Man with the temps falling the past day and then todays cold weather and wind it will cool down the water fast . The highs here for the rest of the week are around 40 lows around 20 and a crazy wind chill . That will probably slow down fishing around here as well . I hope not but i knew the weather wasnt going to stay that warm for ever . Last part of jan and feb are our cold times . But that beats a whole fall and winter of cold . Can you tell i am spoilled by the warm weather .

You need stable weather to get that first move triggered. Knowing what you just explained, nobody will be moving up during this moon. Perhaps the next one, but you need that stable water temp around 60 degrees.

Then maybe you can answer me this question . While it has been colder i have noticed my white spinner bait with gold willow and silver colarado blade is the go to bait . For the past year i have been fishing i have made notes on the good to crazy dayz of fishing on what worked and the colors and the weather and wind and what the pressure and moon was like . Is that to much info and is that overkill ? But i have noticed in the winter my whites and the craw on a jig or texas rigged is the ticket . I still cant catch a friggin thing on a crankbait .

And everything i am catching is on my furthest throw . Which makes realin in these monsters fun to fight so far out . These are just a few of the things i have noticed this winter .

The more detailed records you keep, the easier it will be for you to identify recurring conditional patterns on the lakes that you fish. Is it overkill? That depends on you... do you find it to be a pain in the butt? If you can't stand doing it (like me) then you might find it to be overkill. I have seen this work to people's advantages and also disadvantages. Some of my good friends that fish tournaments get so hung up on their records that they end up doing poorly because the did not recognize that their "conditional pattern" was not the winning pattern on a given tournament day.

So long as you keep an open mind and read the signs while you are on the water, the bass will tell you what they want (just like in Frank Lapinski's article). If you go out and only throw the white spinnerbait and refuse to adjust when it is not working because your records tell you that it should... well, you know what you can expect.

Like everything I post on these boards, this is only my opinion. It's not right or wrong, it is simply the way I perceive things to be... it's what works for me. The main reason that I do not keep fishing logs is because I feel that I learn more and have a better chance of learing more by starting every day on the water with an open mind. I pay attention to the signs that the environment is putting out. If I recall a condition on a certain body of water at a certain time, I will certainly try and duplicate it, but I still look for something different that might be going on. There are just too many variables to keep track of and if you make it too complicated for yourself, you focus and attention is shifted off of "fishing in the moment" and onto trying to analize data and statistics... I like to just go fish and pay attention to my surroundings. Again, that's just me and it is something that I am comfortable doing.

I do keep general notes on certain bodies of water, but they are not extremely detailed. I would say they are more general observations. For example: the bass in this lake are very driven by wind direction. Granted wind direction is a key element in location of micro-organisms, attracting bait and in turn bass, however, perhaps this lake it is consistantly a key to locaing bass. For me, that is something that I want to remind myself when preparing for a tournament or a fun day on the lake. So I just make a note on the lake map "Pay attention to the wind". that's all, short and simple, but it triggers a memory of something important.

Meh I havnt been fishing since maybe october. Not that I was catching anything anyways but at least I could get out and about. I hate winter.

I hear you BTwizy... sometimes just getting "out" is nice... even if you don't catch. Are there any indoor pools near you?

Swimming pools? Lol Im not sure what u mean Ive never seen an indoor fishing arena. Man tha would be nice though. I bet u could make some money in the winter!

Anyways Ive got the funds this year to get me a boat. Nothin nice mind you I got about 1,500 dollars to spend. Im hoping for maybe a 12 foot aluminum V bottom. or somethin like that. I dont need much cuz it's usually just me fishin by myself. Plus Ima want to easily be able to put her in and out of the water by my lonesome.

I was wondering if any of u guys had some pointers on what to look for when purchasing a used boat. I mean I don't know if I'l get a test drive on it or not. How can u even tell if she will float?

Sorry MbBass If im crashin your topic I shoulda maybe started a new thread but I was here typing and figured I'd ask.

Oh and MbBass dont give up on those crank baits!

No prob BT , How ya been man ? I try not to give up on the crankbaits , But it hard to go to something that dont catch fish as fast or as often as others . When i keep my logs of good days i keep the answers real short . I dont know why i right in it cause i really dont go back to it . I think writeing helps put it in my head better . Thanx for the tips and your opinions everyone i think they do count considering you guyz have done this so long . You have seen more than us begginers have .

I just bought a 12'flat bottom. Try Craigslist that's how I got mine and it was only $300. As for what to look for. On a aluminum boat it's pretty easy. Just look for heavy or deep scratchs,Cracks and if you have any doubts ask if it's ok to put water IN the boat with a hose. If it's going to leak you'll see it. If I was going to pay $1500 for a boat I would make sure it does not leak.

That makes alot of sence thanks for the tip. I took a look at Craigslist and was amazed byt the amount of boats listed. I think I would like to get something along the lines of what you got. I can use the extra cash for a decent fishfinder and trolling motor. Plus you need alot of accessories to be legal and safe.