New Fishing Goals for 2021, Preview #4

I have several new goals in the Bass category this year, they are:

Catch over 500 bass on Frogs
Catch 5 bass over  5lbs/20-inches

Catch 25 bass over 4lbs/19-inches

More from this category tomorrow. 

Fantasy Team For the Tennessee River Elite

 I went with 3 blue-chippers in their respective buckets: Palanuik, Wendlandt, and Auten. Switched out Scott Martin for Card when I saw Brandon's low ownership percentage. Card is originally from the Knoxville area. Just have a feeling about Benton. My feelings got hurt picking Koby Kreiger at St. Johns.

New Fishing Goals for 2021, Preview #3

 

Comes from the crappie category and I have already achieved it. Every crappie I catch from now until the end of 2021 will be a new personal best for the number of crappies caught in a year 

Fishing Goals for 2021, Preview #2

 One of my new goals for 2021 is to catch a fish in every month of the year.  I didn't wet a line in January or February in 2020. I didn't catch a fish in four months of 2019. I didn't catch a fish in April of 2018. So 2017 was the last time I caught a fish in all 12 months.

Fishing Goals for 2021 Preview #1

I am planning on publishing my fishing goals for 2021 on March 1st. I think I will preview a few of my new goals for this year before I release them in their entirety next Monday.  I did my first fishing goal list here at Bass Pundit back in 2006. I didn't blog another list of goals until 2016. I have done it every year since always releasing them in March.

Under Technique & Tackle Goals I plan on adding 7 new goals for 2021. Among them are catching fish on at least 100 different lures, catching at least 25 fish on a Berkley Frenzy Popper, and catching a bass deep cranking on Sullivan Lake.  

I have only caught fish on a hundred different lures once in my life; That was in 2017. Every year since 2017 I have caught fish on 90 something different lures. I don't know how many different lures I own, but it's got to be north of 250. I've got at least 30 different hollow body frogs. If I've got 'em I might as well use 'em. The Berkley Frenzy Popper is a lure that fell out of favor with me because it doesn't cast as far as some others and deep cranking fell off my radar after moving north. I think I've tried it only once or twice unsuccessfully on Sullivan.  

 

Strike While The Iron Is Hot

I have been racking up my crappie numbers and fish caught per hour in February.  The idea is to strike while the iron is hot and drive my fish numbers through the roof while I can. I am on track to beat my previous record month for Fish Caught Per Outing which is 34 from January 2017. And it's all but certain I am going to beat my record for crappie caught in a year, which I think is 515 which also came in 2017. The higher I keep my Fish Per Hour in the winter the more likely it will be that I finally break the 5 Fish Per Hour Goal I have been chasing since 2017.   

Hellabass Had The New Elite Champ Brian New On For the First Hour Last Night

 Oklahoma's Worst Angler is on the second hour.

Back On the Ice After 11 Days

 

 

Ice is 20+

8.5" Glow Demon/Minnow

4:30-6:30PM 16' 2021 Hole

-5 to 5℉, MS, 0-3mph S

It was cold out, but the sun was shining and there wasn't much wind so I went fishing. Drove out to my area. Hands got cold while I was drilling holes, had to get the choppers out. Ice was a good 8-inches deeper maybe more. Got set up and it was so warm in the house I eventually took my jacket off. Couldn't get the old Aqua-Vu to work. Wasted at least 20 minutes on that. I did eventually put the Aqua-Vu 5c down, but there were only about 15-minutes of good light for me. Saw a couple of crappies and a perch.  The first crappie took the minnow, but fish were way more active on THE Jig. Got one crip on the Glow Demon Spoon. The bite shut down at about a quarter of 6PM. I got a few stragglers after that. It was cold while packing up.

21 Crip

1 Perch

St. Croix Victory It Is

 

Interesting that they are only releasing 1/3rd of the models, to begin with. 12 of the models will be different from anything from what St. Croix is currently offering apparently.

See current the list of models here.

Winter Should Start To Bugger Off By Next Weekend

 

-6℉ For a High Temp Today

Looks like by this time next weekend the two-plus week streak of well below average temps will be coming to an end. That's what I get for writing off this winter in mid-January with a positive long term outlook that turned out to be dead wrong. Only 4 more weeks until Daylight Saving Time begins.

My 2021 Fantasy Bass Season Starts With A Dumpster Fire

 

                       

I don't think this is the worst ever roster I've ever played, but it might be. Welcher barely made the cut with two guys in the 60's and 90'. Brutal Brewgahgee! It could have been worse. I subbed out Scott Martin for Welcher. 

Yikes! Nowhere To Go But Up

BBC Fantasy Standings

 Getting to 18.5lbs is doable for anybody and that is what I think it's going to take tomorrow. Nowhere to go but up for my squad.
 

Long Term Outlook Feb 11th

 Hopefully, we will soon be done with the Arctic Air.

My St. John's Fantasy Bass Roster

 I went with Welcher and DeMarion off of Hellabass intel. Todd Auten is a guy I've had success with in the past. It is setting up for sight fishing which is Kreiger's game. And I'm hoping the Cheesehead rookie Schlapper has a reasonably good debut.

Fantasy Bass Fishing Starts Next Week

B.A.S.S stepped up again this year in the prizes department as did many private parties in groups. First Tournament is on the St. John's River in Florida starting on Thursday of next week. You can register at https://bassmasterfantasy.com/ and be sure to check out Hellabass's tips and pics before every event. There will be 10 events this year if none are canceled. Good Luck Everybody!

February Ice Out Prediction

 

Last year I made a prediction on February 15th that ice would be off Platte Lake by Easter which was April 12th last year. This year Easter is on April 4th. Right now with the arctic blast, we are supposed to get next weekend and no significant warm-up in the long-term forecast ice off by Easter is looking unlikely.  So I predict ice will not be off Platte Lake by Easter this year. I do think it will be off Lake Minnetonka by then. 

Bass Pro Shop Having a $1 Million Team Tournament for Amateurs

 

The purse prize in total will be over $4 million with the million going to the winner of the US Open. Apparently, the catch is you have to have bought a boat from one of Johnny Marine Dealers and it has to be Johnny brand boat.

St. Croix's New Bass Rods Are...

 

...not be named or revealed to the public until February 15th. I saw some speculation that this will be a replacement for the Avid and Avid X, but I don't think that will be the case as those rods aren't bass specific. This new rod will be in the Avid/Avid X price range. It is supposed to be a super light rod in the heavier and longer action rods. It should be interesting.

The Press Release from the 1st.