The Bassman

Rain last night put some nice ones on my favorite drain. The biggest just touched 5 lb. so that makes two 5+ in three days. She came on a Berkley Square Bull which is a bait that I never use because I can't keep it out of the vegetation. Only took a couple of cranks to get it bit in the current, though. I caught three others, all better than two lbs. on it before the bite slowed down.

A little tip with those jerkbaits: all of mine have been slow floaters. I beef up the split rings to get them neutral or even do the slow death sink in cold water.

Got my best one since last spring. Dark, pre rain conditions had me using my neo pearl Rozante. She weighed 5.74. Also caught several smaller ones before the weather moved in.

This is more of a conditional situation than actual structure or cover. The ponds I fish serve to gather rainwater in place of storm sewers. High flows from the drains after heavy rain are bass magnets. One that I fish regularly can produce bass on every cast for long periods of time under ideal conditions.

Gorgeous fish and welcome from a fellow hoosier. Post this again on Fishing Reports forum and you'll get a lot more looks. This thread doesn't have the participation that it used to. I'm as guilty as anyone for that.

Best one so far this season. Relatively calm winds forced me to go midwest finesse. Coppertreuse TicklerZ did the trick. Plenty of bites from the usual suspects, too. Nobody told them it snowed last night.

All largemouth because that's all that is available where I fish. Smallmouth are native to our streams and rivers but my ability to walk and wade streams has been severely limited in recent years. Knee surgery last Nov. will help mitigate that this season. A bad right ankle still creates problems, though. Really miss wading creeks.

Follow the wind. Windward is typically more productive than the lee side. Can be uncomfortable in cold weather but I've proven the importance of it many times.

Spinning because Randy Blaukat said that 90% of guys are doing it wrong.

First thing that came to mind when this whole thing started last week. Childhood memories.

I'm not actually in anyone's yard. And for the most part I have personal connections with people in the neighborhoods I fish. I've made a lot of friends along the way. A little common courtesy goes a long way towards developing good relationships. I always park in common areas like swimming pool/playground lots and pick up trash that I can fit in my pockets. Also, I always fish alone. A quick way to spoil a good thing is to start showing up with other people.

Got some productive time on the water this weekend. These were my two best on Sat. Caught a total of six. Sun. turned cold with frontal passage but still did pretty well. Every one was just foot long class but fifteen bites still made for a lot of fun. Dark Sleeper still doing the job. We'll probably ice up this week but spring's getting closer. I can't remember Jan. letting me get out as much as this month has.

I use TCB 8 10# on a couple of my spinning rigs and like it a lot. Long casting and extremely quiet.

My wife knows when I'm putting a sandwich together I'm gonna say that Momma Cass choked on a ham "sammich".

Ned Kehde built his reputation fishing featureless areas.

I know I've referenced this before but he always closed by saying "So long and good luck with your fishing". Central Hardware was his primary sponsor.

I use several smaller wakes (1-Minus, Yo Zuri 3DS, disc. Storm Sub Wart) with my spinning tackle but my favorite is an Azuma Wake Z on heavier gear. Bass flat out want to kill that thing.

Beautiful afternoon in the low 40's before the big mess tonight. Only had about an hour and a half to get out but got three halfway decent ones like the one pictured. Also got a bonus crappie, all on the Sleeper again.

Got out briefly today. Other matters (wife got rear ended by a hit and run Wed. eve.) have consumed most of my time. Did manage a decent one in spite of low 30's and wind. Yesterday probably would have been great with 50's before a vigorous cold front.

I'm able to be in my own little word most of the time walking the pond banks I frequent. My fondest memories though are from creek wading. I'm hoping to revisit that some this year since my knee surgery. Still have a bum right ankle, though so I'll probably never get to where I was several years ago. Even enjoyed the long walks back to my car after getting out of the water.

Skunks only count if you get a bait in the water so you're still good. I would love to experience what Maine has to offer.

Just got in. Was hard to find open water today as we were in the low 20's overnight. Still managed five, all on the Sleeper.

I've always said that I don't like the cold but I keep going out in it. Lately a small Megabass Dark Sleeper has largely replaced my ned rigs. I get better casting distance (important to me because of fishing from the bank) and no question as to its effectiveness. A jerkbait can be a lot of fun, too if the pond I'm fishing has decent visibility. Small blade baits have been a staple for me too. Just giving them a break for now.

Been dealing with freezing temps and iced up guides the past two days. Actually have enjoyed pretty steady action with the Dark Sleeper and Rozante 77. Haven't caught anything bigger than this but still better than sitting around. This Jan. has been the exception to typical winters here. Probably gonna pay for it next month.

Fishing personality from the past Jerry McKinnis once "fought" a lawn chair on Dale Hollow while fishing with Billy Westmoreland. Given the late 60's lake reputation he was certain that he was tied to a world record smallmouth.