Dwight Hottle

I get your concern about the drag but maybe boat control played into your losing that fish. You never want the boat between you & the fish if it can be avoided. If your by yourself you want the boat to be drifting away from the fish never towards it. If you have a partner they should keep the boat moving away from the fish as you tire it out or spin it around so the fish isn’t going under the boat to the other side. Always play the fish out before bring it in to the boat if you can.

I guess the state of New York is not suffering from a decline. Take a look at these two threads incase you missed them.

Amazing & kudos to Thomas Russell for releasing her twice.

Take a look at the Certate line made by Daiwa.

Your middle bait picture looks like a Creek Chub bait.

Glad to see your coming aboard permanently.

Hope your back catching some smallies real soon.

Excellent report. Enjoyed you sharing your thought process.

I set the hook sharply as soon as I feel a change in the forward movement of the bait with single hooks. When using treble hook baits I use less effort setting the hook. It's important to remember that braid increases your reaction time & hook set force while mono delays your response & hook setting force.

X2 always do this because the hooks will usually straighten out. It also keeps your braid from digging in and causing a massive backlash.

@Siebert Outdoors Stick a piggie Mike.

Your not fishing Dworshak Reservoir. It's been on fire with big fish & a new record for several years now. https://www.google.com/search?q=idaho+state+record+smallmouth+bass&sxsrf=APwXEddnylqV09LjPAp96OYpQSlpM6OU3w%3A1686571808703&source=hp&ei=IAuHZKWdKKCvqtsP_c-9wA4&iflsig=AOEireoAAAAAZIcZMOCUzhwmzKWB3KNNJsMlmYeP_vGn&

Congrats on the new PB Katie. That's a sweet PB for Maine.

I throw them just about anytime. I like to cast them out & let them settle to the depth I want to target. Then I rip them hard to the side to make them jump & vibrate. I continue to crank them usually slowly then rip again & repeat. I like to fish from deep to shallow as I retreive. They are great baits to cast on points & other structure. You can also fish them fast over grass tops ripping them when they touch. As someone mention you can slow roll them on the bottom like a spinner bait but I still add in the rips to make them jump. These are my two best on a lipless crank.

Look for some Mustad KVD Elite Triple Grip Trebles. If you really want to step up your game get some Owner ZoWire STX hooks.

Drivers in the left lane that won’t move over.

Point well taken but often there is one cast to get the bait out for each trolling run.

I fished out of a DVX22 this spring on Erie and it handles rough water very well. I know it's a different animal than what your looking at but it did impress me.

I can remember as a kid reading a story from Outdoor Life or Field & Stream about musky fishing & the famous statement "fish of a thousands casts". That statement held true for a lot of years before I caught my first ski. Then I found the fallacy of that statement when I experienced my first trolling trip on St Clair catching a dozen muskies in one day.

You know I have read over this tread & suddenly it dawned on me that the swimbait group mirrors the musky group that developed the same passion for big baits several decades earlier. Really the only differences are the substitution of bass for the musky as the pursued prey.

I think it mostly a cult following/collector thing but the limited availability of certain baits fuels the high demand. It's a supply/demand situation fueled by an army of aficionados. It's not much different than the JDM enthusiasts who collect high priced tackle.

The smallmouth fishery across North America has produced more state records & trophy fish caught than I have seen over the last fifty years. Small water systems might be declining in some areas but the large water systems are holding their own.

No I’m in FL full time unless I’m on a fishing trip or vacation with the wife. That pic was from my last trip to Baccarac.

Welcome to BR. I grew up in NE Ohio so I can relate.

I know you said you were looking for an unweighted hook but I have used these with zoom flukes, SK coffee shads & D Shads and they help supply a little extra weight for casting distance & help sink the bait in a neutral position although slowly. They are available in a 4/0 throuh 6/0 hook & only add 3/32 weight. Gary Yamamoto was instrumental in getting Owner to design a light weight hook for using with his baits. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Weighted_Twistlock_Light_3pk/descpage-OWTL.html