Tomorrow Is Saturday

[Mobasser]

Tomorrow is Saturday. During warm weather, I'd be up by 4:30 or 5:00. I'd have my canoe rigged and ready. I'd have already gone over my tackle, and would know what to take.                               If my grandson or my old buddy Mike could go with me, I'd swing by and pick them up on the way. I'd probably bring something for Aiden( grandson) to eat for breakfast. He's 17, and always hungry. Plus, he's notorious for jumping out of bed at the last minute and racing out the door. But, in his defense, he's never late.        On the way to the lake, we'll be talking about where to fish, and what baits may work the best.                Then I wake up. I realize I was dreaming. I look outside to see cold, snow, and I know the lakes are frozen like concrete.                                                     I'm already burned out on this weather, and we've still got February and March to get through. Actually, I just want to go fishing, that's it. Anyone else feeling this?

[LonnieP]

Yes definitely. This winter has been way colder than usual around here and I’m over it. I absolutely despise wintertime and I’m itching for it to warm up so I can do some fishing. 

[padlin]

 Replaced/reversed the line on my reels today, ordered a bunch of tungsten, think I’ll do some reel lubing during the games on Sunday, so it’s starting. 

[gim]

You guys are really getting cabin fever aren’t you. Been like that for months here.

 

I’m going to the boat show tomorrow. To look at boats that I’ll never be able to afford. Maybe I’ll win something there.

 

Then it’s back to sorting socks.

“Cold and frozen” lmao

[Bankbeater]

Every once in a while I will have dreams where I am fishing.  My wife has woken me up a few times because I try to cast in my sleep.

[Glaucus]

I just hope I'm back to health to even be able to fish in the spring. I have gout, and was hit with the most severe gout attack my doctors have ever seen despite taking medication for it. I hadn't had an attack in years. It destroyed my feet. Hit every joint imaginable, starting in one foot and moving to the next. Couldn't walk, stand, apply any pressure, or even move my legs for weeks. The swelling and pain was too bad. Any light movement made me nauseous. Wife had to adjust my legs slowly by lifting at the calf slowly. Atrophy is so bad that my veins are swollen and bulging. Right leg is half the size of the left from the thigh to the ankles. It's very weak and wobbly. That's the side that was hit the hardest. Doing some light walking and high knees around the house now. Feet are sore as hell in the joints, but walkable. Incorporating some light squats (no weight). It's a long road for me since I atrophied.

[king fisher]

1 hour ago, Bankbeater said:

Every once in a while I will have dreams where I am fishing.  My wife has woken me up a few times because I try to cast in my sleep.

At least she doesn't wake you up and ask why you just called her a beautiful big hog.

[Jar11591]

The cabin fever has hit me especially hard the last week. And it’s not even February yet. My buddy and I were texting earlier about which lakes we were gonna hit first, what baits etc…This winter has been bitter bitter cold and showing no signs of letting up. At least the ice fishermen are happy. 

[Susky River Rat]

I try to spend most the winter working Saturdays.  I did go ice fishing once but, I’m itching to be out in decent weather on my boat with my doggie. It’s getting to me for sure. I have new line I want to put on but, no point  probably 1.5 -2 months away.

[Jig Man]

Yes today is Saturday and the snow has melted.  It is supposed to be in the upper 40s today.  I got the boat ready yesterday and will be pulling out for Table Rock at sunup.  I’m planning to target spotted bass on gravel points and humps with swimbaits.

[padlin]

9 hours ago, Glaucus said:

I just hope I'm back to health to even be able to fish in the spring. I have gout, and was hit with the most severe gout attack my doctors have ever seen despite taking medication for it. I hadn't had an attack in years. It destroyed my feet. Hit every joint imaginable, starting in one foot and moving to the next. Couldn't walk, stand, apply any pressure, or even move my legs for weeks. The swelling and pain was too bad. Any light movement made me nauseous. Wife had to adjust my legs slowly by lifting at the calf slowly. Atrophy is so bad that my veins are swollen and bulging. Right leg is half the size of the left from the thigh to the ankles. It's very weak and wobbly. That's the side that was hit the hardest. Doing some light walking and high knees around the house now. Feet are sore as hell in the joints, but walkable. Incorporating some light squats (no weight). It's a long road for me since I atrophied.

Guess I won’t skip my gout drugs again, didn’t know it could get like yours. I feel for you.

[TnRiver46]

I’m going fishin but I gotta wait a little while, currently 21 degrees 

 

I think the low is 31 tonight so I finally get to wash all the salt off the cars this afternoon 

[Lottabass]

Did you read @Glaucus post?  Just a reminder to count your blessings.

[Glaucus]

1 hour ago, padlin said:

Guess I won’t skip my gout drugs again, didn’t know it could get like yours. I feel for you.

Forgot to mention the crystals and swelling pressed on and irritated a nerve in one leg and spent a few of those days with uncontrollable twitching and kicking from slightly above the knee to the foot. It can get unimaginably bad. I've had bad flares but nothing like this. In the beginning the doctors thought my veins were swelling in the lower leg because that can happen during a gout attack from the inflammatory response and the increased blood flow to the region, but turns out I was quickly losing muscle mass. Don't skip those meds. I'll be lucky to recover without some kind of permanent joint damage. Hopefully muscle loss isn't a permanent thing and didn't damage anything. Oh that's another thing. If you can't move because a gout attack is severe, and you lose muscle, that continues to make the attack worse. Your body breaks down the muscle and you get flooded with purines and a higher uric acid level. It's like a never ending nightmare and everything is working together to destroy you. Most people don't have a clue how bad it can get. I pray you never get hit like this.

[papajoe222]

YES

Every morning I thank God for the new day and ask that I see another. For as passionate as I am about fishing, I only recall the dreams just before waking and they're never fishing dreams. I used to wake up under a tent, but those days are gone. Nowdays, I just get on  Youtube and watch others catching fish. It actually makes it worse, but what the heck, we torture ourselves every time we get skunked, but still enjoy being out there.

[Catt]

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn't promised, we have today!

 

Be thankful for it!

[Swamp Girl]

13 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I'd have my canoe rigged

 

Brother of the Paddle!

 

13 hours ago, Mobasser said:

If my grandson or my old buddy Mike could go with me, I'd swing by and pick them up on the way.

 

What about your old buddy Swampy?

 

13 hours ago, Mobasser said:

Actually, I just want to go fishing, that's it. Anyone else feeling this?

 

Gosh, yes! I have looked and looked and looked at the photos of the bass I caught in '24. Then '23. Then the end of '22, when I started lmb fishing. But looking ain't catching. I miss solving the puzzles:

 

 

Where are they?

 

What do they want?

 

Once I've found them, why are they at this spot?

 

What other place on the pond or bog is like this spot?

 

And, above all, why won't they stop wiggling while I photograph them?

 

 

I also miss walking through the woods and paddling and watching the Sun rise and hearing the birds. Sigh.

 

 

We need you Southern guys, but you've been facing your own considerable cold. 

[A-Jay]

My world is very Frozen &  very White.

Has been for a few months and will be for a few more.

There's plenty here to keep me busy.

Sometimes I have to look a little bit to find it,

other times I do not.

Either way, I do miss being on the water.

Looking back at pictures, reports & videos from past Lake Menderchuck trips helps a bit.

And while I do dream about my fishing, at this point and especially later in the winter,

much of what I do reminisce about sure feels like it was a dream. 

https://youtu.be/TmYCAOq40xU?feature=shared&t=67

https://youtu.be/V3OYj82bUXQ?feature=shared

A-Jay

[Swamp Girl]

One more thing. Look at the photo of Andy braced on his casting deck and note how he's leaning away from the bass.

 

 

I can't do that. My first year of catching lmbs in weeds, in the fall of '23, I started a thread that I think I titled, "How do you Southern guys do it?", where I asked about landing bass from weeds. And whereas some tried to help, it was Father Time who largely taught me because I think I'm the only angler at Bass Resource who fishes from a 32-pound canoe that looks more like a typical sculling boat than most canoes. It's tippy and is bullied by both wind and bass, so Father Time taught me to "case the joint" before I cast and to formulate a plan if a bass hits. Where will I first try to direct the bass and then what will I do next and next? Father Time taught me to apply pressure, but not too much pressure, lest I yank the hooks free. And so on.

 

Again, I learned to fish where I fish. Move me from my ponds and bogs and I'm a noobie again. 

[BrianMDTX]

Been an unusual winter here in this part of Texas. Normally I’d wake up to 55° or warmer temps, and be out on the water by 8:00 with relatively clear skies and reaching 60°+ highs. Woke up this morning to 32°. Just had a record snowfall earlier in the week and temps as low as 18°. But it won’t be long until the bass here get ready to spawn, so I’m keeping the faith. 

[Catt]

13 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

But it won’t be long until the bass here get ready to spawn, so I’m keeping the faith. 

 

February full moon will be on Wednesday the 12th.

 

Cocked, Locked, & ready to Rock!

[Swamp Girl]

26 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

Just had a record snowfall earlier in the week and temps as low as 18°.

 

I worry about you guys when the temp drops that low. My home is built for 18 degrees. Texas homes aren't.

 

For example, when we lose power, as we often do with all our trees and wind, I won't bother to fire up the generator for a couple days. My home will hold heat for a couple days even if it's 18 degrees outside. I can't imagine most homes in Texas staying warm that long. And my next home will have 19" thick walls with a predicted monthly energy bill of ten bucks. 

[BrianMDTX]

I’m originally from Maryland, so it was shocking to see how little homes here are protected from freezing temperatures. I realize it’s not a season-long issue like it is up north, but exposed and uninsulated PVC pipe for water lines is sheer madness. 

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

February full moon will be on Wednesday the 12th.

 

Cocked, Locked, & ready to Rock!

I’m X’ing the days remaining off the calendar lol. 

[scaleface]

15 hours ago, Glaucus said:

I have gout, and was hit with the most severe gout attack my doctors have ever seen despite taking medication for it.

I feel for you.I cant imagine how painful that is.  I just had it in a big toe and even the wind   hurt. I take medicine and its been dormant for several years until last week. I missed bowling because a finger was swollen and painful to the touch. It felt like gout. I rubbed some veterinary ointment on it a couple of times and its back to normal.

[Motoboss]

My Neice and Nephew-in-law own Honey Creek Tackle and have a fishing show every winter with Pro’s, give-aways and seminars. I took my Wife’s great nephew for some wintertime fishing experience, even if it wasn’t on the water. I had planned on getting him a new rod/reel combo but he was determined to wait for the door prize raffle because he just ‘knew’ he was going to win a new combo. With hundreds of people attending I tried to temper his enthusiasm a bit as to prepare him for not winning anything and encouraged him to look at reels he may want to get.

 

We sat through two seminars, one on forward facing sonar the other a Q&A with the Pro’s, which was really quite interesting. Finally they held the drawings and lo and behold he won a prize, a $200 Weigh Safe adjustable ball hitch! He’s 13 and no use for the prize. He was disappointed until they offered him a $200 in store credit in exchange which absolutely made his day, heck his winter! A few minutes later we were out the door with TWO new spinning combos, a free Berkley fishing hat and two spools of braid for his new combos (which I did buy for him). 
 

It did my heart good and made a young fisherman extremely happy and gave both of us a much needed boost of Springtime anticipation, brushing off some of the winter doldrums.