Woody B

I'm thankful that I can fish year round. I fear if I had an off season it would start like But would end up like the movie "Falling Down". Added: If you're considering barber school I'm receiving peer pressure to get a hair cut.

I get way too simple with plastics, and I'm also a cheapskate. I used to use Zoom trick worms, any dark color, but switched to "Dizzy Diamond" worms from Bizz Baits after Pat Brown pointed out that Bizz baits in an NC company, I had good luck most Summer using the entire 6 inch Dizzy Diamond with a 3/16 ounce shaky head. 6 weeks or so ago I noticed Bass ignoring them. I cut them down to 4 inches(for a faster fall rate?) and they're clobbering them again. A heavier weight with the full size worm might be the trick, but I've got a bunch of 3/16's. As long as cutting a little off the worm works I'm sticking with what I've got, and keeping the bait monkey in his cage. LOL However, the monkey is rattling the cage. It's it's rainy, windy and cold tomorrow, instead of going fishing I might make a BPS/Academy run. I've got a couple local tackle shops I really like, but I'm usually either working or fishing when they're open. This helps with the monkey too.

I made a short post Covid fishing trip today. I slept in. I thought it was supposed to be clear today, with rain tomorrow. I caught 3 in a couple hours. It started raining so I came back home. I normally love fishing in the rain but it's only be a few days since I had a fever and felt like I'd been hit by a bus. I figured getting back indoors would be best. I couldn't get a good pattern figured out. (I kinda hate the word pattern). I saw activity on ledges near channel swings. My first was a 13 inch spot. I lost a smaller on a couple casts later so I abandoned that approach to look for bigger fish. I went to a hump, off of a point. I saw some activity on sonar. I caught a fat 13 inch Largemouth on an A-rig. Action stopped there for a while until I broke off a big Flathead cat. I pretty much never break off fish. I use 50 pound braid for A-rigs instead of my normal 12 to 14 pound mono. I decided to lean on it and it broke. The knot was several months old. I suppose I need to maintain braid like I do my mono. I went across the channel to another hump and caught a 16 inch Spot on a shaky head. It was starting to rain so I decided to come back to the house. The last forecast I looked at was for rain really late today, and all day tomorrow. Maybe with the rain getting here earlier today it will leave earlier tomorrow. I may decided to go during the rain. I wish the Sun would have been out for the last fish picture. It was a classic snake skin Spot, but it literally glowed. The picture doesn't do it justice.

I fish Lake Wylie, ~13,000 acres on the Catawba river in NC and SC most of the time. There's 4 ramps between 33 and 36 miles from my house. I have a BUNCH of lake within 2 hours. I go to other lakes a handful of times a year, but mostly just Lake Wylie. Many people around here say Lake Wylie is the dead sea. I don't keep track or tournament results, but you'll occasionally hear of a 9 pound bag winning. You'll also occasionally here of a 25 pound bag. I manage to catch enough to know there's decent numbers of both Spots and Largemouth there. It's a big enough lake I don't ever fish the same spot more than once a week. When I fail to catch bass I blame myself since I can't blame it on some new lake.

My cousin who died from Covid was 1 year older than me. Right before contracting Covid he was diagnosed with Diabetes. His Diabetes was truly uncontrolled, and I believe that's what made Covid deadly for him. He had been vaxed, but only a month or so before getting Covid. He was on a ventilator for almost a month before he passed. His official cause of death was blood clots caused by Covid. An 91 year old hunting/fishing friend of mine, who had pretty severe COPD had covid and never received any kind of treatment. His Dr told him to monitor his oxygen, if it got under a certain level to call 911. He was better within a week. This was before the vaccine was available. He passed away earlier this year due to a heart attack in his sleep. Mrs B and myself had the J&J vaccine, and 1 booster. We decided when they started talking about more boosters we weren't going to do any more. My hunting/fishing friend who's a retired Doctor recommended the first shots. Now he won't comment either way. He says everyone needs to make their own decision. Had I gotten another booster would that have kept me from getting Covid? That's impossible to answer. Had I never gotten any vaccine, would my illness have been worse? Again, impossible to answer. My Dad's girlfriend just got out of the hospital with Covid. She's 88, and had all her vaccines and boosters. According to her she wasn't very sick. I suspect she was hospitalized due to her age, more than her condition. Mrs B and myself are 2 of the last people I know of to get it......or to not have had it. My Dad hasn't had it. My Sister as well as her husband and daughter have had it. All of Mrs B's siblings have had it as well as our daughter, son in law, and both grandsons. I believe that most, or all of the people who for whatever reason were going to die, or come close to death because of it have already had it. It's really amazing to me how it affects some people differently that others. I suppose many illnesses are that way though. Thought and prayers for everyone's health, as well as thanks for all the thoughts and prayers concerning mine. Condolences to everyone who's lost anyone to Covid or any other illness.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm staying hydrated. I used to drink way to much alcohol. Like many former drinkers by habit I have a glass of water or tea in my hand pretty much anytime I'm awake. It's been water lately, Dr told me to avoid caffeine if possible. Regarding having Covid before. Since 2020 I've taken a few Covid tests due to exposure, but haven't been sick, or tested positive. Mrs B had the same symptoms 1 1/2 weeks ago as I've had this week but tested negative. My test took less than a minute to show positive. My Daughter, Son in Law and both of my Grandsons have had it. So here's the big question? Could I have had Covid back in September 2019? I had a cough, severe headache, a slight fever and strep throat level sore throat. I went to an urgent care. Negative on the strep test, negative on a flu test. They said "You have some kind of lung virus, it will just have to run it's course" and advised me to take Mucinex. I lost sense of taste after my throat, cough and fever got better. I give blood on a routine basis. For a while the Red Cross was testing donations for Covid antibodies (or something like that) During the middle of the pandemic I had donated blood and got a report that my blood had covid antibodies. This was before any vaccine was available so the antibodies weren't a response to an vaccine. The ONLY time I had any kind of sickness was in Sept 2019. My Dr said I was probably exposed to the virus (in 2020, after it was "here") enough to develop an immune response, but not enough to develop symptoms.

I went back to work today. They have no Covid policy now. Until earlier this year you were sent home (with pay) for a minimum of 10 days. I don't mind working but had I been sent home for 10 days that would have been 8 days or so of fishing. I'm thankful mine was no worse than it was. I never lost taste or smell, beyond what I considered normal with the sinus stuff I had going on. One thing I have noticed is sensitivity to light. I've got dark colored eyes.......not very sensitive to light. The only time's I normally reach for sunglasses is if there's bright Sun with snow on the ground (rare here) or if I'm on the lake and the Sun is bright, but at a fairly low angle. I put my sunglasses on today pretty much ever time I went outside. It might just be clear blue skies and the low December angle of the Sun though. I'm tired. I do quite a bit of walking at work. Most is up or down a hill. I just checked my step counter. 12,000+ and the equivalent of 16 flights of stairs. This is a little less than my average day. I'm not very hungry...don't have my normal appetite. Maybe I'll lose a few pounds by the time this is over.

It's my belief that for the vast majority of fishermen (with boats of any kind) it's simply a choice. Quite a while back someone here said live sonar was separating the haves and the have nots. This person doesn't have live sonar, but has an outboard that cost more than my entire boat, motor, trolling motor and all of my sonar equipment combined.

What I consider a long cast depends on conditions. I rarely fishing clear water, so long casts like Tom mentioned aren't usually necessary to prevent spooking fish. It's my belief that precise casting is way more important than distance. I keep my live sonar forward distance set on 90 feet. Bait and conditions will determine where I position the boat. If I'm using a deep crank, a A-rig, or something like that I'll make bomb cast past the 90 feet on my screen, and past whatever target I'm casting to on my screen. I'm not a NED rig guy, but I occasionally use a fairly small shaky head. In most cases, if I'm targeting specific cover, or fish I'll position the boat 60 feet away and try to drop it on their heads. I'll skip docks and pitch around lay downs quite a bit closer. I don't watch many fishing videos, but one thing I notice every time I do it the pros aren't usually making long distance bomb casts. Another thing I notice about the pros is they're usually extremely accurate.

Dog's sense, or somehow just know stuff. I'm home with Covid right now. (I'm doing OK) Dolly (yorkie) won't let me out of her sight. When I go in a room she lays at the door to "guard" me. She follows me everywhere I go. She's not normally so "clingy". She knows something isn't right.

Until a couple years ago I had never fished past October, or before April (except when racing in Florida, in November) I thought that cold water bass would be deep....and they sometimes are. I've found them "sunning" near the surface in basically no water on select days. Last January I caught several bass right up against the bank, in the Sun. I would cast a Devils Horse onto the bank, then walk in back into the water. They'd hit it as soon as it got to the water. I've also caught cold weather cold water bass in deep water, hugging the bottom. I occasionally check the temperature of fish I catch with a laser thermometer. The ones at the surface sunning, as well as the ones hugging the bottom will usually be a degree to 2 warmer than the surface water temp. What I've found, so far is cold water bass might be anywhere, as long as there's water.

I've caught several Bass on a Bandit 300 that was inside a Catfishes mouth I caught.

I quit using mine. As soon as I'd turn it on fish would start jumping into the boat. Edit:added. Different species are.....different. Crappie will hang around, stacked up like a Christmas tree until you've pretty much caught every single one of them. Largemouth bass will usually be hidden, sometimes hard to see (at least for me)on sonar. They'll wait until prey comes by and ambush it. When spotted bass are active they tend to "hunt" in what I call wolf packs. They're fairly easy to catch when they're active. When they're not active they just pretty much ignore everything. I don't have enough Smallmouth experience to comment on them. I've caught several big Catfish (and a few bass) by following balls of baitfish around until I see some action. Precise casting is needed even in deep water. My Son in Law trolls for Striped Bass. He says they tend to hunt in wolf packs too. He has live sonar on front and rear, and attempts to steer the boat to bring the bait over them. He's caught a 26 pounder this year.

I need to take a picture next time I have the boat uncovered. I've got marks at 14", 16" 18" 20" and 22" inside the front compartment on my boat. I just open the lid and hold the fish there. I've considered some kind of bump board but just figured it was something else to clutter my boat up with. I'll grab a tape measure if I want a precise measurement.

I'm doing OK. I've got O negative blood and it's my belief that's the type that tolerates Covid the best. Dr told me to take Mucinex. My throat is quite a bit better. I have no energy at all. Some of that probably has to do with sitting around all day doing nothing. I had a fever of 101 a short time earlier in between doses of Tylenol. Due to my faith, fear doesn't play a part in my life....but my heart rate increased a little with the positive result. I lost a cousin I was real close to ,as well as a couple friends to Covid. So far I've kept the bait monkey at bay.

It seems like I've seen this thread a thousand times. It's my turn for Covid. I had pink eye last Thursday, I wonder if that was the start of it. Friday I had congestion and a cough that's steadily gotten worse. I can still taste stuff, but I've got an almost strep throat level sore throat. My chest and abdomen are sore from coughing. I "could" work, but I work with a few people with multiple health conditions. I'd hate to give it to them, knowing I have it. I don't have a fever, but I'm taking Tylenol for my throat pain. I suspect that's keeping the fever away.

A good friend of mine had a Ranger Rt188 for 10 years or so. He loved it. He sold it and bought a Vexus 1980. (a year ago, older model) He loves it too. He wanted a bigger boat and won't say a thing bad about the Ranger. There's a BUNCH of good boats being made these days. Some manufacturers has MAP pricing. The price you pay may be less than the price you see.

What a difference a day makes. I was pleased with 5 yesterday in a 2 hour trip. I had high hopes for today. It's warmer, cloudy, southwest wind, and all kinds of stuff that should help the bite. It took me almost an hour to get the skunk out of the boat. I ended up catching 3 in 4 hours. I only got 2 pictures. I caught the 2nd one I caught on a Bandit 300. I was holding it by it's belly when I removed the trebles. After removing the lure it slipped out of my hand, back into the lake. It wasn't big, maybe 14" at best. The first one was 14", the last one was 12".

Bunch of nice fish. I hate to post my minnows but I will. Best 2 Largemouth, pre spawn 6 pounds even only 21 1/4 long. Other best Largemouth 6.1 pounds post spawn skinny 22 3/4 inches long. It rained so much that day my automatic life jacket deployed. My biggest SmallMouth was 19 inches. I didn't weigh it. I only fished one time in a lake that has a real Smallie population. I caught 3 smallies and 7 LM's that day. I caught a 12 inch Crappie, not huge, but I can't tell which picture it is. My biggest Cat was a 42 inch, 37 pound Flathead. I also caught a 33 pounder and a couple Blues over 15 pounds. I'm not sure what my biggest spotted bass of 23 is. I caught one that was 4 pounds 15 ounces last December. I'll see if I can catch a big spot today.

Last Winter I had good luck with an A-rig, and a couple different jigs. So far this year I've only caught 1 on an A-rig. I haven't thrown a jig much yet. I've been doing pretty good so far with a shaky head. 3/16 ounce with a Bizz Baits dizzy diamond, cut down to 4 inches. I skipped one under a dock today and a spot hit it mid skip. IMHO it's not "really" Winter yet. Water temp is down to 55. A few more degrees and I'll call it Winter.

Obviously the range your hunting/shooting is going to be a big factor. I'm not a fan of lightweight, super fast loads. I think you need around 1000 pounds of energy and a bullet grain equal to the Deer's weight. I've got an old Ruger Model 44. (Semi auto Carbine in .44 magnum) Myself as well as my Grandkids have killed several deer and bear with it. It's pretty thick brush where we hunt. If I were hunting where I'd take a shot over 75 yards I'd use a 30-06 or .308.

I was going to stay home today. The forecast was for rain all day. I'm not against fishing in the rain but I've got an infection in my left eye. The rain came in later than expected so I went for a couple hours. I caught 5, 4 spots and 1 LM, all between 14 and 18 inches. The first was on my 5th cast at 7:46. the last, on my last cast at 9:48. As I've stated before whenever time, and conditions permit I catch a bass on my last cast. That leaves me super excited for the next trip. The first one, my first December 2023 bass was kinda strange. I saw a couple (bass looking) fish on sonar under a dock. I skipped a shaky head under the dock, and the bass hit it while it was still skipping. It sounded like someone threw a concrete block in the water. After that I tried a buzz bait a little but no takers. 3 were on a Shaky head, the other 2 on a Bandit 300. 2 were at docks, the others in and around lay downs. I was surprised to find them as active as they were. Water temperature is down 5 degrees from last week. (54 according to my transducer) I've got my boat under the carport. I'm going to do my 300 hour service stuff later today.

Like @GreenPig I don't expect to best my Largemouth PB, at least without traveling somewhere. I think my PB spot is a possibility. My previous PB Spot was 4 lbs 4 ounces, in Dec 2021. (The first trip with my current boat) My current PB is 4 lbs 15 ounces from Dec 2022. Now it's Dec again. Bring on the big spots. I rarely fish where there's any significant Smallmouth population. My PB Small mouth is 6.25 pounds, from 41 years ago. The best LM in my current boat is 7 pounds 13 ounces. The best SM in my current boat was 19 inches long and didn't get weighed. IIRC I've caught 7 Smallmouth in 2 trips to lakes that have them. @Pat Brown is always catching hawgs. He'll probably catch a few more 11 pounders before the end of the year.

I had a Terrova on a minn kota quick release mount and ended up removing the quick release. It was really noisy. The pressure treated lumber on an aluminum concerns me due to corrosion. Do you "need" to use the quick release bracket? I'd recommend not using the bracket. I suspect you can get 4 bolts in the trolling motor itself. I looked at the diagram of the bracket and don't like the small footprint, even if you could get all the screws in it. Added: Having spot lock is worth whatever trouble you have during installation.

When I was a kid my Grandfather would occasionally ask me "what have you learned this week?" I always hated that question. I've never really kept track of what I've learned. I'm more of a "you don't know what you don't know, until you know it" kinda person. I'm sure I've learned plenty here. There's a bunch of knowledge floating around. Being the class clown my entire life, I have to answer the question with humor. I've learned that people actually watch other people fish. I'm always busy, if I've got time to watch someone fish......I'm going fishing, instead of watching.