Way north bass guy

My dad used to take us kids out in the boat, probably started drowning worms for panfish at around 3 or 4 yrs old. My mom used to take us as well to a few local shore spots where we could cast for bass some evenings when dad was busy. When I was about 8 or so, I started going to work with my dad in the summer. He was a stonemason ( now I am too), and worked on a bunch of different cottages on the Muskoka Lakes , so I’d fish off the owners dock all day while his crew worked, only to stop when they did for lunch/ breaks etc. Once I was 12, my old man told me to put down the rod and pick up a trowel ?, but I still fished constantly on weekends. Mainly biking to fishing spots and sometimes on the boat with my parents. At about 13 or so it pretty well took over my life, and I haven’t slowed since.

8lb Berkley 100% fluorocarbon is what I’ve used on my drop shot rods for several years now and it works great for me. Most of my drop shotting is in deeper water for smallmouth, but I use the same rig when I’m shallower water for brown or green bass, and it’s been good to me so far.

Wacky rigged drop shot for great whites! Should be using grey though ( seal coloured).

That’s a beauty. I’ve caught a couple that size, one was a hair over 40lbs, when they get over 25lbs, they almost morph into a different species of fish, with the big hooked snout and monstrous eyes.

My favourite for several years now has been the Strike King KVD, in mainly the larger size but I’ve also done well with the smaller size when the bass are feeding on smaller bait. For the shallower, perch/bluegill based lakes I’ve done best with the top two colours, the bottom one has been the best for me on deeper, smelt/herring based lakes. The larger ones are also super baits for spring pike fishing.

As long as it’s been stored properly, it should be just fine. I often have leftover gear oil that gets used the following year and I’ve never had any issues. Only thing I could see that could be bad would be if it was stored in a cold shed or garage that froze and thawed a bunch, leading to condensation being added into the mix.

At least you were able to float in the water and paddle a bit, way better than walking on top of it ?.

Man I sure hope he didn’t dent his bumper with the trailer, looks like it’s pretty close to being jackknifed ?.

I doubt it’d matter at all what side of the transom it’s mounted on, as long as you have a clear view from the transducer ( no boarding ladders, poles/talons in the way etc).

I removed the tubes from my boat a couple years ago, there were only 8 tubes in there and they weren’t very large, so away they went. Relined the rod box with carpet and now use socks on all my rods. I just have the cheaper ones, they aren’t perfect, but I can now carry over 20 rods in my boat, all rigged and ready to go without tangling together, and I’ve not damaged a rod yet since I started using them. Just having the socks on them does wonders for storage, as well as some protection. I can easily get whatever rod I need out of the box, if I don’t rush and pull on them like an idiot. Before. After.

I store my boat about 1/2mile away from my house in a shed at my work property I own. Every year a few weeks before the ice goes, usually mid March or so, I bring it down to the house and take over my wife’s spot in our garage. Then it’s pretty much a nightly thing to find me out there, loading up things, making adjustments, cleaning, adding any new purchases from the winter and sometimes just sitting out there, enjoying the smell and feeling of the rig again and praying for more warm weather to speed up the end of winter.

I’ve lost so many sets of pliers overboard over the years, that I just get some cheap, standard needle nose in a standard and one in longer size and they work fine for me. I’ve unhooked a fish, then immediately “released” the pliers into the drink while holding the bass ?. Not gonna waste my money on something that may not be with me very long.

One thing I’m liking this year about the coverage is some of the drone footage of the guys fishing. When it’s live with them talking about what they’re doing, as well as showing from above just where they’re casting and how they’re working the baits is pretty cool. It’s also very clear, stable footage. Amazing what they can do nowadays for outdoor filming.

Yeah, when I use one up here, it’s got a very small weight on it. I don’t need much weight to pitch one around here, even with creature baits I rarely go over 1/2oz ever, and most times it’s 3/16 or 1/4.

I’ll bet that’s part of it. Seems like a Texas rigged stick bait is popular in Florida. I’ve used it up here in the slop, and caught some decent largemouth. I use a creature bait way more though, but our weeds aren’t usually as thick though.

If you aren’t in a hurry to buy one, there can certainly be some deals to be had with non-current models. I bought my Smokercraft in spring of 2015, it was a 2014 model with a 115 Suzuki. I opted for a 140 instead so it got a 2015 140 put on it, and it was still about $7000 less than a 2015 boat, that was exactly the same and had the same warranty.

White with white blades, as well as chartreuse with chartreuse blades or a combination of the above has worked very well for me for smallmouth, especially on cloudy, rainy days or if the water is slightly off coloured. This is usually double willow for me.

For me, it doesn’t seem to matter what type of topwater I’m throwing at the time, it’s more about how and what the bass are feeding on. If it’s smallmouth on a deep lake feeding on smelt or herring, especially if they’re schooled up, it seems like a lot of times the bait can’t be moved fast enough. If I’m fishing slop or laydowns for largemouth that are often feeding on frogs, bluegill etc., for me at least, most times those are either single fish or very small groups in a particular area, and in that case it often seems a slower retrieve works best.

I’m kind of the opposite, I tried the Trokar hooks last year and found all they did was tear the heck out of my plastics, and my hookups were no better than the EWG’s I used to use. I’ve never had many issues before with bending hooks, so I’m just gonna keep with the old style.

One good thing, if you dropped it overboard, you could likely see it in 100’ of water to snag it back up ( if you actually wanted it back up?).

That’s not winter what you have ( hurls object ?). Winter means your standing on top of the lake, not on top of a boat in the lake.

I’m the same way, I have a 60” Terrova and I’ve been on some smallmouth on the “outside” of the bay before, and it’s like riding a very large, angry bucking bull. One of the reasons why I picked up a new hydraulic front pedestal seat yesterday. Haven’t had one in a few years and the last time I was out there I wished I did.

I saw a saltwater Terrova at the fishing show yesterday that had to have a 10’ long shaft! Wish I had taken a pic of it. The guy said it’s used a lot for the guys fishing offshore reefs, where they can’t anchor anymore so they use spot lock instead. I’ve been on Georgian Bay a few times where I could’ve almost used one that size!

It’s funny to look at your spinnerbait box and see mostly browns/greens, when mine is almost all some variation of white or white/chartreuse. I’m sure it’s a regional thing, as I’m mainly targeting smallmouth, with a few largemouth that are feeding on open water bait like smelt or herring, and you may be on to more of a bluegill type bait situation, but it also may just be a confidence thing. I started out with predominantly white baits and they work so well, I never really gave the brown/green ones much of a chance.

How would that not just sink right to bottom as soon as it’s off the trailer? Guess ya gotta fire it up on land and give er as soon as it’s in the water ?