smallieking

i drive over raystown lake every week.. no ice at all allyear... water temp was in low 40s two weekends ago... im actually heading to the spillway of the dam here in alittle bit to target stripers and walleye and hopefully catch something

no doubt youll have to go shallow for any chance of catching them.... if water is cloudly/murky fish will be holding tight to stumps logs docks that sort of stuff. it almost has to be sunny and murky water warms much quicker than clear water so fish will began to get active in the shallows. an afternoon bite will be much more productive than a early morning..... i would target wood with either a redeye shad or a squarebill crank to get the shallow nonactive bass to react... try a red eye shad in a gold or chrome color and a stike king 1.5 in a chartause should do the trick... if you still dont have luck maybe try slowing down and going with a black and blue jig or maybe a zoom baby brush hog and keep it in the strike zone.. also pay attention to surrounding water... look for baitfish activity.

i would have two or three scales spread out and each time a student catches a keeper bass weigh it immediately and keep records... that way you got an accurate wieght and the bass is able to be released quick and unharmed

whats the restrictions for canoe creek? are you allowed a gas motor?

im def not a swimbait guy but in my opinion the giron is the best swimbait on the market. i love the action and the bass cant stand em. super good bait for around docks and i have alot of luck using them on rivers around log jams. ive caught bass of all sizes on them biggest being about four pounds. if you fish water with a really good bluegill population you will have alot of fun with jackall giron

hands down the quatum kvd pt reel. in power 5.1:1 is the best crankbait reel for crankbaits for the 10 to 15 foot dive range. i love mine matched with a BPS 7 foot crankingstick.

every year i fish a tournament on the allegheny river way above pittsburgh in oil city. well that doesnt really matter. i cannot figure this place out tho. every year during the tournament the river is covered with strains of floating grass. i think its a time of year thing but i dont know where the grass is coming from. i found most success cranking shallow rocky points but the problem is i can only keep my crank in the strike so for a little bit before that grass engulfs my bait. ive tried every other type of bait and just cannot get a bite. does any one have any ideas how i could improve my results on this tough fishery?

try some over size swim baits. the jackall giron is a big bass producer for me in the fall on southern lakes.

i love using the red eye shad in either a craw pattern or chrome sexy shad pattern depending on what i believe the smallies are feeding on. In rivers i target deeper riprap banks and ledges extending across the river. thats where i find the most success with lipless cranks.

Kevin VanDam always says keep an open mind about everything and i agree. there are no guidelines on what to use when. so worms work year round as long as its what the bass want. since the water is still cool bass are sluggish but moving shallow. even tho reaction baits like jerkbaits. lipless cranks and spinnerbaits are great chooses, bass will hit anything. i had most luck prespawn with worms using the zoom trick worm. i like using a light texas rig and fish around isolated grass patches. if your lake has lilypads, then target the outside isolated ones this time of the year and experment abit and with enough combinations you are sure to find some good fishing action on worms.

From this time to the ice all i use is spoons. i can not get bite on anything else this time of the year.

i like jerkbaiting and topwater for the potomac so i love my 6'6 with a fast tip. its a skeet reese jerkbait rod but i would think a st croix mojo bass 6'6 medium action rod would do great for the potomac for just about all applications. But if you wanted to save money the bps carbon lite 6'6 med action casting rod would be a great choose and if thats still abit out of your price range the BPS blonic blade rods are a good choice as well. Just remember you get what you pay for.

follow the baitfish and match the hatch. if your fishing a cold front fish softplastics and jigs. if the weather is stable crankbaits are perfect. if you dont know where to find baitfish bluffs and cliffs that are adjustant to deep water is a great place to find fall bass. jigs work great for bluffs. as the water drops to the low 40s the fish will go deeper and slow down.

i agree. i have taken smallmouth in water temps in 35 and below and i have even got them through the ice and have never had one go in any sort of shock.

what about onieda?!?

my type of water haha. I have two ulimate setups for clear rivers here around my area one baitcasting and the other spinning. it is a cranking bastcast set lined with 12 pound 100% flourocarbon trilene and with a crankbait the other a shakyhead worm on 8 pound mono on the spinning rod. i clean house on the rivers in my area with just those two set ups. i hope i helped.

wheres that? which part of pa r u from? i just bought a boat and really am eager to get out and try it so i think im going out saturday just need to find open water. my home waters are loyal hanna curwensville yough dam and raystown lake.

that is one of the broadest questions on this site. it all depends on the conditions. on onieda lake up in new york i fish for smallmouth with 35 pound flourocarbon flipping and in pittsburgh on the three rivers i sometimes cant get away with anything heavier than 6 pound mono. when the smallies are aggresive you can get away with alil bit heavier line but when those stubborn smallmouth dont wana hit a thing in clear water on blue bird days you gota throw super finesse baits on the lightest line possible.

they arent excaltly new and yeah they work great. im sure they got alot of attention cuz of kvds classic win with them but he won a tournament down on the harris chain a few years back on it. The biggest difference between the redeye shad compared to other traps is that it quilvers as it falls but as far as any other comparisons go the redeye shad is just another lipless crankbait except kevin vandam endorses them due to sponsorship

theres a few things i would do. first off give the bait more eratic action(sorry spelling is horrible) make that fish bite. thats what i would do and thats what my buddy kvd would tell you to do. if that doesnt work maybe try changing colors and/or sizes. third add some scent or red bleeding hooks. and last would be to throw something different. i would suggest a spinnerbait if water was alil dirtier or a jerkbait if cleaner.

black tube is a great bait for muddy water fished around any wood cover. Im a huge fan of forcing fish to bite so i like brightly colored squared billed cranks that have a very wide wobble.

experment. find structure and cover you feel comfortable fishing. cover the whole lake. thats what i would do. fish every spot and techinque til you find sumthing that works and you feel comfortable doing. in tournaments do everyone go to one spot and use the same technique? heck no. they do what they feel comfortable doing. so thats what any angler should do. find a combination you are confident in and i gurantee you will catch fish

agreed the fish are just not close enough to the shore for you yet. but your still lucky im from pa and still waiting to get my boat out also the lakes here are frozen solid. i got my first tournament in april and im not sure if the lake will be unfrozed lol but just tough it out for a few more weeks and your fish will eventually move in for you

the shallow running xrap shad will suspend 2 feet below the surface its a jerkbait but can be fished as a crankbait

Lucky craft pointers handsdown i like the 78