jbsoonerfan

I have had a lot of success in recent years on a jerk bait. That being said, I went many years without even throwing one because I didn't really know how to use them. Once I got the hang of it they quickly became one of my go to search baits. Always be ready to get bit on the pause as well, seems as though that bait just sitting there will cause the fish to hit it.

I wonder if people who kick a football or soccer ball left footed also use their left foot to operate their gas and brake pedal? I am right handed and I also switch before my lure hits the water and feel very confident in it. Been doing it for 25 years though so I suppose I am just use to it.

I will give you my experience. I bought a 7' H rod to fish frogs with. I was using 50lb braid and I would get bit like crazy. I probably caught 1 fish for every five strikes. I could not figure out the problem at all. Well one day I just had a MH and mono with me but I decided to tie on a frog. I think I caught almost every strike. Looking back (I taught myself something I guess) using the H rod with braid allowed for almost zero stretch and I was setting the hook on the blow up instead of waiting till I could feel the fish. I was doing the same thing with the mono and MH but there was streatch in the line and a different power in the rod that would allow the fish to get a good hook set. I went back to a H rod with braid and have learned that you need to wait a second before swinging for the fences. Just something to consider.

Define Midwest and I can help. I have a list of anglers by state (if I can find it). Just tell me your definition of the states that make up the midwest as it varies greatly from person to person.

Wow!!!! Awesome job @A-Jay

Same here. Wife and I were on our way to the lake Saturday and all the cows in one pasture on the right side of the road were laying down. All the cows on the left side of the road were standing up. The cows on the right were much better at predicting the fishing conditions. lol

Well as a co-angler I only take 5 set ups with me and it seems as though they are always changing. I think I have settled on a starting 5. They are all on Denali fission rods. I bought these rods to just "try" and would assume I would have already moved back to my Crucials, but these are still being used. Left to right Scorpion BFS XG on a 6'8" M, Curado 150 DC on a 6'10" MH, Scorpion 70 XG on a 7'2" MH, Core 50Mg7 on a 7'2" MH, Curado K on a 7'2" H

Yes, all the time with small mouth. I just watched them fish Champlain today and they did it with 90% of the smallies but it's not a penalty. Miss handle them? Their rules are straight forward. There is no "minimal mouth contact or belly hold" rule. But whatever man, I won't argue semantics.

False, they land them by the belly all the time.

I didn't mean anything about you starting the thread. I was talking about the whole "northerner" thing. I hate that people paint an entire group with such a broad brush. You are welcome to come down to Okie land anytime and fish.

I "might" have a problem.

Here we go again.

.05%

This thread reminds me of the casting distance thread. That being said, I can pitch it into a kiddie pool from about 10 feet 6 times out of 10 and I only backlash on 3 of them.

Maybe you should check out the MLF website so you can better understand how it works. I'm not going to try to explain it.

Points

So I have caught some smallmouth in my fishing days but I have never intentionally set out to target them. I usually catch them when I am just fishing for largemouth. We are going to Lake Murray in Oklahoma this weekend and there are some really good smallies in there. I have a general idea of what to look for but I need a little bit of help with where they might be. Water temp is 66 and this lake is super clear with some spots probably 20+ feet visibility. We have had quite a bit of rain over the past few days. We really want to target smallmouth and try to focus on catching them. Have they moved up yet? Will they hit a jerkbait, like a MB 110 jr? Ned rig? 1/4 oz crank? Drop shot? Shakey head? I guess I am asking more where they might be in the water column and what they might be after. I know this is a general question and probably hard to answer but I appreciate any feedback. Thanks guys.

I think KVD won like $6.5 mil over 22 years in Bass. A little over $290,000 a year. I would say that's just a smidge better than his $6K he has made in 4 months with MLF.

First off, what lb line are you using and second, why would you not touch the tension knob? Obviously I didn't read the owners manual on mine, so I didn't know it even said that. But that should be fine tuned with every bait or so I have always thought. Maybe I am wrong though, I have been a time or two thousand.

G-man slips in at the buzzer, someone is going back to Kalamazoo early again.

It doesn't have to be new does it?

I just downloaded it to try out. It certainly won't determine if I go fishing or not. It probably won't determine how I start my day fishing either. I usually have an idea and a plan in place. However, I will certainly consider the techniques it suggests if the bite is tough. Lord knows I need all the help I can get sometimes.

Are some of these guys sponsors paying the mortgage as well? lol

Or someone might invent a set of scales that you could take with you and weigh the fish.

That list of 30 anglers have combined to win $180,000 on the BPT this year so far.