Dwight Hottle

But based on your regular yearly results you have mastered an alternate plan that puts trophy smallmouth in your boat.

Agree. But there are different variations like drifting with the wind as well. Just ask @A-Jay

Or you can just do it the easy way by adding air up to the max first thing in the morning before you drive on the tires.

Yep the PA record is only 8.5 & the NY new record is 9-0 replacing the old record of 8-6.

Not really. I'm not done yet but you still have the advantage because I'll be fishing the St Lawrence in New York waters instead of PA. Heck I might even be throwing a popper. wink, wink😀

Vehicle manufacturers have always advocated for lower pressure because it provides a softer ride. None of the auto manufacturers guarantee tires only the tire manufacture.

X2 What most people don't understand is about tire pressure's effect on heat build up. Running your tires on lower air pressure will soften the ride & the bouncing effect but increases your chance of tire failure from impacts & heat build up. Maximum air pressure as stated on the tires sidewall gives you maximum load carrying capacity the tire is designed to carry. It also gives you maximum protection from impacts breaks like you encounter from chuck holes & also helps protect your wheels or rims from impact damage. Maximum air pressure keeps the tires from building up excessive heat which is the major cause of blowouts. Sidewalls literally tear apart from the shearing action that low air pressure causes. Disclaimer I spent 13 years in the tire business and was on the front line when a customer had a tire problem.

Tommy go in peace. We will not forget you

@king fisher Yellow Magic poppers & Lake Baccarac are legendary together. Lots of success on that bait. Just saying in case the bait monkey is still lurking.

When I used to reside in N Canton Ohio I traveled about 2-2.5 hrs to Erie PA to fish for smallies. But we always stayed over night to fish more than one day. Now I fly from SE FL one or twice a year to Lake Erie to fish for smallies because I have found out I can't handle the withdrawal symptoms of not catching them.

Welcome to BR. Keep up the good work getting your son hooked on fishing.

All you have to do is look at the Florida's Trophy Catch program submissions from Rodman to realize how prolific a fishery it is.

A-Jay beat me to it. Congrats on the new PB & welcome to the 6lb club. I fished with a very well known guide & experienced fisherman on Erie out of Buffalo & he echoed your comment that the bigger fish always come on dragging a tube but more frequent bites on the drop shot based on his experience.

Yes for both small jaws & largies.

Yes and if they can't throw it they will try to rub it out against the bottom or some other object.

I use a boga spring scale & for a digital scale the Salter Brecknell electro Samson has been my choice. I like using a boga because it serves a dual purpose by grabbing a fish with multiple trebles for unhooking plus gives you a quick weight.

My bait of choice has always been the jerk bait because I had historic early success with it & have put some really trophy fish in the boat using it. Like A-Jay mentioned I do fine tune it when I think I need to by changing color, depth, profile, sound & always hardware changes. When the bite is really strong & I have caught my fill I will try alternate baits & methods just to see if something else is hot or if I'm truly maximizing my first choice. On the days that nothing works I try to accept reality & go home so I don't burn out beating a dead horse.

@A-Jay under pants cracked me up. LOL @bacolmm When you return to the US from an international flight you have to collect your checked luggage before going through customs then have to return it before going to your next connection. So a 80 minute layover is hardly adequate for you. I would not risk it personally.

The point I would make from personal experience which I have had a lot of at the age of 77 is that co-polymer & fluoro leaders do not have adequate shock impact strength causing breakage unlike straight mono leaders. And the shorter the leader the more the problem is magnified. I am not bad mouthing fluoro main line or co-polymer main lines just the use of said lines for leaders. If you just have to use fluoro for leaders then buy straight fluoro leader material like the salt water fisherman have used successfully for years.

Yes sir dump the Tatsu & replace with Trilene Big Game.

Congrats on the PB you are less than an ounce away from the magical 6lber. But sometimes the fish gods smile on you & your next PB jumps more than the next pound up like a 7lber.

Welcome to BR & the smallie fan club.

Welcome to BR. You'r in the sweet spot for some big smallies.

Not all fishing rewards have scales. Congrats on your mutual success.

Looks like she is at home already.