MNGeorge

Probably Mann's or something similar. Will be throwing them with med. to med/hvy casting tackle most likely with braided line.

I'm thinking about getting a couple of wake baits. What have you all experienced with these? Any suggestions as to which ones work better than others? Any help with best times/places to use them? Thanks.

The braid will work just fine and is probably a better choice for the fishing you're going to be doing than Fireline. Musky fisherman use braid pretty much exclusively and heavier than 65lb. a lot of the time. I would not make the switch. I hope you get this answer before someone moves this thread.

Where did you find 8/0 EWG hooks? Biggest I've found so far is 7/0.

Bomber 5A series in Baby Bass Orange Belly for lipped RattleTrap 3/8oz. in Chrome/Blue Back/Orange Belly for lipless.

Persuader double buzz for me. It is a derivative of the old Blue Fox double buzzer of which I still have one or two also. I prefer the double buzz for two main and opposing reasons. First, they stay on top at very slow speeds and still make quite a ruckus. Second, in river current, where I do 95% of my fishing, I can burn them in and not have them wash out due the side force of the current. In the summer, Smallies are in the fastest water a lot of times and you really have to be moving the buzzer to attract any bites.

The stretch of the upper Mississippi I fish gets hammered very hard for most of the season and many people know the good spots. I have one spot that I have only ever seen one other boat fishing and another spot I have never seen another boat fishing. So long as the water level is high enough, there are always Smallies in these spots and also an occasional Walleye and Channel Cat. I have a couple of other spots i'm quite sure hold some Smallies, but due to depth and current, haven't been able to get to them. I have some new ideas about how to do that this year so if they pan out, I'll have some more "secret" spots because no one else fishes these areas effectively either.

There isn't a Largemouth alive that could win a tug of war with a comparably sized river Smallie In fact, I think I'd bet on the river Smallie even if he/she was giving up a half pound or so. River Smallies do not have quit in their vocabulary. If you have never fished for river Smallies, you have no idea what you are missing.

Three times a week for two months and only one fish. You are persistant, I'll give you that. Are there no other bodies of water near you? I'm afraid I'd have to give serious consideration to looking for some greener pastures. Not much help for your situation, I know, just my reaction to your question.

I think it was North American Fisherman, but I may be mistaken about which show it was. Anyway, a lady pro Bass angler showed a little clip that goes on your line before tying on a EWG offset worm hook. Then when T-rigging say a soft jerk shad, between when you first run the hook through the nose and when you turn it and run it back through the bait, you run the other end of this little clip over your hook. The purpose of the clip is to keep your shad from sliding down the hook. She also said if you can't find the clips anywhere, a plain swivel will work. I tried rigging it up with a swivel today and it appears as though it will work as advertised. One concern arose, however, as it appears like the swivel may cause undue wear on your line just above the knot. Does anyone know where I could order some of the clips or even what they are called? Has anyone used these clips or used a swivel as described? What were your results?

People still driving cars and trucks on the lakes here in Central Minnesota. The ice is slowly going away on the rivers, but the shores of the rivers are still iced in.

EXCELLENT piece. I'd be proud to have someone think I qualify.

When your fishing season ends in mid-November(in good years) and doesn't start up again until sometime in April, any diversion dealing with fishing is welcome. That said, my tolerance for Shaw Grigsby has dimished greatly over the past two years. He acts like a complete idiot over fish most guys would consider average at best and can't make enough plugs for his sponsors. Roland also has gotten harder and harder to watch, especially when he has his wife on board, but I'm still able to pick up a pointer or two from him occasionally. I have always felt the Lindners have the most useful instruction and since Al discovered Smallmouth a few years back, they now devote a lot of time to Smallies, my personal favorite fish. If you don't care for the religious aspect of the Lindners' show, do what I do and just switch the channel after the last fishing segment is over. I just started watching the Bass Pros and I like it too, especially anytime KVD is on. I, along with probably a million other fishermen, would spend a fair hunk of money to fish with him for a day or two.

I have never found it necessary to carry more than one rod when wading. An extra fast action med/hvy spinning rod 6' to 6'6" has always been able to cover my needs. I haven't been able to wade for a couple of years, but am now able to do so again and I can hardly wait. Nothing like going toe to toe with a good size Smallie. ;D

We fish for Largemouth in only one lake. It is a small (100 acres) lake without a great deal of structure. We concentrate on the areas where the deeper water is closest to the weed edge and also fish the heavy pads later in the summer. For it's size, this lake produces a surprising number of 5 lb.+ fish. That's all I'm allowed to say. :-X

Never mind, I found it after spelling aggravator correctly. Thanks.

2. Zorro Aggrevator... (THEY HATE THE AGGREVATOR) What is this bait? I've never heard of it and can't find anything on the web about it. Thanks.

I've never experienced the hookup problems, but we never exceed 1/8 oz. weight. We rarely fish water over 6' deep.

I rarely fish lakes for Smallmouth, but for the upper Mississippi I agree with Roadwarrior. We rig our tubes with internal rattling weights. Lindy sells them and so does Bass Pro Shop. These are much easier to rig up than the example given by Baitball and are very snag resistant and weedless too. The only drawback to this rig I've found is that it doesn't work well with thick headed tubes.

I also read this article and am eagerly awaiting Spring to try it. I have no doubt it will work and that flukes will be an excellent choice. I have caught many Smallmouth on flukes by just letting them swim in the current on a tight line over known holding areas. The catfish rig will allow us to both get deeper and position the fluke precisely. With a 24" to 30" leader, I don't think the action of the fluke will be affected much, if at all. ;D

I have never flattened the barbs on any hooks and likely won't start doing so any time soon. As for the image we portray to non fisher people, they do not approve of fishing period and using barbless hooks is not going to change their attitude one iota. As for protecting the Smallies for future enjoyment, I think the few fish that may fall victim to a barbed hook are far far outnumbered by the fish that get taken home for dinner. I also think we may not be giving the Smallies enough credit when it comes to their ability to survive some pretty severe injuries. Our stretch of the upper Mississippi has a slot limit on Smallies that requires all fish from 12" to 20" be immediately released. By mid to late summer, it is not at all unusual to catch many Smallies that show obvious scars from previous trips to the boat. Injuries range from one bad eye to half their mouth missing, yet they are healthy in every other respect and are still able to run down a crankbait or a buzzer and give a good accounting of themselves. Just my $.02 worth.

The upper Mississippi where we fish runs fairly dirty most of the early season. During that time we use tubes, spinnerbaits, buzz baits and crankbaits. We use rattles in the tubes. Crankbaits are mostly lipless models in some kind of Chrome color pattern. Spinnerbaits are single colorado blade or tandem willowleaf blades in white or chartreuse. Buzzbaits are Persuader double buzzers in white or chartreuse. ;D

The upper Mississippi where we fish runs fairly dirty most of the early season. During that time we use tubes, spinnerbaits, buzz baits and crankbaits. We use rattles in the tubes. Crankbaits are mostly lipless models in some kind of Chrome color pattern. Spinnerbaits are single colorado blade or tandem willowleaf blades in white or chartreuse. Buzzbaits are Persuader double buzzers in white or chartreuse. ;D

Any kind of current break. Below islands, eddies, shallower flats etc.

I keep them in the original bags to not only retain the scent, but so I know what to shop for when I run low.