Pretty bad weather to the west of us today. The upside was our temperatures were much warmer. Decided to take Son 2 to a nearby pond we have fished before.

The water temp was 47 degrees on the surface. My intent for the trip was to catch a bass on a new brand of tube jigs I'm trying out. Bullfrog Baits in Georgetown, KY has a nice selection of handmade plastics. They even take custom orders. Have to give them a thumbs up after catching a good crappie, losing a 14 inch largemouth at the bank, and finally landing a 3 pounder.

We joined forces with the Condor men of Angler' Edge Baits and attend the show on Saturday. It seemed to be well attended with a variety of booths to visit. There was no shortage of fish and fishing discussions!

We met with a gentleman from Cloud 9 Resorts (Baldwin, MI) who provided some great instruction on technique to the boys. To be quite honest, I learned a few things myself! Joe spend more time than he could have, which was really appreciated.

The boys also gave tying a fly a shot. They all turned out great! It was a nice touch for the children that were attending.

Looked over some fishing kayaks in a couple of booths. Think I have Son 2 talked into trying to pick up a two person version. We both liked the Nucanoe Frontier as it looks very stable and practical. Stay tuned!

After constant prodding from Son 2, we took advantage of the 54 degree Saturday last weekend. Upon the advice of Chuck (www.yakin4bass.com) we went to a nearby park, that I didn't know about. After trying a couple of points, we moved to the dam where there was some rip rap. Even though it was sunny, the winds were pretty tough.

On one of the first casts there, felt the line moving funny and set the hook. This one went about 1 1/2 lbs. Poor Son 2 was asked to take a picture.

Two casts later, he had to take another one! Again, a 1 1/2 pounder from the same spot. After turning it loose, I moved down the bank. A couple of casts into that spot I set the hook on a good tap. However (insert lesson learned here), the line snapped above the jig. I had noticed an odd spot in the line minutes before and thought - I should re-tie above that. Thus, the lesson learned. Based on the tap and pull when I set the hook, it was a good fish.

The rest of the day was uneventful as we explored other areas of the lake. Uneventful, except for the smirks of Son 2 when I kept thanking him for taking me fishing!