Dwight Hottle

Sounds like she knows how to get it done already. Smart little girl.

Silver spoons when sunny and brass or copper when cloudy. Works on all sight feeders. I have been on a good bite under sunshine with silver spoons that suddenly stopped when cloud cover moved in. The bite resumed as soon as we switched to brass or copper. Works like a light switch. I figured this out when fishing for lake trout but it holds true for pike, walleye & smallie too.

Jerkbait

Fished yesterday and caught my first smallies of the 2018 season. Had six in the boat & lost one. All bites came after lunch as the water was warming. Water temps were 43-45 degrees.

HJ12's & HJ14 size. Go big or go home.

Ironically the Cavs wouldn't have the services of either guards in todays playoffs because of surgeries on Kyrie or Isaiah if they had stayed with the Cavs.

I’m a jerk bait junkie. I have lots of expensive baits from Japan and lots of not expensive baits. For sheer numbers of bass caught the rapala husky jerk & smithwick rogues have done a beat down on Lake Erie smallies over the years. The husky jerk deep diver alone has probably put 40-50 six pound smallies in my boat. Very, very effective. I also use a lot of lucky craft pointers 100 series, 100 series deep divers, 127's & 128's, Ima flits and Duo Realis 100 & 120 sp.

For suspended smallies the number one bait is a jerkbait. Other good baits are spy baits, swimming a grub on a jig, spinnerbaits, hair jigs, swim baits or other depth controlled baits for suspending fish. When smallies are tight to the bottom vertical jigging a blade bait, jigging spoon or a jig tipped with live bait or plastic trailer works. You can also drift fish with blades baits or tube jigs or grubs. Casting and trolling crankbaits will also work well. My favorite crankbait is a hot'n tot because they flat out hunt. Bait shape decisions are based on what the predominate forage is. Smelt, emerald shiners & perch are best matched with minnow or stick baits. Alewife & shad are best matched with shad shaped baits.

PB's are always sweet.

Welcome to BR. Once you catch your first PIB smallie you will be really addicted.

Yep time to slime it up. Have fun.

My best smallie weighed 7-6 and the PA record smallie is 8-8 that is 87% or 1lb-2oz.

Get the Avid MHM in 7’. It will handle most all crank baits with ease. Great stick .

You can set the drag with a hand held scale or by feel pulling line off the spool. I like to set the drag for treble hooked baits by jerking the rod violently with the bait in the water submerged. When the drag barely slips while pulling hard it is good to go. Think of the drag just barely slipping on a hard hookset.

Well you could learn to live with hat hair which doesn't show as much with short hair or slick it back & have greasy hat hair. Like Graham said the fish don't care.

Sweet.

I hope you mean one Merc 115 4s not two.

It depends upon your budget. If your a hard core shallow water bass fisherman then yes. You can also use a spot lock feature trolling motor to hold you in place. If you don't have either an old fashioned anchor will get the job done. Mushroom style for muddy bottoms & danforth style for big water & rock.

Welcome to BR & the 10lb club.

Looks like a teener to me, every walleye fisherman's dream fish.

Welcome to BR. Lot's of FL members.

Welcome to BR.

Welcome to BR.

Take a look at the inside of the swinging side plate. There is a nub or bump out that has to align with the mating recess on the reel body when you attempt to close the outer plate. Once you line them up it will close completely & lock. The inner portion has rotated causing misalignment & not completely seated. Also back off the cast control as somebody already mentioned. I have this kind of a problem on a newer conquest & the new bantam.

Congrats on the PB!