Dwight Hottle

Welcome aboard. You will like it here.

Pretty cool to see Rick Clunn pull off the win at age 72. Just goes to show your only as old as you think you are.

X2 Outstanding quality & hook selection.

Smallie are sight feeders. Anytime their visibility is enhanced their ability to chase & feed with virosity is increased.

X2

I have used them for years exclusively on smallmouth in Lake Erie. They have always produced big time. Most bites come when they are near motionless after long pulls & sharp jerks. They will run 17-20 feet deep on 10 lb braid with a mono leader with 200 feet of line out when drifting. Obviously when casting you will not get that kind of depth. Glass perch is my favorite color on Erie. If you watch them boatside when jerked you will find the action is very similar to the regular HJ12. They will work for largemouth too. The DHJ 12's are my favorites but the DHJ 10 works well when you want a smaller size with just two trebles instead of 3.

Cool.

Looks like your shopping at my favorite store for lucky craft ILOVEHARDBAITS. The baits are different prices but both originate from Japan. They should suspend the same in the same size or series. The silver hooks are often on saltwater series but they all fish the same. The price difference are probably based on over supply deals or something similar but I always found this source to have genuine lucky craft products. Buy with confidence. The colors selections are addictive based on the numerous plano boxes of baits I have accumulated over the years.

If you want Stella quality for a lesser price give a look at the Daiwa Certate models. I call them the poor man's Stella. Buy them from a Japanese vendor, JDM.

Sam if you grew up fishing lake Erie you would probably be an expert smallie fisherman. The reason why is you know how to fish what you know. It's the unknown that throws everybody off. I learned to fish for smallies on lake Erie & it was a pretty quick learning curve for me. That's because I wanted to catch them and I concentrated on expanding my early successes. If we all practiced and studied that which we don't know we would get better at it pretty quick. Think why you are good at what you do & try mimicking that success with something you don't do well because it's too hard or you haven't really tried.

Caught my first pea yesterday down in the Miami canal system.

Simply replace the last guide/tip. Google tip replacement & you will find a video or two describing how to do it.

Say no more. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Texas_Tackle_Executive_Split_Ring_Pliers_4/descpage-TTEP.html

Take a look at Kistler they are running a 21% off sale now.

I had my buddies cut my line then rewind it back on the spool so when I casted my jig it just kept going & going. I was bewildered until they started laughing and I finally figured out what they had done.

Welcome aboard Ronnie. Lots of good info on here.

If the replica doesn't match the dimensions of the fish you caught keep shopping until you find someone who can. You caught a greatly proportioned fish which deserves a mount that replicates your accomplishment.

PB smallie 7-6 around 2pm PB largemouth 11-2 around 1pm

Great tool for both buying & selling. Always use it for foreign transactions and any time your not comfortable with the buyer or seller. It generally adds an extra layer of protection above using a credit card. You can link it to a credit card, checking account or bank account for your convenience.

I had progressive insurance for my boat but never had a claim in 10 years. They did credit me annually so I had no deductible after a few years. Try your homeowners as they have coverage or have a partner they recommend.

Just the opposite. Four strand is better for heavy weeds & cover & eight strand is better for open water casting.

HG stands for high gear 7.1:1 XG stands for extra gear 8.1:1 PG stands for low gear 5.5:1 no letters given is 6.2:1

Sweet!

Lake Erie is a pretty big lake covering three states and Canada. Which area are you interested in?

Paul they really are effective for what they do. First off they are a redo of the Bucher Top raider musky plug. That bait has been out for a least 20 years. They mostly resemble a buzz bait in cadence but can be worked slower because they float. My experience is they work the best when slowly retrieved allowing a following fish enough time to strike without missing. If your getting strikes where the fish are jumping out of the water and missing them you are fishing them too fast. They are a bait that appeals to the predatory instincts of all fish. We used to fish the top raider for pike because it seemed to get them so stirred up they sometimes went crazy trying to get them. I have even long line trolled them successfully.