Bass-Addict

What is short to you? How long? Also is it possible to make this double as a jackhammer or do everything? I ask because I have been looking at Champions for a while as a repacement.

I am a kayak fisherman, and am limited to 4 setups, 2 casting 2 spinning. One of my casting setups is for swimbaits + A rigs, the other my “do everything” work horse. St Croix Victory, Medium Heavy Moderate Fast I use to throw just about everything from Jackhammers to topwater to spinnerbaits and it serves this function well. I recently got into throwing jerkbaits, a technique I’ve needed to learn for a while now especially for this time of year. The Lucky Craft Pointer 110 SP I am able to cast with ease, however the Megabass Vision 110 I find a bit more difficult to cast. This is strange considering other 1/2 oz baits I seem to have no problem casting. In any case, do you think my setup should serve this purpose just fine, and if not what do you consider the ideal jerk bait rod?

Yeah that is consistent with my experience on sunny days, bottom contact.

Yup, exactly

I bought these weights on Amazon, are these the same as the BPS XPS hook weights? Additionally, will either of these jury rigged options impart even slightly different action than factory weighted hooks? Thx! https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00689OJJA?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I wonder if northern/Great Lake smallmouth are less effected by this or more active when it’s sunny due to climate differences. Smallmouth generally seem to prefer 55-65 degree water temps. In southern Ohio this only happens in short windows and inconsistently in rivers, so mid summer when the water is 82 degrees it makes sense why hot, sunny days make them less active. Contrast that with northern Michigan or southern Ontario where the water rarely breaks the low 70s, it sort of makes sense why these same conditions produce an entirely different effect on their behavior than in humid subtropical regions. Just my thoughts.

Amen

He almost exclusively prefers target finesse fishing, and so this no doubt influences his thinking. Bright sun drives the fish deep & tight to cover and concentrates them in predictable places, that I can agree on. But to say they actively prefer those conditions is quite obviously not true. The bite is noticeably slower to nonexistent on sunny days, shaded tree lined creeks and skinny rivers are an exception. Barometric pressure is simply another factor working against you on bluebird days. Smallmouth are ambush predators first, visual feeders second. Both play into where and how aggressively they will strike but if they risk being seen by predator or prey, they will hold to cover. They are simultaneously aggressive as well as timid and spooky, as seen in the need for long casts when the water is low and clear. Of course all of this is just my anecdotal experience but it seems consistent with everything I’ve read and the behavior of most wild animals. What do you think?

How did you apply it and what brand

They’re my shiny toys 😆

I hate to sound superficial but I want to keep my $160 baits looking relatively pretty. I am ok will scuffs and mild hook rash as people say fish prefer this but I am told it continues down to the resin. A large part of the appeal of these baits is aesthetic in nature and if possible I’d like to protect them. I read somewhere that swapping the hooks may fix this, if so which ones specifically? If not, does the Hook Rash brand adhesive protective film work and what size for Chad? Thx!

That would make the most sense idk why that hypothesis gets so much traction

I have long heard that within a week of the autumnal equinox, no matter what the water temperature is smallmouth begin making their way to where they are going to be spending the winter. What puzzles me about this is don’t they need that current they have been feeding near all summer to feed up for fall, or do they relocate to different current nearer to adequate winter habitat (deep, slow water?) Lastly, are there any areas you target during the summer that you stop hitting from this point on?

What’s the website, Asian fishing portal?

That’s a thought, better than the xps lead pinch on weights?

Exactly I can get 20 fish on one bait, and unless I get hung up get multiple trips. I bought some of these to try, thanks. Do you think these will impart a different action being shorter and the weight more concentrated than traditional belly weights?

I suppose yes

Unfortunately the screw locks are a no go with ElaZtech.

Zman & Mustad both have great belly weighted swimbait hooks for fluke rigging, but both are unfortunately stupidly expensive. $7+ for 3 hooks is outrageous, especially the way I’m fishing them. 1/8 oz is just enough to reach bottom and so while I typically get a bit more use out of these than neds they have a finite lifespan. I can’t seem to find any cheaper options than these two brands, Gammy has one but it’s their powerline hooks for braid. In fact these are the ONLY two brands I seem to be able to find, anyone got any ideas for me? I am using to reach smallmouth in anywhere from 3-10 ft of water with a 4” Zman Jerk Shadz, usually with current. Thanks!

Interesting, what part of the country are you in? High pressure, bluebird days push smallmouth to the bottom of the river here and they rarely come up to hit moving presentations, typically have to come to them with either finesse or a reaction bite. Wonder what caused this, pressure? Amen to that regarding hard and fast rules, I‘ve been trying to pry myself free of them. Having said that, interesting on your topwater color choice, I’ve always heard the inverse - bone/baitfish with sunny skies, black on cloudy days which made sense to me as the silhouette is more visible on sunny days while black is more visible on cloudy but who knows.

I will occasionally pitch a spook, rico or even a plopper at shaded areas but only when nothing else is working.

Also, does it matter what brand or material that way to use? I found these lead oval nail weights on Amazon for relatively cheap, seems to be a pretty good deal if I can make that work I would love to. I have a bunch of gammy 3/0 EWG worm hooks to use with them, will this work and give me better action than the ZMan Chinklockz I’ve been using? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3LS5MBS?psc=1&smid=A2NIBW08X8WWCJ&ref_=chk_typ_quicklook_imgToDp

In Ohio these overnight lows have turned the fish on overnight. However, in my experience it generally is short lived and we are left with a scattered, inconsistent fall bite that alternates between bouts of aggressive moving presentations and slow, very subtle finesse tactics. Mid-late September is when this initially kicks off with the smaller fish going first, followed closely by the 17/18” fish for a day or two. Then it really seems to be sort of all over the place. The bites quickly become very few and far between, with most of the squeakers suddenly absent from their summer feeding grounds but a shot at your 20+“ fish getting you off the couch. What I’m wondering is if this is due to the autumnal migration or if the yo-yo temps (it is now back in the mid-upper 80s) have stunted the fish back into summer pattern?

I have long been relying on others and it’s just one more thing to coordinate every time it needs done and they’re usually backed out. Is it reasonably easy to figure out?

Interesting, so you think the cooler water temps take precedence over oxygen content? That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.