Spankey

My biggest bass have come off a few different Rapalas. They are retired but I have duplicates of them I fish now.

I like this bait also. I don't do it intentionally but I don't talk about them that much. I generally have one tied on ready to go. I go way back with the Bandits. Sort of feel like I'm the first guy to buy one. But for anyone new to them their quality isn't for diddly these days. They are Guatamalan Junk. And any of the hot/productive colors special runs are long gone. I'd buy older used ones first. The newer ones chip/peel way too easy. Heavy varnished over split ring eyes. It just gets me peeved off because they are/were a great bait. Now their selection is smaller, lesser quality, plus the price went up on them for Guatamalan Junk. They should be $2.99 baits. They were bought out by pradco I believe. Pradco has been down hill for years. When Bandit stopped making a fire tiger craw pattern you know they are idiots. They have a fire tiger version but not the one I'm referring to. The version similar to a Bomber pattern. They had primo treble hooks also back some time ago. Was called a triple grip treble. They use to hook in. Sorry for for being long winded but I have no desire for their new stuff. Corporate mental midgets there now.

I prefer the Footloose Bandits to run real shallow. I'm for the most part a Rapala Junkie. But like you I have that need to stay shallow and not dive. Try them. Not too expensive for the most part.

Next summer I'm going to find out what some of that Great Lake Smallie fishing is about up there. I was just up there on Lake Ontario doing some Chinook fishing for two days and we killed them. 17-25 lb. fish. I scoped out and did some homework to return to do that Smallie fishing next summer. Probably will have to go solo on that one. A lot of rock on that eastern shore that I saw. They have to be there. By what I had seen the mouths of some of the feeder rivers looked great. I only scoped out Oswego County shoreline but feeders into the lake Oswego, Sage, Salmon, Lil Salmon, and Grindstone rivers looked like good spots. Going to be a winter time project for me.

A ++++ to that man. Great reply. Give us some water temps. What were you using that didn't work?

Nice fish! Stay pumped, go get another. He's no dink or runt. That's a nice fish man.

6# ML, 6 & 8# Medium. I've caught some nice size channel cats, carp, musky and flatheads on Rapalas over the years. Can't say I've lost many rapalas due to those fish. May have taken me awhile to get them or possibly had to move the boat and go to them. I'm do for a carp soon. On occasion they crush a no. 7 gold w/ black back Shad Rap. Black and gold mini Traps also. Not sure what they associate that with, coincidence they are the same color.

I'll be honest I'm not into any smallies like you and J are hooking up into. I can wish and hope in one hand and you know how that saying goes but I'm taking a road trip to get into those. I manage a few nice ones a year in the Delaware and Susky. Every time I go out Smallie fishing it's with the intention of breaking my BP. I'm not as crazy as "Ike". But "never give up" I keep telling myself that. Keep trying to make something happen. I take the good days with the bad days. Try to reason with it. Try to keep it real.

Are you seeing other fish and bait fish? Have you seen a bass there yet? Have you seen anyone else catch one there yet? There might be something online about your body of water that can help.

This past Saturday I was out and had a pretty decent day in spite of what my water condition are and have been. I was on a point that has a nice flow of water around it that is being deverted by Rock pileings. Drop off at the banks edge goes from inches to 7 ft deep almost immediately. My two nicest fish were just shy of 16"s and 18"s. Both were a one time lazy jump and there after all dig to stay to the bottom. I find this to be typical of the nicer River smallies. High percentage of time don't even get a jump out of the nice ones. This is stuff is an addiction and a sickness.

I caught some major heck from my wife. Real ear bending. And you guys are right. I just had to get that out of my system. Question got answered whether and bass were in there.

I'm catching fish also. The water level and stain level I feel is affecting me. We never got dog day of summer water conditions. I'm hoping for better condition, I think we will see it. I think what has helped me is I've stepped up my bait sizes a bit. Give them a bit larger profile.

I've been pretty hooked on Gammys for a long long time. I do real well with the light wire hooks. But a 8 or 10 lb. bass would not be the norm in an outing for me. i don't have the need to try the Trokars. I'll see if I can get a free sample sometime. But, yes I've had days as you just had.

Nice dude. Do you think you could sneak back there with a float tube? The other night on my way back from my kids house I threw into a golf course pond and nailed two greenies. Only 14" fish but they exploded on a brand new skitter pop I had just ordered. Left the old lady in the truck. Just took my rod and a pair of pliers. About a dozen quick casts and I got the heck out of there. Been wanting to to do that for a couple of years at that pond. Finally got that out of my system.

It's a sickness. An addiction muck like use of crack, herione and cocaine. I tell my wife that all the time. Un like the above addiction I can still make it to work and function every day.

I'd hate to miss out on TW Black Friday sale. That might be more for a new baitcaster and frog Rod set up. Sort of doing a make shift spinning set up to do it right now. I recently got bit by the Chinook Salmon bug. Two days just killed them. 17-25lb. fish. Want to continue on with doing some of this. Want a few things to make that happen. Have a 30 lb'r in mind. My kids and their families love to eat them.

I'm going to have fun regardless of what the fishing day brings. But I would say for effectiveness. How and where I fish it seems that the smallies need to have that variation. Maybe it be color. Switching between Crankbait to spinnerbaits. Soft plastics to a Crankbait. I know now a few guys that they have a boat full of stuff. They get that FireTiger color in their head and that's all they throw. ALL DAY LONG. (It is a good pattern) Then tell me they didn't do to well. Oh well that happens. Some game warden tells them this is the color to use, some dude tells them how great the color worked for him, maybe caught a single fish on it that day. More to my fishing than FireTiger. (Admittedly a good pattern) I know guys with a boat full of stuff that that have a confidence level in about 5% of what they own.

+PLUS+ on that. In my belief it not like they don't see it but the hit is reactionary. Not much thought process on the fishes part. Very possible the reaction to a shape or color of one over another is more. But I'm no fish biologist. Just my opinion. +PLUS+

I hear you and can feel for you. There are a few old power worms I could kill for. I find myself crying many nights over the Mr. Twister Silk Worm 4.5 no longer around. I still have a few. Don't know what I'm saving them for. Love to have 10 cents for every Smallie I caught on them.

Thanks for the heads up. I've been fishing them more than normal this year due to high water and heavy stained water. Mostly because of the larger profile look. Pretty good selection at two shops I use. But can't say I'm having an issue. But I'm sure there is something that justifies the higher priced spinnerbaits.

I'm admittedly very anal and have a tendency to over think things. Work or my mental relief activities. I want things to go right and don't like things half butted. Things will turn around for you your next time out. Have a good practice day. Things will fall in line.

Sweet! Have fun.

You can't afford to be in a slump. You can't afford head game either. Relax, free your mind.

LMB, SMB, Spotted Musky, Tiger Musky, Sunfish, Bluegill, RockBass, Channel cats, Bullhead Cats, Flathead Cats, White Crappie, Black Crappies, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Brown trout, Chinook Salmon, Yellow Perch, white perch, Striped Bass, sucker, Carp, Chain Pickerel, Shad (24) total. Hope to add lake trout and pike to this next year.

I'm sure something good will come out of this. Let us know what happens. Just a slump. Fish your way out of it. It will turn around.