Kirtley Howe

You may be very surprised. Bass often hold near shore and in shallow water even in very cold water. Look for areas that have baitfish first. Failing that, look for areas with large rocks, or a dark colored bottom as those areas warm up quickly when exposed to sun....and if there is cover (lay downs, weeds), or structure (stumps, etc.) even better. Also remember that the fish may still not want to chase much....slow down your presentation, and start with more subtle baits like plastic worms, plastic crawfish style lures, or jig heads with grubs or creature baits moved slowly on the bottom, or weightless drifting in the water column. If that does not work, try rattle trap type lures with a yo-yo retrieve, or a slow steady retrieve. Still no luck? Try a fast retrieve with the rattle traps and try a jerk bait with long pauses between the jerks. After that, try spinnerbaits using both slow roll and faster retrieves. Good luck.

Yeah.....similar story for me. My buddy and I left out at 2am to drive to a lake we had been wanting to try, It was about a 4 1/2 hour drive. Since we left so early, we thought we would just grab a quick breakfast near where we planned to launch. Only problem was there was no place to eat anywhere near there. Only thing we could find was a gas station that had some "breakfast burritos" for sale. Ok, that would do. We each grabbed a couple and of we went. Got to the launch, got the boat loaded and launched no problem. Ran around for a while and found a likely looking spot to fish. By now, we were both starving....so we gobbled down the burritos. No luck at that spot, so we ran about another half hour to a new spot. Got set up, made a couple of casts, and all of a sudden my buddy was projectile vomiting over the side of the boat. Not good! Then it hit me...unfortunately for me, it hit at the other end. So picture this...one guy puking his guts out over the side, and the other guy desperately trying to get out of his pants before he s@@@ them solid full. I did manage to get them off, and hopped over the side of the boat into the water. Great....except the water temperature was about 45F. When the "festivities" finally stopped, and I managed to drag my frozen butt back into the boat and get my pants back on, I looked at my buddy. He was absolutely green. It was a long trip back to the launch, with a couple more instances of disrobing and hopping overboard, then trying to get back into the boat and getting dressed again.....Got back to the launch, got the boat loaded, and had a horrible drive home. We both swore we would never, ever, eat gas station food again. The only saving grace was that we seemed to be the only two people in that area of the lake, so at least I didn't get arrested for indecent exposure. I did end up with a really bad cold, and felt like crap for most of a week. My buddy made out better. He said that after he evacuated his tummy completely (several times), and finally managed to keep water down, he felt a lot better.

Years ago there was a small drug store chain called Fays' Drugs. They had several (maybe a total of 20 or so?) drug stores spread around New York State. The store in Ithaca NY (where Cayuga Lake is located) had the absolutely BEST fishing tackle selection, and great prices. I should point out that it was the ONLY store in the chain that sold any sporting goods. The whole store chain sold out to Eckard Drugs, which in turn sold out to JC Penny, then was sold off to another drug chain. And then was shut down. Unfortunately, after the sale to Eckard Drugs, the company gutted the fishing department, as they said it did not fit with their business plan. To quote the company spokesman "Who goes to a drug store to buy fishing tackle?". Of course, when they did away with the fishing tackle, they lost over half of their customer base.....and I don't think the store ever turned a profit again through all the different owners. I sure miss that store.

I saw this mentioned in only one response to this subject, so I will say it again here..... Always check the tire pressure when the tires are cold. Checking the tire pressure after you run down the road at 60mph is not going to tell you anything useful. And just waiting a few minutes after you pull off the highway to check your tire pressure is also pretty much useless. Your tires and rims will hold a higher temperature for much longer than you would suspect. Check the tire pressure before you start out for the day, and/or as soon as you come off the lake at the end of the day, and you will get accurate readings. I have a battery jump-box that I carry in my boat. It has a built-in compressor, so I can top the tires off right there. It can be a life saver.

Should work on any 12V battery.

I know what you mean about small town banks. I grew up in a small town...at that time the population was 997 in the town...maybe 2800 total in the township. The local band was Tioga State Bank, with branches in Candor NY (my hometown), and Spencer NY (about 15 miles away, population of maybe 1000 in town and 3000 in the township). You could walk in and talk to the bank president at any time during business hours. When I was ready to buy my first car that I needed a loan for, I spoke to Ted...bank president...and he said go pick it out and have them give me a call and I will approve the loan. You can come in afterwards to do the paperwork. Now, I will not even deal with that bank, as they are about useless, and are very impersonal. I had banked with them for over 30 years, and still no one in the office could remember my name. Times change I guess.

I do my banking at a Credit Union. If there is a problem with my debit card, they replace it immediately and refund any false charges, also immediately. Love being a Credit Union member!

x-rap or Husky Jerk for me. Size 7, Size 9 seem to work the best. Depending on line they can run from 2' down to 6'.

I have had great luck using Storm Wild Eye pre-rigged swimbaits. The 3", 3.5" and 4" sizes work great for both Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, and also catch a lot of Walleye. I only buy them when I find them on sale, or on Ebay or Amazon. Not as cheap as buying non-rigged swimbaits and rigging them up myself (I do that also), but they are handy and work great. I have also caught some Musky and large Pike on them...

I would not trust those spindles to get me anywhere. My vote is to replace them now.

As mentioned earlier, the possibility of sparks when jumping from a battery make that a little risky for both you and the motor electronics....and any other electronics on board.

They cannot produce more than 12 volts. They can, however produce a bunch of amps...but see my answer to Way2Slo about this.

Understood. I just find it more convenient having the 100 or so of my international friends available in one place, and being able, with just a click of a button, check in on what is happening in their lives. No, I don't want to see pictures of their meals, or hear the latest dating drama...but my friends are functional adults, and don't tend to post stuff like that. I love seeing pictures of their families, their pets, their hobbies, and such. Anyway, we seem to be wandering far afield with this discussion. Just be careful about fraud sites, on facebook or elsewhere. Have a good night.

I am not supporting running a questionable starting battery....but things can happen, and a battery can get discharged, or unexpectedly fail while on the water. In that case having a jump box is a life saver. As AJ pointed out, the jump boxes are not energized (turned on) until AFTER they are connected, and are turned off before they are disconnected, so there is NO chance of an arc, or spark. I strongly recommend against jump-starting a boat battery with jumper cables, due to the possibility of a spark, which can not only damage electronics, but can cause an explosion.

I still have Facebook, as I have friends in many different countries, and having them as Facebook Friends makes it easy to stay in contact with them. I have also found Facebook Marketplace to be a good source for many things I am looking for. There are many things that about Facebook I don't like, but for now I will continue to subscribe. To each their own.

I keep hearing...even on this forum.....about people being worried about a dead starting battery. I guess I am dense, but I just don't get it. As long as the battery is not seriously damaged (like with a hole in it), and it is able to take a charge (it does not even have to be able to "hold" a charge...it just needs to accept and pass voltage and amps), and you have access to the battery terminals, it really should not be a big problem. I just carry a jump box with me. You can find them at any auto store, most big stores like Walmart, Target, and on line. You can get them in whatever power level you need. I have one I paid about $49.00 for at a True Value hardware store (it is labeled as a "Peak" brand (like the antifreeze). I have used it to jump start a Mercury 150hp motor. It will jump start that motor several times before it runs out of power, even in 35 degree weather. It is about the size of a large lunch box, so it does not take up much room. There are smaller and larger units available, depending on how much you want to spend. For around $100, you can get a unit that is about a third that size, with even more starting power, or get a unit the same size with at least twice the starting power of the one I use. And they are not very heavy (15 lbs max for one that would start just about any boat motor). And they have the advantage of being portable, so you can take them out of the boat and put it in your car or truck if you wish. You just have to remember to plug it in and let it charge up after use or if it has been sitting for a week or two.. Mine can also be recharged by leaving it attached to the battery while the engine is running (make sure it is safely tied down so it cannot short out!), as long as the engine charging system works. Just my thoughts on the matter....feel free to tell me I am incorrect and why, if you think I am wrong.

On facebook and other sites there is a company claiming to represent Cabalas, and offering expensive fish finders and other expensive items for low prices....most at $79 or $89. The website address shows up as http:/www.layards.com, or something similar. I checked with Cabalas, and as I suspected, this is a totally bogus site that will rip you off. Cabalas is working to get the sites shut down, but it may take a while. Be careful out there.

Thanks to everyone. That was pretty much my take on the reels and the company. They may be totally above board, but until I see some "reel" (see what I did there?) reviews on both the reel and the company, I think I will stay away from them.

Cayuga Lake where I fish a lot is only less than 40 miles long, and about 2 miles wide at the widest point. But, the max depth is 425 feet. It never really warms up much if you get down a few feet.

I keep getting ads a baitcasting reel from a company called Obalus. The price is $49.99 with free shipping for an 8.1:1 shallow spool carbon drag reel. On the website, they have tons of positive reviews and no negative reviews, which makes me more than a little suspicious. I just wonder if anyone had tried these reels, and what their opinion is. To me it sounds a little "too good to be true", but I am always looking for a bargin.

Never. Going. To. Happen. At least for me. If I used and lost one of those I would have to kill myself.

"Only" 48-50 degrees? That is summertime water temps around here (except for very shallow rivers and ponds). OK,,,that is a slight exaggeration, but surface temps of local lakes can read 70+ degrees, but get down a few feet, and the water is always much colder.,,,often in the mid 50 to low 60 range even in summer.

A lot depends on your needs and expectations. For example, I have one of those no name made in China 8.6:1 gear ratio reels that claims to have 16 bearings. I paid $27.00 including shipping for it. I bought it to have a high retrieve rate reel to use occasionally for very specific presentations. Does it really have 16 bearings? Who knows. What I do know is the stupid cheap thing works great. It is very light, has a quick release side plate, 10 magnet and centrical cast control, 18lbs carbon fiber drag (yeah, I actually tested that), casts like a dream, and is easy to palm. I have had it for over 2 years, and have used it more than 30 days of fishing. I find that I am using it more and more as time goes on. So far it has been foolproof. Will it last as long as a $100 reel? I doubt it, but for the price, who cares? It does everything I wanted it to do, and meets my needs.

You got that right.

Agreed. but note I said on natural lakes (ie: no dam that releases water). If I have the good fortune to be on a river when the water STARTS rising due to heavy rainfall, I do find that the fishing is usually great, but only for a very short period of time. After that, it turns into a major chore to find the fish. On most of the lakes I fish it takes several days of heavy rain to make much difference in water levels, and that is usually accompanied by cold, muddy water, which is not normally conducive to good fishing.