Ozark_Basser

You can get away with 1/0 hooks or whatever size you feel comfortable with. Just make sure with whatever hook you are using, the hook gap has enough room to let the bait move down to keep the fish pinned. I just make sure the space between the hook point and the bend is about twice the width of the bait.

Stretch definitely plays a big role in a hookset, landing fish, and working baits. Of course someone can get by with just mono, but it's all about having an edge. However small that edge is doesn't matter. It's still an advantage. Mono has loads of stretch in comparison to braid. Fluoro stretches as well, but it doesn't have the elasticity of mono. It doesn't retain its original shape when stretched. All the lines have an application that could given someone an advantage over the fish. If you just love using mono for the sake of not having to spend money on other types of line, good for you, but you're still missing out sometimes. Guaranteed.

Reapers on drop shot, shakey head, Texas rig, or even a split shot. Just depends on where the fish are.

Don't be afraid to throw a jig either with a craw imitation trailer. Some smaller ones will still bite it, but you'll catch bigger ones on average.

I love my NFC HM custom I built. It's made on the same blank as the edge series black widow rods with the same guides, I think, and a carbon fiber handle. It also cost me about 120 dollars less to build it than buy it. If I just had a metanium on it, it would be my dream jig rod. The curado I does just fine though.

For shallow fishing braid/fluoro leader kicks the crap out of straight fluoro for sensitivity.

Not much you can do except keep at it and maybe throw a bigger bait. I'd be happy with what you are catching. Maybe try throwing a spro rat at night or wait till you see those bigger fish on beds.

Cottonmouths are pretty easy to identify if you know what to look for. The have a big triangular shaped head, they are way more buoyant than any water snake I know of when me swimming, and they are usually pretty fat compared to water snakes and darker. If you come upon one on land, they lean their heads back and expose their bright white mouths. Hence the name, cottonmouth. Very young cottonmouths on the other hand look a lot like water snakes, at least the ones in my area. They say the only way you can tell the difference is by the tip of the tail. Juvenile cottonmouths are supposed to have some sort of neon colored tail. I've never seen one though.

Green Trout, haven't we been through this more than once? Lol

I've always been taught that if it has a tooth patch on its tongue, it's a spot. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Red label is way better in my opinion. I've used them both quite a bit. There is no comparison. They both have issues with longevity, but red label is definitely your best bang for your buck.

I think I've seen some of those in one of the ponds I fish. They get pretty big. They tend to rip the skirts off my jigs. They bite hard.

My little brother routinely hooks snakes while fishing the creeks and acts like he is going to sling them into the canoe. I don't care. I'm used to it, and they are just water snakes. Whoever is with us usually gets the crap scared out of them though lol.

Fall seems the most logical. I really don't think it matters though. All of them.

Definitely not a smallmouth. Kind of hard to tell if it is a spotted bass (aka Kentucky) or a largemouth. If it has a tooth patch on its tongue, its a spot. Its hard to tell by looking at the mouth alone.

In most waters, a frog isn't going to be your best option for smallmouth. In shallow creeks, I never go on a float trip without one. Lots of log jams and nooks and crannies to throw a frog in. Plus if there are some nice largemouth in the creek, they'll be bound up in whatever heavy cover is available.

It's basically a senko cut in half on a 1/32 - 1/8 oz mushroom shaped jig head. its really popular nowadays, especially if the bite is tough and especially for smallmouth.@ bluebasser- I like how I googled Ned rig and your picture is one of the first to show up lol.

If the rain muddies up the water, I'll beat the banks with a chatterbait or square bill. I'll pitch jigs to thicker cover. Calm water top waters for me are wake baits like a jackel Mikey or shellcracker or a floating jerkbait twitched on top. I guess that goes for open water only.

Depends on where I'm fishing. Prespawn on the lake is when I've had my best days as far as biggest bags go. In middle of summer is when I have my best days on the river. However, I have caught my last two PB's in December.

Upload them to photo bucket then copy and paste the link to your post.

I generally don't spend a ton of time in one spot unless I know for certain there are fish there. I'd rather cover water making as accurate of casts as possible letting the fish tell me where they are, then work the area slowly if I think I'm on a lot of fish. I'm of the opinion that it's not so much about the bait a lot of times but the presentation. Truthfully, this is a question with far too many variables. You just have to learn for yourself. Everyone will have differing opinions on this subject.

I would also recommend a drop shot if you aren't already using it. I've always just played around with it and never understood how effective it can really be until recently. That and the Ned rig are two things I'm going to focus a lot more on this year.

Those should work fine. If you want them to walk the dog, you'll need braid though. They still bite it pretty good without walking it though.

I have experienced this. I hooked a duck mid flight. I engaged the spool, It pulled drag, came back down to the ground, then I had to get the hook free. Not an easy task.

Were the hooks still sharp????