iceintheveins

It will work, I have fished plastics that way.

Raul is right on the money. I generally cast cranks lighter than 3/8 of an ounce on spinning gear though.

Power pro is the stuff! I only like braid for hard jerkbaits, heavy cover, and frogs though, mono for all other applications.

no you dont Then what do you suggest? while braid might be preferred by many for frogs, you dont 'have to' or 'gotta' use it to have success with frogs is all im saying. to clarify, my comment is based on how iceintheveins worded his sentence. if he had said "when froggin braid is probably the best line to use" i probably would have not even replied. but to blatantly say or even imply you cant catch fish on a frog without braid like he did, i felt it was a fallacy or inaccuracy. plus for me if its top water frogs, i feel like hooking the fish is more about timing and focus than the line youre using. then again, maybe im more ignorant towards the subject than i think, ive had just as many good days as bad days with frogs... That's more what I meant, is that braid is BEST, but not required.

The main thing is smallies aren't found in slop and heavy cover nearly as much as largemouths, but that's not to say they won't be found there. You usually don't have to go with line heavier than 10 - 12 pound test for that reason.

I would use curly tail grubs or hula grubs on heavier jigheads. Should get you into some fish. You might even try vertically jigging with spoons too.

Popepers in fast water, I'm telling you, get outside the box. I will remember that when I come to fish the susky within a year or two. Ever tried skitterpops there?

X - raps, lipless cranks, most any crankbait, senkos, curly tail grubs, tubes, spinnerbaits, poppers, flukes, buzzbaits. Where are you fishing smallies in Colorado?

I have always found really windy conditions to be difficult to fish, especially because it's difficult to work a zone and get a good presentation. In my experiences winds above about 20 - 25 mph just kill the bite. But I tend to use heavier spinnerbaits during a good wind and still catch a few. A light breeze or calm conditions are almost always better.

A fluke is a great throw back bait. When froggin' you gotta be using braid, and wait till you feel that bass after the take. Then hammer the hook home.

I would be remiss not to mention the BPS crankin' stick, or the St. Croix Premier Glass Crankbait Rod.

X2. The browning silaflex at BPS is another excellent choice that is only about $40.

I have a small boat, so usually 3 - 5. If I had a bigger boat I would bring about twice that many.

Poppers are best in very slow current, but I still do better on buzzbaits in these areas. Prop baits are also better than poppers. In most lake situations poppers draw more strikes for me for smallies than other topwaters, though walkers, buzzers and props still will score.

Buzzbaits are killer for me in Colorado's Yampa River, ESPECIALLY for the big smallies of 3 pounds or over. I catch a lot of 1 - 2 pounders and some smaller on them too though. Low light periods or cloudy weather are best but they will hit them all day sometimes. They are great for cover long expanses of slack water, especially shallower. I love buzzbaits on the Yampa because the river's big ol' pike love them too. Have caught 40" pike and a 5 pound smallie in the same day before. I throw them out and bring them straight up against the current, as slooooow as can be.

At the very least I know it doesn't hurt to use it and it will cover up sunscreen or other scents.

Do they kick up less of a frenzy?

Does the Stanley Floating Ribbit actually float?

I plan to grease me frawgs up with some as well. Gettin' close to frog season here, some weeds are starting to poke through the surface.

However I have always loved power pro, it peforms SO well. Doesn't tangle much, casts very well, and very strong.

Sometimes "new and improved" means the line has changed and now sucks. That happened back around 2001 with Trilene XL and it's not brittle crap that breaks down in sunlight very quickly.

It's not magic but it certainley seems to help sluggish bass decide to strike and hold on better. Stays on much better than Smelly Jelly and doesn't melt in the intense Colorado sun.

A good rod, but the All Star David Fritts model is better quality and still only about $100.

Don't go with anything less than 50 pound BRAID!!!! One you feel the bass has the lure, set the hook hard. I would use a higher speed casting reel and a heavy action rod. Even a 1 pounder can bury you in the salad fast, let alone a hawg.

I just used mega strike attractant for the first time the other day, on my plastics. I am a person who is VERY skeptical of scents, thinking action and presentation are more important for bass fishing. Well I can say safely megastrike does add a few extra strikes and the bass really hold onto the plastic. It is worth it guys!