kash1

What I have been reading on here and from watching videos on YouTube, I get the idea that Jerk Baits are for early spring and colder water temps. Does anyone fish them deep during the summertime in water that is 70-72 degrees on surface? Also can you troll them like a normal crank bait?

Hi All I'm from North Central Illinois or Southwest of Chicago on the Illinois River. I've been fishing for 60 years and still learning new tricks. During the summer I either go to Ontario a couple of times for 2 weeks or just take off for a whole month and fish up there. I fly fish,spin fish and use bait casters. Because I don't eat the fish I catch ,I practice Catch and Release. I normally target the smallmouth while I'm up there but when I get bored I will go after Northern Pike and walleyes as a last resort. Being retired gives me time during the winter months to build custom rods to have something to do. I normally give them away to friends I know. I also make a lot of my own baits that I use. I don't mind sharing information on places I fish or how I fish them. I have been reading threads on here for sometime now and was surprised to find out that people actually DO share information on here. I have asked a couple of questions on here and have gotten some good help and solid information back either in posts or by PM's. This site as a lot to offer and look forward to being a member. Kash1

http://stcroixrods.com/uploads/pr-area/STC-Rod-Builder-FW-2016-FINAL.pdf This will be the only information you will get about St.Croix rods is via the blanks. Hope this helps.

fmoi@d. You gave a lot of information about the length,Power and Action of the rod you want, but you left out the most important parts, What are you going to be fishing for and How do you plan on using it? Full grips? Split Grips? All 7'M/F rods and blanks are not equal. I build a lot of custom rods and the first thing I ask is What are you fishing for? And How are you going to use it. I do that so i know what type of blank to use. The How will tell me Which Blank to use. Example: A friend wanted me to build him a 7' M/F rod with full handles. I did and he liked the way it looked. Next he tells me the rod is bending to much when he is using it. Comes to find out he is running 3oz bottom bouncers with spinner harnesses on a rod blank meant for 1 1/2 max weight. Knowing the species also helps to select a rod blank type. Fishing for Blue gills you don't need a $220 St.Croix Legend Elite blank, Im6 would be fine for about $30. Bass rods depending what you want to do with it falls in between. More need for sensitivity the more the cost. I just tried to add a picture of some I've made but it was to big a file it told me. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. Post what you are going to use it for and species.

Thanks guys. What makes this area so hard to fish is the nature of the shear drop as you come off of it. If I park my boat so that off one side of it your fishing in 5' of water and if you drop a line off the other side of the boat you could be in 50-60 foot of water. Almost straight down. My biggest smallie from that spot has been 7.12lbs and I have seen bigger ones lost to the pike there. The only thing I can think of doing now is dropping anchor off both ends of the boat and try fishing parallel to the ridge line. Beyond what depth would you suggest NOT FISHING FOR SMALLIES so as to not blow them up? I will also look into getting some sinking jerk baits that can get down there. Tubes I have but don't use them that often but will give them more of a try this time.

I have a spot I have been trying to figure out the best way to fish it and what type of baits to use. This is on a Canadian Shield Lake with a maximum depth of 147 foot. The lake has a lot of natural food in it an is common to see each fish on your locator with it's own bait ball. The water to me is tea colored and fairly good visibility Lots of rocks in the lake with a sand and silt bottom for most parts once away from the shore lines. Now here is the spot: Imagine an upside down "U". This represents looking down an underwater ridge line. The top of the ridge is about 16 foot wide and about 300 yards long out in the middle of a large bay. One end of the ridge is about 5 foot under water and the other end is about 13 foot under water. On the LEFT SIDE it drop to 35-65 foot almost straight down and is rocky with large rocks some almost boulders. On the right side it gradually drops to 26 foot over a 100 foot spread. My question would be "how to fish the left side drop off of this ridge to keep a bait as close as possible? Sometime ago I was at a Bass Pro Shop and was looking at their big fish display and I noticed that the Biggest Bass help up tight to the face of the drop any place there was any kind of indentation. Those are what I'm after. This spot also tends to hold large northern pike as well as Bass. Thanks

If this is an ongoing thing I would like to get into it this summer while I'm on vacation up in Canada. I will only be fishing Smallmouth while I'm on this lake and would like to donate $10 for every Smallmouth over 2 1/2 lbs up to a $300 limit. Have never caught a 2 1/2lber on the lake.......They start at 3 1/2lb !! 30 fish that size can be 1 day of fishing up there. Who to and where to do I send the money?

I just purchased a new Triton TR18-Pro and I put a 998ci SI on the console and a 788ci HD DI on the bow. I had the same type on my last boat and my catching went up 50% on catching bigger fish. Once you use Side Imaging and down Imaging it really helps you to understand what your seeing on a 2D locator. I give it a full 10.

Hi new here to the board and I have to say it's really amazing how much I have learnned just from this thread. I do a lot of Smallmouth fishing in Ontario (NWO) where a lot of the lakes are clear,cold and deep with a lot of rocky structer. My personal best bait I use a Zoom OLE MONSTER HEAY SALT WORM in either anything with red flakes in it or a Watermelon color. I just hook them throuh the nose flip it out and let it sink and then reel in with a stop and go motion. It's hard to believe how a smallie will take a 10 1/2 inch bait in one gulp. These baits were bought to take down to use on Pickwick or Wilson lake in ALabama but trip got cancelled so I tried them in Canada and have been using ever since up there. Biggest smallie to date is 7.12lbs. In 40 days I'm headed back up there to fish the AYA and the SSS Tournaments.