Bass-Addict

All of those superior to Dobyns?

I’ve had this conundrum for the last few years. As my skill level progresses I find myself tiring of the same routine, and have begun attempting to force myself to grow in my mastery of presentations as well as conquering new territory. The river I float only has so many good stretches that hold a large number of quality fish, and so naturally I find myself rotating the same 2-3 floats week after week. This gets repetitive, although every time I try to branch out I seem to be disappointed and return to the places I always catch fish. How do you handle this, specifically as far as changing techniques? My buddy has always said, never try to catch fish how other people do, and I’ve generally found this to be true. Confidence is everything in this sport and you have to find your own way, I just can’t seem to find it on a few of these sections and I see it as a challenge.

I’ve heard Dobyns are much heavier than St Croix, I just sort of wanted to try a different brand as every last rod I own is St Croix. Any other brands you’d recommend?

Link me?

Which finesse jig do you use?

You think rattle spooks them? What would you say covers water better than a diving bait?

There always seems to be some degree of stain in moving water but the river I fish does get very low and up to 12-15” of visibility at summer pool. Just trying to build up my crank bait arsenal and wondering which way I should skew?

How deep would you consider “deep?” So what is the lightest crank I can throw with that setup, 1/2-5/8?

I was told in another thread I needed a special reel but I didn’t get full clarification on it. I have a 7’ medium heavy moderate fast mojo and Curado 200 XGK 8.3:1. I would prefer to somehow make this work as I really don’t have room for another rod on my yak. I fish smaller rivers and typically throw squarebills in the 3-5’ range. Thanks!

And St Lawrence

Thanks! Any ways they could be better, even if minor critiques?

Ok so here is my first attempt at stupid rigging. To be perfectly honest I’m not exactly crazy about my results, they look lopsided and sloppy, but I had a hard time getting the jig head turned around in there and making it look uniform/even like it does normally. Please be honest and offer as much constructive criticism as possible with what you can see in these pics, I want to get this right! Thanks. Here is a link to the jigs I used, they may or may not have been the best choice but it’s what I had bought. Shaddock Fishing Tube Jig Heads

Can you send me a picture of the finished result, and is it still weedless? Are you saying stupid tube is Texas rigging? How do you rig this, and what is the hook called? Just an EWG ball jig?

What about 1/2 oz cranks?

Which tube is that? I currently have this. Can I use the stupid tube rig with them to finish them out or do I need a different hook? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B082LZ4MFC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

What hooks and what size do I need, and how do I do it? I am finding tubes to be even more effective than Neds in most cases, which makes sense given that it closely resembles smallmouth’s primary forage. Only issue is I’m constantly hanging up from the exposed hook. Also, are Strike King Coffee Fat Tubes generally considered the best for rivers and creeks? I have been using the Watermelon Candy Green Pumpkin. Thanks!

What about 1/2 oz 3-5’ diving sauarebills?

So I just found out I do in fact have what I’m looking for, a 1/2 oz 3-5’ crank with the same form factor/size as a KVD 1.5. The only problem is it kept snagging bottom today where the KVD 1.5 did not. Does that extra 1/8 oz push it down more or are the depth ratings just not consistent?

Interesting, so this doesn’t spook fish? Even if bait is stirred up I would think they might be less likely to eat a lure if anything is out of the norm.

That is probably the biggest thing, huge actually.

Yeah that is an unfortunate disadvantage of kayak fishing, although I’m not entirely sure how much the whole “baitfish don’t swim upstream” theory factors into a split second decision the fish makes. My PB for the longest time (19.75”) came on an upstream retrieval. The biggest advantage of wading/motoring upstream is not spooking the fish.

Ahh. So perhaps I’m better off with a 3+” if I want a 1/2 oz crank that isn’t too chunky?

Thanks! Are these relatively similar in all around size to the KVD 1.5 or are they short and fat?

EWG Ned too big?

So I’ve entered the world of crank baits, and I’m having success with the KVD Hard Knock 1.5 squarebill (3-5) but finding it difficult to cast on my baitcasting setup. Using a Curado 200XGK and a 7’ Mojo MHMF. How do people throw these light baits on casting setups, or do they typically go heavier than 3/8? I would like to keep the smaller profile of the 1.5, but it seems like everything I’ve found is over 3”. Isn’t that a bit large for river smallmouth?