stk44

Do you buy them somewhere online or do you call shimano?

That’s a fair point.

Thanks! I vaguely remember that being the case for the stradics. Maybe that’s why I stuck with the 2500. Guess I’ll being doing the same thing this time around. Much appreciated.

Hi all, I am looking at a Shimano vanford and it will be in the 2500- 4000 size. Do they all have the t-handle style knobs at the end of the reel handle or are there any versions that have the smaller, rectangular handle? I prefer the latter, but it’s hard to tell from pictures online. Thanks! Steve

I fish ponds until my lure bounces off the water. This time of the year I don’t take the boat so unless it is unsafe to go out, I go. Some years that’s through December and maybe passed new years. Other times it’s early December.

It was a pretty lackluster year for me. I didn’t catch any big bass and my number of days on the water went way down. I’m hoping I can get out more next year, even if it’s just local pond fishing.

@CybrSlydr just curious, do you still bass fish? I used to read your fishing reports and root for you to catch a fish while you were trying to figure things out.

I usually winterize myself but seeing what some people pay for the winterization and the services that are received, I feel like I’m doing a lot of work for no reason. Although, I can do it on my own schedule and don’t have to drive an hour away, wait, and then drive back. This is my third season with the boat now, so I guess I gotta get the impeller replaced by the dealer.

I tend to camp out— for better or worse. I like finding a good spot and I tend to stick around, sometimes longer than I should. Most of my fishing is in tournaments these days, so while I do tend to fish faster than while fun fishing, I still try to thoroughly fish the area. One thing I notice is that there are many tournaments that I place higher than others that catch more fish than me because I catch larger than average fish. I’ve been trying to get better with my time management. A lot of times I will tell myself “15 more minutes without a bite and I have to find something else.” Usually, 14 minutes in I will catch a few dinks that string me along for another hour. The right answer is probably to move to a new location if you are fishing a tournament, even though I do not follow my own advice. While fun fishing, sometimes it pays off to wait. Doesn’t it seem like when you are fun fishing or not in a rush you catch some good fish and then on tournament day you don’t catch nearly the same quality during practice? Might that be because you are not rushed and slowly dissecting the area? Maybe.

I stumbled upon this nice largemouth on a deep laydown in about 30 FOW. 5” black senko was the ticket. I thought I had a catfish hooked at first because of how long it took to come up and jump. Glad it stayed pinned. The bottom picture is a picture of my computer screen since my old GoPro got a better shot of the fish.

Trips don’t get any better than that.

I think the Expride B and the Champ extreme are comparable sensitivity wise. I only have one Expride B (7’3 xtra heavy) so the only thing I can compare it to is my mag heavy champ extreme 705. But, like wine tasting, I lack the skills to decipher subtle differences in products. From what I’ve heard about the NRX+, neither rod will compare to it in the sensitivity department.

When I search for active bass, I always have a backup rod or two with something I can work a little slower. For instance, I might cover a main lake point with a DD crank or a swimbait, but I always have something like a tube or ned rig tied on to keep the fish honest. And...not to go off on a tangent, but you can fish a t-rig, tube, or ned rig fast if needed. "Finesse" is relative. A lot of people will consider fishing a tube finesse fishing, but I will fish it t-rigged with 20 lb flouro in some lakes and the fish do not seem to mind. I will also fish ned rigs on up to 1/4 oz jigheads when the conditions call for it. Oftentimes, I find that when you go out to the lake expecting their to be a lot of action, 90% of the day turns out to be a grind. There could also be bass that you miss if you cover the area super fast which could be why you weren't getting bit on ZZ1, lipless, etc. If a spot looks too good to not hold a bass, I would also slow down or make a few more casts to the spot just to make sure there's nothing hanging there. Lastly, maybe you just do not know the lake yet or the conditions were not ideal. Sounds like another trip might be needed to figure some things out.

What size do you recommend for these more compact bladed jigs? 3.5”?

Hmmm. Maybe it’s a profile thing? I do well on a mini bladed jig with a 3.3” keitech impact fat. More so than the blade minnow for sure. I’m looking forward to trying out the zako and revisiting the rage menace grub.

Good idea. I have plenty of those. I use them for the original bladed jig for LM so it makes sense that they work for SM, too. Just gotta catch one now…

Awesome, thanks! I feel like Erie would be a good place to catch some comparably sized SM. Now I just have to fish it properly!

Thanks! Are those the 3” and 4” regular zako?

Hi All, I’m fishing Erie out of Presque Isle in a couple weeks and want to try some jackhammers and mini chatterbaits for smallmouths. Does anyone have any tips on trailers or size? Should I just downsize my typical LM bladed jig trailers (blade minnow, keitech, craw)? thanks! Steve

I told myself I would never buy expensive bladed jigs. Well I bought a few jackhammers on sale and now I bought a few more. I think my outings just got a little more expensive. They work pretty good too.

I thought I was going to be the only one to recommend this.

True but I’m not getting there from PA in a bass boat lol.

Fair enough. I’ll keep that in mind when we revisit this next year. We do a 1day Erie tourney this year and there’s always a 101% of a small craft advisory which restricts us to presque isle bay. Hopefully there is some smallmouth activity in PIB in late June but I’m not counting on it.

I bought the one linked below. It works really well and I don’t have experience with any others. https://www.yakattack.us/LeverLoc_Anchor_Trolley_HD_p/ams-1004.htm?utm_source=google&utm_medium=pmax&utm_campaign=17612034691&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17610505434&gbraid=0AAAAACdobbuzWacuJMIJVbFQeXo04Zy5X&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImsX7m4LYjQMVazRECB16sxyUEAAYASAAEgIKXvD_BwE