mikey5string

Deeper water close to shallow flats. Big females will hang around cover in deeper water close to shallower spawning grounds. The wait for the males to come get them and bring them back tho the nest. If you catch small bass shallow, they are probably males. Try fishing that same spot but deeper.

My family has a cabin on a lake in the Adirondacks. It is near Paul Smith's College. I'll be up there this summer and I wanted to see if there were a nearby lake with good smallie fishing. I've never caught one before, only LMB. Most likely, I wont have a boat. I could probably get a canoe though. Also, I may be there during the LMB spawn. I know NY has a closed season for LMB during the spawn. When do smallmouth spawn? Can you fish for them all season? Thanks Mike

Which invasive species do you consider an overblown threat?

Did pretty good at Saltonstall this weekend. Alewife were schooling all along the dock side back late Friday afternoon. Got several fish from 2-3lbs on a swimbait and a few on a 3/4 lipless crank. I got lucky when a school just popped up right next to me. Today I got a couple over 4lbs on a football jig close to the bank around brush piles. Still need to officially break 5 pounds. Hoping I can pick off a big female before the spawn goes into full effect.

if youre not losing lures, youre not fishing in the right spot....

I remove the tail treble hook from most crank baits. IMO they are unnecessary and just damage fish more, get hung up on everything easier and can stick you good when trying to unhook an unruly fish, The exception would be tournaments when losing a fish can cost you...literally. When I want to fish barbless, I'll just flatten the barb with pliers.

Trick worms on an owner ultra shakey head jig. I use the regular size, i think its 5 or 6". This is my go to bait when fishing is tough. Roboworms & tiny flukes for drop shot. Small Jika rig with Owner's Yuki Bug and a "finesse" Carolina rig with a 1/3/0 worm hook and a split shot about 6" above. I don't fish wacky Senko's much anymore but I always have some on hand in case nothing else is working,

I think I figured out what is causing breakoffs with flouro. When tying your knot, you have to make sure there is zero friction when cinching the knot. If I felt friction when pulling the knot tight, the line would break when I would pull on it while holding the bait in the other hand. No friction, no break. I lubricate the knot and eye of the bait and pull slowly and evenly. I have found that the Clinch knot holds better than the improved" clinch knot. I assume because omitting the last step reduces friction. I took the Vaanish off all my rods and leaders. I could not get the line straight, too much memory. Twist was uncontrollable even with swivels. Add the hypersensitivity to break offs at the knot and that was it. I bought p-line instead. It is much softer and I had zero breakoffs. It has more stretch and less sensitivity than straight flouro but it is much easier to deal with,

suspendingjerk: Thats been happening to me a lot recently with berkley vansih flourcarbon. I lost 3 fish plus tackle yesterday before I did a google search. Apparently flourocarbon (and sounds like p line) breaks very easily at the knot. KNots must be tied perfectly and lubricated so the line doesnt pinch itself. All my fish were lost on hook sets. op: I have lost a few fish in a single day using braid as well. Turns out I was missing the ceramic insert in the last guide. It was like a knife. I didnt notice until I got home. Is there any other way to cut braid? Seems like it would need something to actually cut it. If its not getting snagged, the only thing that could be is your rod, reel or lure.

I have one of the inexpensive Lowrance depth/fish finders and have a problem I could use some help with., The pins in the multi pin plug got bent slightly and now I cant plug the transducer into the display. I spent an hour trying to align them perfectly but I can't get them perfect. I can't see the two parts close together enough to adjust them one at a time. I would just replace the connection but it is the display and it would involve taking the unit apart. It was inexpensive but I only used it twice before this happened and I'd like to get a little more use out of it. Any ideas on how to align the pins? Is there another way? Thanks Mike

I love tying palomar knots with braided line. It has to be a jig with an unruly skirt for maximum fun. I have lost a few (some with fish attached) settling for "good enough" after trying to thread powerpro on a windy day. And forgetting the bullet weight at least once is a given. So is dropping it on the hull of your aluminum boat.

work the banks with soft plastics. shakey heads with straight tail worms. weightless fluke type jerkbait texas rigged. EDIT: Just noticed that you were going this morning. Soft plastics are the most versatile IMO. A box of various hooks, weights and terminal tackle and a few packs of plastic and you can pretty much fish any condition. How'd you do?

A bunch of companies make keel weighted hooks. I use Owners "Beast" for swimbaits and smaller sizes when I want to swim a tailed worm or craw. I guess if you have the materials already making your own might save a bit. I would be concerned with getting the weight perfectly balanced so the bait stays horizontal when fishing it. Could probably pound any old lead weight around it without too much effort.

Mega strike mega shake stand up jig heads with a havoc pit boss. My favorite all around. The mega strike heads don't fall down in the water and the pit boss has nice action in the appendages. Dragged or hopped along bottom. Carolina rigged with 3/4oz tungsten weight and a flouro leader. For probing bottom, finding structure, covering water, looking for deeper fish. I'll usually use a fluke, straight worm or craw/creature. Texas rigged or florida rig with a lighter tungsten weight. For working weed lines, sparse grass and other cover. I like t rigs for weeds in mid summer. The jika rig is great. I use a 1/4 oz with an owner yuki bug. Great combination. I have been meaning to make some jika rigs with 1/2oz weights. The 1/4 is a little light for me.

What lake? I am in CT and the grass in the lake I fish most isn't nearly as dense as it usually is this time of year. Its still there, just submerged. I like to fish flukes over the top and pegged texas rigged worms in the grass. You dont have to flip and pitch jigs in grass. The reason for flipping and pitching is to be able to get the bait to a very specific target like a small hole in a grass mat. If you are just generally fishing a grassy bank, there is no real need to flip of pitch. If the grass isnt matted, there is nothing to "punch". Try hopping a texas rigged worm along the bottom. A pegged 1/2oz weight will let the bait get through weeds. If you get hung up just pop the bait with a sharp jerk of the rod, then let the bait fall back to the bottom. Until this season, I rarely used jigs and I almost always fish grassy banks since I have no electronics. I cant remember the last time I got skunked.

I like trick worms on shakey heads, particularly the owner "ultra" head. While you don't really need anything but a hook, a texas rig is one of the most versatile and effective rigs for bass fishing and it only requires a bullet weight and worm hook. It would definitely be worth the investment.

6lb bass. get better with cranks and jigs. specifically punching and football jigs. Get some portable electronics so I can get a better idea of the bottom. Maybe a little more patience to try drop shotting more often. LESS buying new plastics.

I tried putting my gear away, staying away from the forums, articles and youtube clips, hand pouring, painting, playing banjo.... Im not gonna make it til late April opening day. I have to go bass fishing between now and then. I was thinking Florida either the Kissimmee area or Okeechobee. Flying down and getting a charter for a weekend. I am in CT and would travel south as far as Florida. No Texas or Alabama this year. Anyone have recommendations for lakes with good guide service, big bass and accommodations in the area. I will probably be going in late Feb. Thanks

megastrike shake2. trust me, you would be hard pressed to find a better stand up jig head. And they come with a screw keeper as well as a keeper on the hook. I use the hook keeper to put a skirt on. You can use the EZ change skirts. You can tie on a megastrike shakey head and be able to change the plastic and skirt without retying. \ These things dont fall down. The biggest problem I have with them is getting them to lat flat so I can close my tackle box.

well humidity for one, some chemicals cause things to rust very quickly. Is the garage well ventilated?

double fluke rig has been awesome so far. This is the first year I have used it and it has been the best thing in my arsenal lately. Also have luck with chatterbaits, pegged texas rigged plastics with a light weight (1/8-1/4) used more like a swim jig, spooks, square bill and lipless cranks, spinnerbaits....in that order.

I have heard that Fall frog fishing is supposed to be great but the vast majority of vegetation has died off at my local lake. What are left are areas of thinly distributed, dead, slimy brown strands of hydrilla where there used to be heavy matted patches. The grass is brown and dry the water is low. The oxygen rich shelter for fish is gone so the fish are as well. I rarely throw a frog now, I would be more likely to throw a spook or buzzbait for topwater.

They work best in heavy cover where the water below the cover is deep enough to hold fish. My best frog fishing is in mid-summer when the weeds are thick and bass use the shade of surface cover to keep them cool and hidden. Microorganisms, baitfish, frogs, insects and other prey thrive in heavy aquatic vegetation as it offers them protection for predators and gives off oxygen. It is best when this cover is near a bank where frogs are most likely to be. Throw the frog close to shore, even on shore, and hop it into the water. Or throw id right in the middle of the mat. Often, the bass will hit it as soon as it hits the water. Otherwise, I move it subtly across the weeds, pausing occasionally. Once I get past the edge of the cover, I reel up and try again. I dont fish frogs in open water. I have caught fish like this but the probability is much less than when it is in heavy cover. When a fish hits the frog, wait. Wait until you feel the weight of the fish or until you are sure the fish has the whole frog. Sometimes they take it right away and you can set the hook quickly. Sometimes they just whack it, or take the legs. If I miss one I will twitch the frog in place like it is injured and see if the bass will come back. If not, I reel up and throw it again. You want a frog that is soft enough to collapse to expose the hooks when the fish takes it. It also has to float well and not take water or youll have to squeeze it out after every cast. You will have to squeeze water out occasionally as the frogs are not and cant be totally sealed. After you get a fish you definitely want to squeeze the water out. The jackall Iobee frog is the best I have used. It is expensive but I rarely lose frogs as I dont throw them in timber and they dont get hung up in weeds. Its body shape and softness make for better hook ups. Even though I dont walk them much, It walks better than any frog I have tried and I have a lot of frogs. Use a med-heavy rod with braided line. You want something that casts well but you dont want a lot of play in the rod when you set the hook and have to pull fish out of heavy cover. 30lb is fine but people go up to 60lb.

zoom super fluke.

Look up the Alberto knot.