Ktho

Got a good one today on the dark sleeper before losing it to a snag

Just moved to Buffalo and went fishing for the first time since moving and fished a Lake Erie harbor. Fishing was really hot and got rewarded with some nice smallmouth and my first pike. Hopefully it’s not all beginners luck but couldn’t have asked for a better introduction.

Have been taking my SUP out in morning chasing schools of busting bass. Catching em on whats left of my Clone Fry supply and Fluke Jrs fished weightless C hooked.

If I dont feel like throwing a megabass I go with the Luck-E-Strike STX Jerkbait. It's a great knockoff.

In south orange county really the only legal place worth pursuing is Laguna Niguel Lake, I've caught a lot of bass out of that lake from shore. You can catch them a heck of a lot of ways there too. Outside of LNL there's some city park lakes around the county Laguna Lake(fullterton), Tri City, Craig, Ralph B clark, Huntington has central park and mile square, and Santa ana has a few ponds as well. If you want to get on a bigger body of water I'd recommend the smaller SD lakes like Dixon, Wohlford, Murray, or Miramar. They're easier to fish than the bigger lakes from the rental boats and Wohlford is the only one with a bow mount trolling motor.

1. Drop Shot 2. Drop shot 3. Drop Shot Unranked: wacky, ned

It's easier than you think to fish light in deep water if ya slow down. In CA a lot of the reservoirs are deep, like 200ft+ deep in like 80% of the lake depending on water levels and I fish a lot lighter than you'd think im talking 3/8oz footballs, 3/16oz underspins, and drop shot with 1/8oz or 3/16. Most the 'deep water' i'd be fishing is 30-50ft. I don't know those East texas lakes very well, but looking at the charts they don't strike me as places where in the winter I'd automatically be looking for the super deep spots. But most the structure I'd fish is normal stuff like humps, deep points, and vertical walls. Boat positioning and electronics play a big roll when fishing deep. Cast one direction and you're in the money on a hump and a little bit the other way you're in actual no mans land. Fishing these deep spots it's not unheard of me to throw buoy markers out to mark spots.

My go-to is the Gamakatsu drop shot/split shot hooks. I don't use a sweeping motion when fishing deep or far from the boat, the fish pick it up pretty solid so after the initial hookset I just wind wind wind and put pressure on them. A lot of the bigger/deeper fish will move to the surface after being hooked and its harder to get the pressure needed for a good hookset when they're swimming to the surface or towards you.

Ever consider a saltwater jerkbait like a Daiwa SP minnow or Shimano Exsence? There's plenty more but larger baits just most commonly get marketed as saltwater baits.

Might make more sense to know this is also a common definition. Smaller/lighter is always going to be more finesse when applying this definition. It's also why I reckon "finesse" labelled baits are lighter, more slender, smaller, and less commotion causing than their full size counterparts. verb 1. do (something) in a subtle and delicate manner.

The Reins bubbling shaker is by far the best drop shot bait i've ever used. It's a vaguely baitfishy type of profile, 4" works the best for me.

Vacationed to Lake George, NY with my GF and her parents. Bought a $30 combo up there and some ned rig gear and was able to sneak in a little fishing. Caught both smallies and largies, only LMB by the lakehouse docks, had to paddle 1mi across the lake to find some smallmouth. I especially liked that, I've only ever got into them a tiny bit at Castaic and Havasu so was really looking forward to getting a few NE bronzebacks. I'd love to go back and fish it for real the fish seemed quite eager to entertain me, certainly a lot more than the Texas and CA bass im used to.

1. Gammy EWG 2. Gammy EWG 3. Zman Shroomz 4. Gammy Drop shot/split shot, occasionally gammy ewg or straight shank

Straight shank

Meh even at small lakes like Dixon or Murray patterns still develop