smashingsmallies

Sometimes I like to respond to "threads" by people who post "threads" just to get a reaction. Thank you for revealing your ignorance in life and fishing. May you take this opportunity to grow up and maybe think about quitting your posting since you bring nothing to the table. License, boat, equipment, lifetime ban, and hung by the toe nails should always be a part of the punishment. That's a HUGE hit on the population of smallies in that water--the amount of time it took to get those 141 smallies...CHUMPS--100% CHUMPS...they should be made to show up at a tournament and be introduced as rapers and pilligers of fish and then made to "walk-the-gauntlet". AND...those who post on here just to get a reaction should think about finding another site to practice their immaturity--please, just go away. Fish on. John. P.S. I got my biggest smallie yesterday, 25 3/4 inch, out of a creek that hasn't been "molested". Nothin' like a "healthy" fish population, void of "stealers".

Anybody out there have any idea where I can get bulk plastics..i.e. twisters, tubes, straight worms? Thanks, John.

Getting the feel for the bite is paramount in numbers of fish. I know what you mean by that dull weighted feeling. A Smallie will either crack the bait or go into that dull feeling mode. I know what the bite feels like, yet, it took me awhile to get back in touch with that feel and many fish were lost. I can remember maybe a half dozen times this year I've started to snap my rod back several times to get the "snag" out. After the "snags" started moving I realized I was an idiot and I had fish on. :-? I fish twisters alot but I also always have on hand a rod with a tube jig, and a rod with a straight/stick worm and a bait caster for "other". I would have more but I fish in a kayak and that ain't happenin'. I've been on two bodies of water 7 times in 9 days and I've averaged 17-20 fish a day, and ALL were caught with plastics of some sort, and the twister out performed the others by far. I fish the twister first and then make my adjustements to my plastic selection depending on where or how I'm gettin' the smallies on the twister...i.e., if I notice I get the bite on the bottom area, I immediately switch to the tube jig to work the bottom, even though I got the fish on the twister...works every time. And those doggone sraight worms, or senkos weightless are just rediculously good around boulders and the first stretch of that shallow water just above a "run" or "rapids". The twister doesn't just get smallies...I get largemouth, catfish, crappie, saugeye/sauger and those doggone carp just about every time I go fishing. Oh yeah, I rarely, and I mean rarely, get skunked. I catch fish on the twister almost every time I go fishing...something so simple yet so productive and not fished regularly by the majority of the people leaves me scratching my head. I'm looking forward to the hot months so I can branch out on the other techniques I've learned from the other members on this site, but the plastic bite has been so good for me now I just gotta keep fishing it! As for that bite, the flouro I've started using has put many more fish in the boat with it's sensitivity and low stretch-love it. Fish on. John.

Great info guys-thanks. As I've been using it, it seems the line twist issues have gone down. I love the sensitivity and it took me a bit to get use to feeling everything and with the low stretch I had to loosen up on my pull cuz I was just jackin' 'em out of the water. The abrasion qualities are top notch-some of the toughest line I've fished. I'm gonna check into the line cloth/oils etc... and see what happens. Gonna rain this weekend, good time to hit the stores. John.

Pictures, movies, t.v., driving by walking by, pools, ditches, water in the grass, going down the gutter, in the toilet, when I spit on the ground, the bath tub, bird baths, fancy water fountains, fish tanks. It doesn't matter what or where it is, I just know there's a fish in it so I just gotta look.

Ha! Nothin' like offering some candy and then snatching it away! ;D Do you or anyone out there have any contacts for bulk twisters or plastics in general? :-/

That's what fishing is all about...a fat pig smally and NATURE!!! I love this time of year 'cuz all the flowers will be in bloom and the rivers/creeks will smell the best of the best. Nothin' like sittin' back and takin' a break from fishin' and takin' a gander at what's out there--birds and animals everywhere. Good pics and a great fish. Fish on. John.

I'm in Ohio. Spawn has been completed on my body of water. The fish apparently had a varocious appetite. I fished the Big Darby yesterday and landed over 40 smallies!!! All but about ten of them were 17-20" in length. It was mayhem! Cast after cast, fish after fish and I laughed the whole time 'cuz nobody else was on the water. I've gotten many tips/techniques off of this site and I look forward to employing those methods later on. HOWEVER, at this time the 1/8 oz jig with a 5" twister does it again. If you are or are about to fish smallies in a river or creek as the spawn ends, do yourself a favor and THROW A TWISTER! At the time I was catching these fish I threw cranks, multiple colors, nothing. I threw spinners and spinnerbaits, nothing. I threw tubes and shaky heads and wacky style, nothing. Put the jig back on and immediately, BAM! fish on. I cast and pop retrieve with straitline retrieve mixed in and I KILL the fish this way. This bite will be like this for me for the next 6 wks or so...bummer. Whatever will I do? Good golly miss Molly I love fishing. Now, if I can grow a brain so I can post pictures, all will be well. Fish on. John.

I fish small to medium creeks and rivers (and will be today). One of my small rivers produces an average size of 12". The water quality is crap--thus the downward spiral from plankton on down begins. I also fish a small creek-same size as the river and 15 miles apart--the water quality is top notch and the average size is 15 plus inches with many in the 18-20 inch range. If the water is of good quality, that means excellent fish sizes. Try the tube jigs and twister tails-4-6 inch on an 1/8th oz head--works great for shallow water. I actually have a tube tied and a twister tied and fish BOTH in EACH and EVERY hole. The advantage of a twister is it can be fished as a minnow swim bait and a craw presentation EACH and EVERY TIME you cast it. Good luck. Fish on. John.

Are you using mono or flouro? Is the key, large pound test with a small pound diameter? I use 6 pound now for rivers and creeks and I have line twist--way more with flouro. Any special reel?

What's in your head for fishing talent is the key. Good equipment helps alot but doesn't make the fisherman. Fish with what you can and don't worry about other's opinions. A livewell should be looked into unless you already have one. I fished a tournament a while ago in Minnesota. My partner and I had a 12' boat, 1960 something 3 hrs Johnson motor and no trolling motor. 64 boats. We placed 2nd. THE ENTIRE TIME of the start of the contest, we sat there and took all kinds of "dogging" from just about every boat out there--they got a real good laugh from it. Needless to say, at the weigh-in, there was no more laughter. Even after receiving our prize money-gotta love a 60 dollar investment for a 600 dollar return-we were dogged. As I collected the money and went to sit back down, one of the fishermen out there said out loud "why don't you get yourself a real boat with your winnings". I stopped and IMMEDIATELY replied "apparently your not understanding the concept of fishing sir...it doesn't matter what kind of toys you have, what matters is whats in here-as I pointed to my head. Further, If you would like, we can go back out on the water for a few hours and I'll put my winnings against yours"...no response, the place erupted in laughter. Too bad you couldn't get him to fish with you-nice equipment helps the cause for sure. However, just fish your tournaments and EXPECT to be belittled and dogged by others. Just realize that those who dog you have deep seated issues in life and they don't know any better--let it roll of your back and out-fish them. When you do, the look on their face with be priceless. Fish on. John.

Line twist on spinning gear has always been an issue. They have come out with reels that have a type of groove in them that reduces the twist by about 3 times. For those who report they have never had an issue with line twist, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR SECRET!!!!!! If you've figured out to fish spinning gear without line twist, you could write a column on it and send it in and let the world know cuz you would relieve all kinds of stress for the common man/woman. I just can't imagine what it would be like to fish with no line twist--must be a little like fishing heaven. Fish on. John.

I used the lamiglass rods in Alaska for 5 yrs and I have nothin' but praise for the rod-you got a good one. Fish on. John.

I've recently "graduated" to the flourocarbon line. I found the price range to be in the ten dollar to over twenty dollar range. I opted for the 12 dollar line. I used it a couple of days ago and the difference was immediately noticeable. The sensitivity is incredible and I love the low stretch of it. HOWEVER, with the good aspects comes the bad. I found immediately that line twist is gonna be a problem. I have way more line twist with the flouro than I do the mono and I mean way more. I see I'm gonna have to frequently let my line out in the current without a lure on just to untwist my line. I will do this cuz I like the line alot but I know it's gonna be a pain in the butt to do this. My question is, do any of you have this "twist" problem? Do you have a flouro recommendation that will help me? Do I really have to get the twenty dollar kind? Thanks, Fish on. John.

While fishing for muskies in Minnesota, using large baits, the big shallow diving shadrap for example, or my super large jitterbug, and BAM, BAM, BAM! I caught bass EVERY time I fished for Musky.......BIG BAIT, BIG FISH...a rule-of-thumb to live by. Fish on. John.

I thought I was the only one! I swore by the terminator and it's bendable wire. Now I swear at the terminator and don't use it anymore. I sure did like the amount of fish I was catching without the "v" bending. Boy that was great! HOWEVER, the first time my spinnerbait "blew up" I thought it was cool and a "freak" thing. After the third time, I don't think it's cool anymore and I don't fish the terminator anymore. Fishing is expensive the way it is, and throwing 7 bucks a pop is not for me. Bummer. Has anyone out there found a "comparable" spinnerbait for wire strength and flexibility? Fish on. John.

I love this site and the cool thing about it is it's nationwide connection of fishermen. Recently, I've read some articles concerning the "bite" of fish "out of season". Being from Minnesota, I learned at a young age about the fishing seasons. I remember fishing my local river and proudly bringing home 3 northern pike that I caught. When I got home I got my butt chewed and was informed that you cannot catch a fish and keep it out of season. I WAS 8 YEARS OLD. Needless to say, I didn't do that again. I found out that you weren't even allowed to fish for them until the season opened, usually in May for pike, walleye and bass. This is common sense knowledge and known to "most" in my home state. I live in Ohio now and there is no "season" which kinda blows me away (of course, lake Erie and tributaries have different rules)--and we can use two rods--unlike Minnesota's 1 rod limit. It is the "fishermen's" responsiblity to know the rules and regulations of the state they live in and if you don't know them, you will get caught and face the penalty--especially in Minnesota where there are game wardens everywhere. I hope that the fishermen who use this site realize that the "law" can view this site as well and if you state something to the effect of "I'm fishing out of season" the "law" can read your CONFESSION to breaking the law. The states that have seasons for fish, do so for a reason and that's the preservation of the fish population. I have no time for ANYONE who has the desire and/or gumption to fish out of season. Please use a little common sense and HELP your fish population by following the rules. Rule breakers concerning fishing ruin it for everybody else. I find it kinda odd that anyone would have to be reminded of the "season" in their home waters and I hope all will take a moment to find out what their regulations are where they live before they fish. I feel a "brotherhood/sisterhood" with all fishers and I wish nothing but the best to all--just please fish like your supposed to fish and when your supposed to fish. Fish on. John.

Many around me have asked why I don't use live bait and I reply every time "using live bait is too much like cheatin' for me". If you know the basic locations of a bass, live bait will smoke 'em if you use it, PERIOD. I used to use live bait and I'm tellin' ya, live bait just out fishes artificial with ease. There is no bass that can or will refuse a big fat leech on a bobber next to the pads or other cover--again, no bass will refuse this, even on beds. Is fishing live bait wrong? Heck no and I've got no problem what-so-ever with anyone using live bait. Hey, whatever makes your bobber go down, right? And if kids are involved, live bait is the ONLY way to fish to keep them interested when their that 4, 5, 6, 7 yr plus age. Scented lures have been available for years and I've used them since their conception. I see Berkely is really on the cutting edge with their bait and it is definately about as close as you can get to live bait without being live. Just incredible. I haven't graduated to that level...yet, I suppose. That almost seems like cheatin' but I'm not sure on that yet. Fish how ya wanna fish and just have fun catching fish--screw what anyone else thinks. Fish on. John.

How did ya actually accomplish the backround skew? There's a couple spots I would like to do that with--what a great idea man. Fish on. John.

That's good info guys. I kinda thought it would be hard bottoms--I'll concentrate on it more and now I gotta get 'em to bite. Thanks again. Fish on. John.

When the banjo minnow first came out I had a buddy buy them off t.v. I scoffed. We went to a local lake and first time out we killed the bass and pike--the other fishers caught nothin'. We continued to use them frequently and caught multiple species of fish--this was all in Minnesota. I ordered more a few years back and was looking forward to using them. It was a new "look" and "style" and it SUCKED. I didn't catch a fish...ever. They are in the garbage and it won't happen again. I get great results with the sluggo and it's the same premise on the "idea" of the lure--a dead or dying fish. I've heard the fluke does the same thing, I just haven't used one yet. Anyone got any tips on plastics that offer very life like dying presentations for fish? Fish on. John.

Anyone got any info on exactly what type of habitat/location(s) do bass prefer? Any difference in smallies and largies? I don't have the so-called "luxury" of finding my fish by site, so it would be nice to be able to narrow it down a little. I'm also curious as to the pre and post spawn locations, especially for shallow rivers and creeks. Only one river out of the 2 and 2 creeks that I fish have deeper water, as in 10 ft or more. Look forward to reading any type of help. Fish on. John.

Hey guys, thanks to all who took the time to answer my question. Common sense in life is a quality to live by and I just hope those in the "decision making" role of fishing tournaments like the Bassmasters uses a little common sense when dealing with this issue. I've read all the posts and I think I got what I was looking for and I believe it's time for me to move on to other subjects. Gentlemen, with all due respect to all as human beings, THIS IS SOUNDING LIKE A SOAP OPERA and that ain't my cup of tea. Fish on. John.

Again, I appreciate all the helpful tips. Just started with the tubes this year and I'm slammin' on it. I'm averaging in the teens for quantity, and all are males right now. The females are just about done spawning and then it's on. Oh yeah, I posted this info on another "topic" so I apologize if you've read it twice. The only "PROBLEM" I'm having is the bass are inhaling it and I'm finding myself doin' alot of goin' through the gills to unhook the fish. Fish on. John.

I just started fishing the tube jig this year and the results were phenominal. The only "PROBLEM" I'm having with the tube jig is the bass inhale it deep and I have to do alot of goin' through the gills to unhook the fish. Fish on. John.