J_Pearson

A screw-lock worm hook ( few different manufactures), with a skinny dipper or senko..weightless of course.

Definitely add a trailer to your swimjig..I've played around enough with one on a very small local pond to know the bite numbers drastically fall-off when you throw one without a trailer of some sort...Z craws, skinny dippers, curly tails, keitech-like swimbaits..they all have their place and will all get absolutely chewed sometime!

??? I believe it! haha

This is a fun post to read! I find it interesting how many lakes, from the smallest local lake to huge bodies of water have unique personalities. A guess here are a few "rules" for a couple local lakes here that I've either kind of established through my own fishing or have picked up as community or "local" knowledge... Lake 1: - If you don't get a frog blow-up at "this spot" or "this spot" in 10min., the frog bite is OFF. (pick up flippin' stick) If you do get a frog bite at stop 1 or 2 in 10min, the frog bite is ON. - If you get bit punching this clump of pads and that clump of pads, go to "the point" and flip those clump of pads...99.9999% chance of a quick fish there. - If you aren't burning a skinny dipper around pre-spawn, your tail is getting kicked-in by someone who is... Lake 2: - a 2.5lb keeper is a TANK. - You can catch 40 fish in a Tuesday nighter and not weigh-in a keeper. - Don't get excited about going there. Lake 3: - Have a spook tied on every single trip there, 12 months of the year...Yes even ice-fishing, 'cuz who knows when they'll come blasting out through a foot of ice on shad...(okay, exaggeration but I won't fish there without one on-deck and ready, you'll get burnt sometime if you don't. Lake 4: - If you don't make a couple casts at "the bridge" before weigh-in, did you really fish the tournament? Lake 5: - Be prepared to literally catch more bullfrogs than keeper-sized bass... Lake 6: - Within 1 hr of not getting bit, head to the bar/restaurant and take it easy the rest of the day...You tried. A+ effort. Lake 7: - ALWAYS have a drop-shot rigged...no, no, no...not to catch a bass with, but to snag a 15lb carp in 3 ft of water...a carp hooked in the back on 6lb test is a blast! Lake 8: ....eh...I'm outta ideas lol... Jonathan

A list of a few of my smallie go-to's when it comes to topwater: - Bone Super Spook - Jr. "sammy-style" keeled topwaters - Any slightly "smaller" popper (Ricos, Megabass pop-x, Daiwa td zeros...) - Smaller/ Jr. Sized Wakebaits - Whopper plopper 90 - Jonathan

I'm going to keep my bit on the bed-fishing conservation debate very short...My uncle has been an area fisheries biologist for years now and has published works on bed fishing and population. - I won't get into all of that, but I will say that a single bass will lay thousands upon thousands of eggs per spawn...It more or less takes one good spawn from one good fish to populate a lake. Of course, many many fry will not reach maturity, but looking at the odds and probability of a lake's population of bass having a successful spawn every year logically outweighs the effects of tournament bed fishing by enormous proportions. - Beliefs and opinions aside, ecology, statistics, and mathematics strongly handle the bed-fishing debate. - On the flogger, as I personally know a good number of people that use it in Northern MI...it's an amazing tool! Big bites and big hooksets everyone, Jonathan

My 2 cents on triggering a bite in that situation... Speed..Speed..even greater Speed. I've had success triggering an otherwise reluctant fish going the opposite of a standard finesse presentation. Using either a very heavy tube/ compact jig that you can rip/hop and punch at the fishes face can trigger insanely violent strikes. Also, burning either a 3.8 sized swimbait or a smaller crankbait at lightening speed past the fish's face can equal that same violent reaction. Go get 'em! Jonathan

GIANT smallie. LSC has been absolutely on FIRE from everything I've heard lately...I'm too close not to figure out how to sneak over there for a weekend soon... Congrats to the angler that boated this bronze freak! Jonathan

Just my opinion, but I feel anything that would catch a largemouth has the potential to catch a smallie. My personal best example of this was a small keeper smallmouth I caught during a Tuesday night T up here in NE Indiana...It blew-up on a frog through a mat in a dead-end channel..in a whole foot of water... Of course, that example is an extreme, but none-the-less valid. Big baits like glide baits get smallies attention going. Big topwaters and any of your jigs I believe would be great changeover lures this time of the year...plus there's always a Senko, which I haven't found a species of fish that Won't pick one up. Good luck! Jonathan

My girlfriend and I are making the trip down to the expo and weigh-ins from Indianapolis! I'm super-stoked about my first visit!

A rubberband/ hair band like J Francho is as close to perfect as I've gotten. JP

I couldn't find anything on the subject here so I thought I'd ask you guys.. I was looking into either purchasing the ProCull no-float metal clips or the ProCull Conservation Clip system, and was curious if anyone has had any experience with the conservation clip system, and the pros/cons they've experienced. Any other comments on clips/ culling systems would be appreciated as well. Thanks! JP

Definitely! Spring and fall are traditionally great lipless bites, but any body of water that you've got a lot of grass and the fish live relatively shallow can be great for a lipless smallie bite year-round. A fairly quick retrieve and ripping it off of grass just gets crushed. There are a tremendous number of quality lipless baits on the market today, and as for colors chrome, a sexy-shad pattern, or a ghost-minnow variety basically covers everything. JP

Mattlures U2... Oh my gosh! I've smoked so many fish on that thing it's ridiculous. It's hands down the most life-like bluegill swimbait on the market, and a size that's attractive to fish from 12 inches to tanks. I'm a big fan, and you wouldn't be disappointed. JP

Awesome advice guys, I appreciate it. Do you have any color pattern preference or do you feel that's of less importance?

If I went by the old textbook, I wouldnt throw them much in the summer... BUT...a couple hundred bucks from a local T last week tells me I'll throw them throw the summer JP

Alright guys and gals, I've got a question for you... I'm looking to purchase my first Huddleston Deluxe 6" to fish around the natural lakes of Northern Indiana...I've read that color doesn't really matter all that much, but any little tips or personal preferences would be informative. My biggest question is which ROF to select. I'm predicting that I'll mostly fish it along the outside edge of weeds (13-20ft), however there are some lakes I'd love to fish it around docks. Would the ROF 5 sink too slowly to fish breaks efficiently with, or would the ROF 12 sink too quickly to fish docks comfortably? Any words of wisdom will be appreciated! Thank you, JP

If we're going to say we don't like someone because they're loud...I don't think I'd have many friends...

If Buddies count, add me to the list. THE most effective winter lure up here in Indiana. I'll take that statement to the bank. Pre-rigged worms are straight nasty in the dog-days of summer up here. If you throw them enough, you'll finish in the money in August Ts. JP

Standard worm set bud. I would say most likely they shook off because of how they were played at the boat. There's a lot that can go wrong, especially when a tournament is on the line. Good luck. JP

Well said. I've used numerous hooks, but I would say gammi and more recently Trokar have won my vote. However, I don't think I've yet to discover how to coach a hook to stick right in the sweet spot. I think we're having communication issues Just pick any quality hook, go to a pond loaded with fish and start jacking them. Take note of every catch's hook placement. What did you do when setting? I still say a hook in the mouth is worth a thousand hooks through empty water, so don't put too much thought into this. JP

If you don't like the idea of braid, 12/14lb. copoly of choice would work fine. With that said, I personally would recommend 30lb braid. Casting distance is amazing and it will match a variety of techniques when you add a leader of choice. JP

I usually stay with a 1/2oz. double-willow over here for smallies. JP

Just chiming in my 2 cents, but I'll sound like a broken record. Drop shot a Roboworm or hand-poured finesse worm, 3/16oz weight. Also, give an F-7 or F-11 Black/Silver old-school floating Rapala a shot. Mix up soft and hard twitches. You might be surprised with its effectiveness in super clear water. I ran into a similar situation moving to my current location. This place was loaded with spooky monsters. Those techniques have produced for me. JP

These two exclusively so far this season... As far as trailers, I like using a swim-senko type trailer, but I'm going to experiment with a Zoom speed worm as well. JP