BARON49_Northern NY

For that size bait I am using a St. Croix 8' H, Revo reel and Power Pro 50 lb braid

For the King Shad's I have been throwing for the past year two rods have worked really well. American Rodsmiths 7'3'' MH Hibbon Hammer with a PT reel filled with 17lb XT.....the other has been a St. Croix Legend 7'6'' MH, Revo reel and 17 lb XT. Remember the hinge pins in the King Shad's are only plastic so you have to be a bit more gentle then with the soft plastic baits. For soft plastic swimsbaits, 8' H St. Croix Legend, Revo reel with 50 lb braid.

Snag Proof Tournament Frogs are my #1 choice for a frog that holds up well and catches big fish out of the nastiest of stuff. The worse the cover is the better this frog produces. It holds up much better then the SPRO frog and does not need any tweaking like the SPRO frog does. I fish this on an American Rodsmiths 7" H, Revo reel and 65 lb Power pro line. For open water and edges I like a Ribbit, using a 7'3'' MH St. Croix Legends rod, Revo reel and 50 lb Pro pro....

If I can add my 2 cents. Based on the pictures I would be throwing a Sng Proof Tournament Frog and a Ribbit buzz frog in the places the pictures show.

I just got back from Fishing Rodman and used the unweighted trick worm in junebug and watermelon red with a great deal of success. Using a 7' MH Avid rod with 50 lb. Power Pro braid. I threw the trick worm with a 3/0 Gamakatsu hook right up on shore and slowly jiggled it into the water. Fished it out to about 4 or 5 foot of water. Most strikes occured right next to or going over the nastiest lily pads, timber, hydrilla, etc you could find. A friend of mine put me onto this way of fishing and he has caught bass up to 8 pounds and I personally saw him catch a 6 lber out of lily pads in about 4 foot of water. You have to have a LOT of patience as the trick worm will fall horizontally at about 1/2 the speed of a senko or less. Very laid back way to fish if you have the patience for it, but it does work and will catch big bass.

With all the clear water here on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river I switched to fluorocarbon line a couple years ago and went nuts tring to find a knot that would not break on me. I agree that the braid knot or I personally like the double improved clinch knot, or the double Trilene knot work the best with fluorocarbon lines. The Palamar is probably the worst knot you can use as it cuts against itself and if not tied perfectly will break under pressure. Where as the Palamar is the best knot for braided lines I have found. The blood knot works really well when putting a fluororcarbon leader on braid. One little trick I use with the blood knot is just a tiny drop of super glue. Since using the double Trilene knot and the blood knot with a little super glue I rarely if ever break at the knot.

I read through this thread several times and could not stop myself from writing. I am from the old school and a LIFE Member of B.A.S.S. Fished my first Bass Tournament in 1975. We did not have all the electonics and fancy stuff back then. However we all caught fish....amazing huh? My point is the rods and reels we use today, the electronics, fancy boats and big fast motors are just TOOLS! A good fisherman uses these tools to find or locate where the fish are or could be. It takes years of reading and on the water study to get to the pros level. The main thing that separates the "Pros" from everyone else is the ability to use these tools properly. To actually catch fish and put them in the boat on a regular basis under all kinds of pressured situations and weather. Their dedication to the sport should be commended and complimented, as should Bassmaster Magazine. If it were not for these "pros" and the information they share, how many of us would be able to fish at the level we do today?

No question about it....New York with the large variety of water with big small mouth and largemouth. I have had the chance to fish the entire east cost and a good part of the south over the past 30 years. Nothing compares to the New York fishery for overall average size and quality. Too bad the season is so short.

I have owned several fiberglass bass boats and many other fiberglass boats. Got tired of patching and worring about the gel coat and tried an aluminum boat in 1990. It was a used walleye style boat and I could not believe the difference. Used it one year and went to an Alumcraft dealer and designed the boat I wanted and they put it together and I have never looked back. It is a 16.5 foot Walleye boat with an 84 inch beam. Powered by a 75 horse Merc. Fully carpeted, huge livewell, baitwell, two rod lockers, 24 vt system for the trolling motor, plus many other options. It trailers easily with my Ford Explorer 6 cylinder. Go to Florida and the Carolinas every year with it. Now before someone says about rough water handling.....I l have lived on Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River for over 40 years and this deep V handles rough water very well, but the bigger Alumacraft, Triton, and Lund Aluminum boats handle rough water better then any fiberglass bassboat I have ever been in.

Another newbie to this site. Glad to find out there are others out there like myself that got away from fishing and now are getting back into it. I live in Northern New York, within minutes of Lake Ontario, Chaumont Bay, and the St. Lawrence River. Bass being my favorite fish, but do go after Walleye, Northerns, Muskies, and a little Salmon and Brown trout fishing. Recently got hooked on the spring Striper run down on the Hudson River. I fish a lot of the smaller lakes here in NY as well as do a little traveling down south to the Carolina's and Florida in the winter time. Always looking for new fishing friends to swap ideas and fishing stories with.