Dave Hull

Big Un... Like Zona

I fish shiners at Rodman but like a giant TRD at Headwaters. It of course has gotten tougher over the several years it's been open. It's getting harder to fool them so feeding them is more appropriate now. Plan to use them shiners next year myself.

Wife and I have been going to DH or lake Erie every year since 2007, mostly DH. I like DH because we always get quality smallies. It's the one place other than Headwaters FL where I just know we're going to catch bass. This year Okeechobee, Rodman and Chickamauga let us down. Usually disappointed with lake Erie trips. We get bigger size there and our PB's but low numbers then there's the weather. At DH for 5 weeks from last of April to first week of June this year. Fishing got progressely better each week until we left. Water was mid 60's when we arrived and mid 70's at end of trip. The scum that accumulates on your line that must literally be plucked off became worse than ever! I've seen the water quality decline over the years. Have pictures from when we first went where the water is so clear the boat looks like it's floating in the air! Erie is probably clearer now. I don't keep count of fish but we probably averaged 5 fish per outing, once we caught ten. Just about every smallie was a slot fish and averaged 18.5". Some were larger and even fewer smaller. Wife caught 2 best ones at 22.5" and were just under 5lb. I never got one over 20" but man the aerial leaps from these skinny post spawn fish were incredible! One fish came straight up at the boat probably 5'. I had to step back as I thought I was going to get hit in the chin! Another went 3' in the air and 10' horizontally! "That's what is all about son." Caught more largemouth this year than any in the past. Also caught a few Rainbow trout, some large Channel cats and a big nasty Drum. I hate em. They are a scourge at Erie too. If there's one around I catch them. They love a hair jig. Morning bite is the best the earlier the better. Fished few evenings and no weekends! Fish were caught on main lake flats in 20 to 35 fow. Problem is there aren't that many of them and the obvious ones are heavily fished. It's a big lake mostly straight up and down. But I have the advantage of having a vintage map marked by the man himself Billy Westmoreland. It shows the spots he liked the best for a given time of year along with tips. He has alot of bluff areas marked but I don't like fishing them. Fish were mostly caught on spy baits. Blade baits, swim baits, swim jigs, hair jigs, live bait and Ned also worked. Last year Ned rigs ruled but caught few this year. Only use 6lb test line except on the blade baits. It's a must! My favorite times were throwing the spybait at schoolies busting shad at dawn. Incredible rate of hookup, probably 90%. Other lures I've tried are probably 10%! Amazing...

Do you have a backreel switch on your reel? Probably not as reel makers have dropped them. I'm always prepared to backreel at the boat since that's where he's most likely to get off when they surge boatside. Your drag should cover you otherwise. Make sure it's smooth, no Jerking when Paying out. Sometimes it's fate...

D

I'd move to eastern Tennessee from here in Central Ohio. Its being considered. I do like Florida in the winter too but wouldn't want to live there.

My professor once said that when dogwood leaves were the size of squirrels ears the suckers would be running. My first lesson in Phenology. Ohio state university uses for such things as timing pesticide applications for when the pest is most venerable or has the best effect.

Refreshing to hear that not everyone who catches a 4+ smallie calls it a fiver. Would you talk to my brother? We argue about once a year about all the fivers he's landed. Claims he's caught many, of course he's never actually weighed one. I tell him he's probably never got one over 5. He fishes on Ohio's inland waters. He gets quite mad! Like you I've caught countless 4+ myself but none over 5. When I boated my PB I'd swore it was a 6lb. Scales showed only 5 lbs even. Yea this lake Erie football is only a 5lber. Still looking...they ain't easy.

Came across this question after not being active on this site for over 5 years. Funny I remember an '09 post by posed by Dwight Hottle covering this same topic! Thread went off topic and did not go far so I wondered what he thought about chart below so I PM'ed him this list that I made when I caught his '09 post in '12 after wondering "10 lb Largemouth = ?? lb Smallmouth" 10-13 lb Largemouth = 7 lb Smallmouth 13-16 lb Largemouth = 8 lb Smallmouth 16-19 lb Largemouth = 9 lb Smallmouth 19-22 lb Largemouth = 10 lb Smallmouth 22+ lb Largemouth = 11+ lb Smallmouth He was catching plenty of 6+ pounders at the time so I didn't even start there! He replied "Very reasonable indeed." I then asked him "what fish & (its length or weight) do you consider the toughest "benchmark for a lifetime trophy" in North America to be?" He said a 50" or 30lb pike. At the time he equated that 50" pike to a 8lb smallie and a 35" walleye to give you some perspective on what such an accomplished Fisherman thinks constitutes a lifetime trophy when comparing those species like we do for SM vs LM. I see that Mr. Hottle is following this thread and another 9 years have passed so I was wondering if you ever got that 50" pike? Said he'd caught them up to 49" back then!

It is a direct correlation to the amount of sunlight that has been absorbed by light receptive cells in the fishes skin called... melanophores I think is the correct term.

Try a fat Gitzit (a tube bait) of the magic size & color needed on the original flat shaped jighead. Fish it like a jerkbait. I like the subwalk and the flukes as mentioned above too as topwater, although the preference for fun, isn't always as effective on schools herding fish to the surface.

Stayed on Kelley's during the first week of May. Fished smallmouths for 3 days and walleye for 3 days. Water was in lower 50's and clarity was good enough to see bottom down to about 10 feet. Caught about 15 smallies, all but one in the 4+ lb range including I suspect a new PB. I've caught many smallies of this length size over the years but this one takes the cake (or should I say Goby?) for plumpness/weight. About half were caught on LC Pointers In 10-15 fow on windy shores also tried hair jigs, jig & worm combo and various swimbaits with no success. Rest were caught employing the trolling techniques that Dwight Hottle has been kind enough to share with us on this forum. I used deep diving Live Target smelt jerks in 20-30 fow. At a 1 mph troll I found that these lures would work down to about 19' using 15 lb braid. This is my third year at attempting to get a monster spring smallie from Erie. This is my best year yet but I sure am anxious to get one of those 6+ lbers that swim there. My host at the cottage I stay at on Kelley's tells me to come backup in the fall as the fishing for smallies is better. Is he just trying to get another week outa me or what?

if topwater i would not use any floro since it sinks and will likely impair the action your trying to impart to your lure. I go with straight braid. Sometimes long casts are in order when I fish Heddon spooks so the hookups are more solid with the braid. No need for a leader as fast as I generally fish spooks. If your fishing something slower and you are worried about the fish seeing the braid then the 12lb mono leader is a good choice.

mister twister sandworms. have some of the berkley versions but did not seem to produce as well.

Yea for a general purpose line I've always said you can't go wrong with the XL. I did not like the Trilene 100% flourocarbon though. Too wirey to use on a spinning reel!