MN Fisher

Simple answer to this is that the state(s) where the tournaments are held denies tournament licenses during spawning season. The State DNR/Dept of Fish and Game/whatever would have that information, so it's simple to plan.

You sicced the Bait Monkey on him? Shame on you. He should be here to enjoy it in it's fullest.

The heavy w/7.3 is a little slower than I'd like for it, but it could be used for flipping/pitching/punching - 50# or 65# braid on that one. Equal to my Fuego rig. The spinning reel could also be used for finesse fishing. Not ideal, but with a light braid - 8# or 10# with a leader - it could work. You could also run the smaller crank/jerkbaits - 3/8oz or less - what my Trion rig is mainly for. The MH is definitely the all-around workhorse - crank/jerk/buzz/spinner/chatter. That's what my President rig is for. 20# braid on that.

Middle of the ocean - oh well, at least the fishing should be good. You Are Here!

Here in MN, the season opens about mid-spawn. Fishing the spawning beds is going to net you mainly the males guarding the nest in reaction strikes. The females will have moved off, their job completed, and be actively feeding. If you practice C&R during this time, catching a male from a bed will have little effect. Their instinct will be to return to the nest to guard it. Catching females will have no effect as they're away from the nests. Fish the areas away from the beds, get the larger females, and it's a non-issue.

Looks nice - here's to seeing more in the future.

It's a northerner's perspective as well. Going out early in the season before weed growth hits it's high point, you can look/scan the bottom. Ridges, hollows, etc will be found then. During weed growth, you can still see where those are...the weeds emerge first from the ridges, last from the hollows. By learning a lake/pond and remembering those spots, you can fish the structure even when it's covered in lily pads, milfoil, or whatever. While the bass will hide under the weeds during the hottest part of the day, you'll know that they'll also gravitate towards the lee side of ridges and into those hollows.

Hey, you could have our weather.

Don't get too 'gun-ho', @Gundog - forecast for Wilkes-Barre from the NWS

Most of that depends on the action - take the case of 2 Fast Action rods that I own 5' UL Ugly Stick - the action is mainly centered on the top quarter of the rod - so 1.25' (15"). That section will become almost a 90 degree curve before the rest of the rod follows. 6'6" ML Avocet - again, the top quarter of the rod, in this case 1.625' (19.5"). Again, almost a 90 degree curve before the rest starts following. But given it's a slightly more powerful rod (ML vs UL) the bending of the rest occurs slower, but it still happens. So yes, a longer rod will bend more - just because more length is available for the Action of the rod to take place.

Lipped/lipless cranks, suspending jerks, spinners/chatters with trailers (I use twin-tail grubs for this).

From a modelers perspective (yes, I do scale modeling as well as fishing), Thompson's is one of the alternate 'go-to' sealers if you don't want to use varnish or shellac. So yes, it does work, and is a recommended option.

It's not the power of the rod that determines how much of it bends, it's the action. XF - pretty much just the tip between the last guide and the tip-top bends over quite a bit before the rest of the rod slowly starts bending S - most of the rod is involved in the bend giving it a smoother arc Article here on BR does some more explaining - https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/rod-actions-power.html I've used my UL-Ugly Stick for years - 5', 2 piece, spigot joint - without an issue against 1# Bluegills up to 3# LMBs - even a couple 3#-4# Northern Pike.

X2 - T-Rigs are good in a variety of situations. From running along a sandy/rocky bottom to pulling through short, submerged weeds to flipping/pitching into near-shoreline vegetation.

Every year, Minnehaha Falls freezes over. Minnehaha creek starts from Lake Minnetonka and empties into the Mississippi River. This is also the stream by which Longfellow spent some time and penned 'The Song Of Hiawatha'. The statue of Hiawatha and Minnehaha seen here sits on a small island in the creek about 50yds upstream from the falls.

We had 3"-4" earlier in the week. One day off and last night it started up again. Already have a couple more inches with more expected to accumulate. Dropping below zero tonight and not climbing back into the positive until Saturday. Winter is never going to end.

I daydream of a quiet lake, a mostly sunny day, slight wind, and bass hitting my lures with abandon.

A five gallon bucket with an aerator seems the logical choice to keep them alive.

Don't know what it's like now, but this was back in the 60s when we lived in Worcester. We did three-year cycles. Cape Cod one year, Lake Winnipesaukee the next, Kennebunkport the third...then start over.

Exactly - and this guy is a better fisherman than I am.

I remember when I was little and living in MA, we'd occasionally take summer vacation in Kennebunkport. Even in the summer that water was cold - these guys are insane.

You just LOVE torturing us, don't you.

14 day forecast here has highs in the teens, lows in the single digits with a few nights dipping below zero. There's not going to be any melting here for a while.

Question to ask is, is the paint acrylic or enamel? If it's acrylic - a soak in undiluted Simple Green Pro will loosen and remove the paint. If it's enamel - need something stronger...mineral spirits or a paint thinner labeled for oil based enamel. As far as the primer - no suggestion.

There was another thread about recycling worms. The main problem is that by melting and re-casting, you lose some of the special 'stuff' that makes the worms act as they do. In the case of Senkos, you're changing the distribution of the salt content that's the main driver for them. They may look like original Senkos, but they're not going to have the same action much less the all important salt base as well as the scent - which is driven off by heat.