badgerboyng

I haven't heard of that brand, I'll check them out! Welcome to the forum!

Nice and simple, all variations of green pumpkin. I was thinking that a green pumpkin swim jig with a bit of blue in the skirt and a green pumpkin trailer to imitate bluegill and another one with an orange belly on the skirt and a sungill trailer to imitate perch would set me up pretty nicely. When you're not using a swim jig to target smallies in shallow cover, do you ever use swimbaits in deeper water? If so, does your color selection for that differ from green pumpkin?

I think the point of that color is that it's somewhat see through and green, which is great for clear water, but it's also got some darker hues like purple which makes it work in murkier water as well. Personally, my favorite bait one year was a big Texas rigged sprayed grass tube. Regardless of water clarity or location, it always got bit by bass and pike. I've been wanting to try that color in more baits... Maybe this is the season to try it!

This year, I'm planning on using a lot of swimbaits for smallmouth. Both as swim jig trailers and on their own. I have read many posts saying that green pumpkin, white, and black-blue are all one needs. However, I have also seen many posts suggesting bright and bold colors for smallmouth. Any suggestions on swimbait colors for smallmouth? Or for swim jig colors, which have a wider range of colors? Also, are there certain times when bright obnoxious colors thrive over the basic 3 colors?

Seth Feider drop shots wacky senkos all the time

A St Croix Avid pearl with a Pfulenger president lady reel is a very girly combo that should preform very well. If she doesn't like pink, mojo bass rods are cherry purple, which she might like too!

I see that they have tube jigs with bronze hooks or Mustad black nickel hooks. Which do you recommend?

I'm looking for cheap but good quality tube jigs. I loose a lot of them so I will need to purchase many. Where do you guys recommend getting them from? Trying not to get killed with shipping either.

Thanks guys, it sounds like I'll definitely have to get a medium spinning rod too!

Does the 7' MH Fast handle such a small bait well?

This year, I want to throw some finesse swim baits for smallmouth. I'm talking about Swing Impact Fat 3.3s and 3.8s. I will be ordering a St. Croix LTB swim jig finesse rod (7'1 MH XF, 5/16-3/4oz lure rating) in the next few weeks for swim jigs and T-rigs. I know a lot of guys throw these swim baits on a 1/8oz jig head on spinning tackle. However, I want to know if this swim jig rod would work for that too. Or do I need to buy a 7' medium fast spinning rod too?

Thanks, Scott. I won't worry about the dams too much then.

That makes sense. Although in the summer I'm planning on fishing the stretch of the river near the Dells, which is just downstream of a major dam. So in that area I should expect the fish to get more active when the water is being released?

I'm fishing a tournament from a boat at Lake Wisconsin, which is just upstream of a major dam.

I live in central Wisconsin, and I'm planning on fishing the Wisconsin River a lot this summer. I've heard that it's a great place to find big smallmouth. I've tried fishing the river in the past, but with no luck. However, when I was fishing it once, I leaned an extra rod against a rock wall near the water. After wading for about half an hour, I went to pick up the rod that had been sitting there, and the water line had risen to be just below the reel. I was amazed that the water raised nearly one full foot in half an hour. This is when I realized how big of an impact the dams on the river have on the fishing conditions. Upon doing some research, I learned that rivers that have many large dams, like the WI River, behave similarly to tidal rivers. I'm going to be doing a tournament on the river in late April and then fishing it a lot in summer. Do you guys have any info/wisdom about how largemouth and smallmouth bass behave in tidal rivers? I am also willing to read a book on this if anyone has any suggestions. I understand basic river tactics, such as fishing current breaks, wingdams, etc, but am looking for information on how highly fluctuating water levels impact river bass and their location. Thanks for the help!