Bluebasser86

Welcome!

Welcome back!

Spinnerbaits=66-88 strands Bladed jigs=44-approx 55 Swim Jigs=approx 33-44

Lakes have been busy like a holiday weekend every day of the week here. The 100 acre lake by my house had no less than 20 boats and probably that many kayaks on it Tuesday evening, it's nuts.

I think I'm understanding that you spooled line on the reel with the tension knob tightened down? It shouldn't hurt anything, just loosen it back to where it needs to be and fish with it.

Having the reel set properly will help a lot. A proper casting motion will help also. Ultimately, an "educated thumb", is a trained thumb, and the only way to gain training is through time and experience. After doing to long enough, you won't even realize you're doing it anymore.

I tie big, bulky spinnerbaits and typically use 3-4 tabs of silicone material. Bladed jigs get 2-2.5. Swim jigs get 1.5-2 tabs.

A local guy in town makes some really nice balsa baits that I've been fishing.

I give my rod little snaps and pulls pretty often when I'm cranking, fishing a bladed jig, or banging a trap along the bottom. Too often I've had those little bumps turn into fish that didn't really even feel like bites. Worse case, those little snaps will trigger fish a lot of times.

Welcome!

Well I thought I had #6 but they were actually #4s. I just got a new 6 1/16oz cavity mold and turned out I didn't have to modify it at all, tight squeeze, but it worked. #4 next to my regular size Ned hook.

No, only caught 1 smallmouth there in 20 years of fishing it. These were at Melvern.

Haven't taken the dogs with me in quite awhile, but that ended Thursday. I thought I was going to have to roll Cassidee's head up in the window on the way to the lake. It was 39* but even when we hit 75mph on the interstate she was refusing to pull her head in the window, I think she needed some time out of the house pretty bad. Weather was chilly for me, but for a couple of Golden Retrievers I'm sure it felt great. She's in her twilight years, have to be careful lifting her in and out of the truck and boat so she doesn't hurt herself, but I'll keep doing it for her as long as she can go. Since she was a puppy she's been such a great fishing dog, and you can just tell how happy she is at the lake, even at the end of the day while I'm loading the boat up.

First time I've ever caught a 5 fish limit of smallmouth over 18" in Kansas Thursday. Board in the pictures is about 18.5" at the very end, last mark is 18". Jerkbait and spinnerbait. 18.80lbs for the biggest 5.

*Disclaimer-mine are not the 2020 SV's but the last model. I use them for all sorts of applications from casting baits to flipping plastics with 65lb braid. I use one on my spinnerbait rod and was fishing a 3/4oz (head weight) plus a 3.8 sizmic grub, skirt, #6 and #8 colorado blades, and trailer hook, probably close to if not over 1oz, no issues whatsoever. 15lb copolymer on the reel. Best skipping reel I've ever owned. I'm pretty decent at skipping, but these reels make it way easier. Not sure it makes pitching easier, but I'd say I'm more accurate with my SV reels than my other reels because the line comes off smoother/faster without worrying about backlashing.

50lb smackdown, it's an older spool of the dark green.

I'd try. I'm pretty swamped between work, fishing, and making baits to keep up with orders but I'll do what I can.

2 weeks ago in Kansas, mid 50* water temps in a bunch of dead lily pad stalks.

No telling how many fish I've caught on this 2tap, paint is holding up pretty well all things considered. I love battle scarred baits, fish eat them better. A beat up baitfish is easier to catch.

I think mainly in clearer water is where you might see a difference, especially with slower presentations. Dirty water it doesn't really matter imo.

River2Sea Bubble Walker 80, Xcalibur Zell Pop (now Booyah Boss Pop), or Yo-Zuri 3DB Popper

For some reason I've had great luck with a wacky jighead and trick worms for smallmouth. Doesn't work as good for largemouth, but smallies tear it up, especially post spawn.

Took an extra day off this week. Saw it was supposed to be really nice on my Friday and we had an extra person on the schedule, thankfully my Sgt was nice enough to let me take a day since there was still going to be enough people at work. Got off work Tuesday morning and took a nap for a few hours. It was already in the 70's when I woke up around lunch time. Had lunch and asked the wife if I could take the boys to a creek for a little exploring/fishing and she could have some quiet time. She was a bit nervous since I haven't taken them out just "the boys", yet, but we didn't have any issues and we had a blast throwing rocks and catching a couple wipers and a white bass. Wednesday the whole family loaded into the truck and we made the first trip of the year to one of the smallmouth lakes. It's my wife's favorite lake and boy did it treat her well, minus her big one of the day jumping off next to the boat. I took a pretty solid "L" from my backseater, but I didn't mind. My only saving grace was catching the big fish of the day on a Ned rigged 10,000 Fish Sukoshi Bug. I'd barely started the motor on Wednesday, and I owed the fish, so I went back to the same lake Thursday. There had been a massive cold front overnight and the fish had moved a little. I struggled to find quality for a good portion of the day until I kind of went off a hunch that payed off big time. I was keeping track of my biggest 5 for the day. At 1:30, I was sitting at a measly 12lbs and a lot of that thanks to a 3.79lb fish. By the time I left at 2:30, I had nearly 19lbs and my small fish was 3.56lbs. Probably my biggest limit of brown fish ever in Kansas. All the big ones were on a Duel Hardcore Flat SP jerkbait in the Matte Pearl/chartreuse except the biggest one that ate a white/gold double hammered willowleaf War Eagle with a pearl chartreuse YUM split tail trailer. 3.56, 3.60, 3.71, 3.79, and 4.14 for 18.80 pounds.

Never had much luck night fishing for smallmouth but I think it might be because our lakes aren't very clear. Seems like the lakes I hear with good night fishing for smallmouth have much clearer water.

Nailed it. It crosses the line into "promotional" territory at that point. So the videos that end with "Thanks for watching, please like and subscribe", no go. Can't overtly promote a product either. Obviously, if you're fishing a bait and want to talk about, go ahead. If every video someone makes they go out of their way to mention product "X", that's probably going to be viewed as promotional as well. IMO, provide good content, people will subscribe. OP, hopefully that cleared up some of the confusion and welcome to the forums!