BigSkyBasser

This is a stretch of the Clark Fork river below the first dam called Blue Slide that we took around this same time last year. Can't beat those Mission mountains!

Oh I know he's being genuine, and I can't knock the guy for his undying enthusiasm for bass fishing. He's just so easy to make fun of because of it. However his informational videos are great and he's one of the better elite series fisherman and youngest classic champions for a reason.

Always happy to see Montana people on the forum! I'm in the Missoula valley but spend most of my time fishing Noxon.

Hey Bert glad to see another Montanan on the forum! I have fished a fair amount with skirted jigs and found that they don't do that well at any point but especially post spawn. Most of the jig fisherman around here use a nonskirted football head with a hula grub to catch their fish in the spring and early summer.

We found a hot spring that stays fishable even when it is 9 degrees outside like this day. It doesn't hold fish larger than about 2 pounds at the very most but it gets us by.

Watching him fish on the Mississippi last season during MLF was so d**n hilarious because he though every 12 oz fish was a giant! Has anyone seen the episode with Zona where he is freaking out over a 3 pounder and trips over the boat seat, snaps some of his rods, and falls into the water?

It's not even surprising. Their mentality towards bass is that they're a nuisance and an enemy to the trout. The concept of conservation for bass is often times ignored completely out here. I've seen guys blow off the slot limit during spawn and keep females that they catch off beds. It's appalling.

You're not the only one to tell me that. I've suggested that to the fish and game folks that I talk to who claims we don't have pumpkinseed in that particular body of water.

Woke up this morning with bad cabin fever as I found 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground and no sign of an early ice out. I thought this would be a good time to give some homage to the baitfish that make your local fishery so good. My favorite here in Montana is the Redear Sunfish Pumpkinseed which get quite big and are absolutely gorgeous.

I prefer the Z Man Chatterfrog with a bruiser baits junior swimmer. This thing thrashes like no other and will easily get the attention of big cruising bass.....and also large swaths of angry pike from my experience.

Awesome fish guy! And as far as your missing fish on drop shot I might have some advice. The conventional set up is exactly like you're running with a size 25-30 reel and a 7 ft ML fast action rod. However this is based on the preference of being able to reel set the hook on light wire hooks. I pretty much only fish with Medium power rods with a super fast action tip. This paired with your 10 lb braid (I love power pro) and a beefier 8 lb flouro leader allows you to give the hook set a little more umph and drive it home. I don't recall losing a single bass on drop shot last year with this adjustment.

Turn the Senko into a Neko rig or cut it in half and fish it on a Ned rig jighead

I rarely listen to music while actually fishing but I do love it any other time including while moving spots or during boat rides and such. Chill hop is incredibly relaxing and is a very popular genre for Youtube fisherman and you will find it on most of Job B's videos. Future bass is also very awesome.

I empathize and relate as much as anyone. I just got done buying $150 worth of new jerkbaits....and while organizing found out that I have already about 15 suspending and floating jerkbaits that I have yet to fish and had completely forgotten all about.

You're getting me stoked for ice out here! I just bought a bunch of new jerk baits including my first Pointer in the hopes it will help me target an early season trophy. Beautiful largies!

C Rigs and Split Shot rigs are something I don't play around with enough despite how well they work around here. I think I just forget about them because I've never had a tough enough day recently that couldn't be fixed with a drop shot or a weedless senko. Some of the boaters that I fish with have won tournaments and caught state record fish exclusively on Carolina rigs and swear by dragging them around humps for ENORMOUS smallmouth.

I'm astounded that none of my fellow smallmouth anglers have mentioned Rainy Lake?!? This fishery can make for some of the most epic smallmouth trips in all of Ontario. Check out Rainy Lake Also notable are Coeur d'alene lake. Bullards Bar. Lake Mead (because of the history.)

When I'm broke/cheap I crimp split shot weights onto my drop shot leader....

Yeah we're primarily smallmouth anglers but we do enjoy catching a nice green one at the same time. Almost all of our better fish come between Thompson Falls and Noxon with large swaths of bank fishing and public access available. If we coordinate a trip this year we're not shy about sharing our fishing spots one bit. The smallie photo on my profile came out of a deep pool directly below the Thompson Dam and though I didn't have scale I'm fairly certain it was a 5+. As far as a club is concerned there are two that would be worth your time if you like and it really depends on whether you want to support FLW or B.A.S.S. more. The Flathead guys fish a good amount of both B.A.S.S. and TBF tournaments and the Missoula guys stick primarily with B.A.S.S. The Missoula club meets the second Wednesday of every month @ 7:30 PM in the Paradise Falls Conference room. Anyone is welcome and you don't need to give notice or RSVP. Message me if you need some contacts of the guys around here who are in charge of that stuff.

There are not too many active Montanans on the forum aside from myself. But welcome aboard! My fiancee and I live down in the Missoula Valley but as you probably know the bass fishing is nothing to write home about. We've spent a little time fishing Nine Pipes, Kicking Horse, and Pablo but never had any crazy good days there. We primarily fish the Flathead and Clark Fork along Hwy 200 West as well as Noxon and Cabinet Gorge. Always glad to see another Montanan fishing for bass though. Have you joined the Flathead or Bigsky bass clubs?

IMO chatterbait's are one of the best grass fishing baits in existence. I too recently discovered their charm during an August tournament two years ago. The finesse bite sort of died off so we got bored and started fishing a weedline with various baits. My partner tied on a z man custom chatterbait with a swimbait trailer and it was immediately slammed by a 5 pound smallie. We ended up both catching 15+ pound bags. On a side note Northerns also hate them and will typically destroy one on-sight!

Type of cover and depth usually will make you want to adjust your rig. With clear water water depending on the depth you'll want a longer leader 8-14 inches of 6-8 lb test with weights varying. Shallow water, heavy cover, and or both usually require a shorter leader (6-8 inches) and heavier line ranging from 8-12 lb test and a bait that is hooked weedless and weights no less than 3/8 oz but typically not exceeding 1/2 oz. This is optimal for flipping cover and structure or punching weeds with a drop shot which is becoming a more popular option for pressured shallow fish.

I also carry three different drop shot set ups for different situations. My new baitcasting set up is a Shimano Curado on an MHX 7'2" Medium when I'm throwing anything above 3/8 oz and power shotting.

After further research I have also come across these areas that look fun to fish. Fall Creek Falls State Park Angel Falls Overlook Trail - Cumberland River Cordell Hull Reservoir Standing Stone Lake Dale Hollow Lake Center Hill Lake Melton Lake Park Little Tennessee River We want to focus on creek and river fishing so if anyone has so cool spots they'd like to shoot our way we'd appreciate it!

I've been doing some research via Youtube and various google searches and have found that Meads Quarry Lake looks fun as well as Dock/Bank Fishing around Concord Park can be fruitful. I will keep in mind hiring a guide the price is right as this trip will be confined to a budget. Thanks for the response!