Dwight Hottle

Check out Clint Eastwood’s older movies.

Try a jerk bait. Most harbors have limestone or crushed rock break walls and the smallies frequent them. Remember smallies are highly curious. If you see them following you need to change up your retreive. Either stall it or speed it up.

Learn how to fish a simple popper. That will cover it all. My research shows more big bass caught on poppers than any other topwater. I love walk the dog baits & whopper poppers but poppers just produce better for me. They do require patience to fish.

Congrats Mike. Looks like a PB for sure.

Kent I have 5 different certate models & they have all been great. No maintenance required & all 5 have been flawless. I used a buddy's stella extensively & never could appreciate much of a difference between the two. The only criticism I ever heard about the certate was its weight. "From Japan Tackle web site Daiwa All New 2019 Certate LT (light & tough) spinning is small, smooth tough reels, matching for both freshwater and light saltwater fishing. 2019 model has monocoque body to hold the largest internal mechanicals square, and to protect them from water. Monocoque body frame doesn't need spaces for screws, and it may hold over-sized drive gears inside. The drive gears are made by cold forging and machine-cutting, to offer the longest life. Tough-digi-gear has the least gearing noise, while maintain the smoothness for long time. Mag-seal system is employed at pinion and line roller, to enlong the life of the reel. Mag-seal is the water repellant system using magnetic oil and ring magnets, achieving both ilght friction and high sealing performance. Ratchet on/off lever was removed to prevent water coming inside. Aluminum alloy monocoque body frame Cold-forged, machine-cut Tough-digi-gear Zaion carbon Air Rotor ATD Automatic Tournament drag Seamless Air bail wire Mag-sealed pinion top and line roller Saltwater fine Made in Japan "

You get better line control & casting distance with a 2500 size spinning reel than you do with a 1000 size reel. Digitaka has the Daiwa 19 Certate LT 2500-H for $292.80 with free shipping. I love my Shimano's but the Certates are almost bulletproof & compare to the Stella but at a much lower price.

I like the Zoom toads & so did this girl.

I don't know if their HUGE but my best five went 35.375 lbs. I'm sure @A-Jay & @roadwarrior are playing in the same ballpark.

Crayfish become crawfish around 3 months old about the same time a baby starts to crawl.

Could be either but likely its the location. You would need to stay in the first spot & change colors to see if color maters.

I had to look this one up on the top 25 list of smallmouth ever caught. John Gorman's fish weighed 10.875 & ranked #2. Being on this list is a lifetime achievement for any bass fisherman. https://weather.com/sports-recreation/fishing/news/bassmaster-top-smallmouth-bass-20120403

Two suggestions that have helped me when they start the upward move to the line before jumping. You can bury the rod tip or rod up to the reel depending on depth & keep winding to prevent them from jumping. If you can't stop them then pull off to the side hard just as they start to clear the water so they can't shake their heads with your bait moving giving them leverage.

Congrats on the new PB & welcome to the 4lb club. Hope to see you at the 5lb club shortly.

If I could change the past I would have fished more but especially would have explored more different locations foreign & domestic places. So much water & so little time.

That's a tough question. I guess what I do best is develop a particular skill then beat it to death. I like to fish certain style baits relentlessly until I get into a grove and feel like I have mastered all nuances of a particular style of fishing. When it all clicks you get a feeling of confidence and harmony with both your chosen tackle & your performance making that bait come alive. It's almost spiritual because you can sense when your going to get bit. When it's all working you are having more fun than you should but when it isn't your fishing life sucks.

I saw the drone footage about a gator attacking a swimmer two days ago showing the gator making a beeline for the swimmer head on. l just saw the interview yesterday. Amazing story. https://www.kltv.com/2022/08/18/graphic-florida-man-survives-alligator-attack-caught-camera/?fbclid=IwAR2Hs5niIe-r7ZcY4zXKHjDceaxLXkEtN65iNoYE9SxPkjZrMv5L9DEZtt0

Are mostly found in Europe & Asia not US.

I agree with @MN Fisher & @Jaderose. If you don't like the hook spread or configuration buy a different frog that suits you fancy.

Good & cheap don't always go together.

I have fished with 7 past & present members.

It will be a good rod for treble hook baits up to 3/4 oz. & for live bait applications. Its not ideal for single hook baits but will work especially if you use braid.

Calling @Catt

I like to use a medium heavy rod with a low profile bait caster reel. I prefer braid with an inline swivel & a short 2’ or 3’ leader. The swivel helps control twist. The braid choice gives you better feel & better hook sets. You could use spinning tackle just as easy if you prefer. Most spoon weights for vertical jigging are 1/2 to 1 oz depending on targeted depth. I also like to use blade baits as an option to replace a spoon because of the increased vibration.

If the smallies didn't move out of the low water they would be dead. Instinct survival has to trigger them to find water deep enough to be able to feed & survive.

St Croix has had a strong relationship with musky fishing & the musky community for a really long time. Bad mouthing them based on just one side to the story is premature in my opinion.