justfishin

To all you old hats at the smallie thing. Have you ever noticed that on a bluebird nice day the fishin is not usually very good? I have noticed that smallies love those wind blowin, cold, snowing or raining sideways days. Know what I mean?,LOL.

I fully feel that someone with a permit should be able to carry anywhere they want. I would like to see a law that requires all background checked citizens whom care to, carry protection. That being said, I do think that to carry a gun in the open to a kids game was a little much. Concealed, yes, out in the open was a tad poor judgement. JMO. I have always carried unless prohibited but, rarely in the open, unless I am in a area where I want to make a statement in which is rare. I have never pulled my gun or flashed it but, if it means protecting my family I will, period. Lets hope that never happens.---Jim

A five and some threes is nothing to sneeze at my friend. Yes, its all about flow rates here, as well. Thank goodness for the NOAA Weather Service and its river conditions. Its saves me a lot of time and gas. For us this time of year its fast, cold muddy and rising water. For you guys on the Susquehanna, if its 5.5' in Harrisburg PA., its my favorite time. Have a good bird day RW. Have a beer for me.----Never mind, I am going to have a few myself, ummmm beer!!!!

I am right with you Bassnleo. I could not agree more. Rivers, Erie, Oneida, Thousand Islands, they work.

RW, in just the last year, when possible, I have really caught them in deeper water, as well as, slow water, on the drop shot rig I was telling you about. #8 test with a 1/0 WG hook about 8-10" above my sinker tied with a double palomar knot in which keeps the hook horiz. I just use a 1/8-1/4oz bullet sinker that is pegged. If the sinker gets snagged in the rocks I can just pull it loose. I use eithere a 4" Green Pumpkin Zoom Finese worm or a Smoke/Blue Flake. I have caught some real nice smallies doing this on the channel drops in 15-30' of water. I was never a fan of the dropshot but, it works it seems when they don't want something else as my beloved tubes. How did you do Sat?

Huh?!!! I have fished for smallies on the river for over 35 years and was a guide for river smallies on two rivers. You really need to give them a try. I really like Venom Tubes, in 3.5 and 4. Don't get color crazy, as I am,lol. I think dark hues and light hues are the real ticket. I still have the ones that I swear by though. Green/Pumkin Red Flake, Dark Melleon/Purple Flake, Smoke/Purple Flake and Green Pumkin/gold and copper flake in which are made for me by a friend. If I could only use two colors the first two would be it. Its what I use 99% of the time. Good luck.

I am a Scot so I think us Scots finally fiqured out life. Read it and think about it and it will come to you. It really relays this life. Two Scots were walking around the Loch and a frog hopped out. Hey, said the one. I will give you 5 pence to eat that frog. The Scot did and the other gave him 5 pence. Awhile later the other Scot saw a frog and made the other the same offer. Eat the frog and I will give you 5 pence. He did. Awhile later the one Scot looked at the other and said," Why did we eat the frog?". Kinda like life, huh?

I am in the Health Field and I see it all the time. RX painkillers are a real problem. Most of the doc's know this and in serious cases assign a pain management team to wean the patients off the drugs after awhile. I had them when I had my three surgeries on my crushed leg and like I told my surgeon, its no wonder they are so addictive, they make me feel like a million bucks. Needless to say, I took a little more pain and stopped taking them. For you young guys ones. Just don't take them, bottom line. You will have problems that you don't want.

You are very lucky to have fished with Billy Westmoreland. He was one of my smallmouth hero's. I agree that Silver Buddies are great for brown bass too. Its just out river and silver buddies can be a terrible experiance. Its almost like there is velcro down there,lol. I still use them though. They definitly catch fish. I really like them on suspended fish in the winter.

Pretty normal here, as well. Anyhoo, nice fish dude !!!!

There are all kinds of baits for smallies and some of my favorites are 5" grubs, hair jigs, flukes, spinnerbaits and spooks but, after all these years I have to say at least around here, bottom bouncing or dragging a tube is just hard to beat day in and day out, what about you guys? Have a good year all !!!

Dude, great fish!!! Congrats!!

Good job. Catching smallies on topwaters does rock !!! I like to use a clear Zara Puppie in the summer. The New is a awesome river. Good luck !!!! You will get addicted to brown bass, I can assure you.---Jim

Muddy, I think the guy should go to the permit office and release a beaver with a note tied to it requesting a permit.

I see what you mean RW. You have to rely on the dam release. We have a similar situation here I guess. I go to NOAA and check the river GPM's, flow rates and depths of certain areas before I go here. Those numbers save me alot of time and effort as from experiance, as I am sure you know, it lends you to make a plan for the day and where and why to fish a area. Good luck and from what I have read I would not fix it if its not broke. You were doing all the right stuff or you would not have hooked him. I am picturing you as Capt Ahab. D***n thee great brown smallmouth !!!, I spit my last breath at thee for hates sake !!!, LOL. Have fun my friend.---Jim

I see what you mean, it is different. I also see you surely have them fiqured out well. Good ones. Yes, the Susky is lean and mean and tactics call for improvising at times, lol. Thanks for the good read and good luck

Thanks Skillet, I am coming around slow but sure, my short term memory is not the best but, I am 52 and it helps when I date ugly women !!!

Sounds good to me. I like the Ledgebuster idea. I know you all throw live bait but, I would not be afraid to put a green pumpkin Zoom Centipede on a 1/4oz mojo rig, its worth a try. Also, I have been experimenting with the drop shot more and more in deep water. Even though its definitly not my first choice I have caught some good ones drop shoting deep water with a smoke/blue flake Zoom 4" finese worm. Good luck and I will see you in the Mag's with your new record, at least thats what I wish for you. We have a windy, very cold front going through here and the river is all trashed up full of dead grass and leaves. Been tough. I am waiting for the December-Jan. bite and water to get around 36-38, it can be magic. Are you fishing a rockpile you are seeing on the depthfinder or is it just a hard bottom drop off? Just curious.

Sounds good. Yea, I love that Battenkill LA 7/8 reel. I think I will go down to a 3wt rod and a Battenkill Mid Arbhor because of price for the trout with a 3X line. The 7wt TiCrX is sweet on big smallies here. Loads of fun. I am getting better at it. Whole new world but, its refreshing. Glad you are living your dream, its what lifes all about. Good luck.---Jim

Fish the eddy's along the bank in the deeper holes. Start at the bottom of the eddy and work your way up. Throw up river with a tube or hair jig, I like a 1/4oz in the winter and usually fish dark colors such as Green Pumpkin, Dark Melon or black hair jigs with a 101 pork trailer. Fish sloooooooooooowwwww. You usually will not feel a bite but, it will feel like, well, mushy or you will just lift up and feel weight. Really stick them, as well. Their mouth gets hard in the cold water. This receipt has caught thousands of nice smallies for me over the years. Best time is when the river is on a fast rise, as it puts them in the eddy's. If the river is on a quick fall, stay home and fool around with your girlfriend or wife,lol. Good luck.

I see what you mean RW. I tried #4 on the mean old Susquehanna River, as well. It just will not hold up in the fast current and sharp rocks. I would imagine after the experiance you had recently with the " Big Boy ", it would make anyone gun shy of light line. I really don't think it was you by what you said, just, as you said, a overlooked line check. Trust me, we all do it. Live and learn. Hope you get that bruiser my friend.----Jim P.S.- Don't laugh but, I have had alot of fish caught on that junkie old BPS green #8 Excel. Its not the best line and a little stretchy for summer line but,in the winter months when the big boys bite, it has always been very reliable for me. I used to line all my clients rods with the stuff. Of course I put new line on about every other trip but hey, its cheap and works.

Wow, congrats. Nice trout. I am happy for you. What kind of rod you using. Since I have gotten into the fly rod thing and have a trout stream behind my house I have never fished I thought about giving it a try. I might by a different flyrod as I have a 7wt TiCRX with a BLA reel for a 7-8 line. I think a 4wt would serve the purpose, what do you think. I here its a mosly rainbows in the 10-19' size. Have fun and good hearing from you. I have not been in here much either as my putor is done but, I miss talking to all the guys and hearing the stories and all.

Good job BL. Nice fish caught! Fun, isn't it. I would like to ask you a question though. On the Susky we pray for fast rising muddy water in the late fall and winter. Its our best time for real bruisers. I have heard the mention of dreading high muddy water in here before and I am curious. For us the high muddy water stacks them in the eddy's, but, as I know all rivers are different so maybe the structure on your river is not the same. Again, good fish and glad you had fun. Sharing it with others on the water makes it that much better.

Sorry about the ref to XT Trilene RW. I really don't use the stuff much except on the river in Washington DC because of the d**n Zebra Mussels. I just wanted to bring it up because XT is some tough stuff to be sure. To make you feel better I really like the 6lb line we talked about a few years ago. Never lost a fish on it yet. It seems that I do have to spray this line before each outing though. It can get a little kinky until its wet. It cast well though and like I said, I have yet to lose a smallie on it and I have caught some good ones in some bad conditions and quick water.

Without going into rod brands I will suggest some actions. I have to agree with RW though, in my opinion a rod that is 6'6"-7' and in a medium power with a fast action is my choice. I like a spinning rod for tubes to be rated as medium fast action with a line rating of 8-17lb test or 6-15lb test. I tend to lean more and more to the 7' rod the last few years. I mostly use Gator Rods and All Stars. Its funny how things change. I always used 6' rods in the older days but my preferances have changed. There are times along the bank in the eddy's a 6'er is better but, in open water on channels and points where it tends to be deeper I think a longer fast action rod gets you a better hookset. My opinion mind ya. Use what feels the most comfortable to you is the real way to judge a rod.