Scott F

I'm curious to see the replies on this one. I can't stand trying to cast a Carolina rig just for the way they tumble through the air. As an aside, I was throwing a weightless fluke while smallmouth fishing several years ago but the bait wasn't getting down to where the fish were. I added a split shot above the hook which worked but was driving me crazy trying to cast. That's when I remembered that I had some of those Senko things that were supposed to sink on their own. I'd never fished them before so I gave them a shot. That was one of the biggest eureka moments I ever had fishing. Ever since that moment, Senko became the number one bait in my tackle box, all because I couldn't stand casting that split shot rig.

You'd have to at least 50 to get that reference.

I thought they provided blue suede shoes to the needy.

For me, it's a skirted jig. To be honest, I did use one about 25 years ago and to my surprise, I caught a nice bass on one but I haven't used one since. Today, I've got a box full of them, but never pull one out.

This one works for me anytime. Red Eye Shad, in orange craw.

Where is this list of "top tier" brands published? Who determines what is a top tier brand?

During the winter, smallmouth will school up and hang out in a very small area in a deep part of the lake. You need to be able to locate them before you can catch them. Even if you locate them, they aren't easy to get during the winter. Without a sonar unit, you might get lucky and find them, but you could be very close and not know it. You can get a nice unit that will show you what you need to know for under $100. If that's out of you price range, go out and do the best you can without it.

I've only fished it a couple of times over the years so I can't be much help about spots. The information I've gotten from other members of my club I've picked up from our online fishing reports. Even there, we don't allow members to post specific spots online.

I haven't found that color makes any difference.

If you were close to where I live, I'd give you one. I have a stack of them in my garage. You put no information about yourself in your profile, so i don't know where you're at.

Absolutely there are smallies in the Kish. A good friend of mine did very well there this past October catching many fish in the 18-20 inch range. Navigable? Probably not in the boat with the prop motor you just bought. Several members of the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance call the Kishwaukee their home water and fish it out of kayaks, canoes or wading. There are a lot of parks and access points. There is a definite migration of smallies out of the Kish into the Rock River during the fall and back again before the spawn in the spring. It's a very nice river to float.

I can't watch that show for exactly the reason you said. I'm not a car fanatic. So I need the show to be entertaining. I like the shows where the lead guy is likable.

You can easily hand land pike without putting your fingers in their mouths. Grab them by the back of the head. No net needed. Nets just get in the way in a kayak anyway.

While I don't believe there are any smallies in Shelbyville, the Kaskaskia River below the Shelbyville dam has Smallmouth. They are most abundant in the tailwaters, but can be found all the way downstream to Cowden.

It was 15 below zero overnight at my house. The spring on my garage door broke and we couldn't get the wife's car out of the garage. She was going to take my truck to work, but it wouldn't start. Couldn't get the snowblower out of the garage either. Winter doesn't even officially begin for 2 more days.

With the plain versions, the blades are about the only color choices you have! And the plain ones are all I use anymore. Another reason I like the plain ones is that when they catch weeds, they are easier to clean. Either way, Mepps are good baits when you are looking for numbers of fish. Where multiple species are present, you will catch everything on them. Especially pike.

I use Mepps quite a lot, mostly for Smallmouth. My favorites are the #4 plain, no hair, in silver or brass. The #3s work OK too, but I feel the larger ones might have better appeal to larger fish. The small bass eat the bigger lures also. The squirrel tail versions are popular and I think most fishermen have more confidence in those, but over the years, I've caught just as many on the plain ones which are cheaper. Because I do lose these baits, I've saved quite a bit with the plain ones.

Not trying to be too picky but brown trout are not native fish anywhere in the Americas. They were introduced from Europe to the US and Canada in the late 1880's. Your fish may reproduce without stocking which could make them wild fish, but they are not native to the waters you fish.

Your are only allowed to have 4 deer in your possession. That includes any deer in your freezer.

Seriously, folk art is very popular and very collectable. Hand carved pieces that relate to someone's hobby can sell very well especially if they are well done. For your first attempt, that is very good!

For me, I have a few lures from back in the sixties that I caught fish on that have a sentimental value, but they are long ago retired. While I certainly never like losing lures, and I'll make a reasonable attempt to get one back that has been snagged, If I'm not prepared to lose it, I won't tie it on. I don't place that much value on a bait. If they quit making it, I'm sure I'll find something else that will work.

You could turn carving little fish into another career. Key fobs, Christmas ornaments, decorative pieces or even into fishing lures. I'd buy em.

I see several posts where guys go to great effort to get lures with ultra realistic paint jobs. So why is it that the lures with all the paint scraped off catch so many fish?

I don't believe the Power Drive is available with the built in US2 transducer.

I used right handed baitcasters, cranked with my right hand, for years. I cranked my spinning reels with my left hand. By mistake, I ordered a left handed Curado a few years ago. I decided to keep it and had zero issues cranking that reel with my left hand. Not much different than cranking the spinning reel. I found out a long time ago, I can't use a lefty spinning reel at all.