Josh Smith

I tried. Don't think I made it a month. Couldn't stand the itch. As is, with my own business where I do not interact with folks face-to-face, I shave two to three times per week. While I've never thought keeping the top layer of skin scraped off was a good idea, too much beard makes my skin flake and itch due to irritation. Josh

Hi All, I went fishing for 1/2, 45mins tonight until sundown. I located the bass just fine. Problem was, there was no good way to throw the bait to 'em. The way I generally fish this lake is to find heavy cover and throw jigs. In the case of a downed tree, I roll those jigs right up and over the limbs. However, where the bass were tonight, I just couldn't get to. We just had a cold front come through, and they're laying tight to the trunk of a downed pine tree. The needles of said tree are gone, but most of the primary and secondary branches are still there. A bass attacked the shadow of a jig through as I rolled it up over a limb! I just couldn't get the bait in that pocket where they were holed up! I'm a decent caster, but there just wasn't a clear enough line of fire to the pocket. Where I was at on the bank was the best approach angle. A boat would have given other approach angles, but I'm not sure even a canoe could get back where I was at. Thoughts? Josh

I took those out for about half an hour this evening. Though I caught nothing in that short time, I got to see how they perform. I like 'em! I think they'll be what I buy from now on. Thank you! Josh

And... these are excellent! I'm quite impressed by the quality. Now, if they don't waterlog or anything, I might have a new favorite! They look as detailed as Live Target, and cost a bit less.

Oh, I gotcha'. We are still at many feet above flood stage due to rain. It's unprecedented. The Salamonie emergency spillway was used for the first time in history. Both Mississinewa and Salamonie Reservoirs were a couple feet below capacity and they had to let out. There was no access. As the rivers go down, they're leaving impassable muck behind that will have to dry before we can reach the rivers. Salamonie River is generally knee to hip high on me. Now it, along with the Wabash and Mississinewa, are well over my head. If we get to river fish at all, it'll be early to late fall. But they should be letting out for winter pool anyway around that time... so I don't know. Josh

Oh, I do fish them, in water that allows them to be effective. I don't fish that water often. The lake I usually fish is covered in vegetation with about 25% of the surface (and most of the surface reachable from shore) being covered with mat or with densely-packed weeds that come right up to the top. No plug I've found works well there from early summer to late fall. Late fall, the lipless crankbaits work well. I do like the square bills for river fishing on the rocks, but the rivers are still up way too high to do anything with 'em right now. I like the jerkbaits too, but again, it's all timber and salad that I'm fishing and they lose their action very fast. Josh

I got a WA55 in bream, and a Spittin' Frog in Leopard. Already made room in the tackle box for these! Regards, Josh

Ever open your tackle box and wonder this? I have a large tackle box that I take on boats. However, when shore fishing, I prefer to carry a smaller tackle box, a two-drawer Plano. The top is filled with worm hooks, bullet weights, and topwater lures. The middle drawer is packed with crankbaits. I keep my jigs in the bottom, in a small drawer I bought. Now, here's the thing: I use my crankbaits for maybe 1% of my fishing. I have no idea why I have so many in there, but I can't bring myself to remove 'em! I think I'll swap spots with the jigs so I have easier jig access, but dang -- I can't figure out why I carry so many crankbaits with me! Josh

I punch through with heavy jigs or use a frog. Texas rigs work well if you can cast heavy enough to get through. I will be getting a heavy rod for use with heavier bullet weights. Meantime, the frog and jigs are working. Josh

I just ordered two on the strength of your statement, Big C, and will blame you if they suck! Josh

A self-feeding problem is that those new to baitcasting generally don't want to drop a lot of coin on equipment, but are then soured on baitcasting when it fails to perform as expected. Go get a good hybrid rod. I have fished most of my life and really love the Berkely Cherrywood HD for my main rod. Know what? The thing ran me $20. I bought it as a stopgap when a more expensive rod broke, and ended up putting the more expensive rod in the corner! Weird. You might grab a 6' MH or 6'6" M Cherrywood HD, top it with a decent inexpensive reel like those marketed by Bass Pro or Abu Garcia, and give that a go with worms and jigs. Use braid. Josh

I generally fish by myself. I don't have patient friends. I do take my boy often. Josh

I have exactly one frog. It's a Live Target and has worked well. I'm impressed. Want to pick up a Spro or two also, and a couple weedless poppers. Josh

Hello, I use both types, the dog and anti-reverse, for different techniques. I like the dog because I can feel the strike through the reel handle as well as through the rod. This is good for moving baits. Regards, Josh

I don't think I've ever caught one. What do they taste like?

Hello, Here's your schematic: http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/content/purefishing/Abu%20Garcia/Schematics/5500C3%202SPEED%2091-0.pdf I'm not doing a JPEG here as I'm not sure about the copyright as it pertains to schematics. Regards, Josh

Shimano used to make Lew's for Lew Childre. Then it was Ryobi after Shimano got into the fishing game. So, the question I have is this: Why did Lew's break with Japan? Betcha' they wanted the reels made cheaper. Josh Edited for clarification.

Hi Folks, I generally buy a lure if I see a good deal on it. These lures are not always ones I'm good with, or sometimes I just have a bunch of 'em. Generally I like to use these to put together tackleboxes for new or returning fishermen. Still, I wonder if there's any interest in trading. I'm not talking about posting a specific "WTT" thread in the Flea Market but rather a thread to swap lures (which would probably belong in the flea market.) This type of thread would be good for newer anglers as they could see what's out there, and experiences could be traded. The thread would be less formal than the traditional "WTT/WTS" format. Might be something along the lines of "I have a Kopper's frog I'm not using. Anyone wanna swap?" An answer might be "Sure, got a Fat Free Shad here..." and someone else might say "speaking of frogs, I have a Spro I've given up trying to use. I need jigs" etc etc. I'm a fan of bartering threads, and with the number of lures we all tend to have, I thought it might be a fun thing to do. Thoughts? Regards, Josh

I generally use jigs these days and manage to hook them in the beaks most times. I also sharpen every few casts because of the heavy cover I fish. The jigs I use have deep hooks, and that helps, I think. As well, I don't suppose the weed guard hurts in keeping the bass pinned. That said, I've lost two bass this year. One was on a jig and one was on a Spro Live Target Frog. Josh

I'm not paid to enforce the law, so I don't confront directly. Were it to escalate into a shooting (not so far-fetched as it sounds) it might ruin fishing for me, and I don't want that. I've talked to the game warden in the past and have his number in my phone. If I have signal, I might call. On the other hand, I just don't see folks break the rules a whole heck of a lot, at least not in a way that would effect me or anyone but them. The dumbest thing I saw recently was a family go swimming off the boat ramp at a weed-choked lake. Lots of folks fish off that ramp and lose plenty of hooks and lines. It's how tetanus and drownings happen. Haven't seen anyone keeping what they shouldn't, though. Josh

Interesting. My reason for the slower reels is that it's easier to haul fish out of thick growth if I have to winch 'em. Been thinking about taking the 5500c3 that's on the 7' Daiwa rod up to 31ipt (or so; will use a 5600c4 gearset) but that's still a debate I'm having with myself. It would be my jerkbait rod but I want something stiffer. This vegetation, by the way, is one reason I stick with heavier reels. Been using 50lb braid but have 65lb Power Pro ready to go. Decisions, decisions... Josh

I've been punching, but it's new to me. You're right in that I need to get heavier equipment for this. What speed reel do you recommend? I generally stick with 26ipt or slower in this type of stuff. Regards, Josh

They're tough conditions, but these weeds hold a lot of bass. I took my wife fishing (she started on a baitcaster I built for her -- I'm so proud!) During this trip I hooked on to a smaller bass, 12", but very chunky. It looked like a largemouth with the body of a smallmouth. Strange thing is that it looked like it was a female that had just spawned again. The growing season in Indiana is not long enough for two spawns! I tossed that frog out again, and something hit it. Hard. I couldn't reel and I could barely raise the rod. Unfortunately, I'd missed a good hookset because I was talking to April and didn't make myself pause, so the fish got off. Had it stayed on, I'm sure it would have been a personal best (for public lakes). There's something appealing to me about fishing thick vegetation. Expanding my arsenal in these conditions is probably more important to me than expanding it in any other area. Thanks! Josh

Shimano, or Swedish-built Abu Garcia. As far as I'm concerned, most of the rest are just carbon copies of each other. Josh

Hi Folks, The lake I fish most has a LOT of weed. Cabbage, mat, hydrilla, etc. Playing with these "new" frogs is very effective. So is throwing football jigs, especially when I roll them over downed timber. I was mat punching with earlier this year, but it's thicker than last year and I'm going to have to get heavier bullet sinkers and maybe a heavy rod. Now, this time of year in this lake, crankbaits are useless. So are most jerkbaits. They pick up too much vegetation in the first foot to be effective. This time of year, even Spooks and the like, Jitterbugs, and to a point, even prop baits and Hula Poppers pick up too much vegetation to be really effective for more than the first couple feet on average. Since this year's growth is heavier than normal, I'm looking for lures to use in addition to topwater weedless frogs and jigs. I'd like to hit the suspended fish harder. Thoughts? Thank you, Josh