[Michael]

After a rainy Wednesday and windy Thursday, I headed out Friday morning to look at the funeral home pond. Saw more ice had melted in the area where the brook feeds in but had slightly skimmed over due to the cold overnight temps. Most of the pond was still iced over with that 2" or so.

Next was hopped on a bus so I could check out Mondo. Arrived at the main pond around 12:45pm and found about 80% of it was open. Some coves had very skim ice from last night's temps but melted once the sun came out and temps warmed up.

The area I've been fishing at the smaller spring pond had more open water too.

I hit many areas, from deeper water to weedy coves. Other than throwing the HJ and JSR-4, I also tried throwing a yellow perch Clackin Minnow CNM-7, yellow perch X-Rap Shad Shallow XRSH-6, olive shiner Clackin Crank CNC-53, and hot tiger Shallow Shad Rap SSR-5.

Played topwater with the SSR-5 in weedy coves but never had a pickerel show interest. No followers as I did a very slow retrieve with the JSR-4 and CNC-53.

As the sun came out, temps rose, and it got breezy, a pattern that seemed to have turned on was using suspending lures with bright colors and doing a certain stop and go retrieve. Had a crappie swipe at the XRSH-6; had a bass that looked about 2 or 3 pounds grab a firetiger HJ-8 before quickly spitting it; and saw a flash as if a big pickerel or bass came up from the deep to look at the firetiger HJ-8 before heading back down.

Eventually got the HJ-8 snagged on a branch, but when I was able to get it off, the lure snapped in half. Hollow bodied plastic lures have a better chance than solid plastic lures.

Hit the road just before 6pm.