Dwight Hottle

Welcome to BR.

A little bit of advice to you that want to potentially register the catch but want to release it alive. 1. Weigh it on land not on the water. 2. Take numerous pictures/video on the scale showing both the scale readout & the fish hanging from the scale. 3. Measure both the length to the tail fork & pinched tail & girth with pics or video. 4. The possibility of having your scale certified after the fact can be done by IGFA or state agency. 5. Take pics/video of the release. 6. Take a scale sample with pics/video.

Welcome from an ex PA resident. You gotta love the Susquehanna & lake Erie for smallies.

Brad as long time lover of the brown bass species I'm extremely happy to see you score. Congrats.

Sunset from SE Florida on July 4th.

How does the twin power compare to your 24 Certate?

There is a second choice to the tieable multistrand wire. I have fished for pike extensively across most of Canada & my preferred leader material was single strand titanium in 20 lb test using a small swivel for tying your main line to with a simple snap for attaching your lure. They worked very well with bass sized jerk baits & did not interfere with the action.

Welcome to BR Andy.

I am in the camp that fish don't seem to be deterred by braid versus mono/flouro except for some situations like extremely clear water while fishing for trout. But I do believe they can become conditioned to certain stimuli. Case in point while fishing lake Baccarac in Mexico we learned (big fish Jeff Howell, @A-Jay & myself that the bass would not bite as frequently when using braid versus mono/flouro. The guides were very adamant about using braid as it's too noisy. My immediate reaction was bull-@hit but after several trips I became a believer. I don't think it's a sight issue but an under water noise issue caused by vibration. I also think that a faster retrieve with a crank bait or spinner bait is especially noisy as opposed to slow fishing a jig or worm that doesn't set up a vibration under water.

Welcome to BR from Juno Beach, FL.

Mike I have been using Owner jungle wacky 3/0 weedless (4109-136) . It is a small 3/0 made with zo wire & a light wire weed guard. Or if you don't need a weed guard Owner K-Hook 1/0 or 2/0 or 3/0 (5173-131). Both styles have been effective & will handle a DD without problems. My personal experiences favor Owner over Gamakatsu hooks.

Mike is a good choice for the job. Congrats.

I agree. I stand on one leg in the shower while I wash my feet. Helps promote core balance.

It's kind of similar to the recent addition of catch & release length records requiring the purchase of their vinyl cloth measuring device. It creates more interest & offers more membership opportunities for the agency as well as more potential records.

I have had smallies pull a rear treble out of the split ring several times mangling the split ring in the process. One time the whole hook & split ring were gone. This happened on jerk baits. The split rings & hooks on most SPY baits are rather small.

The state of Mississippi has changed the crappie limits on four lakes because of FFS. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/outdoors/2024/06/21/livescope-leads-to-lower-crappie-limits-at-popular-ms-lakes/74154899007/

I'm 76 and never have had a balance issue for which I'm grateful. I have several buddies that do and it is a serious problem when fishing. I do notice how others think I'm weak & frail based on my age & overall appearance. People hold doors open for me when I'm out in public & defer to me being first when getting in line or going thru an opening. I just smile to myself & enjoy the treatment that old age has bestowed on me.

At least you didn’t jump in after it. Years back an older man fishing on Lake Erie for perch tossed the anchor in & realized it was not tied to the boat and jumped in to retrieve the rope. He drowned in the process. True story.

Years ago (1970's) my buddy & our two dads caught about a dozen trolling on lake St Clair.

Muskies are more vulnerable to the use of FFS than any other fresh water species because of there size.

@king fisher it is.

High three to mid 4lb.

I don’t care what you caught it on Mike. Nice summer bass.

@MediumMouthBass I understand your point very well. We had around 13 different Toyotas starting in the early 80’s & the quality over domestic brands was very apparent. But recently Toyotas & other Japanese brands have reverted to lesser quality & innovation like the domestic brands before them when they got so smug about their status in the automotive world. The new emerging star for quality/innovation/price metric are the Korean manufacturers especially Hyundai & Kia. Based on my experience with two Hyundai Palisades & Kia Soul the Koreans have surpassed the Japanese for quality & innovation especially for the price.

Regarding the jerk bait try a regular 110 first & see if you have success. If not try a 110+1 or a deep diver lucky craft or rapala husky jerk or smithwick rogue. You always want to start shallow with suspending fish as they usually feed up. Then try deeper until you catch fish or the weeds become a problem. You could also try a top water bait over the weed tops.