Author Topic: What to do now?? (Read 964 times)

1911crazy · « **on:** December 06, 2003, 01:19:32 PM »

Two more days to deer hunt and the ice is saran wrap thin on the lakes and ponds. I seen a guy fly fishing in a local river here yesterday. Now I'm jones'n to bass fish again and four months to go!!!! I'm just bored already can't go shopping for fishing stuff because no early spring sales yet?? BigBill

I guess I'll clean my tackleboxes?? And check my lines and lube reels? And do inventory on my hooks/snap swivels/ carolina rig stuff/plastics too. Of course I have a woodstove in the garage to keep warm while I putt and play with my stuff?

Lawdog · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2003, 12:07:55 PM »

Yup. Only add that I'll be spending more time chasing mice around the barn with my pellet pistols. Lawdog

Skipper · « **Reply #2 on:** December 08, 2003, 03:52:35 AM »

For me, its get the gear together, and get ready to go to Okechobee and work on my web site. That thing is taking a lot of time.

Skipper

1911crazy · « **Reply #3 on:** December 08, 2003, 07:53:42 AM »

The more look at fishing stuff and look at my tackle the more I start jones'n to fish. I just got back from deer hunting and the whole time I was looking at the river nearby there thinking about fishing?? BigBill

I'm sure we'll have ice soon, I also have a trip to Florida in the spring maybe I fish then, I never been there.

rockbilly · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2003, 04:23:05 PM »

For West Texas, it was colder than a well diggers butt today and the wind was gusting to 50 MPH.......not a good day for anything but setting by the fire. Got about a month of deer season left, but I'm getting reports of big old bass being caught at Lake Fork. I'm having a hard time trying to decide if it will be deer hunting or fishing over the Christmas holidays. Maybe, with a little luck I can do both.

Skipper · « **Reply #5 on:** December 10, 2003, 04:23:04 AM »

I've always wanted to try Fork or Rayburn, just never had an opportunity to.

Skipper

rockbilly · « **Reply #6 on:** December 15, 2003, 02:38:44 PM »

Skipper,
Good choices. We are blessed with many good lakes that produce big fish. Nothing like CA. but we hold our own with FL. I think the state record is still 18 something, I have seen many fish in the 14-15 pound range. I fished a big bass tournament at a new lake southwest of Abilene (Lake Ivey). They paid 30 places, it took a eight pounder to get in the money. Not bad for late May.

Keep you pole stiff, and your line in the water...............

1911crazy · « **Reply #7 on:** December 16, 2003, 01:30:56 AM »

Our state record here in CT is 12lbs 14oz. but I have seen bigger bass here. From what I'm seeing there isn't that many good shore fisherman here (i'm not bragging its my observation and what I see caught) most cast out a nightcrawler and just sit and wait. In my 5 years of heavy bass fishing all these places I notice here that all the big bass 3.5 and up are caught on lures mainly so you'll never catch one with livebait or should I say your chances are less. Our average bass here is 3 to 3.5lbs thats a good bass for CT. I like to fish smaller places where no boats or just row boats are allowed these seem to be the best producers for me anyway. There are some great lakes here in CT. like Lake Candlewood its said to be one of the best in the country(Quote; Jimmy Houston) Its were Jimmy caught his first ten pounder +. I think its good fishing all over we just have to learn the body of water and what the main source of food is too which is very important. I fish two bodies of water a mile apart that the same lures don't work, example a Rebel Big Claw in Green is one of my hottest lures I have ever used it will produce big bass at one place where if I go a mile down the road to the other spot I catch nothing with it but a Rapala minnow does the same thing there(its hot). Its the same with using flukes too at one spot flukes work and the other Renosky scattering shad works. Like I said its all about figuring out the right pattern for that body of water no matter where we are in the country. Of course I'll have to break thru the ice now thats kind of tough with using crankbaits?? (I made a funny?) BigBill

I'll be the first to admit it I carried lures for so many years but I didn't know how to use them, which I'm sure many others do too.

Skipper · « **Reply #8 on:** December 16, 2003, 03:29:37 AM »

I wish most of the reservoirs in East Tennessee could produce 3.5 pound fish on average. That's huge. 4 years ago in the Megabucks on Douglas, The daily weights didn't average much over 14 pounds on 5 fish.

Skipper

rockbilly · « **Reply #9 on:** December 18, 2003, 04:22:42 AM »

Bigbill, It's unusual that all the big bass in CT are being caught on "lures." Most of the places I have fished (all over the south) produce best with live bait. I fish a lot of tournaments, live bait is not allowed, so most of my fishing is with lures, but I have fished several lakes in Flordia, Mexico, and CA using live baits. In all cases, I had been told by the locals that was the way to catch the bigun. Live bait sure works on the big "O" in Flordia, the last time I fished there, between the two boats (4 people) we landed 7 over 10, and lost just as many. (Couldn't get em out of the grass.) That 3 days of fishing.

I think the key to catching big bass with lures or live bait is to fish slow. The advantage to live over artificial is you have to keep the "lure" moving to generate action. Put the live bait out there, it sets, moves at it's own pace, more natural and gets more attention from the wise old sow.

For me, it much more fun to outsmart the biguns with a jig, a worm, and on occassion a spinner bait. Most of my fishing is flipping into the brush, and so that's about all I use. I will throw a hard plastic to help locate the fish, then it's time for the soft stuff.

Remember, don't catch em all, leave some for seed!

williamlayton · « **Reply #10 on:** December 19, 2003, 01:45:11 AM »

if ya can't fool em don't feed em.
blessings

New Hampshire · « **Reply #11 on:** December 19, 2003, 09:02:42 AM »

This is why I love ice fishing. If you think its just for trout and panfish your wrong. As a matter of fact, I see more giant Bass come out of my holes in the winter, than I do small ones. I find its a great way to kill the boredom between the end of deer season and the start of turkey. The bass can be sluggish, but pulling up 5lbs of weight with nothing but your hands (or if your a jigging rod nut you use a 2 foot long rod,) is still quite fun!
Brian M.

1911crazy · « **Reply #12 on:** December 19, 2003, 05:32:25 PM »

The big bass are old and smart and they learn about livebait when they were younger when they were caught and released?? Or do you think they sense livebait is bad?? Lures(crankbaits/spinnerbaits/plastics) seem to catch the bigger fish I wish i knew why exactly? At one place I fish the Rebel BIG CLAW crawfish lure works the best for catching big bass so maybe their diet changes as they get big to crawfish?? BigBill