The Wait is Killing Me....

[Attila]

Normally I've got a lot of patience.  It's something I learned a lot about through fishing over my 42 years of being on this earth.

At this time of year, though, with bass season just under 2 weeks away in my favourite district, the Kawartha's in Ontario, Canada, I'm more restless than a kid on Christmas morning!  I've watched every bass fishing show I could, made sure my hooks are sharp, that my tackle is organized, and that my knots are as good as they're going to be.  I've been out fishing for panfish, walleye, and pike....but...I can't wait to see a smallie come out from under a dock and destroy a topwater in a week and a half!!

How do YOU quell the nerves before season opens...?

[Torn Thumb]

Youtube, tackle organization, tackle reorganization, more tackle reorganization, and re-spooling my reels, buying new tackle.

[Bass Justice]

I live in the south so ponds and lakes never ice over which means it's just fishing in cold weather for me! I can imagine I would go stir crazy not being able to go fish. Like Christmas eve or something 

[MassYak85]

I am curious what exactly the rules are. Could you not just claim you are fishing for another species? Bass lures can work well for pike and walleye too. If you are catch and release only I don't see how there can really be any kind of enforceable season? Now obviously if you are keeping fish that is a different story. 

[d-camarena]

I too do not understand that. Can someone elaborate please?

[Raul]

2 hours ago, Attila said:

How do YOU quell the nerves before season opens...?

Huhhhhhhhh............. when did the "season" closed ? 

Ahhh, is one of them northern dudes threads.

[S. Sass]

37 minutes ago, Raul said:

Huhhhhhhhh............. when did the "season" closed ? 

Ahhh, is one of them northern dudes threads.

No kiddin Bass season is 24/7/365 always has been always will be. 

[Bankbeater]

Bass season is year round for me. The biggest problem for me is the weather.

[geo g]

Move to Florida, the season never closes!!!!!!!  I fish between 250 to 300 days a year.

[lmbfisherman]

Feel the same here, but have to wait until the 25th for zone 16.  I do have the annual cottage lined up for opening weekend.  I can't wait!

[fissure_man]

16 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I am curious what exactly the rules are. Could you not just claim you are fishing for another species? Bass lures can work well for pike and walleye too. If you are catch and release only I don't see how there can really be any kind of enforceable season? Now obviously if you are keeping fish that is a different story. 

This is the exact phrasing:

Open Seasons – Fishing season opening and closing dates vary depending on the species and the area. Dates are inclusive: all dates including the first and last dates stated in the summary are open or closed. It is illegal to attempt to catch fish for which the season is closed, even if you are going to release them. Fish accidentally caught during the closed season must be immediately released back to the water. Unless stated otherwise, species that are not listed (such as sucker and Rock Bass) have a year-round open season.

I agree it is nearly impossible to enforce if the fish are being released.  People honestly targeting other species are going to catch some bass, and even if it's obvious someone is targeting bass, it wouldn't hold up in court.  CO's/Game Wardens have been known to get sneaky, observing from a distance to "make a case," but it's extremely rare for anyone to be charged with fishing for bass out of season if they don't have the fish in their possession. 

Still, having the rule in place keeps the honest folks indoors.  It's basically an honor system lol.  Out of season bass fishing is rampant and obvious, so it's pretty frustrating to drive by a bass/bluegill pond and see folks tossing senkos and crankbaits all through spring.  If a CO ever did stop to question them, they'd probably say "I'm just fishing" and that would be the end of it.

I've seen some "shaming" posts online, calling out people who should know better.  When a fully rigged bass boat is pitching jigs around docks in May, that guy's not targeting pike lol.  Same goes for the musky guys; they're even more cutthroat.

The good news is that Ontario has plenty of other fish to chase in the spring.  If you drive to northern Ontario you can get a (legal) head start on the bass season because it's open all year, and the spring smallmouth fishing is phenomenal.  For those close to the border you can drive to Buffalo for world class spring smallmouth fishing on Erie as well.

The wait is torture, but opening day is a rush.    Favorite day of the year.  I will be out before the sun comes up.

[Scarborough817]

18 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

I am curious what exactly the rules are. Could you not just claim you are fishing for another species? Bass lures can work well for pike and walleye too. If you are catch and release only I don't see how there can really be any kind of enforceable season? Now obviously if you are keeping fish that is a different story. 

you can but there are a few lakes that have only bass and baitfish in them 

19 hours ago, Attila said:

Normally I've got a lot of patience.  It's something I learned a lot about through fishing over my 42 years of being on this earth.

At this time of year, though, with bass season just under 2 weeks away in my favourite district, the Kawartha's in Ontario, Canada, I'm more restless than a kid on Christmas morning!  I've watched every bass fishing show I could, made sure my hooks are sharp, that my tackle is organized, and that my knots are as good as they're going to be.  I've been out fishing for panfish, walleye, and pike....but...I can't wait to see a smallie come out from under a dock and destroy a topwater in a week and a half!!

How do YOU quell the nerves before season opens...?

two and a half weeks my friend, though they are the longest two and a half weeks of the year.

[IndianaFinesse]

20 hours ago, Attila said:

I've been out fishing for panfish, walleye, and pike....but...I can't wait to see a smallie come out from under a dock and destroy a topwater in a week and a half!!

How do YOU quell the nerves before season opens...?

Throw a topwater for "pike".  I have actually caught a lot of pike on topwaters, so it really is legit to fish pike with topwater and you will probably have a few smallmouth mixed in to.

[lmbfisherman]

6 hours ago, IndianaFinesse said:

Throw a topwater for "pike".  I have actually caught a lot of pike on topwaters, so it really is legit to fish pike with topwater and you will probably have a few smallmouth mixed in to.

Yes I agree, buzz baits, frogs, stick baits...I've caught pike on everything.  However I don't pull them out during the offseason because I catch more bass with them than pike.  

[Attila]

On 6/7/2016 at 3:56 PM, MassYak85 said:

I am curious what exactly the rules are. Could you not just claim you are fishing for another species? Bass lures can work well for pike and walleye too. If you are catch and release only I don't see how there can really be any kind of enforceable season? Now obviously if you are keeping fish that is a different story. 

Ya, no; I stand by the laws here in the province where I fish.  I grew up fishing these waters and, while I could have gone to Lake Erie and to our northern Ontario waters to catch some...this area is home to me where I've created and caught many memories.  It's more than just a series of lakes to me...

19 hours ago, lmbfisherman said:

Feel the same here, but have to wait until the 25th for zone 16.  I do have the annual cottage lined up for opening weekend.  I can't wait!

Ya, I used to do the cottage thing but I'm on my own nowadays as dad can't fish as much.  For me, I leave at 3am and hit the water just before sunrise...magical times.

7 hours ago, Scarborough817 said:

two and a half weeks my friend, though they are the longest two and a half weeks of the year.

Tell me about it amigo!  I was looking at older pictures of openers thinking it'd help but nope...lol

[blckshirt98]

Get some topwater muskie lures that are basically oversized Whopper Ploppers and start fishing!

But what I do in the winter is buy more crap, organized said crap, then watch tv/movies and play video games until the time is right to go fishing.

[IndianaFinesse]

1 hour ago, lmbfisherman said:

Yes I agree, buzz baits, frogs, stick baits...I've caught pike on everything.  However I don't pull them out during the offseason because I catch more bass with them than pike.  

That was kind of my point.

[Scarborough817]

14 hours ago, Attila said:

Ya, no; I stand by the laws here in the province where I fish.  I grew up fishing these waters and, while I could have gone to Lake Erie and to our northern Ontario waters to catch some...this area is home to me where I've created and caught many memories.  It's more than just a series of lakes to me...

Ya, I used to do the cottage thing but I'm on my own nowadays as dad can't fish as much.  For me, I leave at 3am and hit the water just before sunrise...magical times.

Tell me about it amigo!  I was looking at older pictures of openers thinking it'd help but nope...lol

At least I can chase gators at a local place for now. I went last night and actually ended up catching a largemouth on a spoon apparently she didn't get that it's a pike lure 

[Attila]

3 hours ago, Scarborough817 said:

At least I can chase gators at a local place for now. I went last night and actually ended up catching a largemouth on a spoon apparently she didn't get that it's a pike lure 

Ya, the shallows have bass everywhere now and so I'm just holding out for a week.  Was thinking of looking for some mid range water crappies out of the shallows but they're still in shallow too...sigh.

[Scarborough817]

37 minutes ago, Attila said:

Ya, the shallows have bass everywhere now and so I'm just holding out for a week.  Was thinking of looking for some mid range water crappies out of the shallows but they're still in shallow too...sigh.

she was actually off shore a fair bit but ya i'm going to stop until the season opens just in case 

[Airman4754]

I just go fish in California. It seems to calm the nerves. 

[MassYak85]

9 hours ago, Scarborough817 said:

she was actually off shore a fair bit but ya i'm going to stop until the season opens just in case 

This is the part I don't get, even if you are 100% trying to target other species, odds are you will still hook into some bass. Do people just not fish at all when the season hasn't started in an attempt not to accidentally hook one?

[Mark888]

I also fish in the Kawarthas, i can't wait for season to open!

On June 7, 2016 at 3:16 PM, Torn Thumb said:

Youtube, tackle organization, tackle reorganization, more tackle reorganization, and re-spooling my reels, buying new tackle.

Me exactly! 

[IndianaFinesse]

59 minutes ago, MassYak85 said:

This is the part I don't get, even if you are 100% trying to target other species, odds are you will still hook into some bass. Do people just not fish at all when the season hasn't started in an attempt not to accidentally hook one?

I wouldn't worry about it.  Unless you are keeping them it doesn't really matter anyways.

[BassThumb]

On June 7, 2016 at 1:16 PM, Attila said:

How do YOU quell the nerves before season opens...?

Fish for other species that are legal to fish for, such as sunfish or crappies. There is usually 6-8 weeks of open water before the bass season opens in Minnesota, and the panfish are easy to find and catch during that time.