SuskyDude

Junk? Hardly. Outdated? You betcha. Mitchell 300s are quite arguablly the most durable freshwater reel. Says who? The old timers who have been fishing the same ones for twenty-thirty years. Good enough for me. I don't fish them, but I can tell you I wouldn't be ashamed to.

The same baits they were hittin in the daytime.....

Warning: live bait for bass is illegal in new york state until the third week in june. That is all. Good luck, sounds like a biggun in NY

Funny thread! I've partnered up in the past for the "dual deuce." Two stalls, to dudes who got eachothers back, deuce in confidence! You can even sit there and shoot the breeze through the stall wall, its kind of like the two of you take over the bathroom, turning the usual uncomfortable work/school/public poop experience on it's ear! ;D

I've said it before, and Ill say it again: I gotta get to Erie!!!

Shakbite, brother, If it can fit in a smallie's mouth, and you present it correctly, they will eat it! Take any two of the baits (but leave the topwater at home for just a little while longer) reccommended, any of them, and go fishing!!!!!!! I'm giving you a deadline: you first river smallie in a week or bust!

Couldn't comment on the Craw, never used or seen one. If they're anything like a yum crawbug you can T-rig it weightless or with a bullet sinker. The Chubby, as I understand, is like an Ika. T-rig it weightless, skirt up (so the skirt is around the hook eye), on an 4/0-5/0 offset extra wide gap worm hook. I prefer Gammies, but others will do just fine as long as they are sharp. To be honest, I'd keep it simple, and fish a four inch tube(any shade of brown or green) on a 3/16th to 1/4 oz jig head. Tried and true.

Are you sure they were sunfish? I mean 100% sure. Got any pics? Would be very intersted to see some. Could be albino? Possibly a color mutation? Pics would help.

If you ask me the guy's a genius. I don't agree with him forcing his political views on the prisoners, but I can overlook that considering all the other great things he's done. Saving taxpayers millions, putting the prisoners to work instead of letting them sit around all day, the farming and animal shelter programs: GREAT STUFF. And he's right, it ain't the Ritz, and I applaud him for making prisoners not want to come back, as well as giving them contructive things to do while they are there.

Couldn't agree more. My favorite search bait in the summer time, especially when the water is low, is the above mentioned popper. I focus on the fastest, nastiest chutes and riffles, the ones you wouldn't want wade in (be carfeul!) from morning until evening. Many big fish hang in these well oxygenated, "fast food conveyor belts." You gotta set your drag a little loose though. Big fish, FAST water, you get the idea.

Now you're thinkin! Remember though, not all current breaks are created equal. For example, access to deep water is often key. How deep is deep? Deep enough that you can't see the bottom from above. The more you get out and fish different areas, the more you'll see how the structural elements of the river affect the way the current flows. Start catching a few smallies, and you'll start to put it together. Smallies use different current situations at different times. There are many different current situations, all of them are dictated by structure (or in some cases cover, like a log jam, or pile of rocks). The variables in fishing are uncountable, add the unstatic nature of a river (always changing:dropping, rising, over time holes become bars and vice versa, you get the idea) and trying to narrow it down can be a daunting task. But.... One thing you can count on is that the river always flows, water always travels the path of least resistance, the bottom of the river always dictates that path, and smallies always use the flowing water to their advantage. Of course, how smallies use the flow to their advantage can change! But if you remember the constants above, get out there and pound the river with confidence, you'll begin to see how and why smallies use different current situations (and structure) with each different variable (be it river conditions, temp., time of year etc). The more you catch, the more the pattern will reveal itself. Do this grasshopper, and you will be spanking smallmouths like it it's going out of style in no time. ;D Promise.

Sharkbite- I can't help but notice that you've been having difficulty catching smallies on the deleware, and you keep on asking WHAT kind of baits you should be using. The WHERE is far more inportant. River smallies can be very aggressive, more so, in my opinion, than their still water brothers. The WHAT usually doen't matter too much when you know WHERE to put the WHAT! I'm not saying WHAT doesn't matter, put I think its lower on the pecking order. To answer your topwater question. I like poppers in the daytime. Anything with a shallow cup and a recessed bottom lip. I like Yo-Zuri ZZ POPs. Worked fast, with the rod tip low, they skitter across the water, spitin' and sprayin' as they go. At night, a 5/8 oz jitterbug, slowly crawled, is hard to beat. However, you can throw these all day long till your arms fall off, but you won't catch a thing if they aren't there. Oh yeah, hula poppers will work too, but not my favorite on the river. Too much "glug", not enough "spit". Worked with the rod tip high, they spit pretty good, but can be fussy.

Do you wade at all? Even just getting in knee deep can get you away from the bank and out of the way of the branches, etc. Opens up bunch of options on a small, tight stream like that.

I've worked in restaurants for the better part of my working life and have seen this plenty of times. On a weekday, some dude will be in with the wife and kids. Then that weekend, he'll be in with the girlfriend. I don't understand cheaters, and I sure don't understand the ones who bring the girlfriend to the same place they bring the family. It's almost like they want to get caught. Its a sad situation, especially when there is kids involved.

What about the ones that do it way after the spawning season? Is it still a communication thing? For example, I fish a power plant discharge creek in the winter, and the carp will breach there all winter long. They're not spawning for sure. Another funny thing is that they'll breach all day, untill you hook one. I've caught a good number of carp in my day, and I can't remeber a single one jumping. Now whats up with that?

Not really. You got a thrashing smallie with a slippery lip, add a treble hook or two and suddenly a glove doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I'll tell you a few years back I caught a pretty good size walleye on a rattletrap. Had him by the gill plate and was workin the hook out when he started thrashing and..well long story short, I wish I had a glove on! Thats a riverside surgery I won't soon forget....

I hear ya. Smallies can be pain to lip with all the thrashing around they do. Smallies just dont quit! P.S. - Nice looking stream in the background! I love the look of that steep bank in the last picture.......

hawg, again I really am not here to criticize, just understand. If you don't belive me thats fine. Now I have all the facts straight. Thank you. Didn't realize it was a private lake with an overpopulation problem! Have at friend, its your lake, its your fish, its none of my business. But I didn't know that untill you responded. And perhaps, niether did any of the younger, more inexperienced anglers who were considering doing the same thing on public lakes were big fish genes aren't running rampant. As far as the live bait thing goes, I apologize for expressing my opinion where it wasn't warranted. Fact is, that was the issue I was least worried about, but it just kinda slipped out. Late night post...what can I say. No, I dont think your a bass "terrorist", or a "backwards redneck that doesn't know better." To draw such conclusions about someone about based on a fishing report is just plain silly. I only care about the fish, believe it. When I saw a picture of two fish that had been pulled off the same bed for God knows how long, I felt it was a situation that deserved public inquiry. Thats why I begged for some understanding. Hopefullly there is a young guy out there reading this, and it gets the brain working. Big fish are a beautiful thing, I'm sure you want as many on this green earth as I do. Singing the praises of practices that insure the spawn and survival of big fish are crucial, especially in a venue such as BassResource.com, where untold thousands are reading. I tried to approach my first post with as much tact as possible, and i apologize if I ruffled feathers, but you must understand I'd do it again if given a second chance. I hope there is no hard feelings. Let me conclude by saying that those are two beautiful fish, and I hope you have continued success not only fishing, but also managing what appears to be true honey hole of a lake.

Which exactly why I don't like the guy. Relax, its just a bass! Ol' Bill is the man period. I don't care where he's fishing and what kind of junk he's hockin', he's still the man, plain and simple. I can't think of a TV fisherman I'd rather fish, or even just hang out with. Any of the Lindners or they're gang would be a very close second.

Thats a beautiful fish! I gotta get to Erie!

Wow. Thats a bag of fish!

Why are you removing fish from the beds for that long? Its one thing to get a hog off its bed then put it back. But to take both male and female off the bed, and haul them around town, while the nest gets ransacked? In my opinion it's sketchy enough to be fishing beds with live bait, but to pull both fish (and high quality fish at that) off the bed....for a picture? :-? Im not tryin to jump on ya man, I'm really not. I'm just have a hard time understanding why someone who cleary has an appreciation for big bass (not to mention a knack for finding them) would want to facilitate the destruction of said big fishes' spawn? Again, not trying to criticize, just trying to undrestand.

Good fish. Whats with the gloves? Inquiring minds want to know.

Doesnt really matter anyway cause........ THE GIANTS WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know, I know, but I can still gloat..

Bass can lighten or darken their hue to help match their surroundings. I know this is way off topic, but I hope that those two bass are in a Five hundred gallon tank or bigger, if not.... :-/.