Team9nine

There will be a lot more answers/comments coming as they (conditioners) are fairly popular, but here’s a good thread that has a lot of opinions on use: Conditioner use

Not the answer you’re looking for, I’m sure, but I never use line conditioner with fluoro, and I have it on almost every bait caster I own, and have for nearly a decade. The “operator error” would be to become a better caster, and I don’t mean that negatively. With more experience, you’ll save some time and money by never having to purchase and use conditioner again. In the mean time, if it seems to help you, keep using it. I believe most people spray on before a trip, often the night before to let it soak in good.

This time of year, air temperature, especially the low temperatures overnight. Cold nights will drop water temps back more than sunny days will heat them up right now because sun angle is getting so low. I’d pick whatever day has the warmest overnight lows the night before the trip...unless you have insight into whether cloudy or sunny days fish better on your river due to water clarity or some other factor that might override temperature.

Hard to say without seeing the baits, but a #6 is a pretty standard size treble for most baits. Go #8 if they’re smaller than normal, #4 if they are larger than average.

There are studies out there suggesting bass in some cases appear to preferentially target rustys. Here’s a good piece on the value of crayfish to bass: Crayfish and bass

I’ve posted this pic I took a few times before, but you want your Palomar knot to look like this right before cinching. If done this way, you don’t even have to wet it and you’ll still get plenty of strength, even with fluorocarbon. I rarely lubricate my FC/nylon Palomars these days.

Not sure they were ever ‘popular,’ but I’ve been throwing them for around 15-20 years around here with great success. I just use plain cheap ties along with a few custom ties and tiny hand pour trailers (or no trailer at all).

Because in a lot of bodies of water, crayfish are the most consumed by far. It really depends on the environmental conditions. If you look at the Great Lakes, gobies have become the overwhelming favorite. Same with some alewife fisheries. But there are a lot of rivers and small natural lakes that don't have great prey diversity, or the invasive intruder is rusty crayfish, and in those places, crayfish are a large component of the smallmouth diet.

Dubious resurrection, but I keep an old school anchor in the boat and use it several times a year when conditions don’t favor my first generation spot lock TM (a.k.a. “Cove lock”) ?

You’re either tying it wrong, or you are using one of the few brands of line that that knot doesn’t play well with. I’d double check knot tying technique first.

A 5lb smallie is almost unheard of in IN, as our state record is just over 7lb., so we’re now seeing a bunch of our guys making regular trips to Erie/St. Clair throughout the year (under a 4 hr trip one way) because the big smallie fishing (4Lb+ fish) is so good. It will spoil an IN angler quick. A good bunch have even switched over to the Michigan Div BFLs because the fishing is just so much better than here.

My best year that I have numbers for was in 2011 when I recorded catch logs for Ned Kehde’s Midwest Finesse stuff in In-Fisherman. That was 2,305, and I imagine I’ll end up close to that figure depending on how much crappie fishing I do this fall. In-Fish 2011 story The only other stat I kept track of this year beside raw numbers was size related, how many bass over 3lbs. to compare with a friend who also tracked similar last year and again this year (to determine how poor/tough our fisheries have become in this state). Floating around 96% or more under 3 lbs for me. In our best lakes that number pushes 10 percent, but the statewide average is only around 2%, and many lakes they shock don’t produce any. Sounds a lot like our lakes...majority of the bass we catch are 12”-17” with the occasional good one thrown in the mix (usually closer to 4lbs here, not 6 ? ).

You’re almost part of “The 2K Club” ? lol. Bite has slowed down a bunch here with the start of turnover and strong cold fronts...and the crappie bite picking up (love fall crappie fishing). Sitting on 2,107 after adding just 2 fish today

Another reel set fan with jigs when casting, and I swing to the side most times (except close range) - advice from Larry Nixon back in the 1980s that still applies today ?

It depends, because there are so many variables at play. A study here in Indiana of ponds showed that the range was 100-700 pounds of fish per acre. The "average" across those ponds was 320 pounds of fish per acre, consisting of 70% bluegills, 11% bass, and 19% miscellaneous fish. That 11% translates to about 36 pounds of bass per acre. The variability is that that 36 pounds could be 75-100 little dinks less than half a pound each, or it could be a dozen 3 pound bass.

I’m going with generic knockoff - the hook hangers look all wrong to me. Should still be able to match hook sizes with the same size Rapala though.

Somewhere there’s a psychology student with a bassin’ scholarship that just found his new semester study project on human behavior

Any room to play with engine height on that thing, or is it sitting where it needs to be already (waterline vs cavitation plate)? Might be able to block it up an inch or two depending...

Went through similar with both a 6hp and a 9.9hp 4-stroke on a larger boat, and in both cases, erred to the side of higher rpms, ideally ‘in range’, over speed. Maybe custom (repitch) the smaller diameter prop but with a 6.5” or similar pitch and try to balance the best of both (speed, rpms)?

Nope - never

Got the same basic setup, only an Alumacraft. Smaller and lighter aluminum boats simply get pushed around a lot more, so you do need to pay a little more attention compared being in a larger glass boat. That said, If it's a particularly big wave coming, I will swing the nose toward it, but most of the time, I would rather just take it broadside and rock-n-roll a little. You can even use the back corners to brunt a wave that surprises you, but will still get some spashing due to the motor...but that's what the splashwell is for Just ride most of them out unless you are in a situation where you might get washed into the bank/rocks/docks as mentioned...then try and power into the wave to hold position.

You can simplify your life tremendously if you just get rid of all the plain wacky hook stuff/weights/bands/etc. and simply convert to a ‘jighead wacky’ lifestyle ? Works especially well with the finesse worms.

Outside the ‘bad line’ jokes you’ll get with Vanish ? I’m guessing your spool of line is perfectly normal. Sounds like you made the mistake of starting with braid before using mono/copoly/fluoro, so there will be a relearning phase involved. Fluoro has better slack line sensitivity than braid, but not as good/much under tension. Stick with it and relearn the ‘feel’ of fluoro.

Yes, to both. Generally speaking, mid to low 50s seems to be about the cutoff for reliable productivity from top waters. For late in the year (cooler water), it seems like there is a good frog window as dying vegetation starts becoming patchy, as well as a good stickbait bite (Spooks, etc). Sometimes buzzers can surprise you in really cool water, too.

Kind of sounds like/similar to a Yucatan or a variation of?