TOXIC

I can't say just 1. First my Grandfather who took me to Canada for Pike, Musky, Walleye when i was 14. He went with my Grandmother every year and there were 3 of us grandkids. We could not go until we got old enough and strong enough to pull our own weight. We flew into a wilderness camp and had to carry our own water and chop wood. I got to go 1 year before we lost him to Leukemia. Second, my father who was not really a hard core fisherman but the joy he got from me taking him to secluded waters to float fish Smallmouth (100 fish days) could never be equaled. As a matter of fact his request to have his ashes scattered in the water I took him to was the ultimate honor to me.

I try to master a new technique or revive an old one. Since Yamamoto came out with a new chatterbait trailer (Miso) I am going to get back into bladed jigs. The problem I have is that on the Potomac, the catfish just love chatterbaits.

Totally depends on the size of the water. I will use Google Maps as well but for general advice, I try to cover a lot of water with "search" style baits until I can put a pattern together. I will keep a lot of finesse baits rigged if it is new water.

I don't change anything. Tighten up the magnetic drag a little and throw what I always throw. Can't let the wind get in your head. Now when we are on St Clair we have drift socks. Most of the time just 1 but sometimes 2. I have a 21 foot Ranger so I can hold position pretty well in the wind. You can't always position for the wind at your back so you need to learn to throw a baitcaster into the wind. With a properly set up quality reel, it's not that hard. That being said I did throw a weightless Senko in 20 mph winds in a tournament and although I caught fish, it was better if I had the wind in my face or at my back. Side wind with a weightless Senko is tough.

Let me just say it is totally refreshing to see a Senko discussion not turn into a "my bait is better than your bait" argument or flat out bashing Senkos. I can't really post a reply without my bias showing but I will tell a story. I had a close friend (RIP) who owned a tackle store on she shores of Late St Clair, where a group of us have gathered for the last 13 years straight. He knew my affiliation with GYCB and we had a longstanding bet of a 5th of Jack Daniels on the line. His challenge was to find a bait that matched the Senko fall rate and action. It was a test performed in his swimming pool. In the 11 years we had the competition, I got a lot of free JD and never had to buy a bottle. I will say, I do not like to Wacky Rig but I know it works. I will also say I have had 4 inch fish bite a 5 inch Senko and finally, I do not dropshot a Senko. That's why they make the Shad Shape Worm and the Pro Senko. The important thing is to have confidence in whatever brand you throw. When I guided a lot of tournament anglers, they used the knock-offs for practice and real Senkos for tournament day.

My most recent. We usually take a couple bottles of Sinatra to Lake St Clair every year but this was special.

Yes, that is what I meant. I had dealings through them with some of my sponsors and the topic came up frequently. Some items it is pretty easy to tell, others not so much. To the point that BPS would cut back on buying product (or eliminate it from the inventory completely) if you didn't "play ball" with them. They are the proverbial 900lb gorilla.

What you have to keep in mind is that for baits, Bass Pro makes -0- of their store brand. Some other major manufacturer does as part of their product line and they package as a Bass Pro product. The real fun is figuring out who actually makes the bait and if it is cheaper than the "original".

Lake Brittle is also stocked with Walleye. I've caught a limit there dragging curly tail grubs around the Christmas Tree structures.

The lake has rental boats if I remember correctly. Before I got into big boats I had a 2 man PVC Bass Hunter that I took to all of the local 9.9 or electric restricted lakes. I have been on Orange and it held some nice fish and a lot of timber. Also took that little boat to Briery and caught citation crappie. I was the small lake guru... I fished Crocket, Brittle, Mountain Run, Pelham, Orange, Curtis, and a bunch of un named ponds. I was a guide on Anna and fish both the hot and cold side but never from the little boat. Brittle now has snakehead in it and Crocket is a crappie paradise. Once I went with 21 feet of boat and a 250hp motor, I sold the little boat. Heading to the hot side of Anna on Monday. I do miss the little boat at times.

When I lived in Florida, I was piled with requests for the SPRO Aruku Shad (all sizes) in the color Old Glory. I knew tournament guys that didn't buy any other color or maker. The Aruku Shad stands on it's nose when at rest and doesn't hang up as much. My personal favorite on smallmouth in Lake St Clair in the spring is the Cell Mate color.

I rarely wacky rig but for those that do, I am getting asked for these on a very regular basis. They are a Gamakatsu hook with a weight that adds to the action of a Senko as it falls. It really gets that worm wigglin!!

Fishing the hot side can totally mess up your perspective during the winter months. I have caught fish on a buzzbait during a snowstorm in December. Having fished it for around 15 years I'll tell you that nothing is off the table on that body of water. You can deep crank them, you can catch them shallow on plastics. There are a couple of things I always look for. The bite will be better if they are moving water...period. To those fish it's like current. I have spent 1/2 day sitting in pool 2 at the mouth of canal 1 and caught fish on a Sammy the whole time. I just keep in mind that in the colder months, the fish move closer to the main pools and in the summer they move up the creeks and into the deep holes.

That could very well be. There is a difference between species as well Largies vs Smallmouth.

Yes, but if other conditions are not right for example water temperature....the female in that wave of spawners will not deposit her eggs. There are females with eggs that mature at different times....there are multiple waves of spawners or possibly more than 1 spawn per year. So if that first wave doesn't spawn, the females reabsorb their eggs. Same thing happens when you pull one off a bed before spawning and transport her far enough away that she will not be able to find another nesting male.

I have been fishing for 40 years and have traveled all over the country doing so. I have to rely on my experience and Biologists that I know. For the last 13 years I have gone to Lake St Clair in Michigan for the smallmouth spawn. We track all of our conditions. There are multiple factors that go into the spawn...water temp., water clarity, lunar cycle, winter lead up (rough vs mild), wind, etc., Not doubting you but it's been standard that lunar cycles affect both feeding and spawning for years. I've read some of the conflicting info. but it is just an opinion. There are a few tracked studies that prove it makes a difference...Here is a cut and paste. Bass Facts & Figures — Anglers have long believed that lunar phases affect fishing results, but there has been little catch data to test that assumption. Data presented by Lake Fork biologist Kevin Story at the Texas Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Bass Management Symposium showed graphically that in March 2003 and March 2004, lunker bass catch rates at Fork were apparently linked to moon phase. March is Lake Fork’s most productive month for bass over 7 pounds. Catches go up when bass are in or near spawning areas, and large bass tend to spawn earlier than smaller adults. Large bass, presumably on or near spawning areas, were caught most often on the full moon. Secondary peaks occured around new moons if water temperature was 61F to 63F. The lunar-tied cycle of bass catches then fades until the spawn is over. Biologists postulate that moonlight illuminates shallow nests and allows bass to more easily lay eggs and later to guard the nest against raiders. Thus, spawning on the full moon with a clear sky may aid fry survival. Once the temperature has exceeded about 65F at nest depth, the light of the full moon doesn’t appear to be as important, since subsequent spawns were scattered around the intervening new moons (dark nights) and next full moon. Read more: http://www.in-fisherman.com/bass/lunar-phases-and-bass-fishing-results/#ixzz4YZy98g00

I use them in finesse presentations. I probably have 20lbs of Yamamoto Pro-Senkos, Kut-Tail worms and curl tail worms, in my boat at all times. I use them on a shakeyhead and dropshot.

While I never let lunar tables stop me from going fishing, I do pay attention during the spawn. The big girls spawn on the full moon and usually the first full moon when all of the other factors come into play. It's like my grandfather used to say on the way to the lake..."If the cows are laying down, the fish won't bite". I have since learned why there is some truth in that observation.

Let's not forget, a bass has a brain the size of a pea. They are a 99% instinctual creature. We tend to give them more credit than they deserve. I tend to put more weight on the things that trigger instinctive behavior. Bass slurp a lure for 3 reasons 1. They are hungry. 2. They are annoyed (protecting a bed or fry, etc.). 3. They have a reaction strike. I try to define what bite they are on and match my presentation to that.

Hitting the ground and hitting the water are 2 different things. Air resistance and impact protection vs water resistance and impact protection are 2 complete different forces. You'll never see a high speed boat racer run with anything other than a full vest with neck support. None of the motorcycle racers do. There's a reason.

Add to that the majority of my clients were tournament fishermen getting a leg up on an upcoming tournament. For other clients factor in the fact that even if I took them to the fish, they still have to catch them. Many times I picked up a rod and caught a fish just to prove they were there. Or how about the client that wants a trophy fish? They don't hang with the schoolies and your odds go down dramatically. I had to instantly evaluate the skill level of my clients and what they wanted to accomplish........more pieces to the puzzle. I took my job seriously and was usually both mentally and physically exhausted after a trip. But the joy of watching someone catch their first bass, or biggest bass, or most bass, was well worth the effort.

Totally depends on the pro. For example, KVD really throws the cranks he designed. When it comes to something like a senko, it's not like every plastic manufacturer doesn't make a knockof. The next question is that bait a senko or a sticko?

Just make sure you wear a full vest pfd with neck support. A helmet, while warm, can be dangerous with some pfds if you are ejected from the boat at speed. The added weight and pressure from hitting the water can do some nasty neck damage. I fish year round and stay plenty warm with a save phase style face cover and a full head covering fleece.

Let me give you my attitude as a guide. I looked at every day I put my boat in the water as a 500 piece puzzle. I was paid to put clients on fish.......every time I launched the boat. The more pieces of that puzzle I could put together, the better chances I had for a successful outing. I'll admit some days the fish win. I took in to account everything that has been said plus a lot more.

I've worked some shows in Gander. To me, they are not the same as bps or cabelas. I do shows in those stores and also some of their grand openings. They are both destinations with the aquariums and game mounts. Gander doesn't have any of that and still charge the same. Not to mention that bps and cabelas are more family orientated and include something for the wife and kids as well as those looking for hunting and fishing tackle. They have an expansive clothing area as well as home goods not to mention some have restaurants. Getting the family out is a big advantage.