Josh Smith

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?

Used to be numbers mattered, 20+ years back. Up til last year, it was size. Now it's just getting out and enjoying nature. Fishing is a bonus. Josh

Almost sounds like you're not used to the ratio. Josh

Cherrywood HD for one of them. Josh

The bite has slowed way down in my usual waters. I'm sure the fish are there but I need to play with new techniques. Anyone else having this problem? It's especially prevalent in the Wabash River. Since the floods the river's whole personality has changed. Josh

Leave it running then.

Do they make diesel outboards? I think I'd go with a 24v trolling motor. Gasoline motors don't like to idle (though electronic fuel injection has helped this a lot!) and restarting it a bunch is hard on everything. If you don't have to cover a lot of water a powerful trolling motor just makes sense. Josh

Sounds like a good combo. I prefer 6'6" length. Josh

1. Was the line coming off the top or bottom of the filler spool? If bottom, you have line that's trying to go back to its factory loaded position. 2. Pull the spool and run warm-hot (not boiling) over the line while it's on the spool. This will reset it. 3. How much tension did you put on the line when you were spooling it? Josh

Thank you!

Does anyone know of any bass fishing shows which show bass behavior underwater? How they relate to different lures, how long they watch jigs, etc? Thank you. Josh

I don't like tape gunk though I used to use that method. Now, I just use an overhand knot. Josh

If you're OK with round reels, get a 5500c3 and be done with it. Stay away from the Ambassadeur S crap from the budget stores, though. Those things will die quickly. Josh

I've never caught lake walleye, only river, so maybe that's the difference, but all walleye I've caught are decent fighters. Every one has given at least three runs that peel some drag. I find it interesting that a 12" specimen I recently caught was one of the harder fighters. The more I fish the river, the less impressed I am with lake fish. Josh

My boy, also 8, uses a Black Max, older style low-profile. I rebuilt it and found that the magnetic brakes on this one are stronger than most other reels I've seen. I'm keeping the magnets turned up and, as his control improves, they will be slowly turned down. Josh