Dwight Hottle

I can tell you jerkbaits work for smallies but not largemouth, right A-jay?

As long as you don't lose it the boga will last a lifetime.

Congrats. That's what it is all about.

You are not going to get much action on a 3 inch leech. Think bigger like 4 or 5 inch leech. I would use a plain jig head with the leech as a trailer. When the water is that cold you do not need a lot of action . Think subtle action. Cold water walleye want slow moving baits. Very slow moving. Lift and drop. Then try dragging the bait. Keep trying different retrieves until you get bit.

Shortly after that A-Jay was heard saying " I like 9's, 9's are good but 10's are better"

You can count on the smallies being in PIB from early April until mid to late June. They are also abundant in the main lake. Lots of people prefer the bay because it is smaller & less likely to get rough except for west winds. Most of the structure in the bay centers around & near the main shipping channel. Smallies can also be found on the flats near the park side of the bay. Reread what flyhatch & Phish posted for some good info.

Guys if you fly in by private air you touch down to clear customs then fly directly to the camps airstrip. No travel through the Mexican countryside. The camp is located in the Sierra Madres mountains just east of Yucatan peninsula I was skeptical at first but a little research made me very comfortable with the travel plans.

Good to see you back, long time no see.

Sometimes you will do better if you can hook up with someone from the area or lake you want to fish. Offer to pay their expenses for the day. It can be more rewarding, less expensive & you might make a new friend/fishing partner. That is the inherent beauty of this site. Lots of opportunity to meet other sticks of the same or better experience. Thank you Glenn.

Great post & a good start to the year.

Sweet.

Kent I used 55lb braid with a 20lb mono leader. Had at least four break offs because the wood was soooooooo abraisive. Dropped another dozen fish from hooks coming unbottoned. I was using 3 piece travel rods from loomis, 6'9" . Rated 3/8 to 1oz medium heavy fast. Reels were JDM antares HG & calais 200 dc both 7:0 to 1 ratio. I set my drags by feel with adequate slippage not locked down. Most bites were tenative just nipping at the baits rather than slamming them. We did have some active fish that were eating aggressively but they were in the minority. I used a 7' st croix cranking rod rated 3/8 to 1.25 oz for cranks & jerkbaits. I was using 20lb braid on a calcutta 250 with 5:0 to 1 ratio. There was no crankbait bite. Jerkbait bite was weak. A-Jay spelled it out regarding the bite which actually sucked. The fist were transitional from spawn to deep to shallow and post cold front. Not aggressive at all. We all worked very hard to get the bites we got. Don't get me wrong we caught some beautiful fish but suffered some very tough conditions. Water temps went from 72 degrees to 75-76 during very consistent weather pattern after our arrival. If we ever hit lake baccarac when it is turned on a hot bite it will be lights out. Lake baccarac is a world class fishery to largemouth just like lake erie is to smallmouth.

Paul the deep bite was 14' to 22' contour with a sunken rock island. We fished it tied up to a sunken tree.and casted 180 degree spread from the front of the boat (shallow) to the back of the boat (deep). That spot reloaded with fish over 4-5 days & produced A-Jay's pb & mine with lots of other big fish. Same spot I caught five @43lb for one day. We fished lots or steep rock banks with fish holding shallow. Also caught fish in shallow wood & coves from 12' down to 18".

Andy's avatar looks like a grouper!

Ok. here is my three best smallies ever. 7-6, 6-15 & 6-14.

Here are my best three from last week.

Speedbead you better check the weight rating. Only carries 375lb. You will never get yourself & all your swimbait gear on there.

WTG man. That's a beauty

It is a circle hook mostly used for live bait. The turned in point sets with reeling pressure as opposed to a hook strike. The idea is to mostly hook fish in the corner of the mouth by just reeling your line in.

You need to keep that woman away from the water. She is killing you. Congrats to you both. Nice dinner?

The 72MHM is a very sweet stick. And as iabass8 mentions very versatile for any treble hook bait applications. I also have the 6'10" spinning rod MLXF for drop shotting. Super stick too.

Original made by Harold Ensley. I met him on a plane returning from Canada. He always promoted his reapers tails as a multi-species fish catcher. They originally were used as a leech imitation . They make good jig trailers as well.

Get both. Fire tiger is good in dirty or discolored water. White is good in both clear & off colored waters.

Happy birthday as well, Keri.

Solid fish. WTG.