vtbassin

I agree at times this can be an issue for some. But at times in a river with smallies I think they just come up to have a look and will jump over or bang into a buzz bait. Wait all day to feel the fish : it isn't happening. IMO that is when the follow up bait works well. Tight lines

I had a good pattern going one day earlier this summer with a buzz bait followed up with a trick stick. I could not get a hook up on the buzz bait and after several misses I started throwing the trick stick in immediately after the miss. This worked all morning -no fish on the buzz bait - hooked almost every time with a trick stick following a miss Usually a buzz bait works well for me and I will try multiple casts from different angles to a piece of cover. I don't think I throw anything just one time before moving along. good luck

X2 ;DBig fish expected every cast ;D

3 or 4 days a week for about 1/2 a year in that area. Although ice fishing is always an option I picture myself some place warmer for retirement Good luck with retirement ;D ;D

There is some good fishing near there. I sent you a PM.

I do not consider myself a tournament fisherman although I may fish 1 or 2 a year. How about another choice - occasional tourny fishing?

Nice bunch of fish ;D

Sometimes they have the weight in their mouth and you are never going to get a hook in them :'( If that happens a couple of times in a row try dragging a jig.

I think of them as "home made" I really enjoy catching fish on one of my rods ;D

Nice Fish

All that and ordering more baits too! : :

Hi hkjerk24, 4 days of fishing ;D Is a good thing ;D. Do you drive straight through to the launch? When I fish the southern end I sometimes launch across the lake in Shoreham. I see that view in your picture a lot. Good luck with that 5 lber I hope you get one each day! I am not sure what my plans are for this weekend. I just spent the last 3 days fishing the LCI. I caught a lot of nice 3 to 3.5 lb smallies but nothing big enouth to stay on the board. It was my first LCI and a lot of fun. Good Luck!

When you feel the fish set the hook! With those big hooks don't be shy about it

I use small finish nails to add a little weight to a bait. I have a couple of different sizes but I do not know how much they actually weigh. I used to use the lead nails but Vermont has banned lead so finish nails are the way to go. Wacky rig a trick worm and stick a nail in one end to get a little different fall than a weightless worm. Texas rig a fluke and stick a nail in the head to get a faster head first sink Stick the nail in the middle of the fluke to get a more horizontal fall. I am sure you get the idea. Experiment : and see what happens

\I am with roadwarrior on this one. This is a good time to target smallies. Look for those rocky points and flats. If the wind is blowing and making it hard to keep contact with the bottom use more weight : The smallies are there and you will love it when you wack a 4 pounder

NEKvt I agree the LM fishing should be good very shallow. The lake is still a little high and flooded back into the bushes a little. Here is a picture of a smallie I got last week in about 10 feet of water. It was just over 3 1/2 on the boca

Try fishing a tube slowly along the bottom. Target rocky points and rocky flats near dropoffs (8 to 15 feet deep). You should be able to find some great smallie fishing. Try a suspending jerk bait or burn a spinner bait in the same areas. Try going into the inland sea. There is some great fishing in the southern end of the lake But.....you are already in some great fishing water up there.

Hook a rope between the bow of the boat and the safety chain. The rope should be longer than the trailer. I use a couple of brass clips on the rope ends. Slowly back into the lake until the boat floats off. SLOWLY pull forward until the boat touches ground. Get out and move the boat. Go park the truck. Go fish. I do this all the time when I am alone. It works well for me. george

I am glad you were not hurt! I am not sure why you hang out the truck door while backing down the ramp but I would suggest learning to back up with the door closed using the mirrors. Next time you may not be so lucky.

I bet you will learn a lot and have a great time with the coach. Let us know how it goes. If you want to go out later in the summer PM me. I do not live far form Champlain. Maybe you could show me some of the coach's techniques

I don't have the resume that the bass coach probably has but I would be happy to take you out on Champlain for a day sometime late spring or summer. When are you going to be in the area?

I fish a 16' aluminum. I keep the main motor down to help keep the back end from blowing around in the wind. If the wind is very strong I add a drift bucket. That 55 lb trolling motor should pull your rig around all day with out any problem. Try it both ways and see how it works for you.

Welcome You have some good information being given. I would also suggest that you try to find someone who fishes those clear waters to go out with you. Once you get them in your boat talk about lure choice and presentations that will work in that lake. Actually you do not need to be in the boat to have those conversations. Lots of big fish have been caught in my office Good luck ;D

very nice ;D I bet you are the favorite uncle ;D

Thanks for the encouragement everyone ;D It is a Shikari IMB 704. I added 5/8 oz of weight into the butt of the blank to get it to be just about neutral balanced while holding the reel. It casts and feels very nice in the back yard snow. Vermont has outlawed the use of lead sinkers. I am glad I didn't throw them in the trash because those 1/8 oz mojo sinkers came in usefull after all. 5 of them just fit after being flattened. I stuck them in place with some silicone calk because I thought I might stand a chance of removing them if I need to at some time in the future. Next rod I want to try one of those balance kits.