TOXIC

In Michigan one year I brought a huge box of what I thought were granola bars. My fishing partner and I would eat a couple for breakfast and pack our lunches. Around 8am every day we both would get a form of “intestinal distress” and we could both fart the Battle Hymn of the Republic in unison. We were laughing but it was constant. Come to find out I had purchased some super high protein bars that were meant for heavy exercise and working out.

We normally stop at slack tide when the fishing slows waaaaay down and we spend about 10 minutes in the seats. Fishing is meant to be enjoyable not an endurance contest for us. ?

They keep north in the summer because of the smallmouth and largemouth spawn and the possibilities of bigger bags. I’ve fished Champlain and it’s a great fishery, I saw the day 1 totals and it was a majority of smallmouth weighed in. Up north the smallmouth grow bigger and the largemouth are “normally” on the smaller side. It’s more the opposite in the southern impoundments. There’s always exceptions. Factor in where each species is found and the time of year when the bigger smallmouth are catchable and that’s why they target them. If when we go to St Clair at the end of May, we want to catch largemouth, we can go to the canals and thick weed beds and catch fish all day. Traditionally they will be smaller than the smallies with an occasional ditch pickle thrown in.

Between my fishing partner and I, we normally stop for a quick lunch break. I normally bring a “Lunchable” which is a prepackaged lunch with meat, cheese, crackers and 2 small cookies. I also pack plain water and a bag of chips for the salt. My partner packs a pb&j crustable and a bag of chips. He packs Propel because he said the Marine Corps made him drink so much water, it would not bother him to never drink it again. Only conflict we have is that I like my water chilled and he likes his propel room temp. We are always whining at each other about his propels warming my water and my water chilling his propels.?. He saves a nutty buddy or cookies for the ride home.

Awesome when that happens. 2 years ago we were slamming smallmouth on Lake St Clair close to an area called Metro Beach. Just so happened there was a kayak tournament going out of a launch at that beach. Every time we would boat a fish, it was like a cloud of gnats encircled us. ? Orange flags would descend on us in a swarm. Didn’t bother us in the slightest. We understand they were very limited on where they could go and we had the entire lake.

@Ohioguy25 the river I wade fished (the Shenandoah) always had enough flow that and mud I kicked up dissipated pretty quickly and in the process left food sources dislodged for them to eat. Nymphs, Hellgramites, bugs, small minnows, etc. I actually would target the downstream area from where I was wading.

I’d certainly be game for a road trip to meet some members. As it stands I am getting ready to to a big overhaul on my boat since it has been sitting an extended period of time. I fish with my buddy who lives closer to our preferred fishing holes, so my boat sits. We do 2 main road trips every year where I pull his boat with my truck. We go to lake St Clair and somewhere in Florida. I’ve helped organize these types of get togethers and the biggest problem is when you have people on both coasts and everywhere in between. That’s when you kinda have to do regional events. It would be a hoot if it could be put together. They always are.

Actually, when i wade fished the smallies would gravitate to the gravel and mud I displaced because I also displaced craws, hellgramites and any other bugs/water larvae as I waded.

I’m not sure what you mean by “Power Worm” but with most 7” plastics, I use a 4.0 or 5.0 EWG.

Totally depends on if the other boat did it intentionally or if they were just clueless. If intentional, I normally do 1 of 2 things. 1. pull out and leapfrog in front of them or 2. Fish up close to them and catch fish right behind them. If they are clueless, I just move on.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not trying to change anybody’s mind. It’s just another version of the question “Do knockoff Senkos work just as good”? In all my years of seminars and social media, I’ve discovered that there are 2 schools of thought and neither one is going to change the others mind. I realize I’m not your average Senko fisherman and I have put a lot of time and effort into the bait just as some have put the time and effort into a spinnerbait, crankbait, jig or any number of other baits. My confidence level is super high and I’ve written articles for Yamamoto showing 78 different ways to rig a Senko. Heck, I can even tell differences in the way different colors and fleck combos fish. That’s not normal.?. And you know what….I’ll be the first to admit there are times when other baits out perform a Senko and I use them!

Well I didn’t see it…here the original post and Senko is in the title so I am assuming he’s talking about Senkos. It was later the knockoffs came up….but I don’t want to split hairs, the sentiment is still the same. “I know a few guys around me that refuse to use em because it’s all anyone seems throw around these parts. I’ve caught some good fish on em but there always seems to be a better option”

Well, weather conditions and river location aside, I fish tidal rivers and tide is an important factor in what I’m throwing and where I’m throwing it. I have about 20 possible patterns that will depend on 40 puzzle pieces. ?

I am literally forcing myself to keep this answer or maybe better stated…opinion…..short. ?. Take the name Senko off the bait and there’s a lot more that use knockoffs. It’s been my experience that some just don’t like perceived “idiot bait” name that has been affixed to the Senko. Why anyone who fishes would not want to use a bait that undisputedly has been one of the most successful lures of all time, is beyond me. Is there such a thing as a bait that catches too many fish? The idea that “I can catch fish not using a Senko” is a fools claim in my book and almost a badge that some fishermen like to wear. Why not say the same thing about a crankbait, spinnerbait, etc., IMHO it’s because those baits aren’t as successful and there is some perceived “skill” to using them. I started using Senkos in my guide service because they flat out caught fish. I became pro staff 30+ years ago because I have caught multiple species of fish from Florida to Canada and from east coast to west coast in every water condition imaginable. I’m not bragging, I’m just stating facts. Do I throw other lures? Sure I do but fishing without a Senko tied on to me is like fishing without a hook.??

Video doesn’t continue to show if he got the penalty. I assume he didn’t?

As a matter of fact they are making it in cans and it would have been easier to distribute to all of my buddies who want some but to me it just tastes different in a can. So everything I brought back is in bottles. Inside the boxed case of bottles, they are in six pack cardboard carriers. We did buy cans for taking out on the pontoon boat while we were there.

Had to make a trip up to my daughters farm in Middleburg Virginia and the road takes me past some beautiful horse estates. It was 95 degrees with a heat index over 100 and I drive past a crew standing in a trench rebuilding a civil war era rock fence line that got damaged in a storm. Tough work for sure.

My haul back from Wisconsin. 1 case of Spotted Cow sent home with my daughter because she likes to entertain and the Spotted Cow is always a hit. The Door County Cherry Vodka was a recent find. I’m not a big vodka drinker but this is the most realistic cherry flavor I have ever had. Not cheap but well worth the price.

My brother in law had a cast iron smoker that he moved from Dallas to Chicago and then to Cresent beach in Florida. Since they live right on A1A on the beach, if they have anything they want to get rid of, they just put it at the end of their driveway close to the road and it magically disappears. The smoker was in real bad shape rusted to the point of unusable. Last time we were there, he asked if we could load it in the back of my truck to take to the landfill. I agreed. This thing was so heavy the 2 of us couldn’t get it off the ground so we decided to drag it to the street. Took us a half hour of grunting. Next morning….gone.

Caught on 6 pound test mono and a Ned rig. It was a fight!

Haha. That’s your first mistake, throwing a weightless Senko on a baitcaster. Not that it can’t be done but just not my preferred method. I don’t know what I could show you that anyone that has rigged a Texas style weightless Senko hasn’t seen but it’s the little things that make a big difference. I’ve covered all of my quirks in rigging from centering the hook in the nose to piercing the middle, how deep to put the nose to the hook eye, etc.

I will just say this, when I finish rigging a Senko Texas style it should look like the bait was poured around the hook. Zero rips around the head and the entry point and exit point in the middle plus the skin hook is just that, very lightly skin hooked not buried in the bait so that it rips when you catch a fish. My buddies always kid me about how persnickety I am rigging but I have done it for 40 years and have had plenty of time to refine it to the point it is second nature.

Even though the article says he has done it multiple times, I can’t grasp the idea of going out in the open ocean in a 12 foot Jon boat.

I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll keep sounding like a broken record but I’ve caught 20 raging smallmouth on the same Senko. It’s all in the rigging. I don’t wacky rig and I use a 4.0 gamakatsu EWG, Texas rigged. Search my name and Senko for endless reading.?

Rattle Trap or SPRO ARUKU Shad.