Josh Smith

Tom, no, I see and hear everything. It's the exact opposite of the trance you describe. It's one of extreme focus and, upon the strike, all focus suddenly shifts to the bass, my rod, my reel and it's drag. Josh

I think that for me, it's extreme focus. I focus on the lure, rod and line like I do rifle sights when I'm shooting at something that counts. It's almost a self-hypnosis; very relaxing and dreamlike. The bass strikes and I snap out of that state suddenly. It's not lack of focus. I know what lack of focus is, and on the rare occasion I can't focus, I pack out up and go in because I'm not going to enjoy myself. Josh

I will do whatever is best for the fishery if legal, and d**n what anyone else says. My favorite lake was ruined by the catch and release everything mentality. It has the habitat to be a prime lake, but few of the bass are large enough to keep. The panfish are stunted too. There really needs to be a slot limit. Josh

Hello, I've realized for some time now that after catching a bass, I don't remember much of the fight to land the critter. More recently, especially after a rather exciting blowup/fight, I've realized that I can't remember what exactly I did that led to the strike. Lots of times I'm trying different cadences to lure the bass, then forget afterward what cadence it was. Anyone else do this? Josh

Yup, eat those big bluegill for starters.

In the stuff I fish, it's a good idea to bring a pair and a spare of each productive lure. I fish like "snagless" is a challenge, not a feature. Josh

In this case, 3-4 rods, hard and/or soft tackle box, canteen, one hat, and the Thermacell. The stuff on my belt is pretty much daily carry. The Ka-Bar is for killing Asian carp and similar, and it is not daily carry. Three rods cover the water column without taking time to tie lures. A fourth rod is generally lighter; an ultralight spinning or a finesse casting setup. Josh

I get pretty remote sometimes. Partial list: 3-6 rods a soft-sided tackle box two-quart military canteen Yugoslavian surplus pack with food and coffee, extra canteen/cup/stove, an alcohol burner and fuel tabs, water purifier straw, backup power for the phone, a book, sunscreen, bug repellent, and small tarp with paracord a Thermacell On my belt, a 1911, two spare mags, Ka-Bar, diamond hone, Cammenga compass, Leatherman, and flashlight Strapped to the pack are a first-aid kit and Frogg Toggs rain gear. I generally have a boonie hat either on or strapped to the pack, and a bandanna either on my head or in my pocket. Just a couple headgear options there. I'm a big guy and can carry this with relative comfort. If I decide to set up for a while in one spot, it makes that spot a whole lot more comfortable. Josh

Hello, I realized that I'd been concentrating so much on river smallies that I'd totally neglected frog fishing this year. Driving from one river point to the other, I stopped by the lake to get me one: Not huge, and blurry pic. But there it is. Figured I needed at least one this year. Regards, Josh

Are you sure they're bass? Big enough to take the frog? Make yourself wait for the hook set. Blow up... 1 and 2 and SET! Josh

My biggest problems are small panfish and gar. I have snagged two small sunfish this year so far when they smacked my crankbaits. River gar sorta' just tap but are catchable with sharp hooks and fast reflexes. Those critters psych me out so often... It's very frustrating. Josh

I fish because I am. Logically, it's practicing for survival after the fall of civilization. At least, that's the best excuse I've come up with so far. Josh

That's weird. I use Firefox and Windows 10. Chrome handles Flash slightly differently (I've heard) but it should still play. Do you have any Flash blockers or ad blocking tools installed? Those can interfere. Josh

That's odd. What OS and browsers are you using? The vid is hosted as an .mp4, which is almost universal. I would put it on my YouTube except the channel is under my business name and I don't want to appear to be self-promoting. It's too big to upload to this website. Ideas? Josh

I've wondered this and did recently have some success by switching to a spinnerbait when it starts. Still not a huge success, though. Photobucket looks like it downgraded the video after the upload, but it looks like about 3/4 of the way through there's a smallie that jumps near the middle of the river (right screen). Maybe I should throw a jitterbug..? Worth a shot. Josh

Dude, I'll tell ya': Whatever you get will be more than adequate for what you need unless you take a lot of time and fish in special circumstances (sounds like a GPS model would do you good). In the '90s we did just fine with a black and white LCD model and compass bearings. Rebuilding the boat, I have been getting ideas of what I'll be using. The cheapest WalMart fish finder has more capabilities than that older unit. It almost sounds to me like you could get away with an inexpensive unit and a good handheld GPS for marking waypoints. Josh

I too thought it strange. First time I chalked it up to coincidence, but it happens every time. I need to get my fly rod out and see if they bite on a popper. My fly rod comes apart though; it was Grandpa's and he used it hard. Might just buy a new fly rod but am not a huge fan of the art as I am baitcasters. Josh

Hello, When I'm smallie fishing and the sun begins to go down, I see this: The bass bite stops. In that area of the river I'm aware of crappie, walleye, smallies, drum, carp, and gar. I'm leaning toward carp. What do you think they are, and why would they kill the smallmouth bite? Regards, Josh

In thick vegetation I use 65lb Power Pro. In the river I use 12lb Trilene XT (plastics dedicated rod). The braid is on a 6' MH/F that's a bit more whippy than most. The Trilene is on a high modulus 6'6" MH/F. Both have modified 5500c3 reels for winching power. It's my technique to use a combination rod lift/reel winch to get bass out of cover quickly. Many here disagree with this approach but it works well for me. If I were NOT using the reel to winch, I'd move the thick vegetation rod up to a H/F. Regards, Josh

This river is stuffed with crawdads. In the lake, the largemouth are still pretty round. I figured the river smallies would do the same. Guess I was wrong! What's the longest plastic worm they make? I could only find 10" locally but want longer. I have a feeling the local bass haven't seen them -- I had no results with the shorter worms I usually use. I'd like to start biggest and go down to find the most effective size. Thanks! Josh

Thanks man! Guys, I found 'em. They're shallow. Not much of a fight because they're so close to shore. A small 11-12" smallie that I should have kept for the sake of the population (slot limit): And a 15" smallie, a little on the thin side though. It looked a little... flat..? Last winter they were quite chunky. I tried a 10" weightless Power Worm and it worked very nicely. Unfortunately, the reel needed some tuning and was backlashing every cast until I fixed it at my shop after the outing. Any idea on why the bass are so skinny? Josh

Hi Guys, This could go in a couple forums, but I'm putting it here because I think it will bring a later cross section of members who have experience in several states. I have read it opined that if you can catch bass in Indiana, you can catch 'em anywhere. While I understand this to be a slight derision against this state's fishery, I'm wondering if there's any truth to this. Do you who have fished many states feel like you work harder to catch bass in Indiana waters than elsewhere? Why or why not? Thank you, Josh

I use Palomar and Trilene. The Trilene is just an improved improved clinch knot. Josh

@tstraub what's the clearest river you've seen up this way? I like smaller rivers and creeks that I can bank fish and wade. Before the weed takeover I loved the Salamonie, but wading in slime isn't my idea of a good time. I've not done the Eel because of all the pollution. Been looking at kayaks for next year. I'm in the process of dropping weight first. Also looking at rafts. I want the shallowest draft I can get. We used to fish the Paw Paw Creek when I was a kid, and can't find the place we used to go now. That creek had good fishing. Josh

Why?