Bluebasser86

Treble hooked topwaters minus front prop baits, yes. Weightless plastics, no, I use a leader for those to help with them sinking. I use 20lb braid for my topwaters.

I have several SV Tatulas and none that are "geary". I've been very happy with mine but they're all older models, can't speak on the new versions.

Looks like the mesh stuff off some strawberry containers.

I use a 6' 10" ML/XF St. Croix LTB for my Ned rig fishing, I really doubt it's your rod. It sounds like you're likely putting too much pressure on them at the boat and pulling the hooks. Ned rig fishing is about finesse, including the fight. There's no need for a bigger/heavier hook, that's just bass guys trying to jamb the technique into the mold they want it to fit in. I pour my heads on a lightwire #2 Eagle Claw hook. I've landed flathead catfish over 20lbs on it in around 5 minutes. No smallmouth in the world is going to put up that fight and the hook/rod/reel/line/leader handled it just fine. I also backreel which allows me to set my drag tight and put a lot of heat on a fish if I feel it's needed, but also take it easy on a fish that is surging or if I feel my line is compromised. If they suck that bait back in very far, it's likely in the thin skin in the roof of their mouth and not in their lip. That skin is soft and tears easily under pressure. I've seen it happen when big largemouth inhale bladed jigs and get hooked further back and pull off at the the boat, wouldn't be at all surprised if that's what is happening to the OP.

Very dirty water would be difficult to get bit finesse fishing when power fishing would be optimal. Also very heavy cover like standing timber or thick grass. You might get bit finesse fishing, but kind of defeats the purpose when there's no chance of actually landing the fish. Otherwise I'd say you'd generally be able to get bit on finesse tactics more often than power fishing and that they'd still work while power techniques are working as well.

There's a fox family living in the culvert near our house. The kits were out playing in the daytime a couple days ago.

yes, it's pretty translucent.

I've got an old town Sportsman 120 pdl. I did a ton of research before buying and was in about the same price range on my limit. I didn't want power because I would have to register it and I had a paddle kayak in the past and didn't want that again. The peddling is easier to do than I thought it might be, I've peddled 8-9 miles on a tournament day without feeling exhausted. Been in 3-4 foot waves and 30+ mph winds without fearing for my life. I haul all the gear I could ever need and it handles it with ease. Standing and stability are so much easier and better than could have ever imagined. I haul mine in tbe bed of my truck and pick it up and put it in the back of my truck with no problems and I'm not a huge guy or anything. I've enjoyed fishing out of the thing so much that my bass boat doesn't hardly get used unless I'm going with family or it's really cold and windy.

A single wire works just fine and is easier to rig imo.

A pair of bald eagles watching my boys and I fishing.

Saturday I had training from 6am-2pm. 10 minutes after training I made a few cast from the bank of the lake by my house and got 3 on a jerkbait with 2 being decent ones. Went home and gathered my boys and loaded the boat. Got them out for a few hours and their first fish of the year. Sunday I took my oldest to get his first trout. Did that with ease, plus a tiny lightning trout. I got my first smallmouth of the year and a solid largemouth on a homemade jig too.

I find I catch far more fish when I go fishing versus sitting on the couch. Wind speed and direction might effect my lake selection, but it wouldn't stop me from going or hurt my confidence.

Pegboard in my garage

I thought they looked a lot a like also. I was surprised when they showed up.

The Chick Magnet is smaller, thinner, and rattles. It really doesn't look, sound, or run like the OG in person.

I backreel with a Ned, and all spinning gear for that matter. Your setup sounds fine, pretty similar to what I use. Shouldn't take a hard hookset to bury the hook as long as it's small like it should be. In deeper water, you may try a straight fluorocarbon instead of braid. Braid floats, so when you're fishing it on the bottom in deep water on a cast, it's not really a direct connection. With flouro sinking, you get a little better direct connection. Bad thing is you lose some hook setting ability so it may be a wash. I catch a lot of big largemouth on Ned rigs and it's very rare to lose one, can't imagine a big smallmouth being that much different.

I'm on pretty regular hours now with my new position at work, but I sign up to work OT pretty often and the 10pm-2am is the easiest shift for me to make work so that's the one I sign up for.

Well today I got up at 7am, worked 9am-5pm, in bed by 7pm, back up at 9pm, back at work by 10pm until 2am. Hope to be back in bed by 3am and I'll be back up by 7am for work tomorrow ?

Contact St. Croix. If the rod was still in warranty you might be able to use their upgrade program. They have excellent customer service.

suspending jerkbaits or lipless for me.

What can't they do? Well they make a terrible topwater bait. Stocker trout are dumb as a box of rocks, so that helps. I catch lots of them on jerkbaits fishing for bass. Caught one on a bladed jig a couple years ago. I've also caught 2 of them pitching 1/2oz jigs. I caught one on a RES last year my very first cast of the day fishing for bass.

Had a family night last night after work with mini golf and a trip to the park by a lake. Made a few cast and got one on a H2O jerk shad.

Hate cutting point hooks. They tear up the plastics and slice big holes in the fish's mouth making it easier for the fish to toss the hook. Conical hooks are my hooks of choice.