J Francho

I'll say that for most fishing, the rod is more important than the reel. However, in reality I often spend more on the reel. You can get a very nice stick in the sub $200 range. A good reel often runs over that figure.

Yeah, I love spring bass, the markings are so pure, and the perfect finnage is something! Another whopper, this time from Candy in Conn - Pat X caught an 8-5 to win lunker bonus. I'll try to find a picture.

Does your structure bite or something? ;D

Probably did the right thing, and parked the boat in his wife's spot. ;D

Spear, dynamite, poison..... Just kidding. Look up Charlie Brewer Slider Fishing. Not exactly "unorthodox, but is quite different than the power techniques we are bombarded with.

My favorite would be an Arkey style jig, and big trailer, like a Zoom Super Chunk. Some days, like yesterday for me, its not what the fish wanted. banging a crankbait or spinnerbait provided. I would hit a laydown with a jig, for nothing for ten minutes. One cast with a moving bait, and fish on. On other days, it might be something else.

8-10, from Mass.

Send me a link, I've got some time between reels tonight. I would look at it the same as smoltification in rainbow trout. Simple access to certain dietary and environmental differences cause a physiological change in the fish.

It really, really depends on the time of year, body of water, and what is there. I have a "lunchtime" pond I fish 3-5 days a week. At different times of year, a hard jerkbait, dropshot or wacky worm, jig, spinnerbait, or frog will work. As you probably guessed, the amount of weed cover, and where the bass are located plays a big part in what bait to use. I wouldn't use a jerkbait in the dead of summer with the pond choked out with weeds. Conversely, I wouldn't use a frog when the bass were on beds in between newly emergent weeds.

nice bronze trout there.

Virus scan.

That goes against the conventional wisdom that Centrarchids are secondary freshwater fish, meaning they descended from ocean dwellers. I'd say river life was a more recent adaptation.

Tucker, awesome fish, man. My best smallie is 5-4, though I've been in the boat to witness a 6-4, which is the biggest I've seen caught. Paul, I've talked to a few people as well, and noted the differences in river smallies and lake smallies. A friend, a guide on the Susky, will repeatedly report 18, 19, 20, and 21"+ smallies. He's got photos to prove it as well. Asked him for weights, and a 19" fish was about three and a half. What I noticed, is these river fish are long, lean, and have huge fins. Contrast those with Oneida footballs. I think the difference is environmental and diet. My friend on the Susky reports that they feed primarily on crayfish, not a super high protien forage. Lake smallies seem to key in on Alewife and gobies. Yeah, they'll eat craws, but when there are a million Snickers bars on the bottom.... Anyway, here are some pics: River smallie, 19" Lake smallie, probably less than 18":

Get a net.

Pike sometimes bite lightly, literally slurping resting jigs and plastics, and often its the facial scales that wear out the line, not the teeth. It you were using a contact bait in rocks, perhaps there was some abrasion, as mentioned above.

So true! I bet over 75% of my cranks have snaps already attached. Soon, they all will. I consider the snap part of the lure, not the line. That said, if you're not checking your line with cranks, what about drop shots, jigs, spinnerbaits, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, etc.? Either you're checking the line, or you're not. I'm checking it pretty frequently. I wouldn't forgive myself losing a fish to laziness.

I use both. I've had no trouble with fish over 9 lbs. using my right hand to crank or my left hand. Granted, those fish were trout and salmon, some approaching 25 lbs., and not bass. I haven't too many guys pick up a 20# box with both hands, and suddenly their "weak hand" lets go. Makes no difference, its all what you are willing to train your muscles to do.

Rapala Original Floater Storm Thunderstick Bomber Long A Yo-Zuri Sashimi

Not really the same thing at all, but similar concept.... LFT Magic Shad wacky rigged on a flick-shake jig.

In a general sense, black, motor oil, and some greenish brown color will cover the bases. When it comes to actually improving your bite, its definitely lake/forage/season specific. That takes time on the water, and my recommendations from my lakes might not align with your body of water.

Nice fish, but looks like your buddy has a skin disorder.

Or the bajillions of blue back herring trapped in those fishbowls, LOL.

Here's one that, based on references in the photo would have measured 22 to 23". It was a hair over 6 on my Chatillion. Big shoulders, but fairly thin.

Maybe. That lake gives up quite a few 7s every year. Drives us WNY snaggers up the wall, LOL. We worked our butts off to get on that darn list last year, and already a 6 won't even get you on the board. There's always smallies though.....