Ziggy Bones

I wanted to start a discussion for topwater baits everyone has had success with hunting the bronzebacks. Last weekend I hooked up on a few in East TN using a 3in topwater popper, and a few with a size 90 whopper plopper, but I'm curious as to what else might be a good topwater presentations? I've had some people recommend a jerkbait and one buddy even recommended wacky rigging a senko and dragging it on the top/a few inches down, but I haven't had time to try it out. I've also seen this "double plopper" A-rig looking buzz bait deal, and am very intrigued to hear if anyone has had success with it (at $18 a piece I didn't want to dive in if it's just a bunk bait). Lend me your knowledge, fellow smallie smackers!

Personally I was missing the tw smallmouth on the wp because I wasn't side leaning my hook sets. I always seem to revert back to top setting and I was pulling them out of their mouths, when I focus in on the side lean hook set I never had a problem.

I can't imagine the fight a 9lb smallie would put up! Congrats to whomever has the stones to drag one of those out of the depths!

Personally I think buying a boat made me a better angler, the reasoning being two-fold: not only did I have more opportunities to get to more fish, but in buying a boat I had more (better?) reason to get better. I guess I'm really agreeing with @reason up top, it didn't make me a technically better fisherman in and of itself, but gave me more reason to make myself a better angler. Maybe the question isn't in skill level attained, it's in motivation gained. I will say one thing however - before my boat I had a few rods and one bag with a couple boxes and caught plenty of fish, whereas now I have quadruple that amount (so much so the old lady is considering having me build a shed strictly for fishing gear) and my hookup ratio isn't that much higher. Boat fishing will definitely make you and your wallet enemies.

Thanks for the replies fellers, I've been consulting with my fishing "Godfather" at work, and he mentioned much of the same, so now I'm off to the upholstery shop to see what sort of damage I'm in for!

I just recently purchased a 17' ProCraft 170 Combo Fish and Ski with a 90 HP Mercury Tracker Pro and had some questions for equipment advise and if anyone knows where to find the dang ladders for this boat. The receivers for the (from the pictures I've seen) stock ladder set up are at an angle toward the rear of the boat and I haven't been able to find any boating ladders at all that fit these receivers. I had a friend of mine recommend a collapsible rope ladder, and I found a few that look promising, but figured I'd ask around before I spent the $35. I've also noticed buttons for seat pads in front of the windows on the front casting deck, but have been unable to find any online or at my local shops that have bottom buttons like that for easy removal. I've just been using my throwable PFD for a booty pad for my lady, but would like to have the real thing. Last, but certainly not least, I have one of the base model Hummingbird fish finders that came with the boat, but would like to get a nicer one. The fish finder setup is located in front of the window, and is an SOB to see when the sun is in front of you. I guess I'll need to take the window off and move the receiver up on the console to make it easier to see. The Garmin Striker 4 was recommended to me by a friend, and it seems like a solid little rig, but I wanted to hear from someone who has some time with actual machine. ?

Going out today after work and I'm gonna go pick up some big worms to try out! Thanks for the advice brother!

Just recently got back into bass fishing (vs throwing a night crawler with buddies, or flipping a rooster tail in for bluegill every now and again) and was wondering what anyone has had good luck with as far as baits go for East TN bass fishing. I've been chugging away with hard plastic swim baits and cranks, and had some success, but have not been able to get my jig game where I feel like it needs to be! I feel like I'm just "fishing in the dark" so to speak, with the jigs anyway! Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Keep on fishing hombres!