Lucky Craft Man

I have used specific Drop Shot Hooks (Gamakatsu, Trokar, & Owner), Circle Hooks (Gamakatsu, & Mustad), several different Spin Shot Hooks (VMC, Decoy, and Gamakatsu) and there is one hook I just keep coming back to. The fine wire Gamakatsu EWG work hook in size 2 to 1/0. I know this is very unconventional but I seem to have the best success with this hook. The fine wire really penetrates the hard mouth of the Smallmouth with minimal effort and the EWG style keeps the lure a little further away from the line so a Smallmouth can have the lure and hook in his mouth without biting onto the line (which either could add resistance felt by the fish or add friction to the system of having to start sliding the line through the jaws of the fish before you move the hook). The EWG also seems to allow for the bait to slide out of the way and not add resistance by bunching up on a short shanked hook. The only detriment that I have found is that a hard fighting Smallmouth could bend the hook if you start really applying pressure. Other than that, the Gamakatsu EWG Worm Hook is my goto drop shot hook and it has landed me Smallmouth up to 6lb. 5 oz. (and I hope to be able to say it has landed me a 7+ pounder in the future). Great little hook.

I have the NRX 822S SYR, which I like, but I don't find it to be all that more sensitive than the GLX 822S SYR. Therefore, unless you just want a top of the line rod for sake of having it, then the NRX 822S SYR is your rod. If you want a rod that will perform at the top of the line level, but not quite top of the line price, I would look at the GLX 822S SYR (though, you may want to consider the 821 or 823 depending on where you want to fish this technique. The 822 is a good middle of the road). If you really want to save money, but still have a nice rod, look for a used G Loomis GLX SHR822S. This is a great shakyhead rod as well (and one I used to have). If you can stand the ReCoil Guides and the fact the thee Xpeditor Service is no longer available for it, this could be a great choice at a great price.

I am very picky about the line pick up amount of my jerkbait reel and I went through a little bit of a process to find what I liked. I didn't want too fast of a pick up, because the natural position of a turn of the handle of the reel between jerks would pull too much line and slightly pull the bait (which I did not want). I also didn't want too little of line pick up where I would have extra slack or I would have to wind the handle just a little more than what felt natural. So after cycling through several reels, I have found that for the cadence I like to work a jerkbait, 28 Inches Per Turn (IPT) was ideal. It is hard to go by gear ratio since one manufacturer's 6.4:1 gear ratio might have 28 IPT and another 7.0:1 gear ratio would be 28 IPT. I guess to make a long story short, you will have to experiment and see which gear ratio suits your jerkbait fishing style.

When you go to the Carolina set-up, would the back bobber stop be enough to hold the weight away from the lure during the cast? I would think that the weight would push against the stop and overcome the coefficient of friction that the stop has with the line and slowly make its way back to the lure. Do you find that to be the case?

Dwight might be right. I have seen tons of his pictures and have met him in person, but I have yet to know what he looks like. He is always flanked by 6lb.+ smallmouth that I can't take my eyes off of.

Hahaha...Yeah, no $700 Photoshop software can help that. I would have to step up to the $10,000 version and hire a Photoshop expert to even have a chance of having a decent showing in my pictures.

Very interesting concept, but I'll be honest, I don't seem to adjust the length from my hook to weight all that much. I'll usually start longer and slowly shorten (i.e., cut line and retie weight) if need be. If I am catching fish with where it is at, it doesn't get changed. Thanks for posting, though. I always like new ideas.

Hmmm...should I put my saved money towards Photoshop or a new Humminbird 899ci HD SI Combo. I think I am going with the Humminbird.

I wonder what idiot you did that for ;-)

Haha...I love it! So where do you get this Photoshop and how do you use it? I could have some real fun with it!

Nice choice!

As has been said before, I think a jerkbait requires a different action and length rod as opposed to just a crankbait rod. With a jerkbait, you work the lure, so I think a shorter rod (6'6" to 6'10") with a faster action (I actual like a moderate fast action) is ideal. With a crankbait, there is more of a straight retrieve (though you can rip and work the crankbait a little), so a longer rod (7'1" to 7'11") with a moderate action is ideal. To move on to your question. If you are looking for an all-in-one rod, you may have to ask yourself which of the two techniques will you fish more. After you decide which techniques you may favor, I would gravitate towards a rod that is a little closer aligned with that technique. For example, if you think you will throw a jerkbait more often, then maybe look for a moderate fast action rod that is a little shorter (like a 6'11" or 7'0"). If you think crankbaits will be more of what you use, look for a moderate or moderate-fast action rod that is a little longer (like 7'1" to 7'5"). Either way, there will be a little sacrifice away from one technique vs. another. Good luck in your search!

I am not a split grip fan at all. I just find that full rear grips balance better and to me a balanced rod is better than a tip heavy rod that might be lighter in weight overall. I have several NRX split grips that I noninvasively make a full grip and then I add weight to the butt section to balance. I think they perform so much better that way. Good luck in your decision.

First, the reel might not be worth the money, but now that you have it, fish it hard and enjoy every moment of it. Second, I would do what you can to match that reel to a nice rod (sell old gear, scan the forum For Sale section for great deals, collect change from the cars, etc.). Once you get a nice high end balanced combo, your fishing enjoyment will go up expernentially (though, I am not sure if a high end combo will increase your catch rate, but who cares, you'll be fishing with a Steez).

Welcome! I love Manchester, VT. Very nice town (not to mention the home of Orvis and the American Museum of Fly Fishing). Though, I am surprised to hear there is a Pittsburgh, NH. I will be sure to visit there next time I goto New England.

Fly Fishing on a limestone trout stream in 25 degree air temperatures with snow falling all around you and no one else in sight is one of the true joys in all of fishing. I welcome winter every year (as well as Spring (Smallmouth), Summer (Musky), Fall (Smallmouth & Musky))

I seem to catch a few musky every spring on jerkbaits while fishing for bass, but they are never seem to be over 32 inches. Granted, you will always hear a story of someone catching a 50+ inch musky on a 3 inch grub and 6 lb. test mono, but that is definitely not the norm. It wasn't until I started casting the Pounders (a 15 ounce Bulldawg) and larger baits that I started to have success catching larger (granted a lot fewer) muskies. What I find interesting is that you will still catch that 32 inch musky on a 18+ inch lure. Those fish are crazy! As a side note, I have caught a lot of nice bass musky fishing. Though, the unfortunate thing of that is you can get a 20+ inch bass motorboating across the surface with musky gear like you do with a 10 inch bass on bass gear. You just don't get the thrill of the fight that a large bass would usually offer you when you are fishing with a 9 ft. telephone pole.

Musky fishing definately needs some "addiction" or obsession over it, otherwise no one would do it. I would suggest just to keep it simple. I have 300+ musky lures, yet I usually only take a select few with me that I have confidence in. I will say, there is no greater reward to me than catching a musky. Good luck in your new addiction.

Here's the problem. If by some miracle I caught a state record smallmouth, I would still put it back in the water (I have a feeling you would do the same). Therefore, we would still have that 8 lb 8 oz. smallmouth state record.

I am trying to figure out how to get a Kentucky License plate (without having to move there). I wish PA had something like this. Maybe when Dwight catches a World Record Smallmouth out of Erie in PA, they will consider making one.

I set three new PB this year. A 14 in. -1.5 lb. Perch (caught while fishing for Smallmouth) A 7 lb. Smallmouth A 53.5 inch Musky I am going to be honest. I don't anticipating beating any of these PB for the rest of the life let alone in the next year (except for maybe the Perch, which was caught by total accident anyway)

This is all I have for this one. Earlier the same day I had about a 2lb. smallmouth and a 2 lb. largemouth hit my jerkbait at the same time from opposite directions right at the boat (It was cool to see). I hooked up with both, but that smallmouth took that largemouth for a ride and eventually the smallmouth came off and all there was left was a worn out and shocked largemouth.

It sounds like you may need to come out of retirement and work for Ardent.

PA changed that law this year. Unlimited number of hooks allowed on a rod. You can daisy chain Jerkbaits now...haha.

I can't say for the other guys, but I am pretty sure that the pairs Dwight is holding are actually caught at the same time. I have caught several doubles drifting two lines (one rod in each hand). When you go through a pod of fish, many times both rods will get hit almost at the same time (or one right after the other). That's when you try to reel in the one that feels the heaviest first while holding your other rod under your arm or anywhere else. After the "heavier" one is in the net, fish two comes in. Hold both for a photo and off they go in the water and they never see a livewell or are out of the water for any length of time.