Lucky Craft Man

I can't believe a drop shot doesn't work for you in that situation. When the Smallmouth are feeding on minnows (or gobies in my neck of the woods), the drop shot with a minnow (or goby) type imitation usually does great. Also, guys have good success dragging tubes and jigging spoons. All these techniques mimic a minnow or bait fish and present it to the Smallmouth close to the bottom, which is where I assume your boat mates are drifting their minnows. Maybe those river fish are that much more discerning than the lake fish. If that's the case, you need to get up to the great lakes (while the government still allows fishing on the Great Lakes) and get yourself some smallmouth on artificials.

Thanks why I am anxious to try out the Core 100 MgFV, because they put brass gears in it (opposed to the aluminum that is in the standard Core 100)

The Strike King 3x series definitely is a good bait, but I wouldn't use it with any screw component that locks the lure in place. That plastic is so elastic that it is very hard to get it to screw it.

I just received a Shimano Core 100 MgFV, but I have yet to try is out. I hope this fits my pitching needs. I have used a Daiwa Fuego, which I liked the light wiehgt, but it just didn't seem to be the best pitching reel.

I use the Picasso Shakedown Head in 1/8 oz. (either in Junebug or Watermelon Seed) and match it with 4.5" Big Bite Bait Squirrel Tail Worm (either in Junebug, Watermelon Red Flake, or Tilapia). I have had really good success with this assembly.

I have several BPS Brand Reels (Johnny Morris Signiture, Rick Clunn Signiture, Extreme, & Bionic Plus). They are all pretty good, but I have been most impressed with the Rick Clunn Signiture Reel. This reel is really comfortible to fish with and I think it offers a lot for a sub-$100 reel. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_104020____SearchResults

Tell tham that you are going to be in the San Jose area and you want to look at the boat before you buy it.

I feel your pain. I have spent a lot of money updating rods and reels and purchased a ton of tackle. I even spent some money upgrading items on my boat. I got into the "buying" mode, but I can't find anything more that I really "need". I will tell you, my wife is happy about that. Though, I did just make an order today from *** for 4 spools of McCoy Fluoro. line (buy one spool, get a second free), an ounce of Mend-it, and some colored Tungsten Worm Weights. I guess all hope isn't lost and there will always be items "needed." I hope you find some "needed" items soon to get out of your funk.

I bought one Pflueger Supreme (8035), because I wanted a lighter reel and I also wanted a fast spinning reel (the supreme has a ratio of 6.2:1). After some time with it, I ended up buying 6 more and changed out all of my spinning reels to the Supreme. I haven't had a problem with one yet and highly recommend them.

The only advice I would offer is the following: - Make sure to have the right tools (including good grease and oil) - Make sure to have a schematic (this has saved me a few times) - Make sure to have a well lit area and I would avoid being on carpet (you will drop little items and other items will fly) - Make sure you have plenty of room to lay out each reel part in order of how you took them off (this will make reassembly easier) - Make sure to look on Reel Mechanics web site. Through experience, I now only buy supplies (reel scrubber, oil, grease, etc) from him, because I know his products work well and he is great to deal with. These are a few things that will make the whole process much easier. Good luck and you will find that there is an odd sense of satisfaction knowing you are the reason your reel is silky smooth.

I hate to say it, but I probably would do the same. Though, if it was more money, I would refuse payment, but with this amount, it wouldn't be worth the aggravation and time. Their penalty is going to be a lost customer.

Hmmm...the use of some puntuacion would make this a lot easier to read.

The best purchase I ever made for landing muskie was the Stowmaster Muskie Net. This thing is pretty expensive for a net, but it is worth it's weight in gold when you have a "green" muskie on your line with 6/0 Treble hooks flying everywhere. The Stowmaster folds up and you can get a carrying case with a strap, so if you are fishing from shore, you can carry it around. Hand landing a muskie is risky business and I have used those cradles in the past, but you have to play the muskie out a little more to get it to go "willingly" in the cradle. If you are planning on releasing the fish, I wouldn't recommend playing out the fish that long.

I am not a pro by any means when it comes to flipping and pitching. What I have found through my limited experience is that a flipping switch is not needed (I had it on the reel I used for pitching and I never turned it on). Second thing, you could pitch with almost any rod and I think the conditions you will be fishing dictate the rods power and action more than the pitching/flipping technique itself. Third, I found that using a braided line with a 3 or 4 feet Flouro Leader is the best of all worlds. You have the strength, limpness, and sensitivity of braid, but you have the abrasion resistance and the "invisible" qualities of the Flouro. Disclaimer: I am not an expert at the pitching and flipping technique. All the information provide are based off my personal experience only.

I once found a dead baby horse (I guess it would be a foal). I wonder how long it will be until someone says they found a dead human.

You forgot the other sweet bonus of having the chance at catching a monster muskie.

My biggest producers for Smallmouth are Drop Shot, Jerkbait, Shakyhead, Senko, Tubes (or Equivalent), Lipless Crankbaits, and Jigging Spoons. I don't know how these lures would fit in on a river setting (since I fish almost all lakes), but I think your game plan is solid.

I hate to be rude, but may I ask why you would pick Lake Arthur if you could pick any body of water in the country? I have fished there many times and though there are some good fish there, it definitely isn't on my top ten Pennsylvania list. I think I would pick either Lake Erie, Chautauqua Lake, or Dale Hollow Lake.

I'm still a little confused on who owns the boat. My friend and I fish together a lot and if we take my boat, I drive, pay for the gas, and control the front of the boat. If it is his boat, he drives, pays for the gas, and controls the front of the boat. If there is ever a time I think his boat positioning is bad, I politely suggest an alternative, but if he likes where we are, then it is his boat and he can do what he likes. I still think that if it's your boat, you should control it and if it is his boat, I would be greatful to just be out on the water.

I am looking for a new reel for my jerkbait rod. I wanted a high speed reel that is lightweight. The Core 50 Mg7 sees to fit the bill, but I am having a hard time finding one to take a look. For those who own one, what lures do you use it for and do you think it would be good for jerkbaits. Thanks.

I am in a somewhat fortunate position, because I get more vacation time than my wife, so I take days off work during the week to go fishing and the weekends are for time with my wife. When I do take a day off work, I at least get 10 hours on the water per outing. Also, after fishing mostly during the week, I find the weekends to be almost unbearable to fish, because of all of the boat traffic.

It depends. If the crankbait has a split ring on the front eye, then I tie directly. If there is no split ring, then I use a clip. I like to have that degree-of-freedom level in place.

Another way to look at that is if you don't go often enough, you still want the few times out to be as enjoyable as they possibly can be and a nice reel helps make that happen for me. Good point. I probably fish 250+ hours a year, which is certainly not a lot compared to most, but I enjoy those hours and to me, my equipment really adds to the enjoyment. Thanks for the replies and for making me feel better about "wasting" my money.

six years ago, main focus: Spinnerbait five years ago, main focus: Weedless Frog four years ago, main focus: Lipless Crankbait three years ago, main focus: Jerkbait two years ago, main focus: Senko last year, main focus: Drop Shot this year, main focus: Shakyhead Every year, I pick one technique that I really want to learn and I use that technique about 60% of the time. It is amazing when you really learn a technique how much more successful you become overall, because you have one more confident tool in your arsenal and you instantly can recognize what conditions it works best in. Also, I have found, by learning one technique, it helps decrease the learning curve on another (I was able to achieve what I feel is success quicker with the Shakyhead worm, because of all my time I spent with the DropShot the year before and both techniques fish similiar).

Took the words right out of my mouth. (so to speak) Sounds like nice reels aren't for him, but as long as you like them, that's all that matters. He has a host of nice reels, but he maxes out the casting controls to avoid backlashes (which is why when he tossed mine, I didn't warn him that everything was off, hence the birdsnest and comment). I guess we learned to cast a baitcaster differently.