A-Jay

Me Too. Big Smallies will lay waste to the stockers in short order. Been there, Done that, got the T-Shirt. A-Jay

Spinnerbait trailer hooks have been the subject of a few threads here recently. Some anglers swear by them and Always use them while others rarely if ever feel the need to go that way. I'll say that there are times for me where fish are seriously choking the bait so a trailer hook may not be totally needed. Other times fish may be just nipping at the bait or the plastic trailer and not totally committing to it. A trailer hook is often the only way to get these fish to the boat. A trailer hook for me goes on when I'm burning the bait. Often the strikes seem to happen pretty fast and bass don't always get the bait well enough to facilitate a good hook up. Many bass come to the boat on just the trailer hook. Should be also noted here that I rarely if ever use any plastic type trailer when speed is being used as the triggering factor. Conversely when I'm presenting a spinnerbait in just about any other manner, I'm using some type of plastic trailer and no trailer hook. YMMV ~ (I stole that from Goose52 - I like it though) A-Jay

Nicely Done ~ What's that drop shot bait on the left, third one down with the hook in it ? I think I like it A-Jay

Thanks ! And tell me about it - When I first moved up here (almost 10 years ago now), this was one of the first lakes I fished. I got Totally Skunk first 5 trips in a row ~ in JUNE ! Once I figured the whole clear water, fish deep - long casts, light line thing. It was Game On. So now this is the lake I go to just to catch some & try out new smallies baits & techniques. Interesting looking back. Thanks for that. A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Congrats A-Jay

The length of a pause for me is determined by water temp not clarity. I need to also add that my local waters are for the most part very clear (15 plus ft vis) almost all year. So off colored water is a bit of an anomaly. But when it does happen it's usually a good thing as it often positions the fish a little closer to cover and makes them a little more "approachable". I'll fish lower in the water column & with brighter (and rattling) jerkbaits when the visibility is something other than clear. Something else to consider, is that if fish can not see your bait, but can hear it's rattles & feel it's vibration when moved through the water, when you pause it - all that commotion stops. So if they can't see it very well, a long pause may actually be detrimental . . . . . However, as I mentioned, I rarely fish a jerkbait in very turbid or stained water partially for that very reason but mostly because I can usually get more bites doing something else. A-Jay

Shimano Calcutta 200D A-Jay

I had to do it to fit both of my Stradics (white ones) securely on a couple of Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth sticks. Worked out fine. A-Jay

You can add a bit of electrical tape (cut in form fitted slices) to the stems of your reel seat. Unless your reel is grossly undersized, this will take up the little bit of extra space and your reel will sit securely. Don't over load it with tape & don't over tighten the rod's fastener or it may become damaged. A-Jay

Stained water & jerkbaits can be tough sledding. To be honest, I'm usually reaching for a different presentation if it's very stained. But if you're going to go with a jerkbait here's two bits of advice for you - sometimes keeping your bait close to or right at the bottom can help also consider your bait color. This one is a solid producer when the water gets a little turbid. A-Jay

How a bait is "worked or twitched" is a product of the angler. You & I may work a bait differently despite having the same gear. Additionally, each fishing day can be different, each body of water can be different and each individual fish can be different, so using a variety of methods when working a bait can be a good thing. Finally, your line plays a role here as well. A bait will react differently to the same action with braid than it will with nylon line. I'll do & use whatever gets bit. A-Jay

It's graphite for me when casting jerkbaits, either casting gear and quite a bit of spinning gear as well. I like & use composite & glass rods but not for jerkbaits as IMO the characteristics of these sticks that make them good for crankbaits - are undesirable when working a jerkbait. A-Jay

I guess if I were going to judge by just shear weight - it would be plastics - As for hard baits, the numbers of Squarebills, Rattlebaits, Mid & Deep Diving Baits and Jerkbaits are all about tied - several. I have decidedly less Topwater, Spinnerbaits, Jigs, Swimbaits, Chatterbaits, Scroungers, and less still of the Oversized Baits & Cranks. Most of Really Big Baits have been designated as "Toad Locators" and are labeled "Mexico". A-Jay

Thanks for the support - You know where I stand on this. Quality dry suits are all a little pricey - but it's an investment in ME. SO I'm all about it. A-Jay

Thank you Sir . . . My Base layer under the Rivers West camo rain gear (which I really like btw) is a neoprene dry suit ~ Initially purchased it to keep me safe, warm & dry while I fished the midnight winter surf & hopped slippery rocks chasing striped bass up & down the East coast. My fishing obsession while in the USCG . . . Thought I posted a pic of it before but can't seem to locate it now. It really is the way to go. A-Jay

You Are Correct Sir ~ And I am Very Glad you are . . . . So I guess I'll have to modify my statement by calling these my first Gringo December Bass A-Jay Thanks, You may be getting the weather we just had - The next few days here - the Snow Belt will be living up to it's name. A-Jay

Yup - I went out today and got "SNOWED" off the Lake ~ Downer. A-Jay

Hello Gonzales and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

No, I don't do that one. But will usually remove my ball cap to drop a heater. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay

Nice Bass ~ Enjoy spinning rod shopping. A-Jay

Nice Bait line up. I Tie Direct to the split ring with most every bait. (and prefer the oval models) When using a clip I'll go to the ring if there is one and to the bait directly if there is not. Spoons of any kind have a ball bearing swivel in there somewhere. Either right at the bait or up the line a foot or two. A-Jay

Hold on - The Fat Lady may be warming up, but she ain't singing just yet . . . A-Jay

Woke up this morning to weather, that for the first week of December here, was just too good to pass up. It’s been way warm and the lakes are not frozen yet, so with air temps running in the mid 30’s and winds less than 10 kts, the little snow expected would hopefully only add to what I was hoping would be a decent afternoon. I got a bit of a late start, as I was dragging my feet a little deciding on whether to go or not. But my wife finally said “just Go Already” – and that was it. I had to pull the Old Town out of hibernation and loading up even the minimal gear I brought seemed to take way too long. A little after noon time I was making my first casts into the very clear 38 degree water. In my haste to get on the water I left my camera mount in the Lund so the only way I could capture any video of the day was going to have to be after the catch and the old selfie deal – never really like that but that’s what I had so I just rolled with it. Took a while to find the smallies but I was willing to put the work in. Eventually found some in two different spots. Both had deep wood. One was in 25 ft and the other in 30-ish. Both locations were on the edge of a drop that went down to the main lake basin in 45 ft. The 5/8 oz Silver Buddy Blade bait in Gold was the deal. I had to either hit the wood or be very close to it to get bit. I hung a few times as expected. Most I got back, a couple got donated but the reward for a precision (or lucky) cast was worth it. Several very Fat Smallies came to the net with a couple solidly in the Toad Category. Sunset & the grey light after had the bigger fish biting. I was bundled up pretty good to stay warm and ended up being fairly comfortable, though after looking back at the video I’ll admit I’m looking sort of Goofy, but whatever. Having those brown fatties hanging off my thumb is all I really cared about anyway. A-Jay

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ A-Jay