BRONZEBACK_ADDICT

- BPS 3 inch green pumpkin tender tubes with red flake - Strike King 3.5 inch green pumpkin coffee tubes I agree that color and size is more important than the manufacturer

Sssshhh... LOL!!! I grew up on Rainy and was hooked the first time I caught a 3 lber. Now I'm on a relentless pursuit of a 5 lber!!

Has anyone tried an A-Rig for smallies? I've been reading alot about the presentation lately, but it isn't very popular up North...yet. We've all seen smallies try to rip baits out of a hooked fish when the school is fired up and actively feeding. I'm sure if an A-rig was thrown, you'd catch more than one. Or...neutral or negative fish may see what they interpret to be a school of bait swimming by which triggers them. If you've tried the A-rig, I'm curious as to what you found on the water.

Spinnerbaits in the weeds...cast past a pocket and wait for it to be crushed when it gets there!!! And boy do they pretzel it!!! Can't wait for this ice to melt!

I have an HDS 8 mounted behind a full windshield on my Ranger 620...unit works perfectly

I was having a similar issue this summer prior to fishing a tournament. I switched my crankbait rod from graphite to fibreglass with an extrafast tip and I never had a single one come unbuttoned during competetion. I never thought the rod would make such a big deal until my fishing partner suggested I switch things up. I was initially using a 6'6 med fast Crucial with 10 lb fluorocarbon...was landing about 75 percent of hook ups.

very nice!! what did you get her on??

Absolutely...Can't believe I forgot the jerkbait rod!!!

I second the spinnerbait rod...I also always have a grub rod on my deck and sometimes a fluke.

all out of stock unless you want a 51

Thanks for all the response. I should clarify that I'm not throwing into heavy cover. I'm mainly throwing onto chunk rock shoreline & points. From the advice I've been given, I think I'll start by changing out my hooks to an owner fine wire and maybe up a size. I may also try going to 10 lb test too. I'm guessing that I either missed or had fish come off on maybe 15 percent of my bites which I now realize isn't terrible. I just want to dial it in as much as possible. Again, thanks for the help.

I have a Curado 50E spooled with 8 lb flourocarbon on a 6 '6 medium light Crucial. This past week-end I was throwing sqaurebill cranks on it and caught alot of fish, but also had a couple come unbuttoned. Does anyone think that I should change to mono or use a different rod for this application? I'm throwing primarily onto rocky structure and like the sensitivity of the graphite rod. I also have a 7'3 med heavy Kistler Mg...would that be a better option or should I get a glass rod? I usually have a spinning rod in my hand, so any help is appreciated.

I agree...was prefishing for a tournament last week-end and tied on a Yamamoto swim senko and the smallies were crushing it!! I was using a greenpumpkin senko on a 1/8 oz black jig. Hope the pattern holds...

You're going to be fishing in my backyard...I'm sure that you'll love it. Depending on what mother nature does, there should be a shallow water pattern for sure. Usually by the end of July, we're catching the bigger fish in the weeds, but you'll always catch some on the rocks. I use a jerkbait, rattletrap or spinnerbait for a search bait, then work over the area again with plastics. Tubes are a good choice, as are grubs, flukes and senkos. I was out last weekend and we caught some nice smallies, all of which were post spawn. I spend alot of time on the lake, so fire me a PM when you're getting close to your trip and I'll let you know whats working for me.

A book that I found pretty good was "Big Book of Bass : Strategies for Catching Largemouth and Smallmouth" by Steve Hauge. There's alot of info including a chapter on locating smallmouth in different types and sizes of lakes, reservoirs and rivers. The electronic version of the book is available online at the Kindle Store.

I'd rate myself an 8 or 9...My last boat had an HB 898 with SI which was nice, but I never had the unit long enough to reap the rewards of the SI. I bought a Ranger last year and have an HDS 8, which is also an awesome unit. The main advantage to going to an expensive unit is GPS with mapping. Once I develop some sort of pattern, I just look on the map and drive to another similar spot. My advise would be to buy what you can afford, you won't be disappointed.

I agree with the jerkbait...I'd use it for a search bait to catch the aggressive fish and follow up with plastics. My experience has been that the colder the water, the longer the pause between jerks. Good luck...let us know how you did and what worked.

Thanks for the help. Time to buy a new toy!!

I agree with everyone else in respect to confidence. When the going gets tough, I always go to a jig and grub because I know that I can catch some fish on it, although they may not be the bites I'm looking for...a starting point. I also think that you can't get in that rut of what worked yesterday...patterns change and the most successful fishermen change with it. I've learned way more from a hard day on the water than an easy one. I tend to think more when things aren't going as planned. I fished a smallie tourney a couple years ago. I spent a week pre fishing an new lake and had a deadly pattern going. The big bass were just inside the cabbage in 10 ft of water adjacent to deep water. 2 days before the tournament, I fished 8 spots and landed 6 bass. My 5 best would have been about 17 lbs...not bad. The last spot, I had 6 other 3-4 lbers trying to rip the jerk shad from my fish's mouth!! Long story short, on tournament day, all the big fish were gone. We brought in just under 10 lbs...brutal!! We stayed with the gameplan on day 2 and never boated a fish until 1:00 when we decided to abandon our pattern and try a rock pile where we caught 6 bass in 6 casts!! We also had the privilege of watching the tournament winners boat 18 lbs on a rock pile just down from us!! I've learned that you've got to be versatile. Good luck.

I was looking at the Revo SX in a 6.4:1 and will be pairing it on a 7'3 Kistler Mag MH.

I'm going to be using 1/4 to 3/8 oz spinnerbaits in no more than 10 ft of water most of the time. Thanks for the advice.

I'm looking into buying a new casting reel mainly for throwing spinnerbaits or shallow crankbaits. I'm wondering what gear ratio to look at. I assumed that 6.4:1 would be fine, but would a 5.3 suffice? I know its probably a silly question, but what can I say...I'm more at home with a spinning rod, light line and a grub!! Any advice is appreciated and thanks in advance.

I agree with the jig/grub combo. I'd also try a jerkbait on the flats, especially when the sun gets up a bit.

Now thats impressive!! The real question is how'd ya fool her into eating??

I am wondering what everyone elses experience has been when fishing the pre-spawn. I have been told that after ice-out, you can find smallies on the same reefs and points that held bass in the late fall. On my lake, the big bass school up on off shore reefs and strap on the feed bag in fall right up until the lake freezes over. I'm wondering if the same spots will hold bass at ice out. I know where the bass bed during spawn, but haven't had a consistent bite prior to that. I've had awesome fishing immediately before spawn throwing jerkbaits on rocky shorelines adjascent to spawning bays, but before that its like throwing darts blindfolded. I'm guessing that I haven't been fishing deep enough... Thanks for the help.