Mac1

A trout magnet is also a good option.

I would try trout magnet. Nothing better for trout and crappie.

This year has been strange. I have caught all of my crappies less than 5' from shore. And all on a hot pink trout magnet 1' to 2' under the bobber. Also, all were caught while the magnet was in motion either from the wind or reeling in. 15 to 20 per trip. Lot's of fun.

They are a great lure. Good for casting and trolling. I have caught largemouth, smallmouth, walleye and pike on them. My most productive colors are ghost and yellow perch.

Welcome to the site. I have not fished red rock but fish the maquoketa every year. Jig and grub (blue pearl), beetle spins, x-raps and x-rap shads (ghost) always seem to produce. If you scroll through the smallmouth forum you will find a ton of information from some very knowledgeable river fisherman. There are also a couple of very good articles worth reading. Good luck, Mike

A Pflueger President 6730 and a Berkley Tactix 66MF are a nice finesse combo that run $100-$120.

Senko-Cinnamon Spinnerbait-Bleeding white X-rap-Glass Ghost Shad rap-Yellow Perch 1/4 Jig and Grub (Blue Pearl)

I use 40lb Power Pro on mine. Heavy enough for musky/northern (with a good leader) and light enough for other uses.

Nice Read. Thanks for posting.

I have also heard the wd-40 stories. Even stranger, I had a co-worker tell me his grandpa used preparation H as an attractant for the shark oil content. One way to multi-task your fishing supplies.

They are great lures. I like them best along weedlines early morning or late evening. I like to use a long sweep, short pause retrieve. The pause is when most hits happen. Baby bass, bluegill and shad are the colors I use. They are also good for trolling walleyes. You might also want to try the xrap shad shallow.

RW, Something you might want to give a try is an xrap shad or shad rap. They were amazing this year in Ontario. Both in deep and shallow versions.

Just returned from the annual trip to Ontario. The top producers this year were spinnerbaits, 4" Storm wildeye shads and jointed Rapalas. Rolo, just a guess...dead bait.

They are primarily a trolling lure. Great for walleye and I have picked a few smallmouth contour trolling. The depth they run at is stamped on the lip. Never really tried them as a casting lure.

I think it would work. The profile is not too different from a tube. And it looks like you could use spinner or jig skirts to replace the tentacles. The lip looks like it might be a shallow to med diver. What would be real interesting to try is adding weight to get it to suspend. Very interesting.

1-Senko 2-Spring-Trig craw, Summer-Senko, Fall-Spinner bait, Winter-don't fish (hard water)

I would have to take the one thing that has improve my catching more than anything else....Senkos. And beg for hooks.

Phishin, Walleye feed most actively in low light. You will have your best chance from dawn for an hour or 2 and around dusk. During the day if it is over cast with some chop. To find the walleyes concentrate your efforts on outside weed edges in 10' to 15' depth. I would recommend backtrolling a lindy rig with crawlers, leeches or minnows. Leave your bail open with your index finger on the line. Once you feel something grab your line release your finger,put the motor in neutral and watch the line. If the line moves close the bail take up the slack and set the hook. I would then start hitting the area with jigs tipped with live bait or grubs. When you find one you've found a bunch.

You might want to add some 3" or 4" Senkos.

I've always done well trolling weedlines with a lindy rig. 10-15' feet deep. Once you find them then hit the area with jigs and cranks. Switch between worms, leeches and minnows on the lindy until you find what they want. If your fishing from shore find a point near a creek or a river with some deep water close. That will be the spot to be at dawn or dusk. Good luck.

If you rubber band or twist tie the trebles together I think you'll find that jerks and cranks tangle alot less.

If you keep your rod tip high and retrieve slowly you can use it as a surface swimmer. Deadly over weeds.

Happy Birthday!

Zara spook-Baby Bass Wiggle wart-Crawfish Strike king bleeding spinner-White 1/4oz round head jig 5" Senko-Green pumpkin or Cinnamon 3" Curly tail grub-Blue pearl

Great choice! I don't think you will have any regrets.