Maybe we need to have one of those AA like first name only meetings where we admit that we really love these fish.

Like @Team9ninesaid we're in an unusual warm spell here. Big changes coming this weekend, though. Had my best day in a long time. Fish were stacked on the windward side and very agressive. Caught numerous 12-14 inchers including two good ones. Most came on a micro chatterbait but the two bigs bit a blade.

How do you like that Academy rod? Reminds me of a Shimano Poison Adrena. Easier on the wallet, though.

Life lessons to be learned from laid back carp?

I find that it's easier to keep down without a skirt. It's been working good for me this past week.

Our weather handed me a Christmas present today. Rainfall overnight and a good part of today had storm inlets running which makes for some good fishing. Seemed more like March than December with temps in the 50's. Caught eight in about two hours on a micro chatterbait with a crappie magnet trailer. Not rapid fire action like some times but I'm not complaining. We're gonna pay for this weather eventually.

I struggle with tech like a lot of you guys. I'm still on a flip phone (go ahead and laugh). Not related to tech but a bad choice I made in high school (68-72) was taking junior ROTC instead of shop. Bad enough getting teased when in uniform but to this day I'm not comfortable with power tools, saws especially. My dad was handy and tried to teach me but it just didn't click with me.

Looks like this thread has morphed into a thread about carp only (I'm guilty, too). The take away for me here is that carp and bass can co-exist under most circumstances. Problem for me is that I'm dealing with them in relatively small bodies of water. As @WRB cited I can see them eventually outcompeting the bass.

Even in the dead of winter I do best on the windward side even though it's the least comfortable for me.

Caught this one a while back on a small lipless. Fish was hooked just outside the mouth so I guess it was fair. Have to admit it was a lot of fun and a real challenge. Had never seen a carp in this particular pond.

Fish were pretty active this afternoon after a cold start this morning. Caught a dozen not counting a few dinks mostly on this blade bait with a few on a jerk. Jerkbait got the biggest which was a little better than the one pictured. Looks like we should have more opportunities in the short term. I'll probably have to deal with skim ice the next couple of days because of nights in the 20's. Years ago I would be ice fishing by now.

Carp fishing topic in Other Species forum gave me this thought. A couple of the ponds I fish have had an increasing population of carp in recent years. The ponds are still good producers at times but are frequently turbid from the carp's activity. May/June is a mess because of their spawning. I'm wondering about similar situations with you guys and how it has impacted your fishing.