A-Jay

Swimbaits have been very good for me this fall, especially for a bit larger SMB. These two Footballs are an example of the fish that have been hammering these baits while I was "walleye fishing". Funny how it often works that way ~ . . . . . . A-Jay

How the heck did I end up as the originator of this thread ? A-Jay

X2 A-Jay

Shimmy wants to tell us that . . . "When i edited my first post, i accidentally deleted the first post. You were next in line, which means your "the Man". " Which means this is SHIMMY's Post NOT Mine . . . . See ya A-Jay

Great fish, Nice photos and excellent story ! As a fellow canoe fisherman I can certainly relate to those very challenging weather conditions. You guys hung in there and were rewarded ~ A-Jay

Thank you. A-Jay

This goes directly into my favorites as well - but I'm still trying to figure out this fall turnover thing . . . . :-? A-Jay

This is what I've seen - others have mentioned it as well. If you can see them - they can see you - They may have sensed your presence well before they saw you. Next time you're out, apply the most stealth you can. That means don't go over to where you think the fish are to check if they are there. (Either fishing from shore or a boat) Stop a good long cast away and make your best presentation. On some very spooky SMB, I turn off the Trolling motor and sonar a good distance away and either paddle or drift with the wind to get into casting range. Sometimes that's what it takes. With a little luck, they will not be aware you're there and be more apt to ****** up your offering. Along with the solid advice already given here you'll have a good shot at taking a few of those toads. Good Luck.

WOW ! After the Second one - I don't know if I would be able to contain myself ~ A-Jay

Yesterday they were smacking this Rapala Fat Rap (custom perch paint job) on a weed flat before sunset A-Jay

So I guess the lack of responses here may mean that these rods are Not very popular ? ? ? . . . . . . . . . . . A-Jay

Swim Baits like Storm Wildeye Swim Shad and the Power Bait Hand Poured Shad on a 3/4 jig head have been a consistent producer this year at night. I stumbled on it fishing for walleye ~ I was out late last night - with a light rain and some of the big moon. Around midnight the SMB were really chewing these baits up ! A-Jay

X2 that is funny - it took me a minute too - I even made the face before the light went on . . . . A-Jay

Yea, I've been waiting to hear about this rod as well. I'm a Quantum fan, both rods and reels. I've been looking at this top end model as the prices have been coming down - - like this ~ http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-QUANTUM-SUPERLIGHT-PT-CASTING-ROD-QTC705F_W0QQitemZ260465641405QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca4f647bd&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262 Any input from a user of any model in this line would be appreciated ! A-Jay

We use 6# almost exclusively when throwing tubes. We're fishing in very clear water fairly deep water (15-25 ft) and 6 just seems to get more bites. A-Jay

I've had some success with a Storm Wild Eye Swim Shad 4 inch - Bunker color. http://www.***.com/descpageSWMSTORM-SWE.html#pImage 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