ironmike12

Those are some great looking fish!!

Try some hair jigs...jerkbaits for sure...

How long is your leader? I tried using braid to skip senkos. It helps in the actual skip because braid comes off the spool easier, but I know I was missing bites. My partner was out fishing me 3-1. I now use all fluro.

Great looking fish! Congrats!

I've caught many smallies on jigs. You'll just need to experiment and see what they want on the day.

Looks like you had a great couple days! How heavy was the big one in the first pic? Looks huge!

Great fish! Congrats

I ended up getting 2. Both are medium power. One 6'8" and one 7'2". I think this will help fill some gaps I've had in my combos. They feel great. I'll be keeping my eye out for a medium heavy.

They guy takes trades, was thinking of trading a kistler argon in medium heavy for a medium heavy cumara and picking up a cumara in medium to go with it. Just wasn't sure how much better the shimano was then the argon since I've never fished a cumara.

Thanks for the info guys. There is a medium and medium heavy that I have my eye on. I wasn't sure about the warranty, that makes me feel better that they will honor it even if I'm not the original buyer.

What do you guys think the gen 1 rods are worth in good condition? I've read some older reviews and they all seem positive.

For weights I use 1/8 ounce unless I'm in heavier winds.

Great looking fish! Congrats!

Had a great day on the water yesterday. The bite started off tough. Fished grubs and tubes and couldn't get bit. Everyone that I saw complained that the bite was tough. It took me a bit, but I threw on a fluke and ended my day with a sauger(grub), 2 rock bass(grub) and 8 smallies all on the fluke. Biggest was about 17.5 inches which is my best in the small river that I was in. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can. Feels great when you sort out a pattern!

Thanks for the advice. It was a tough day. Only half the teams weighed in fish.

I am signed up for a local tournament series. Last week was the first night. It was tough fishing. This week presents a new challenge(which is why we love to bass fish right?). The weather has been a little crazy, but warm enough that the bass at the local ponds are forming beds. This is not a big lake, but there is a good chance this could be the case. The lake has a lot of weeds that have been growing the past couple weeks. I anticipate them being pretty thick this week. I am planning on having a jig tied on. What else should I look to throw if I want to targer those bass still in the prespawn stage? I am still pretty new to the sport. Any help would be awesome! Thanks everyone.

I am looking to start building some spinnerbaits. I have been looking at blades and can't decide where to start. My big question is in blade type. Hammered VS Polished. What are the best conditions for the hammered blades? Do you have a preference and why? Tight Lines!

Great looking fish! If that doesn't get the juices flowing nothing will!

Does this matter at all for spinning versus casting reels? I am looking to do the same thing for my spinning tackle for river smallmouth. Would braid plus either a mono leader or fluro leader work with most techniques?

Nice Fish! Congrats on the PB!

Thank you for the information! Helps a ton.

Hey everyone, I just acquired this reel. I don't know it's history but seems in good condition. It's a lefty and I can't seem to get the left side plate off. Can anyone help? I've searched and can't find any good info. I have 2 screws off from the inside and can't see any other screws that could be holding it. Thanks for any help.

Thanks for the info fellas. I have never fished a jigging spoon before. Will need to research that a bit. Most of the smallmouth fishing I do around here is in small rivers and streams. I didn't really go after them during the early spring last year, but did really well with tubes and wacky worms all summer and smoked them with spinner baits and lipless cranks in the fall.

Good point. Usually I am still able to fish some during this time. Must be the cabin fever making it seem longer!

Ok...I live in Ohio and we've been having a very cold and snowy winter. I know the rest of the country is having it rough too. I can not wait for some creek and river smallmouth fishing. What do you all think the Prespawn bite is going to be like with this long winter? How are you preparing? What is your favorite set up for the pre-spawn(lake,river or whatever!)? Tight Lines!