OkobojiEagle

5" flukes are more available than 4" versions, BUT I find 4" flukes more effective for smallies... Who uses 4" flukes and do you find they are more effective than 5" catching numbers of average sized smallies in your waters? What percentage of the time do you dip a flukes tail yellow (any size) chasing smallmouth? oe

Although they were designed and marketed for the walleye guys, many smallmouth bass have been taken on a spinner rig trolled behind a bottom bouncer. If you want to stick strictly with artificial baits, pull a Rapala balsa minnow bait behind the same bottom bouncer. oe

1st choice... Regal 2nd choice... HMH oe

Sitting at home last evening after spending the day at a family funeral, my mind was tip-toeing through many memories that caused me to think a while on this... Could I fish the entire season with only one rod/reel and be as successful catching bass as I currently am using several each trip? I came to the conclusion that I'd have to throw out a couple of my largest crankbaits and one or two of my heaviest spinnerbaits, but yes, I probably could. Not limiting yourself on any tackle you are currently using EXCEPT for limiting yourself to only ONE rod and reel, could you be as successful?... (It might be an interesting concept for a bass tournament.) My rod/reel of choice... 6 1/2' med. heavy, fast action spinning rod with 2000 size reel. oe

Possibly, but certainly don't allow any slack in the line while you are playing the bass. oe

Small plastic grub, tube or worm on a light jighead (exposed hook if cover allows). oe

My #5 shad raps run pretty true, but other diminutive cranks I've tried haven't. Have those Snap Beans run consistently or do they spin-out during an average retrieve speed? oe

What is the smallest crankbait in your tackle bag that is intended to be fished for bass? 2" #5 Shad Rap oe

If you don't intend to eat what you catch, why are you fishing with barbs???... If you do accidentally kill a fish you aren't going to consume yourself, leave it in the lake for the scavengers of that ecosystem! oe

Learn to play the bass a little more gently... oe

Barbless, man... oe

Vanish doesn't have very good shock strength and most bass anglers are too heavy-handed to compensate for that trait. Give Berkley Sensation a try if you liked the Vanish. oe

A lot of nuance needs to be understood in bass fishing. In my smallmouth lakes you may find smallmouth "relating" to a feeding shelf/flat by suspending a good distance off the shelf at the shelf depth over much deeper water. It appears they are suspended relating to nothing but will move back and forth horizontally to the flat to feed. You may also find smallmouth in the middle of a 100' deep basin suspended under a school of palagic bait fish. I consider this "relating" to the school rather than geologic structure. And then there are the bass that you will find "relating" to structureless cover such as floating swim platforms or docks... a lot of nuance. oe

tie it tighter oe

ergonomics oe

yes oe

Palomar with PE lines... 1/2" tag oe

What is the size of the forage that the bass are currently eating? Is it crawling or swimming?... couple of questions to ponder when selecting the bait you will be fishing. oe

hmmm... black colored soft baits are my most productive soft baits. I've always assumed because black was very visible to the bass. I prefer fluoro leaders to coloring the line with ink. oe

4" Berkley PowerBait and Kalin's Lunker Grub are two I often use. Lunker City Ribster and swimming Ribster round out most of my grub fishing. oe

My question was less about whether a lake has large smallmouth... more about do the largest smallmouth in any body of water become more solitary as they age. From the response above I take a possibility that the larger the body of water is the opportunity there are large smallies in the 18"+ size foraging together. oe

I was reading a web article in which the pro referenced fishing "schools" of smallmouth which got me thinking... In my lakes I don't find "schools" of large smallmouth. I frequently will find and fish through schools of 12" - 14" smallies, but can't ever remember finding 18"+ smallmouth schooled in one location. A couple in that size together rarely, but never a school. Do some of you have a different experience is this the norm? oe

I've been towing my 16' aluminum boat with various mini-vans for the better part of two decades with no vehicle upgrades. I like the visibility allowed when backing down the boat launch with the back hatch open! oe

When casting to an "area" rather than a specific piece of structure, I generally don't care if the bait pendulums on a tight line. oe

"innovation" at Abu never reached a pinnacle higher than that of the Eon! oe