Spankey

I’m also shooting down any theories of movement, speed, too fat and energy theories because I’ve caught many of my nicer fish, Smallies and Greenies on reaction baits. In the summer and early fall. I’m not a scientist or a biologist, not gonna start to be one now. Just gonna fish hard and try to find them. Sometimes that picture perfect piece of structure doesn’t produce fish regardless of how long or hard you fish it. Only to drift down 50 yards to a lone branch sticking up and you run your Shad Rap through it a few times and nail an 18” Smallie or Greenie. That’s fishing.

I'm with you. I use mono 99% of the time also. Majority of the time put it that way. I will use Trilene and Stren but over the last few years I've taken a real liking to the Sunline Super Natural Mono. Can't get it local and wish I could get it a big bulk spool. I just do mail order. I have one setup with McCoy copolly and do like that and some big game on a few things.

Crankbaits, worms, jigs, creature style soft plastics. I don’t change much from what I do during mid season. Color changes slightly, but than again maybe not.

I’m south of you some, in PA, I have to keep my mind in the summer mode. I have surf water temps @ 71-73 deg at sun up. We have a hot 1/2 of a week this week before cooling off some. I might dog off work Friday and fish in the rain. If it’s rain and not wind driven rain I think I’m in. Pulled off a few nice fish this past weekend. No prize or anything to brag over but a few nice fish. I don’t get into a lot of chatter at the dock or on the water with guys but have had a few tell me they are struggling. I’m not setting the world on fire but not getting skunked. I just try to fish hard and not give up. I’m a bit butt hurt and butt chapped over the flood situation. But the lake does have better (size) bass there.

Well you found them that’s a big advantage over how it was going for you not all that long ago. Maybe continue to mark them. And drop stop for them. The recent PA floods have ruined my Smallie fishing for the rest of the season I take it. At least from getting on the water. Access ramp to river is destroyed. The whole park is destroyed. I’ll have to check a few other ramps I use. Have not missed out on much fishing really from the rains. Switched over to the lake and Greenie fishing. Lake is heavy stained but I sort of like that water condition.

I throw a lot of old school patterns. I love fishing Bomber Model A’s. Well Bomber must be on their way to out of business because you can’t find them and the ones you do are about only 3 colors worth and the 3 are not on my hit parade. Hope the trolling works out for you. Something I know little about. Get one of the pigs to bite.

Big RoboWorm fan and user. I fish the curly tails, straights and fat straights. Smallies seem to love them. I need to call them sometime and find out why a standard type black is not available in the 4.5”-5” worms. I have never seen them. I’d be all over that color to use. Hard to believe something so basic is not out there. I see it in 7”.

I take it you troll a lot of Rapalas.

Hope it goes well for you. It should not be a real hard job. Get decent seals and a version of the bearing buddies and save a headache for a long time.

I will get back to back mornings tomorrow and Sunday. Not sure what to expect. We’ve been hammered with some rain for the last week. That will keep me off the river. Have lake fishing planned out for the couple of days. But y’all know how plans go. Fish will have to tell me their plan. I believe I can make something happen. Fish hard and never give up. Stick with whatever has been working. It been warm, it’s been down right hot. I’m not thinking fall pattern yet. Warming up again next week. Our night have not gotten cool yet.

Fish a bigger swim bait….maybe. Maybe drop shot them if you can keep them on your finder.

Mo I still fish some of my slider stuff. Locally a bit tuff to get heads and worms these day. But can be had easily by mail order. Back moons ago I was bass fishing on my tidal section of the Delaware River and I snagged hooked a CB rod combo. Had not been in the water very long and not really damaged. Took it home cleaned it, took the reel apart and cleaned and relubed it, installed new mono. Pitched it around on the driveway some. I was gonna try to use it some. My next trip out while putting in at the ramp there was a kid fishing with a real decrepit setup. Sort of felt bad for the kid. I gave it to him and had it setup with the slider and a pumpkin seed w/ chart. tail worm. It was ready to catch a Smallie. I did see him around the dock at times afterwards fishing it. I still river fish with an old BPS signature series Billy Westmoreland Rod setup. When they clearanced those rods out I snagged two more of them. They are still in plastic sleeves w/ hang tags. Was a big fan. Thought they might be a collector item but I don’t think so. They set under my bed in the rod tube they came in. Would not mind having one of those CB anniversary rods as a wall hanger.

I guess rods and reels would be my bigger purchases. I generally would not buy either of them sight unseen or not touched first. But not that I never have. They were through TW. I trust what they do. But I do have a tackle shop that will order me in rods that I like to see. Cabelas will do the same thing. But I go to the store and take the ones I like. I’d never order anything directly from Japan or China. Don’t need anything that bad to do that. I’ve heard nightmares about those purchases.

I have a 90 hp Optimax on my 19 ft. Tracker and love it. Never owned a 4 stroke, so I don’t know what I’m missing. Have not had any problems with mine. I use good gas, oil and additives to mine. Knock on wood my 90 has been great for 10 years. 2012

I just back hook them with a circle hook or drop shot hook and split shot fish them. Much like how a trout guy would fish a mealworm. Cast to the bank and pop and slide them back to me. Try to stick with it a bit and try to get some type of results. To me they are ok to fish but I do get a lot better results with a grub or tube. They tend to yield dinks and runts for me. On a bad or slow bite that’s ok. I know guys do do well with them and they should. Pretty natural bait to use. I am gonna order up some of the 5” version and split shot rig them with a light wire 1/0 or 2/0 Grammy straight shank. Just to use it as a change up and a different look see for the fish. I believe I can do something with it. Fish it like a finesse worm.

That’s a first for me. Never seen one. Hope goes well to get your hands on the ones you want.

I have only ordered them. Never seen them either. I don’t know the situation at Case anymore. At one time you could call them and shoot the breeze and order up what you wanted. I believe Charlie has long passed, correct me if I’m wrong on that. I’m partial to their products and low on everything. Many river rats fishing Case. Thanks for the heads up on them. I’m gonna try some of them in the 5”. I’ll buy a bag on next TW order. I’ll rig a 5” on a Grammy 1/0 lite wire worm hook and a #7 split shot. Maybe a larger hellgie will draw a larger bite. Thanks.

Waiting for delivery from TW Sale, ordered a few more Spro 50's and 55'. These have been working great for river smallies. Picked up some chromed Wiggle Warts, chromed will be a first try with them. Have been fishing the Warts for a long time.

Are white bass good eating?

I use the Case brand. Like a dark brown color. I just hook them sort of wacky style in the middle of the back with a circle hook or drop shot hook.

Cool calm morning, no air flow, low fog covered as far as the eyes can see, surrounded by those swirly funnel risers coming off the water. Love it. Generally gonna be a decent morning.

Get out. Not too late. I know where you are coming from with not getting out when you want to. I had two back to back weekends where it was impossible to get out in the beginning of August and I was gonna get sick a days right in the middle but I had something apart at work and couldn’t do it, needed to get it back together. I’m thinking of doing some long weekends between now and Columbus Day. Get out back to back mornings for 3 days straight. Work on taking care of stuff later in the days. Get out, good fishing.

I’m not setting the world on fire but I am catching bass. Not doing anything much different than the usual Cranks, t-rig worms, shaky head, grubs and tubes. Getting bit on the slight color changes I’m making. I’m hoping I get to land my nicest of the year this month. Sept. is generally a good month for it.

We just got 8” this week, historic flooding in PA. Pretty sure river fishing for me is done. Was at the lake yesterday and managed a couple 15”+. A bright note in the gloom and doom. Most likely will just finish the season out on it. Will have to stop at a few of the ramps and see if I can even get in and out of them. The destruction along it is pretty bad and I have not had the desire to even go look. A friend was down on the trail with his bike and took a few pics of some dead fish (Smallies) on the trail. I thought it sucked but I guess it just part of Mother Nature and her plan.

He doesn’t want to go right now I don’t think. My river waters are wrecked right now. Mean and nasty for quite awhile here in the N.E. From the latest hurricane.