Jar11591

My most used spinning combo is a Fenwick Elite Tech Bass 7’ Medium Fast rod and a Pflueger Supreme.

I use braid on casting gear with spinnerbaits mostly because I fish them in fairly thick weeds, and it’s easier to rip them through. I use a 7’ medium heavy, fast rod and it works perfect for really ripping the spinnerbaits through the thick weeds.

Strike King because they make almost every kind of bass bait, hard and soft.

Megabass really has a knack for getting the day started with big topwater fish. Today it was the Pop X. First cast yeilded this 21 incher. Really wish she could have munched on a few more perch before I caught her...21” and barely tipped the scale at 4lbs. Topwater was the really the only thing they wanted today. Couple small ones around docks with the senkos, and spinnerbaits couldn’t buy a sniff unless from Esox. Fine by me, I have no problem feeding them the topwater all morning!

Megabass has a few patterns for the Pop Max and Pop X that have a dark or black bottom, and they are both excellent, highly productive baits. And like @NYWayfarer mentioned, the classic Arbogast Hula Popper comes in all black.

I’m lucky enough to have already gotten to take my dream bass fishing trip- Lake Baccarac, Sinaloa, Mexico. Can’t wait to get back to there for another attempt at a double-digit....fell 3 ounces short last time. Next on my list of lakes I want to take a bass trip to would be Lac Seul in Ontario, Canada.

Topwater w/ trebles: 12lb Berkley Big Game Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, lipless cranks: 30lb Power Pro braid Weedless Frogs: 50lb Power Pro Jigs & Texas rigs: 40lb Power Pro Wacky rigs, drop shots, Ned rigs: 6lb Yo-Zuri Hybrid Punching: 65lb Power Pro Jerkbaits: 8lb Berkley Trilene XL For leaders I usually use 25lb Yo-Zuri fluorocarbon leader material for jigs and Texas rigs

Largemouth are more aggressive than pickerel? That’s a new one on me! Around here, you can go out and catch 300 pickerel in a day if you’re targeting them. Like every cast. I wish bass were more aggressive! Pickerel are FAR MORE aggressive than largemouth bass, in fact I don’t know of any fish more aggressive and willing to strike a lure than pickerel.

I could be wrong, but I don’t believe many of the popular YouTube channels being referred to, such as the Googans, claim to be educational or informational, just entertaining. Some of the channels may have started out that way, or at least under that guise, but I don’t believe they claim to be educational anymore. Some of the channels I really enjoy watching, and some I don’t care for as much, but generally I find their content to be very entertaining. The popular YouTube fishermen, such as the Googans, show a genuine enthusiasm for fishing, the fish they catch, and the locales they fish in, which I find appealing for a fishing show. Not to mention they’re living the life I can only dream of, traveling the world over, catching all kinds of species and fishing in some of the most incredible places in the world all while being paid well for it. Some channels are definitely better than others.

Definitely don’t have to be fished near the surface. I have most of my success with a spinnerbait by letting them sink for a second or two after they land, and then reeling them slow to keep them near the middle of the water column.

Storms have had the fish all fired up here. The fishing has been red hot this past week as a major storm system swirls around the northeast. Like usual, they really wanted the popper today. Megabass Pop Max landed this 4-2 right off the bat, followed quickly by several more good sized fish. Sun came up, topwater bite went dead, but that didn’t stop them from slamming other baits all day long. Frog in the lilies, senkos skipped under docks, and spinnerbait in the weeds. Biggest fish came on a spinner bait, around mid-day, a 4-4: Also got a bunch of hammerhandle pike and pickerel, but did have one decent pike crash a spinnerbait right next to the boat:

Beaver.

They stink like a farm animal. They slime up everything. They go ballistic in the boat. Most of them are tiny and more snake-like than fish-like, but even the tiny ones will render a spinnerbait or frog unusable. They take trailer hooks extremely deep, often killing themselves. They bite the trailer right off a jig. They bite the appendages off a soft plastic. They often miss topwaters so badly that they strike the line 6” in front of the lure and sever the line clean resulting in a lost lure. Could I do without the little snot rocket pickerel? You bet. But I would never advocate tossing them, or any other fish on the bank to rot like some people do with “undesirable” species. That’s not something I agree with. I don’t necessarily “hate” to catch pickerel, and the bigger ones are ok I guess. The small ones are really just a minor annoyance after I’ve caught a bunch.

My 2018 starting lineup should be about complete with this latest addition. Gonna pair her up with my new Lew’s Mach Crush for full time mat pitchin’ duties.

A buddy of mine who I used to fish with all the time moved out of state a few years ago, but is in town for a week or so, so we hit the lake. Due to a massive weather system moving over the northeast, the radar was looking iffy so we decided to stick to a lake close to home. Sure glad we did, because the fishing was ON. We caught lots of fish, and the average size was very impressive anchored by the 20”+ smallmouth that my buddy caught. Here’s one of the chunks I landed, pitching a Texas Rig to some Lily pads:

Good topwater bite on the Pop-X this morning, and by midday, they were hitting spinner baits pretty well. Biggest fish came on a jig and Paca Craw trailer though.

Seems to me I have more success throwing a frog in slop and pads midday than I do during early morning or evenings.

I agree.

Skitterwalk is a topwater walking lure made by Rapala https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Rapala_Skitter_Walk/descpage-RSKW.html And “hopping” a tube is a technique when fishing a tube, by letting it fall to the bottom, then using your rod tip to make the bait “hop” and fall back down as you retrieve. The “tube” itself is a soft plastic bait that usually rigged with a a weighted head inside the tube. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-BERKLYSFBTS.html?from=basres 4” senkos are perfect for smallies, and you may even catch more of the tiny ones at Stewart’s with a 3”, but a 4” will be totally fine. A 2/0 hook oughta suffice for Stewart’s reservoir. Sacandaga will definitely offer you a better chance at catching a stud smallmouth, but it’s a very big lake, so keep that in mind. Lake George is also good fishing, and can offer both numbers and size for smallmouth. But if numbers are most important for you, Stewart’s is your best bet. The lake is so loaded with little bass it’s ridiculous.

No stripers in Stewart’s. They can only make it as far north as the Troy dam. The lake is LOADED with 10-15” smallmouth, and very few of any real size. I caught 1 tiny largemouth which shocked people who regularly fish the lake, so there really isn’t a fishable population of largemouth in Stewart’s. The lake is extremely deep and rocky, and many of the banks are sheer cliffs that will drop from 2’ to 90’ instantly. I did really well with the little smallies by throwing a skitterwalk or popper in the mornings, and hopping a tube throughout the rest of the day. Be prepared to catch dozens and dozens of little smallmouth. Also be prepared to get snagged, A LOT!

Number one on my species bucket list is the Goliath Grouper. I can’t wait to catch one of these beasts. Pure Muskie and tarpon are also on the list.

I definitely recommend replacing the hooks on Chug Bugs. Even if they are sharp enough out of the package, they rust and the hook points round out fairly quickly. But Chug bugs are excellent baits, stock hooks aside.

Yep. I’ve had a ton of success with them as a jig trailer, or just Texas rigged. Net Bait Craws and chunks have replaced all my Rage Tail Craws and chunks.

I would reccomend 10lb braid. Handles perfectly on a spinning reel.

Get help. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed about it. Both depression and anxiety run in my family, and I’ve had severe bouts of both. The last several years though, I’ve gotten it under control and it probably would have been a lot shorter of a duration had I listened to the people who were trying to help me. It’s to the point where I’m totally confident in my ability, should either flare up again, to pull myself out of it. So get help, talk to people you’re close to and listen to any advice. Professional help will be your best bet. And don’t think they’re just gonna throw pills at you. I managed to get it under control with zero anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds. Couple other tips. First, anybody who says things like “just cheer up” or “you don’t have anything to be sad about” pay them no mind. It’s pure ignorance from people who obviously have never experienced it. And last thing, I’ve found the best cure for depression or anxiety is real physical exercise. What really helped me was playing basketball, and running a mile or 2 every day. Exercise works wonders on depression.