A-Jay

They are gorgeous ! We were fishing is 15-20 feet and the water temps are @ 65-67. The water in these local lakes is GIN CLEAR - like drinking water clear. We have this thing we do - mentally we subtract 10 feet from whatever the actual depth is, and that's how we fish it. So if it's 15 feet deep, we fish it like it's only 5 feet - it makes us fish quiet and carefully. These fish get a little beat up all summer but after Labor Day the "resident fisherman" either bail south or break out the hunting gear and leave the fish to us. Also a majority of fisherman troll for walleyes so that helps as well. An example is yesterday we had an elderly gentleman like 80 stop us at the ramp and ask how the fishing was. (He and his son were pulling their boat for the summer - bye-bye). He had seen us out a few times and was wondering how we did. He told us he's been here 60 years and by all accounts "This is a LOUSY fishing lake" We had to break out the camera and call up the photos from the last two days - I still don't think he believed us - can you imagine two days of SMB fishing where we caught and released several fish between 18-20 inches and three over 21 and he lives there and thinks it's LOUSY - thank you Sir, may I have another . . . . . A-Jay

Check your PM's A-Jay

On a morning much like yesterday except with a cooler NE breeze we set out in search of some Brown Bass. We put a hurtin' on them yesterday so today we checked out some "new" spots. This, as it turned out, was a very good move. At least for my wife anyway. On the days she takes her chemo, I always try to take her out with me if she's feeling up to it. And today she took me to school (again). This time with really light tackle and a 3.5 inch tube. She had one of those days we'll talk about for a long time. She was hooking, fighting and landing fish at just about every place we stopped - and I was a helpless net man for most of the trip - nothing to do but just shake my head and smile. I finally did manage to keep the skunk out of the boat with 1 respectable SMB right at the end of the day - it was touch and go there for a while. The fish pictured are two of the fattest and prettiest SMB she's landed ever. A-Jay

Thanks - btw I'm a retiredbosn as well and so is my wife ! USCG ~ Semper Paratus ~ A-Jay

That's a Fatty ! A-Jay

The morning started out fairly seasonal with air temps at a brisk 37 degrees. As the day progressed the temps warmed up and so did the bite. The smb were on a white on white double willow spinner bait burned at top speed. I love the strike on these - it almost rips the rod from your hand. By mid-afternoon a football jig dragged near the drop offs was the ticket. And when we found some wood near the drop there was usually a few fish eager to suck in the bait. After bouncing off a stack of dead wood in 12 feet of crystal clear water, this sweetheart gulped down my jig and made like a rocket by heading for the sky ! You gotta love fall fishing ~ A-Jay

Thanks - The topwater bite is good - I'm very partial to a Rapala subwalk. And yes -- laydowns are like smallie goldmines especially in spring and fall. A-Jay

Congrats Man, Some really good looking bass ! Great coloring. A-Jay

Heddon Zara Spook ~ it's been replaced by the Rapala Sub-walk. A-Jay

Bulky ? By today's standards ~ yes, it's 11.0 oz and as a round reel you can't "palm it" But it's not over sized or cumbersome. I'm becoming a believer. Besides, it makes me feel kind of old school. btw Dude, you are really up on that handbook A-Jay

Guess not. A-Jay

Anyone else doing this ? I do not have a designated Cranking reel at least not one with the right gear ratio. I had a gold 920 laying around and since it has a 4:1 retrieve ratio and is in very good shape I thought I'd give it a shot. Work pretty nicely. Cast well, feels smooth and the low ratio is just what the doctor ordered. I've got it on a Kistler Graphite Plus cranking rod . . . . A-Jay

The past two days out on a local LMB lake have been interesting to say the least. I don't know if it's the cooler weather, the pre-frontal conditions we were fishing or what but for some reason the Northern Pike bite was on. After not seeing much LMB action and having 2 of my favorite baits chewed off at the boat, we broke down and added a short steel leader to our big spinner baits. Through the 10 hours of fishing over 2 days we had the craziest action on these pike that we have ever had on this lake. The trips were highlighted by 4 fish between 30-35" which is a major upgrade over the 20 inch fish we routinely see here. We always bring a net but rarely use it - it got quite a workout on these trips. My wife caught the fish in the first photo below but wasn't interested in posing for a photo op - something about "The Big Teeth" ! On a separate note - I may need to pick up some new shades - perhaps a pair that doesn't make me look like a BUG . . . . . A-Jay

I'm throwing Quantum's TE1160PT TOUR EDITION 6.3:1 reel on either their PTC6106FKV (6'10") or the PTC666FKV (6'6") both are Kevin VanDam Model rods. The PTC6106 will get the bait out there a ways and the PTC666 excels at tossing baits a shorter distance with accuracy. I'm VERY happy with both models but find myself reaching for the longer rod more often. With some diligent Internet shopping both rods and this reel can be had for a very reasonable $$$. Like this . . . . http://cgi.ebay.com/QUANTUM-TOUR-PT-PTC6106FKV-610-MED-HVY-BAITCAST-ROD_W0QQitemZ400066000558QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d25cab6ae&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262 http://cgi.ebay.com/QUANTUM-TOUR-PT-PTC666FKV-66-MED-HVY-BAITCAST-ROD_W0QQitemZ200370616251QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea704f7bb&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262 http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-QUANTUM-TOUR-EDITION-TE1160PT-BAITCASTING-REEL-NIB_W0QQitemZ380131181532QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item58819583dc&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262 A-Jay

My 5.2 lb PB this spring . . . A-Jay

Josh, I responded to a PM on the Subwalk recently - this was it . . . . . The subwalk has been a good bait for me almost exclusively for SMB., although I have caught a fair share of LMB and Pike with it. This is NOT the magic lure - it's just a bait that not many guys throw so the fish don't see it and accordingly I have quite a bit of confidence in it and it's fun to fish. As for "walking the dog" with this bait - I have found that there was no need to be concerned with trying to make the bait do the "classic" side to side walk the dog action underwater. Since the first time I threw the subwalk I was hoping to get a reaction type strike. (which makes this a good search lure). Using the water temp, season, and fish activity level as a guide for how quickly to work the bait and how long the pause should be. The cooler the water, the slower it's worked and the longer the pause - as it's warming up I speed up the retrieve and shorten the pause - just like a jerkbait. Early this spring I took many fish as the bait laid motionless - I think it just ticks the SMB off so much that the bait doesn't try to flee they just Can't stand it and they smash it ! So it's a short jerk reel pause, short jerk, reel and short pause. Don't worry about how it looks along the side of the boat, just heave it out there and use a erratic stop and go and if there are SMB around - you'll know it I have also found that by using a shorter casting rod I get the best action on this bait. Short is relative to your particular build I guess. I'm like 5-10 so by using a 6 foot medium casting rod (lamiglass actually) I can stand up in the boat and work the bait TIP DOWN with a quick short side jerking motion while immediately taking up the slack with the reel and then pausing as mentioned previously. A fast reel helps when you're moving the bait faster- I use a 7:1 ratio. The clearer the water the better. I fish some really gin clear lakes and I have taken fish on this bait fishing at the edge of drop offs that were over 20-25 feet deep early and late in the day. Certainly water in the 5-15 feet is best. The fish will sometimes come a long way for this bait. I have heard stories of fish coming to a Zara spook in these same conditions- though I have not done it. I think the SMB are more willing to commit to this bait because it is Not on the surface. And a follow is almost as good as a hit because at least they showed themselves and I can go back with another bait (tube, senko or whatever) and might get a few that way. A-Jay

I'm up in the North Woods as well and I'd say the SMB have the majority around these waters too. But you can still bag a few quality LMB you just have to fish a bit shallower. Another plus is that so few guys fish for bass at all ~ nice. A-Jay

http://www.agricover.com/index.php/products/category/C9/ This one is very nice. It does everything it says it does and has for several years now A-Jay

Pentax Optio W20 ~ I initially purchased it a few years back to use surf fishing done exclusively at night while standing chest deep in the surf. This camera has turned out to be a very rugged unit which takes very nice photo's in ANYTHING ! (including Underwater video) Very easy - point and shoot. http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/06080701pentaxw20.asp http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-Waterproof-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B000HDHAOO?tag=dogpile-20 A-Jay

As I read about the Swim Jig technique this past winter I decided to make this the one method that I would really fish hard this season to see if I could duplicate the success that so many others have written about. Well, I can honestly tell you that I am Very glad I did. This bait has been UNREAL for me. Despite being a Jig at heart - my success with it has come when it is fished more like a spinnerbait or even a crankbait, especially in and around moderate cover. It has also been a very effective search bait as well. This spring I fished several lakes I had never been on, so casting into unseen snags is fairly possible - the bait usually comes right through while at the same time really putting a hurting on both LMB and SMB as well as walleye and pike (the pike bite the bait off quite a bit.) I believe that some of the success of this bait revolves around the baits versatility. A 1/4 ounce swim jig can effectively be fished from 1-2 ft down to 10-12 feet. And a 3/8 ounce model can go a bit deeper. The clearer the water the better and the trailer you chose plays a big part in how the bait fishes. I have had the most success with a 4" Berkley power grub. GYCB makes a nice grub but it's pretty soft and does not hold up as well. A 3-4 inch swim bait or shad style body also makes a nice trailer and really slows the baits rate of fall, nice in the early season. I would encourage you to pick up a few. I have had success with colors that match the color of the bottom - pumpkins, greens, and browns. Good Luck A-Jay

sent Thanks A-Jay

RW - Great story ! Sorry it had the ending we all Hate - One thing is certain - Nothing is as final as broken line ! :'( A-Jay

Rod: Quantum PTC711FGH Greg Hackney Signature Series Reel: Quantum TE1170PT 7:1 TOUR EDITION Line: Power Pro Braid 50lb test Lures Used: Spro Bronzeye, Spro Popper, Deps Basirisky Frog, Strike King Rage Tail Toad, Optimum Furbit Frog 3.25" Rod: Quantum PTC747XF Reel: Quantum AC570PTB 7:1 HS ACCURIST Line: Power Pro Braid 50lb test Lures Used: Spro Bronzeye, Spro Popper, Deps Basirisky Frog, Strike King Rage Tail Toad, Optimum Furbit Frog 3.25" A-Jay

mlpauley - That's a Great Catch and an even Better Release ! Congratulations. as a side note ~ you don't look too thrilled in those photos. A-Jay

Look like it has some potential . . ! A-Jay