Spankey

I think I’ll go stand in the corner and wear the TW banner. At best it will always take me 7 days when everything is going good. I live about as far across the country you can get. Covid is what it is. Everyone situation on here is different and is what it is. That swim bait, packs of Rage Craws and some RoboWorms, that I really do want next day but too cheap to pay for I can wait. Don’t need them that badly. Will not hold me up from getting out. Maybe there is a serious problem there. Doubt it. I believe they will get back on track. Myself I despise Wally World. I’m not a huge fan of DICK’S. Local tackle shop has problems getting stuff in. (TW may be in the same boat). You have to stand there and listen to some song and dance story about how much better the shop is gonna be. Not. Why go there and walk out with stuff that you really didn’t go there for. Or settle for something less. In my case it certainly won’t work out for the better. I’m so dang anal that I’m better off just waiting for a UPS Box. At TW they have a better selection. But I realize not all Wally Worlds and the old mom and pop shops are not created equal. My local choices suck. So I wait.

This is not the order of my top 3. Guess a favorite is tough to pick. But Black, Gr. Pump., and pumpkinseed would be my choices. For a t-rig worm.

In a month or so I’ll give a review or opinion on some new ribbon tail worms I just bought. I use to kick butt on the river with the 4” style of Culprit ribbon tails. They totally dried up for years around my area and I have only been fishing what I have small quantities of. Sort have been looking for an alternative. Found these worms put out by this company called Dry Creek Outfitters. I’m going to be trying their 5” ribbon tail. Pretty close to what I used years ago. I think my results are gonna be good.

? very productive color pattern, I like fishing the RoboWorm version also. Over the winter I picked up the Berkley version, bit fatter in diameter. Have not broken them out yet. Good Luck.

I'd never even try it for bass. And highly doubt I'd consider it for trout. Trout can get line shy and I have an UL set up with 2 lb. test on it. I don't like fishing with it all that much.

Check out Dry Creek.

I've long gave up on bubble gum. And what I'd like to try in bubble gum is either not made or I've never seen it available. Have only fished it in a soft fluke. I will not dis it because I'm not able to fish it the way I'd want to.

I’ve got to get back in tune with it. I hope to live long enough to see it do a bit of a turn around. Some jerkbaits I fish I have a bit of a confidence level. But admittedly I am no Guru to jerkbait fishing. I’m certainly no KVD. I just play around with them and seem to do better with them when I’m not fishing them with a hardcore cadence approach.

For sure. I’m lucky to have many classic patterns and Special Runs. There was a factory guy (USA) we’d keep in contact a few times a year. There was a shop up here that was a full line Bandit dealer who since is long gone that would hook me up. It’s a shame things get to that point. Not too sure what Bandit puts out these days. I could only hope they still put out the chartreuse w/ black back and both of the rootbeers. As you say they (pradco) probably wrecked it.

I know I have to step up my size game. I’ve been at if for my whole life for these Smallies. By no means do I go at it ultra light or light but I get size shy on some baits. I’ve been eying up some HJ 12 deeps. Hard to find. I like that diving depth. 15+. Doing the greenie fishing the last few years I have a lot of my crankbait sizes and running depths stepped way up. Those 12 and 14 will drum up some Muskie for sure. Those 12 & 14 will give me triple trebles also. Zookill in Reading area.

Olive is a great color. That olive back looks real natural. I’m 100’s of miles from Tennessee and that color has always worked well up here. Lol. If olive is a color that you like to throw and do well with I’d like to run this bait past you. A bait and color I’ve always have done well with on the river. Bandit 200 Solid Olive with a very very small amount of red on the chin right at the bottom of the bill. Factory color. Good bait. Bandit Lures just have taken a bad turn the last ten years or so. They are nothing they use to be. That pattern should be able to be found.

8’s and 10’s in normally what I throw. I’ve never got real crazy on my color choices. Silver w/black back, silver w/ blue back, gold w/black back, Tenn. Shad and Firetiger. Basic and simple. If I get into the right shop I’d like to pick up and maybe throw the white ghost in the mix. The white ghost has a nice natural look. Not nude clear, more on the line of translucent white.

Got on the river for a bit over an hour last night. Had added some Sea Foam to my tank and wanted to run it some. Was my biggest priority. My next couple of times out I won’t be able to use my OB (too big), have to use T-motor on that lake. Fished two points with steep drop offs. Had caught a couple of dinks and runts there last week. Managed two runts last night again throwing some Husky Jerks. The HJ 8 seems to be the bait of choice the last couple of weeks. For runts that is. I’m trying to get the feel of my old stomping grounds (home water) that I have not been fishing much the last few years. Bass fishing had turned sour and I’m just trying to touch base with this river section to see if it is coming around. A couple of factors most likely played into this. I’m gonna stick with it some this season and get a feel as to where it’s at or going. I’m doing well (last few seasons) greenie fishing on the lake. Not going to totally abandon that. Has worked out well to convert over. It’s just in the works for me to make something happen on the river. I’m going to take a day off soon to hit it hard. I’ve just been dabbling half hearted here early on. Want to be on it at 5:00 am sunup and seriously throw some baits. Step that HJ 8 up to a 10, get some Shad Raps & DT’s going and drag some tubes and t-rigs. Need to refocus and re-hit all of what was my better producing areas. But passing on some limited success with the Husky. Really has never been my first bait of choice but have been wanting to throw it more. Use to fish it a lot more often. I do use it through out the season and don’t limit it to colder temps. Pretty hard to fish one wrong, multiple retrieves can be done with it.

Good fishing. Do you think Aaron Rodgers will be QB one more season.

Seem to do well on those days that are super overcast no real wind to speak of but starts out as a drizzle to a steady rain.

I hate the wind. Willing to bet a lot of you guys it’s most of the time that you have to deal with it. Love those glass like mornings on the river.

Back a few years ago I caught a spotted Muskie. They are not common in the river I fish. That thing smelled like sulfur. But his skin pattern was pretty cool. Not real big. Close to 30”, size 8 or 9 Shad Rap. Not fishing for Muskies. Fish was not sick. Healthier than heck. All fight on 8 lb test.

Some days the ole pant leg was all the better it got. “Success” is a good way to put it.

When I was a lot younger I dated a girl like that for awhile.

I’m the same era as you. Still use those spoons (smaller versions) for trout fishing. I never got into using spoons for bass. Only spoonish I use for bass is a Mepps/Mr. Twister Timber Doodle.

I am in considerably deeper water than that. I might be fishing from 1 foot to maybe 13-15 feet. I should be using the term current breaks but that is not what he is talking about either. He’s talking about riffles. Riffles where I’m at are some serious moving water. Not hydro electric dam stuff but you are not going to diddlebop across them in a pair of waders or sneakers toting your rod on your shoulders and cross the river. Thanks G, you are on my wave length. I won’t involve myself with this post any longer because I don’t know anything about catching Smallies. Oh....... dang.....I caught my first one 6 months ago.

Not sure. But that not true. I’ve caught some nice Smallies over the years off of lay downs during the summer and it was not close to wingdams or higher water flows.Just under Normal flow conditions of the river. I'm not implying there is no truth in what you are saying. Just saying the are not all facing into a wing dam somewhere with shallow faster flow. Can’t always assume there is feed at a spot that looks good to you. I think the Smallies have a better idea as to where that is and how to survive. They are not the only fish in there trying to stay alive from day to day. They all need oxygen. If that’s the case the fish would be stacked in there so solid you could walk across their back like JC on water.

I would not consider it fishing in a barrel. But temps effect metabolism. All Smallies rushing to current when summer is in full swing is not true. In a river system most will make a home on a certain structure. Have a feeding routine and return to structure or that place they want to be. True riffles or wing dam will creat more ovygen. But the body of water is not oxygen starved.

^^^^^ very true^^^^^

I worms fish for the most part t-rig, drop shot and split shot. And do it on the smaller side. Have a real phobia about fishing worms larger than 7”. This has probably cost me nice fish over the years. The Zoom Finesse is right there as one of my top 3 worms. Has a larger profile than a Berkley and RoboWorm. I find that sometimes helps or doesn’t hurt.