The Bassman

Blades or jigs? I did pretty good on blades yesterday. At this time of year I wonder how much lure choice matters as long as presentation puts the bait in the strike zone long enough.

Got the opportunity I had hoped for this afternoon. Caught six with one almost 3 lb. slow hopping a blade bait. Also got one decent crappie. If it's not too rainy I'll give it one more shot tomorrow. After that I think we're done for a long time. To quote Bullwinkle the moose, "This time for sure!".

See a chance by week's end except for the fact I have to work everyday and it gets dark so early. I wrote this season off over a couple of weeks ago but I don't want to take no as an answer.

Went looking for some open water today. All my spots are iced over. Funny, thirty years ago I would be getting restless waiting for safe ice. Drove down to IPL low head dam on White river with the hare brained idea that I might get some white bass or walleye action. Had the place to myself. Now I know why. The river was really pristine and peaceful, though.

Ice fished regularly until a little over twenty years ago. Cold January evening just before dark, very close to frostbite, I told my buddy to take my gear and don't let me have it back. Haven't been since.

Pretty sure 92 Metanium XT parts on Hedgehog will work. Handle knobs on Curado 201 are riveted so a handle swap would be necessary. Lots of options there. Check out Dad's Ole Tackle online. Might save you a bunch of $$ and they would have answers about fit on the cast control knob. Edit: One thing that I remembered after posting this is that any handle change will lose your drag adjustment click. It's built into the stock handle nut retainer. I'm not sure if there's a combination drag star/click pin&spring/click plate that will fit. Won't hurt the drag adjustment, just no click.

Had mentioned this in another thread a while back, but one of my fondest memories was going to local tackle shops with my dad and playing with the display case that many of these mentioned lures were in. It was a carousel that moved like a ferris wheel when you pushed the button on top.

I thoroughly enjoy my bass fishing being in control of the fish. Like @CroakHunterit's more about figuring out what the fish want at a given time and place. Doug Stange of In Fisherman wrote an article a while back addressing using light tackle to a point but not beyond that overstresses the fish to exhaustion. That said, what are you gonna do when a giant cat hits? I'm certainly not going to horse him to lose him on purpose.

I set my drag strictly by feel, not specific lb. If I had to guess I'm probably in that lower range that @WRBrecommends. I fish mainly braid and the lighter setting reduces hook tear out. Also, I don't fish heavy cover and in those cases I can see the need for more pressure.

Pretty sure this afternoon was the finale. 62 degrees before the cold front and a good bite on a #8 Husky Jerk and small blade bait. Caught about 20 between 12 and 17". It's going to be a long winter. This season has been memorable for me.

I find the morels to be a really good quality jighead. I just can't get the plastic to grab the keeper.

Just got my TW Black Friday order. Got some new Berkley "Half-Head" jigs with the new serrated style keeper. Seems to work real well with Elaztech plastics. Z-Man has the same thing now but more expensive. Perfect hook size for midwest finesse tactics. Keeping the bait pinned has been my main problem with Elaztech. S'hroom heads worked fine but the hook was inferior (to my thinking).

Someone once said that a kid wants to catch a lot of fish, a young man wants to catch a big fish, and an old man just wants to fish. I can see you're a kid at heart.

As a painter I use denatured alcohol for a lot of things including cleaning cork. I've used magic eraser but they get chewed up too fast. One quart of alcohol will last a long time.

Got out this afternoon with the warm weather. It was too windy (for me) to fish contact baits that have been producing lately. Had some decent action, though with a small bladebait. Found the fish along side a submerged bar that runs out into a lake I fish. A month ago it was out of the water and I was walking on it. Fish would strike on the drop phase of a slow, pumping retrieve. Caught ten or so in a couple of hours. Nothing over 16" but fun enough. Long range maps show a cold turn in about ten days so enjoy while you can.

Enjoyed a little action the past two days. Caught several, most under 15" but one over 3 lb. Was hoping to build confidence with jerkbaits but caught all on ned rig. Between 2:00 and 3:30 seems to be the bite window on the ponds I fish. I respect you guys who fish larger waters and have to find fish as well as make them bite. I just fish the sunniest bank where the breeze is blowing in. That degree or two makes all the difference.

E-Bay's been my go to for a long time. Looking at a Curado K for 140.00 right now. Edit: Waited too long. Best deal is 154.00 now. Stuff comes and goes. Saw a Tatula CT the other day for 89.00. These prices are shipped with no tax. No brainer.

Used both Mega 8 and Fortis in 10 lb. They were both crazy thin, especially the Mega 8. Concluded that both were rated by JDM standards. I like a braid I can lean into so I should remember that in the future. Problem is that Fortis doesn't seem available like it was before. I wish Mega 8 came in other colors. Saw it in blue on E-Bay, but KastKing doesn't list it. You never know what you're getting from some of these sources. For now I'm using other stuff.

I try to determine what tackle will best suit the situation before I start. For me too many choices is a recipe for failure. I tend to change lures too often. When I get into that mode my catch rate tanks. Some of my best outings have been when I walked out the door with my rod and maybe two or three lures in my pocket. @Team9nine stated it well. That said, we're all just big boys who want more toys. Too many goodies out there.

I tried to get in the habit of using a leader this year. Actually got pretty proficient with Alberto and uni-uni knot. My problem with break offs was from lack of attention to re-tying at the terminal. My leader to braid knots never failed. Mono knots fail after being fatigued. I feel much more confident with straight braid when I'm in a low abrasion situation. I really don't think it has an effect on the fish's wariness either. Also, never cared for that little tick sound every time I cast.

First, let me say welcome to these forums. As far as your question goes you're apt to get any number of answers. This might be oversimplifying, but I never met a bass that wouldn't take a senko offered any # of ways. If you've got at least a little visibility that would be a good start. Over in the tackle forum there's a lot of info about it. Good luck.

Starting to look like the show is winding down for the season for me. Got out this morning before the storms and caught a couple but got tired of getting rained on. I envy you guys with boats and electronics. Surely extends your season to ice up.

Got out a little yesterday while the sun was still pretty high. Had a brief flurry of action on a shallow bank with a small Rapala Husky jerk. Caught five with one close to 4 lb. Sun got low fast and it was over just as fast. Sun and wind direction is everything on the small waters I fish. Just got some Big Dude bladebaits that @Scott F had recommended and am anxious to try them in one lake I fish that has a fairly clean bottom.

I use velcro lure wraps that are meant for lure management on rods. All my stuff is either in my vest or in my pockets. Trebles get a little tangled in them but a quick shake and no problem.

I would love to develop these techniques but I'm shore bound and fish shallower waters. Presuming I'll need to focus on warm spells and play the sun and wind as I did the other day. I'm older so spring will seem to come quicker. About now is when I start focusing on tackle and things I don't really need to buy.