smalljaw67

I do use them but not a lot. The times I do use them are strictly smallmouth and when the water is dirty or the fish are really aggressive. The reason being is when a good spinnerbait bite is on, you often will end up with "cookie cutter" bass, that means they are all basically the same size. When that happens a painted blade can often trigger larger ones to hit but more often I prefer them in dirty water.

Lucky Craft Pointer 100s are musky magnets for me. The problem stems from the fact that musky are cold water fish and that is when the Pointer 100 is the most useful to me. I've lost 7 Pointers over a 2 year span to Muskies, but the strange thing is any other jerkbait doesn't seem to get the toothy fish going, only the Pointer in the 100 size.

If a rod is so strong that it can take a "beating", you would not be a person who throws a rod that weighs 4oz and can detect if a fish farts near your bait. In all seriousness, I've had no problems landing fish with rods that are light weight and I've had my high end rods for years, and the rods I've purchased over the last 5 years are going strong. I've never broken a high end rod from fishing, only through abuse and I'll bet that rod you use now wouldn't work with light line, and you would probably gut hook every fish you would catch on a Senko because even my high end rods from 20 years ago can't come close to the sensitivity of my newer rods that were 1/3 the price. I'm not doubting your claims but the rods today are fine, they just don't like being stepped on or closed in a car door and if you believe you have a strong rod that can take abuse and is as sensititive as a modern rod, well I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

I use a 7' MH-F and a 7'2" MH-XF depending what type of swim jig and where I'm throwing it. If I'm using the Northern or Coosa river style swim jigs I'll use the 7'MH-F but if I'm throwing a California style then the 7'2" MH-XF gets used. I also use the 7'2" MH-XF if I'm throwing a Coosa river style swim jig in grass or brush, the extra backbone helps get a good hook set when there is resistances from the cover. That said, I'm using 12# to 17# mono and not braid, if I were using braid I'd probably use a moderate fast action in a heavy power.

The thing that I think makes the Whopper Plopper so effective is that the sound is so much different than buzzbaits or any other fast moving topwater. I admit I wasn't sold on them and so I reluctantly got 2 in the 90 size and my first try didn't yield anything but there wasn't a topwater bite going on. The second time I was getting good fish, solid 2lb up to 4.5lbers on a consistent basis, enough that I do think there is something to the sound. If you haven't had success, try using a different bait and see what happens, I found that I don't do well trying to get fish to come from the deeper water for it like I can do with a spook but paralleling laydowns and deadfalls or bringing it close to cover can really draw some nice fish out from the cover.

I have that spinning rod, it is really awesome to be honest. I got a St. Croix Avid X in a 7'ML-F for hair jigs, and to be honest the Aetos is just as responsive and sensitive but I wanted a dedicated hair jig rod with a lighter power and softer action. The Aetos worked for my with hair jigs because the tip is soft and the sensitivity is great but it has more backbone which makes it better as an all-purpose finesse rod. I still use my Aetos for hair jigs but I use it for 3/16oz and 1/4oz and it will work for the smaller ones as well but in the cold water with 1/16oz and 3/32oz hair with a size 2 light wire hook I like the softer action but other than that the Aetos is as good in my opinion.

I have a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'3" M-MF and I'll tell you some details. First is the blank, it is as long as all my 6'6" rods, the only difference is the handle is short. It is the best rod I ever used for topwaters and jerkbaits, it lets me walk baits like a super spook Jr. with ease and it is an absolute killer for poppers. I'm old school when it comes to poppers, for years I would use a rod not made anymore, the G.Loomis CR721 GLX and my G.Loomis JBR 752C jerkbait rod, the 6' length makes for the perfect angle to work a popper. This Fenwick has more power than those two rods which allows me to work larger topwaters and jerkbaits, like the 5/8oz Pointer 100. I also like it for roll casting small square bills and shallow cranks, I throw a DT-4 on it a lot.

What scares me is the Cabela's Club Visa I have. I can rack up points until I decide to use them, when I had the Bass Pro Shops reward Visa, I had to use my points within a year or lose them. If capital one changes the card I won't use it anymore and all my purchases will be made online through TW.

I don't know about Powell's warranty but there are 2 things to consider. The first is that it looks as if the graphite and resin didn't bond well and separated under stress. The second thing I wonder about is if this happens if you don't dead lift the fish? I have mentioned this in the past, I actually got to talk to a rod designer for St. Croix, I was informed that even with proper technique, boat flipping fish is considered user error as the rods are not made to handle that type of flex and stress. Once the tip bends past 90 degrees the rod can break, maybe it won't break on the first fish or maybe the next 30 but eventually it will break, all it takes is an extra inch of flex 1 time. When you watch a pro boat flip a fish, they normally get the fish moving and use the momentum to swing the fish in and then quickly take the pressure off the rod, and very few of them will boat flip a 4lber unless it won't help in a culling situation. The bad part is that even though it is done, it is considered wrong and abusing the rod, it is why I wish B.A.S.S would follow the FLW and allow the use of nets, the new rubberized nets are better for the fish and the angler not to mention the rod, deadlifting a 4lb bass even a small distance is asking for trouble, but because the graphite seems to have separated you may get a new one but it is at least partially your fault, get a net or lip the fish, especially if it is over a pound.

When I fish for smallmouth in the river I love using a soft plastic jerkbait and it is a killer. There are certain times however that call for a hard jerkbait, like when the fish are just swiping at the bait, it is very hard to get a hook in them with the soft bait because they are hitting to kill and not eat. The hard bait usually hooks those slashing fish, and another time I use hard over soft is when the fish want it fast, I have that happen a lot more. The fish will rush up to the fluke and if you keep going the bait will come to the surface, sometimes they will crush it like that but in clear water under sunny skies they will often turn away, the hard bait I can work it fast enough to draw a strike and it will stay in the strike zone. The exact opposite makes me use a soft plastic jerkbait over the hard, and that is when the fish don't want to chase, the slower presentation will do better.

The Avid X seems to be spot on with the power, it feels very different from the regular Avid, in fact I'm still amazed at how much difference there is between the two. The ML Avid will give you the same problem, go with the medium.

I bought those up as well as the discontinued swimin' stick! They work well and the fall and spring are the best times for them as they have a tighter action than a Sebile Magic Swimmer. I found that using a slow steady retrieve for a little bit and then popping the rod and throwing slack in the line is a sure fire way to get a follower to bite as the bait will almost do a 180. I use a 7'2" medium power, moderate fast rod, a Fenwick HMG to be exact and it is a little strange because it is a medium but it will handle baits up to 1oz nor problem with 5/8oz and 3/4oz being right in the sweet zone. I have had good success once the water drops into the upper 50s and it will work until the low 50s, and sometimes a straight retrieve while other times working it like a jerkbait is the way to go. If you go on you tube there is a video of Dave Mercer using one also, it was from back when he was sponsored by Rapala. Very underrated swim bait.

Now you are talking my language!!!! I make my own jigs, and the most popular with my friends are the finesse jigs and hair jigs and what I use for tackle depends on the hooks I'm using in them. For light wire hooks in a size 4 up to a 1/0, I use a St. Croix Avid X 7' ML-F, before that it was a G.Loomis SJR 782 IMX which is a M-F which was a little overpowering but since I use mono it worked fine. Now for hooks like a Owner 5313 which is a 1X strong in smaller sizes or any hook over a 1/0, I use a Fenwick 6'9" M-XF, the extra fast action gives me more backbone without having to move up to a MH. For your situation I'd look at a medium power rod with a fast action, and trust me, a fast action spinning in a medium power will have more then enough forgiveness in it.

I'm guessing you are using spinning rods? If that is the case the slower action is going to make your problem worse, even with straight braid. What size jigs are you using? I'm going out on a limb as I don't know what size and type jig you are using but if they are over 1/4oz I'm being that even with braid the rod you are using does not have enough backbone to get good hook penetration. Spinning rods are more forgiving than casting rods, most fast action spinning rods in ML or M power have enough forgiveness to fish crankbaits on so what would help you do better is a MH spinning rod with a fast action, the added backbone will drive the hook fully through most of the time and it still has more forgiveness than a casting rod. You thought would be correct if you were using casting with 30lb or heavier braid but with 10lb braid and a ML or even a M spinning rod, you just aren't always getting the full hook through. This is all speculation as maybe you are using smaller jigs or casting rods but just from the info you gave it sure sounds like you are using to light of tackle for the size jigs you are using.

I use this tactic a lot and I have a few options for you. If floating baits will work for you the Smithwick Rogue is killer when the fish are aggressive, the sound will get fish to chase and strike. Another that I just began trying with good results is the Bagley Minnow B, it is very similar to the Rogue in sound with a wider kick than the Rogue but the Rogue is still king due to the roll. If you need a silent approach, the number one bait for me is the Bagley Bang-O-Lure, it floats up super fast because it is balsa so it allows you to work it really fast without it hitting any deeper than 1.5'. The final one is the Yo-Zuri 3DB Minnow, this isn't as loud as the others and offers a smaller profile with a tighter action, it is the finesse option for twitch baits. For suspending baits the Lucky Craft Flash Minnow 110 has been great as well as the Yo-Zuri 3DB jerkbait which is similar to the minnow except it suspends, and I can't give you any more suspending because those are my only shallow suspending baits I use as I prefer floating in warm water and when it turns colder I go with deeper suspending baits. EDIT: If you buy the Rogues you need to be careful as they make a medium diving as well as a shallow diving model and the package isn't helpful. If you buy them from TW or another place you can find the model you'll need which is 0' - 2', if you buy in a store, look at the sticker on the back, you'll want ARB or RB and the number will depend on color but it will always begin with 12 as the series is 1200 so one color might be 1236 and another may be 1242 but it has to be ARB or RB as that designates the shallow 4.5" version, the ARA is the smaller 3" version.

I make my own jigs and I use to fish a solid brown jig. Then one day I flipped a rock over and grabbed a big craw and looked at it up close. What I saw was some mottling, and the brown on the craw had various shades, from that day on my brown jig became very different. I use 3 different browns in my brown jig, I use a solid brown, a brown with a printed pattern line barb wire or Natures edge, and I use one that is a shade lighter and it has worked well as it gives me more confidence as I believe it looks a little more natural like that. So go ahead and add a little black and green, it will work well I'm sure.

It truly is trial and error, I've had days where a certain bait crushed them and you couldn't by a strike on anything else. The best way is to match the color to the water clarity, the clearer the water, the more translucent the bait and as it gets stained you will want the color to be more opaque. Those are just general rules, you basically have to try different baits but before going to another bait, vary your cadence and retrieve, that plays a big part.

Cotton Cordell Big-O's and Bomber Model A's are killer on the rivers I fish for smallmouth, if the fish are hitting craws, those two cranks will out fish more expensive baits. The key to it is the forage the fish are on, but the Big-O and Model A are some of the best craw imitating cranks ever made.

Drop shot, shaky head, tubes, wacky rigs and just about any general finesse technique. The great thing about that rod is it has the tip of a medium light but the backbone of a medium, the tip is soft enough to drop shot efficiently but not so soft that it is only good for one technique.

Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth 6'3" M-MF. It has the same size blank as my 6'6" rods but like others have said, the handle is short. Ever since I got that rod it has been just a pure joy to fish, it handles up to its rated 5/8oz no problem so fishing Super Spook Jr. and similar baits is fantastic.

You need to learn how to use the casting reel because as Catt has mentioned, the Ribbit and Senko are very easy to cast as they both have more than enough weight.

I look at the places I'm going to fish them. If I'm buying new baits for soft bottom areas where I'll be fishing in, and around, brush, then I look for baits that have a wide body like the Rapala DT Fat 3, KVD 2.5 or Norman Fat Boy and now the Arashi square 3 and 5. If I'm going to primarily be around rock and, or sparse grass, then I like the thinner body like the Bagley Kill'R B and Rattlin' Kill'R B, KVD 1.5, and the new Berkley Pitbull 5.5 as well as the DT Flat 3.

0' to 1' - Manns Waker Elite, Mann's Baby 1 minus, Rapala DT Fat 1 2' to 3' - Mann's Baby X, Rapala DT Fat 3 and Flat 3, Cotton Cordell Big O. 4' to 6' - Rapala DT 6, Bagley Sunny B (deep), Bomber 4A, Bomber Deep Flat A 7' to 10' - Rapala DT Flat 7, Bomber 6A, Bomber 7A

Turkey Sandwich is correct, forcus on high percentage baits like in-line spinners and grubs and tubes. Those are what we call "numbers" baits, they are easy to fish and will attract all sizes of fish. Fishing a craw is great when you locate fish that are actively feeding on bottom and there are other baits that will get big fish to hit but until you get the basics down of river smallmouth location just focus on the numbers lures. I don't know the water conditions on your river right now but here is a break down of the places I fish based on water conditions. LOW WATER in summer- look to riffle areas that have at least a foot of water in depth, those spots have a higher oxygen level and will attract baitfish and bass when water is low and warm with low oxygen levels. HIGH WATER in summer, find out what is considered normal flow for the time of year on that river and if the flow is high you can start your seach close to the bank in areas that have slow current, current breaks, and eddies, as this is where the bass head to get out of heavy current. NORMAL WATER in summer is optimum, look for active fish in what I call "push" water, the area right above a chute or riffle, a chute is where the current speeds up as it is forced through a bottle neck caused by rocks and boulders. The active feeding fish move above the chutes and riffles because that is where the current begins to push forage species toward the structure and they will pick it off before it gets washed through the riffle or chute. When the fish aren't active, the pools behind chutes and riffles are where to look with slow moving presentations like the craw, the less active fish sit in the pool and wait for food items to be washed to them, they aren't actively feeding but will bite if your bait is presented in the right way at the right place.

Apples to Oranges, St. Croix rods typically have more backbone than others and his rod is a Fenwick.