MIbassyaker

X4 -- I swap out round for ovals on every jerkbait & crankbait. I haven't tried the teardrop style, but your comment reminds me that I should check them out, as this isn't the first time I've seen teardrops recommended. Oh boy. Wasn't sure I needed more jerkbaits, but.....

Other than gobies in the great lakes, I don't imagine there is all that much difference between Northern and Southern smallmouth fishing, as long as you pay attention to seasonal location & local forage. I would bet a larger difference is between free-flowing rivers vs. lakes, which could apply anywhere. For instance, in MI, most of my smallie fishing is rivers, and the techniques and tactics I use have more in common with other river anglers in the South than Great Lakes anglers here. @TnRiver46 likes a worm on the bottom? So do I -- behold: river smallmouth candy:

Most of my bass fishing now is done by kayak. But my first few bass of the year are usually caught from shore in the spring, before I get the kayak out. Usually I'll make brief stops at one of the rivers, as lakes are thawing out; 30 min to an hour, when i have some spare time. And in summer I'll go bank-hopping a few times for an afternoon and hit several spots, with a brief stop at each one.

Clockwise from top Left: -Booyah Covert -Pepper -SIebert Cosmic Compact -War Eagle -Revenge (RIP)

Maybe bass anglers would feel less insecure about spinning rods if we referred to them as "Butt Smokers" instead of "Fairy Wands".

Kitchen Sink. Similar, but not exactly the same as Junk Fishing -- I have no preferred techniques, and on any trip I might throw anything. But won't necessary throw everything.

Looks great. I've always thought there should be more crappie patterns.

I do use sonar for lakes that have some depth and bottom structure. I find it especially helpful for locating deep weedlines. But, same as most responses above, if I'm floating a river or fishing shallow, weedy stuff, it isn't much use.

Top 3 best uses of a $400 gift card: 1. put $400 toward something big that would otherwise be too expensive. 2. Buy $400 worth of boring stuff you need, but aren't excited too about buying, like terminal tackle, line, tackle storage, clothing, etc. 3. upgrade your worst cheapie rod or reel with a sexy $400 one. Or get a new combo in a length/power/action you need, at $200 each for rod and reel, give or take. The one thing I wouldn't do is buy $400 worth of flashy, exciting lures.

I grew up fishing for everything that I could get to bite in the places I could access. That turned out to be catfish, bullheads, pike, walleye & sauger, drum (sheepshead), suckers, rock bass, and occasionally perch, crappie, bluegills & other sunfish. What I didn't have much access to were bass and trout. Those are the species that give me most pleasure now that I live an a place that has both in abundance. I don't feel guilty about either. I just wish I had time in the fall/winter/spring to really get into the salmon & steelhead runs here, but that's busy season at work. I have caught a couple steelhead and a coho mostly by accident fishing from shore in the fall....and hooked a few more that I never landed. I always think, this year I'm going to devote a few outings to the Fall Runs....but once mid-September hits, I just can't get out very often until about May.

At this point, Ike could fail to finish in the money for the rest of his life, and his name and endorsement would probably still sell more sponsors' products than all but a few other pros until he disappears from public view.

It's just business, like everything else.

could drag a jig, but not very far.

Yeah, all my meetings are cancelled -- looks like I'm free! My bathtub might have open water. Not much casting room, though.

Welp.

Cool-looking bait! Is that a diving lip?

005 Junebug 184 Green Pumpkin Green 017 Gourd Green https://zoombait.com/colors/ Green flakes for the win. (the site doesn't show trick worm available in gourd green, but you can find them around.)

October 23. Small-ish guy:

I bounce around between a whole bunch of little places. I have 25 in mind right now, including 2 new lakes and 2 new river sections.

"River Roulette", baby! You never know what you're gonna get!

I find satellite images from google earth or maps useful for a few reasons. As a kayaker, I can sometimes see where a shoreline is clear enough put in, and I can see two-tracks and parking areas on public land that don't show up on other road maps. On lakes themselves, I can see cover elements and vegetation, and the degree of clarity/stain. And I can see the extent of backwaters and how connecting waters chain together often better than from other maps. If the water is clear, satellite images can be especially useful in combination with a depth map to see subsurface objects, weedlines, and substrate transitions that would be worth checking out. Even on a Lake I know pretty well, perusing a google maps image can give some insight. Here are Google Maps satellite and Fishermaps depth maps of a section of the eastern basin of Gun Lake, in Barry County MI: On a good day -- esp. early and late in the year-- I can see down to about 15 feet from my kayak. Notice in the satellite image there are variations in shading, at areas of more-or-less constant depth -- many of these are substrate and vegetation transitions that can be worth checking out. Especially at certain times of the year, and depending on their position and proximity to other structures in the depth chart. Looking at this sort of thing during the off-season gives me some time to process what I'm seeing, put 2 and 2 together, make connections to my prior experience, and plan where and when to prioritize my time when I next get back on the water.

Heck, yeah. nicely done!

I always love seeing your multi-generational posts -- you all have exactly the same smile!

We get some of that too, but more often regulations are built around protecting steelhead and salmon....for instance, it's still illegal to dropshot in rivers here, due to potential for snagging during the salmon run.