angler3

That little rapala clackin crank is a fish catching machine!

I would recommend a 7:1 for most situations fishing a spinnerbait. they are great burning spinnerbaits and also getting your bait back to the boat quicker for maximum efficiency. However I will use a lower gear ratio,a 5:1 or something like the one you are getting made if i am fishing cold water and need to slow roll the bait or if Im fishing those heavy 1 ounce plus spinnerbaits on ledges

there should also be a way of keeping that fish alive weighing and certifying it and putting it back in the lake, i agree on thats the gene pool that you want and need in the lake plus nowadays you can take a good picture and get the girth and length measurements and they will make a fiberglass replica of that fish that you couldn't tell the difference if it was fake or real. I believe in protecting your resource

thats a nice fish, too bad he wasn't using a mustad hook, they are giving away 100,000 for a state record largie caught on their hook!

I like throwing a yamamoto 4 or 5 inch hula grub with a chompers 3/8 oz. jighead. i have caught some big smallies doing this

also had a close call with an osprey trying to get my spook, that might have been ugly

a snapping turtle while flipping a sweet beaver, thing bit like a bass, they are nasty and mean trying to get the hook out, thought i was going to be that guy from happy gilmore with the wooden hand

My favorite spinnerbaits are a toss up between strike king and terminator with war eagle being a runner up. All 3 have different purposes for different situations. War eagle makes a screaming eagle that is an awesome compact spinnerbait.

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fish that time of year can be fooled with topwaters, prop baits being the best. just cast it out a twitch and pause. if you can see the fish, you will be able to adjust your presentation to their mood that day. long stealth casts will catch the bigger fish

i agree looks like a chain pickerel

If you want to catch those 6-7 pounders, try using a swimbait. They come in various sizes and shapes from hard plastic to soft. go to www.***.com they have a huge selection of them. if your lake has perch and sunfish or golden shiners, you want to match the size and color swimbaits to what the bass eat. Good luck

Try using a fiberglass rod when you are cranking, you will lose less fish. Also use sharp hooks and change them out often. I like the mustad KVD trebles on my cranks.

My biggest smallmouth came on a laser clear ghost lucky craft sammy. It is a great color for clear water and sunny days. I like chrome color baits when its cloudy.

Pretty cool technique to get people of all ages into fishing. Has anyone fished it for smallmouth? Just watched a cool video on youtube, i posted it in the smallmouth forum.

I found this really cool video on youtube on umbrella rigs for smallies. Has anyone tried this for smallies yet? Looks like fun.

Very informative video, thanks for sharing

There are so many awesome techniques for smallies but I would have to say the most exciting is catching them a topwater. It is also one of the best techniques to fool a real trophy. I love my lucky craft sammys. It is very cool to see a fish explode on a topwater.

Smallies will typically spawn when the water temps are from the mid 50s all the way into the 60s. One thing to look for is if you have a few really warm days when the water is in the 50s can trigger them to spawn but what I found almost a guarantee is the first full moon during the period when the water is in that mid 50 to 60 degree range. It is like clock work when that moon arrives.