Weekend Plans?

Evan with late season open-water Pike

So one workday remains in the second week of December, when you can count down hours to the weekend.  The weather forecast is showing Saturday to be the pick.  Temps in mid Connecticut should be one degree above freezing through the overnight, moving up to 40 degrees or so for the high.  Mild wind and mostly sunny skies.  If you haven't winterized the boat or traded the rods in for guns and camo, a stop in your local bait shop for some shiners might be a good choice for some pike infested waters this weekend.  Live line those golden shiners under a slip bobber and enjoy the day and the cold winter air while you wait for that bite.

All White w. White Bladed Spinner Bait did the trick.

Might as well since the upcoming week is looking like a doom and gloom type week, with a chance of snow and rain.  Maybe the canoe is still strapped down to the roof of you car, and it is begging like a dog for a trip to the lake.
<----- Try slow rolling spinner baits in a bit deeper water near structure.  "Structure!" the word that is used all the time and no one ever takes the second to explain it.  Structure can easily mean at least a dozen different things.  But when it's cold out the structure I want is something that is producing heat and cover (protection for the bass), in lakes this could be the last weed beds dying off or stump fields.  As the sun finally gets high enough in the December skies it will start to warm shallow dark bottoms areas of lake first, submerged stumps, logs, dark rocks, etc.  If the structure is not cover (protection for the bass/safe hiding spot) then these structure items can be near cover, i.e. drop off, docks, etc.  Good luck, be safe, please wear your PFD if you are in a boat, canoe, kayak.  It is the law and since the water temps are probably somewhere around 34-38 degrees you will only have about a minute before you can't move.  Anyways, Saturday is the day to have a line in the water.

Oh yes for the Fly Fishers out there I came across a refreshing look at fly tying and a good blog to boot.  I added it to my list of Blog Recs.  Check out http://flyobsession.com/ Blog maintain by two young enthuisiasts, Matt and Nick, it is worth a peek.