Junk Fisherman

This is my normal setup as well but I have been using braid on baitcasters with a leader more and more over the last couple years. I have a dedicated light baitcast combo that I use for dropshots with braid as the main line and that is a near-perfect setup.

I've had a great year so far. Lots of fish but nothing bigger than a 5.18 lb smallie. Lots of 3 and 4 lb smallmouth and I've had very few poor days. Lost a month of prime fishing time over the summer due to illness including a week of vacation up north where I always catch multiple 5+ lb fish every year. Hoping to take a couple more trips this fall if the weather cooperates.

I'm sure I could catch bass with a Ned rig using a broom stick but I wouldn't catch as many as if I was using my high-end gear. The Steezs, NRXs, and Destroyers of the world shine with subtle pickups when your boat is bouncing around and the wind is blowing your line when waiting an extra second is the difference between catching the fish or not. I've used a bunch of rods and I have no doubts that sensitive rods help me detect the subtle bite better which results in more caught fish. But if you're happy using more reasonably-price gear then that is fantastic.

Last fall I bought a Steez spinning rod which blows away every Dobyns rod I own. Pair that Steez rod with braided line (YGK) and my sensitivity is significantly greater than the other rods I use. I catch fish, mostly using a Ned rig, that I know I would not have caught in the past with my Avids or Champions. While it probably is a combination of my improved abilities over the years AND the improved sensitivity of the rod I now use, I am not going to discount the value of the uber-sensitive rod I am using. The rod helps me catch more fish. I'll never go back to anything less than the Steez I am now using for subtle finesse applications.

Where to start? I view every outing as an adventure and the success of the day is never determined by how many fish I catch. Fishing is an opportunity to enjoy being in nature starting at sunrise which is my favorite time of the day. Every time I fish Lake Michigan I launch when it is dark and watch the sunrise over the horizon. I love watching the water and weather change throughout the season starting in March and going to late November. Now add in the enjoyment of catching fish and improving in your ability. As I work all week, I plan where I am going to fish on the weekend and what I want to work on. Every time out I have a new location to scout and new tackle or techniques that I am experimenting with. While I love the serenity of fishing, I also enjoy listening to podcasts while I fish. I never start listening to anything till after 10 or so in the morning. But listening to a podcast on sports, science, or politics is a great way to keep me entertained while on the water if the fishing is slow. I almost always fish alone and podcasts keep me company especially when I am taking fishing trips. About the only thing that saps my motivation to fish is heavy fishing pressure and unfavorable weather conditions such as extreme heat or high winds. But I usually still go but just complain it.

I agree. I wear inflatables in cold weather conditions or on rough water but I keep my vest in the drivers seat with the kill switch attached. I know a guy that hit a submerged pipe and flew out of his boat. His inflatable did not inflate. Hitting the water made him gain consciousness and he survived albeit with some broken bones and heavy bruising. He got very, very lucky. That one hit close to home since it was on my home water.

I know it's me but I have not done well with Sleepers on smallies. Largemouth yes, smallies no. And these other guys hit it about the weight.

Depends on the time and place. I would bet there are quite a few locals at certain times of the year on their home water that would dominate a tournament against the pros. But over the course of a season on the variety of waters that the pros fish, I don't think any average Joe would dominate the pros.

In the spring and then sometime throughout the year for fluorocarbon. But it also depends on the memory of the line. I have a spinning reel spooled with 7 lb Gamma Touch that I have used heavily since March and it is still fine. Monofilament is so cheap that I will do it more often. I only replace braid when it starts getting low on the spool due to backlash/wind knot messes. When I fished more tournaments I did it more often but that was more for my own piece of mind.

Surprised no one has said a Senko.

I love my Curado 70 mgl but I've only thrown dropshots with it. It's great for that.

If I lived where you do I would be fishing Lake Geneva and Door County as much as possible. The next month should be great in both of those places!

That sucks Tc. Hope things settle down for you. I had a rough summer with pneumonia in June and Covid in August which cost me around a month of the summer. But since the first week of August, I've been out every Saturday or Sunday for 9-10 hours. I've had a real good stretch of favorable winds for Lake Michigan when I wanted to get out and thankfully the fish cooperated.

I go longer- more like 10'. I think it depends on the clarity of the water. In the ultra clear Great Lakes that I fish, I go with the lightest fluorocarbon I can get away with. For darker water I'll go with mono without hesitation but usually I just stick with the flouro. I don't think it matters much in stained water.

The Flatworm works better than the variety of other dropshot baits that I use. The X-Zone Slammers are the 2nd most productive bait I use. Zoom Dropshot Worms, Erie Darter Jrs, Baby Z Toos, Yammy Cut Tail worms, Z Man Trick Shots and 3" Senkos are the other baits I dropshot. I have not tried the other Max Scent baits other than the Flatworm.

Gamma Touch in 7 lb is much more manageable than Tatsu in 8 lb. I haven’t been too impressed with Tastu. It is strong and abrasion -resistant but too kinky.

It works better than my other standard dropshot baits. X-Zone finesse Slammers are pretty good as well.

My Dad would always comment on whether the cows were feeding or laying down as we drove to the lake.

Probably 75% of the big smallmouth I have caught this year are either on a dropshot with a #1 Gammy hook or a Ned rig with a #2 hook. I don't even consider those small hooks since I get such solid hookups. It's not even something I think about. In terms of the OP's question, it sounds like you have just gotten unlucky recently. Big smallmouth are hard to land. I find that most of the time when I lose a big fish it is because I am not patient enough. Granted, I am fishing Lake Michigan and have deep water to just let the fish tire itself out so now I have learned to give the fish plenty of time before netting. You know a big fish is going to make a couple runs so I don't try to to land it until it is ready. If you find out that it is something technical, please post what you find out.

Me too. That is why I get only 1 day on the weekend.

I like to get out at daylight and then fish till 3 or so if I am fishing locally on the weekends. I would fish longer if it wasn't for getting home to the family. So 9-10 hours is the norm. If I am on a multi-day trip I will often fish a shorter amount of time (6-7 hours) just to conserve energy especially if the bite isn't that great on that day.

Smallmouth are very special to me! ?

That spot sounds ideal especially when the wind is blowing on it. And if it's cloudy and all of sudden the sun comes out, game on!

I put up with the hassle of leaders because the benefits of a braid/fluoro combo for some presentations are worth it.

Nice video. So straight fluoro? Interesting. I use YGK's sinking braid to a 6 lb leader and it works for me but I hardly set the hook at all. Just apply pressure back and that little Gammy hook sticks 'em every time.