MIbassyaker

My experience simply doesn't match the feeling so many have that EWGs yield worse hook-ups compared to straight-shank and offset round bend. I notice no big differences between the three, but if anything my EWG hookups seem more reliable. I think this may have to do with hooksetting and craft stability. In the kayak, I have limited range of movement and simply cannot make a big swinging, full-body hookset as one might do on a boat deck or on the shore. The kayak also creates a lot of give on the hookset, as it moves easily in the water. Thus, even if there is a natural advantage to straight-shank and offset round bend in terms of hookpoint angle over EWGs (and I'm not entirely convinced the advantage is real), in my case that advantage is probably off-set by greater error in trying to create enough force to push the hookpoint clear through the plastic body. An EWG texposed & skinned may be more likely to get by with a hookset that is less consistently sure, and possibly better if the hookset is generally less forceful. The hookset I use is sort of quick, firm pull that, when I imagine what's happening, feels more like "pressing" the hook into the fish, rather than "slamming" it. I also use medium and light wire hooks almost exclusively with plastics, as I DO noticeably lose more fish with heavy-wire hooks of all kinds.

Ponds are open around here and the rivers are back down to more reasonable levels after the big rains a couple weeks ago. Larger lakes still have ice, but its coming off. As usual for me at this point in the Spring, the main obstacle right now is not conditions, but work/life obligations and lack of free time.

Just here. I can't keep track of more than one thing at a time, so one forum is about all I can handle. Wife is on facebook so I don't have to be. I don't use any of the other social medial apps. I began coming here specifically to post pics because nobody else was interested in seeing my stupid fish.

So many nice fish the last several pages....you all are giving me The Itch.

Weighted (1/8-1/4oz): -Berkley Power Worm (Green Pumpkin/Chartreuse tail) -Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm (Green Pumpkin Magic) -Zoom Lizard (Watermelon Candy & Junebug/Chartreuse tail) Weighted (1/4-1/2oz) -Rage tail Space Monkey (hard candy & green pumpkin) -Gambler Burner Craw (Green pumpkin/chartreuse claws) Weightless: -GYCB Senko (Green pumpkin, GP chartreuse tip) -GYCB D shad (Smallmouth Magic) -Zoom Fluke (Green Pumpkin Magic) -Strike King Ocho (Green Pumpkin Candy) All t-rig. I don't c-rig.

Zoom Ol' Monster (Green Pumpkin magic; Junebug) 10" Berkley Power Worm (Green Pumpkin; Junebug) Mister Twister Hang 10 (Junebug; Red Shad) -- they don't get any attention, but pretty good.

I've got 4 things in this category that are regularly getting the call last several years. They just seem to fit what I'm trying to do: -6" Zoom Lizard: Junebug/Chartreuse (murkier water); Watermelon Candy (clear water). -Rage Tail Space Monkey: Hard Candy; Green Pumpkin. -5" GYCB Hula Grub: Rootbeer Black & Green (296); Green Pumpkin Green & Purple (301) -4" Rage Tail Menace Grub: Crawdaddy; Green Pumpkin

I agree: The Tatula is over. Please send them to me and I will dispose of them properly.

The lower the water clarity, the less I think color matters. Going with whatever looks good to you, and that you'll fish confidently, is probably better than trying to find a secret color. But nothing wrong with having some rules-of-thumb to follow to make the decision easier. I like: -Chartreuses in green water. -Bright oranges and reds in brown water. -Plain white, and patterns like "coleslaw" and "firetiger" for all-purpose low-vis duty.

Got my license a couple weeks ago, few days after the new season was available. $26 resident, all species. Always gotta do it the first time I happen to think of it, otherwise I'm just going to forget!

We're up, we're down: it was 70 a week ago, and 28 yesterday....

Having never fished for trout, but finding myself living near some pretty good trout streams, I decided a few years ago to give them a try on UL and ML spinning tackle occasionally (I don't fly fish either). I have only been a few times, but applying what I know about Smallies in rivers, I've been able to catch a few small browns on in-line spinners (rooster tails and mepps) and small curly-tail grubs. The jerkbait recommendation is something I've come across before, especially for bigger browns and rainbows, although I haven't really tried it.

Interesting. I've seen that Smallmouth Fly Fishing book around, but never thought about it because I don't fly fish. Will have to check it out. Lake Smallmouth and River Smallmouth almost seem like different species to me. Most of my smallmouth experience is with free-flowing sections of small-to-medium sized rivers -- shallow, rocky runs, riffles and pools in current. But when it comes to natural lakes and impoundments, I have almost no idea what I'm doing.

I measure distance by time rather than mileage. Almost every place I fish is somewhere I can get to within one hour of driving from my house. The closest spot is a 60 acre natural lake 7 min away from my house. After that, there are some park pit lakes, neighborhood ponds, riverbank spots, and a few bayous and backwater areas between 10-20 min away. After that it really opens up, as there are hundreds of natural lakes, river spots, impoundments, ponds, and bayous within an hour of my house. Fortunately, I don't need to go farther than that to have a variety of fishing experiences, and wouldn't have the time to spare on a regular basis anyway.

LoL, say no more... we understand! Not necessarily a "fishing funk".

Hmm. Maybe. Problem is, "four-pounder" is a category of bass with a lot of variation in length, girth, age, geography, forage availability, and seasonal timing. I would submit that quick observations like this may be reliable in the context of a location and seasonal time, but likely limited in generalization beyond that.

Cool article! If you're feeling particularly sciency, the study from 2022 mentioned in the article is open access and available to read for free: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-11743-2 It was the first time anyone had done contemporary state-of-the-art genome analysis of black bass, sampled from across their entire natural range.

I love music, but when I'm fishing, all I want to hear are the sounds of fishing.

I'm not actually sure I've ever truly left something for dead. Any time I make a cast with one lure or rig, every other lure isn't getting used. As years go by and new things hit the market, or become popular, I accumulate more baits, try more new things, the number of baits I'm not using at any moment just grows naturally. I don't feel any particular need to cycle through everything I own, and I can't bring it all anyway. For most lures, I haven't really stopped using them so much as narrowed the situation when they get the call. The first lures I ever learned to use as a kid were Mepps spinners, Mister Twister curly tail grubs, and the Rapala floating minnow. I've caught fish on all three of them in the last couple years, but they only come along to certain places at certain times. For instance, in-line spinners and grubs are excellent in current, so I have them on hand for river trips. The floating minnow is particularly well-suited to post-spawn shallows that aren't yet choked with vegetation. I have other lures I rarely use because they don't have much practical use where I fish. There are also a number of lures and and rigs I've tried and didn't like, and many other new things out there I've never gotten around to trying. But if I've ever been successful with something once, I always feel like I can again and I'll probably still find a role for it occasionally. Even the Whopper Plopper.

Nice

I highly recommend getting the Sportsman Connection Fishing Map book for your area, which would be the Southeast one: https://sportsman-connection.webflow.io/state-hub/michigan Sporting goods stores, bait shops, grocery stores and gas stations will often have these as well. Not every accessible body of water will be in there, but all the major ones will be, and they include survey and stocking information for some places. Just be sure to take the detailed advice on how to fish each place with a grain of salt, lol.

Wind is a problem for kayaks. I have a stick anchor, an anchor trolley, and a drift sock. I've never found the stick useful, as it doesn't stay put very well. The anchor trolley is good for staying in one location, but it's still hard to keep from getting turned around unless wind direction is constant. I find myself actually using the drift sock most often.

Interesting. Thanks, Pat. I have also never used this. If you want the weight to separate from the bait, why not put a bobber stop+bead a little ways ahead of the hook?

Maybe 10-15% of my trips each year are from the shore or wading. Usually rivers, and usually when I have just a small amount of time to spare. The rest of the time I'm fishing by kayak.

Heddon Tiny Torpedo