Josh Smith

Hello, Today I took my boy out for what will likely be his last fishing trip of the season. The lake looks like it turned over and there was definitely nothing biting. On the way home we stopped at the Wabash River, a really rocky portion. I was hoping for some smallmouth and actually got my hopes up when the first of these hit my 3/4oz football head crawdad-lookin' jig: I wasn't sure they were drum at first as I've not caught once since I was a teenager. Still, I was pretty sure and I recall hearing they're good to eat. The only thing that kept me from keeping them was that I wasn't sure about that stretch of river. Couple things that made me wonder initially if they were indeed drum: 1. I'd never heard of drum hitting artificials, just live bait when folks catfish. 2. Neither of them "talked" to me. They were fun fights, though. I had my drag set for 2-3lb smallmouth, and they peeled that quite quickly. I had to tighten it up so my braid wouldn't get cut by the rocks I was fishing in. The second one was even larger, and it took a while to fight it in. It handled my MH/F rod with Ambassadeur 5500c3 about like a 2lb bass handles ultralight tackle. A funny thing I noticed was that both fish were hooked by the lower lip. I rarely see that with bass and football jigs. It appears that these critters were approaching away from the craw trailer's claws. Interesting, I thought. Not the bass I was after; still an OK day with drum. If I find that this portion of the Wabash is free of pollutants, I might just go back and catch those drum and a couple catfish for food, see if the drum really do taste like cod as I've heard. Regards, Josh

If you have a carb, you should drain the bowl (though this does not necessarily mean running it dry). This is much safer to do with four-stroke engines than two-stroke, and one or two cylinders vs more than two. I have always run a small V-Twin, and have always run the carb dry after each outing with no damage. Winter saw Stabil in the tank. Am rebuilding that outboard with the boat, and all bearings look excellent. Josh

My favorite slug gun was a break-action 20 gauge. Sucker would cloverleaf at 100 yards though it was a smoothbore. Josh

I keep an ultralight rigged with a 4" Yum Dinger for missed strikes. The leader is either 8lb fluoro or 4lb Trilene XL, depending. It works very nicely, and I can always re-rig for panfish if I want food. Josh

I didn't even know about that site. I prefer more interactive stuff, I guess. Josh

Those two blame everything but the culprit for anything that happens, it seems. Not sure if writing to Hoosier congressmen will do any good, but I'll try anyway.

I've cut through callouses, but not enough to draw blood. Pulling snags, I just pick up a convenient 1/2 branch and use that. Josh

This is my first year, as well. I like to throw frogs on mat and on pads. The matte has disappeared for the year from the lake, and I've mostly stopped... BUT I also lost my Hula Popper. I replaced it with a popping frog since the bodies of water I fish have more weeds than they used to, and I'm generally going weedless on all my lures. So, I'll likely be throwing this popping frog year-round. Josh

It all comes down to how it fits your hand. I carried a 9mm with 15+1 capacity (would have 17+1 capacity with today's magazines). I practiced constantly with it. Time came I had to use it and it shot high. I had to struggle to get the front sight in the rear notch because my grip was crushing and pushing the barrel upward. I didn't like this and bought a 1911. I then took said 1911 and shaped it to my hand, a bit at a time. It points exactly where I need it to under stress, and if anything ever happened to my left hand I'd probably have to build a new one. The 1911 holds 7+1 rounds and so holds only slightly more than the revolver does. I don't feel handicapped. I did carry an S&W M19-3 4" Combat Masterpiece for a while. I loved it. It's one I sold with big regrets -- I don't even know why I got rid of it save that I was used to it and wanted something different. It's the only revolver I ever found that, when using Pachmyr grips, fit my hand. All others try to point high like the 9mm. My biggest concern would be reloads. Being a lefty reloading is slightly different, requiring necessary extra step, shifting hands for the reload. If you carry a revolver, practice reloads a lot. Regards, Josh

Hello, No pics because the one I did take has the proportion so out of whack it makes the bass look 5" long. It was more around 15" to 16". I went to the 10 acre lake I've liked for the past few years. Though I knew it would be extremely busy due to the holiday weekend, I needed to get out and go. It was heavily pressured, so I moved from the area I had been fishing. On my way to another spot, I tossed in real quick at the boat ramp. This is likely the heaviest fished area of the lake, and I didn't expect much. I did use my ultralight to fish a weightless whacky rig out of deference to the heavy pressure. Well, boom! Something hit that whacky rig and took off with it, pulling drag all the way. I had 15lb braid with a 4lb leader, so I was fishing with a loose drag. After a nice long-ish fight, I landed it. I measured it quickly at 15 to 16 inches as there was a boat backing down the ramp. I didn't have time to measure it, but it was most likely 2lbs or maybe a shade over. My wife could have fit her fist into its mouth; I could not have. Not a huge bass by most standards, it's large for Northern Indiana, a 10 acre lake, and was definitely the largest I've caught in Northern Indiana and on an ultralight. I do not expect to beat my personal best up here, as it was set down south a ways, and Indiana is not known for its bass fisheries. I felt really good about it and still do. It proves a couple theories that I've had: First, that there are actually larger bass in this small lake, and that presentation choice and type can overcome fishing pressure. The worm was a Yum Dinger on a golden Eagle Claw hook from Grandpa's friend's tackle box. (Gill left the tackle box to Grandpa when he died, and Grandpa left the tackle box to me when Grandpa died. It contains all the live bait hooks I'll ever need.) All-in-all, a good day. Josh

I've wondered a lot if they do. I'd think they'd have something upstairs telling them that a certain size is too big to eat, but evidence seems to be going against that. Earlier this year I caught a small bluegill on a Spittin' Image there was no way it could have eaten. I'm finding more and more that as long as a lure is highly visible (and this sometimes means BIG) that bass will try to eat it. My favorite things right now are frogs (new to me) and large-profile jigs with lots of rattles and trailers that play lateral lines like banjo strings. Noise makes 'em turn and look, and profile makes 'em eat. I even put some beads in one frog I use for the extra noise. Josh

I agree! I let her go with instructions to grow. With an appetite like that, she's going to be a nice bass! I showed April (my wife) the picture, and she said, "Awwww cuuuute! Did you pet it? You should have given it a snack, you know, those panfish things you carry around!" This is from a woman who doesn't like to bait her own hook or touch fish. She got the "petting" thing, though, from when we went fishing this past summer. She got to see me catch a frog bass. She went from thinking bass are "ewww" to thinking they're cute, and even petted it (rubbed its belly) after I showed her how. I told her that I try not to touch bass this young, and even the older bass I don't generally pet because it removes a protective coating. Still, bass (especially largemouth) remind me a lot of dogs, and I love dogs. This little one was like a puppy. Josh

Hello, I was fishing a weedless jig this evening when I felt something hit it but not hook up. It pulled for a minute and then let go. As is proper, I tossed a whacky rigged Yum Dinger, 4", on my ultralight as a follow-up to the lost bass. This is what bit: This is the third smallest bass I've ever caught, and the smallest in 20 years! My previous smallest this year was about twice as long. Josh

A little of both, I guess. I always learn more from discussions than just straight up answers. I appreciate the suggestions and will try them! Regards, Josh

Steveo, not a problem. I generally like thread drift like this. I post a philosophy and others post their fishing philosphies etc. It's great discourse beyond the normal subject matter. Josh

I generally freeze and look for the source. Lots of times it's frogs, and more than once, otters sticking their heads up to look at me! Josh

I grew up with the notion, likely from Dad (though I don't recall him saying so) that baitcasters tend to serve better in lakes and such while spinning serves better for lures in rivers and streams. Growing up, I generally used my ultralight or, a little later, my fly rod (inherited from Grandpa) when wading. I didn't get to go river fishing this year due to flooding, but in years past, as an adult, I never found a valid argument against baitcasters in moving water. Thoughts? Josh

You know, I got to thinking and I don't believe I've ever caught a lake bass with a jerkbait. In rivers, yes, the work well for me. I let them drift down to cover (usually rocks) and twitch 'em. This usually gets a nice smallmouth, walleye, sauger, or saugeye trying to eat it. But in lakes... Maybe I just don't use 'em enough in lakes. Most of what I fish is too heavy for anything with trebles. Josh

The way I fish jigs tends to be tiring. Josh

I like the Berkely Cherrywood HD a lot more than I should. Josh

I'm sitting here trying to figure out why you would post this as a first post, and why you think others would care what you think. That's the allure of this thread for me. The ego is epic... and sad, at the same time. Why should I care who you are and what you think? There was a guy went by the name of "Gunkid" (among others) on the gun boards a while back. Turns out he was a minor league IPSC shooter, but he had to feel important and came off a lot like you. Suppressors made out of oil filters, assault wheelbarrows, felonious possession of firearms -- he had it all! He felt compelled to share his "knowledge" with the rest of us, and sounded a lot like you do, Mr. Rosado. You have done nothing to make me care about your opinion. If anything, I feel a bit sorry for you. Josh

Around here when bank fishing, any place that produces is going to be out of sight of the the vehicle. The best spot for river fishing is about a mile out through a corn field. You get cut going out and cut coming in. You get to leave your vehicle by the side of a country road. If you get hurt, a mile is a long ways to get food, water, or first aid. Josh

Tagged for interest.

Might be good catfish bait if you don't want to trust them for bass. Don't see a problem, myself. Josh

Carp have been known to bite artificials. Not often, but sometimes. My biggest fish was a huge buffalo fish. It ran like you describe. Only difference was I had mono and had set the drag. It bent the hook on that old inline spinner I got from Grandpa. Josh