roadwarrior

Yep, my post was tongue in cheek, "For other fishermen who are fishing the wrong gear", i.e baitcasting equipment. I use spinning tackle for all soft plastics.

Here is my suggestion for learning to fish a variety of lures and techniques: Pick a lure or class of lures and fish them EXCLUSIVELY at a given time of day or on a particular outing. I am still working to make jigs one of my "go to" baits. When I am fishing a jig, that is all I fish. I don't carry anything else so my mind doesn't wander thinking about something else I should be throwing. It's jig or nothing and it usually works. Forget about "letting the fish tell you what they want". This ain't Burger King, they are gettin' it MY WAY! That won't always work, but you will be surprised how often it does. I take this approach with a variety of lures. I don't like to fish spinnerbaits for example. Why? Because everyone throws them. So, a couple of times this year that was ALL I fished and guess what? They work, too! If you want to learn to use a new class of lures, you need to spend some time focused on fishing them. It's really that simple.

I have caught some of my biggest bass dead sticking, including two 10's. Not "lazy", patient.

It's doing nothing. For example, with a soft plastic or jig, "dead sticking" is when your bait is sitting on the bottom, usually on slack line, doing nothing. If it's me, I'm lighting a cigarette. For other guys who are fishing the wrong gear, it's when they are asking themselves why they are using bait casting equipment when they should be using spinning gear and picking out their third backlash.

Welcome aboard! These are a few that I HIGHLY recommend: Norman Fat Boy Bomber Square A Mann's 1-Minus Bagley BII (Lucky Craft makes a comp: Rick Clunn 2.5 & 3.5 which I have a few of, but haven't fished) Lucky Craft Pointers are jerkbaits and they are topnotch (each size is a different lure) . The other jerkbaits I fish are Rapala Husky Jerks, Rapala X-Raps and Smithwick Rogues.

senile1, Back "in the day" when I was a kid living in K.C. (Raytown), we fished all the time at Lake Jacomo and caught some fish, but never any big bass. The last few times I have fished there with my dad and brother, one of us has caught at least one nice fish and several bass 3-4 lbs. The pressure on that little lake is at least a hundred times greater than it was "back then". I'm not very versatile on Lake Jacomo, Senkos only, but next time I'm going to branch out and throw a Fat Ika!

I guess I'm not really sold on the whole concept of "versatility". Tournament fishing, especially at the professional level, is about selling equipment, plain and simple. I fish a variety of lures and techniques with tecchnique specific equipment because that is FUN for me. I like collecting lures, but frankly, I doubt that I have actually fished more than half of what I own. Does that sound familiar? If I were only interested in catching the most and/or biggest fish, I probably wouldn't fish anything but live bait. With all the choices available in artificial baits, I could fish soft plastics and jigs exclusively. I would like to throw a few reaction lures into the mix, but those lures (generally) produce more numbers than size. Right now, during the fall, I am mostly fishing jerkbaits because I like to. I'll fish crankbaits and maybe a spinnerbait (uh) once-in-awhile. But why? To be "versatile", of course!

Hmm... I'm surprised you haven't picked up any helpful hints on this site for river fishing. I know some of our guys have shared everything they know and a few of them catch some brown fish. Do you think it is water specific or technique?

Let's start with spelling: administration

As far as hard baits go, I don't downsize. I fish Lucky Craft Pointer 128, full size Rapala Husky Jerks, LC Sammy and Zara Spook. If you fish the Ledgebuster you will see exactly what I mean, it's a BIG spinnerbait. If you decide to fish live bait, you want the biggest shiners you can buy, 3-4" is ideal.

My #1 suggestion is to buy a copy of "Smallmouth" published by In-Fisherman: http://www.amazon.com/Smallmouth-Bass-Fisherman-Handbook-Strategies/dp/0960525432 If you are fishing a river focus on current breaks and structure (humps, the outside of eddies, pools, rocks, ledges and underwater ridges). Gravel flats and sheer cliffs can also be productive. In lakes I foucus on main points and humps. A perfect example was a submerged island in lake Michigan. The water was about 9' deep, 30- 50 yards wide and about 100 yards long. This was located well away from shore and surrounded by water several hundred feet deep. The most productive bait is a live shiner on a split shot rig. Artificial lures would include jerkbaits, crankbaits and soft plastics, especially 3 1/2" Gitzits, Fat Ika, grubs and Hula Grubs. Topwater (Sammy & Spooks) are another option in low light. Hair jigs are a favorite for many smallmouth fisherman, but have not been that productive for me. 3/4 and 1 oz Ledgebuster Single Blade spinnerbaits have been HIGHLY recommended to me for fish deep water for trophy size smallmouth, but I haven't really fished them yet. (The one time I have, I did catch a gigantic drum!) Some of the literature states that smallmouth are NOT line shy and many members of this Forum have recommended heavier line than I use. My experience with everything EXCEPT hard lures is that line diameter is crucial. I use Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft #4 & #6.

Excellent thread. I find that the best cure for a slump is fishing different water. A different lake or pond if possible, otherwise alternative structure, cover or depth. At certain times of year it may just be the class of lures. Although I fish soft plastics year around, this time of year the focus seems to switch to baitfish and I seem to have better luck with minnow type lures.

Lakes have their own personalities, so to speak. The Tennessee River has thirteen dams, but there is only one Guntersville. I'm not sure how many reserviors have been built on the Cumberland, but there is only one Dale Hollow. Man made lakes change a great deal over time, but some of the older reserviors have actually improved over the years. I am convinced that fishing can be very lake specific, especially man made lakes.

We all thank you and wish you the best. Be safe and keep in touch. Good luck soldier.

Keith, No, I don't fish crawdads for smallmouth. I have tried, but I can't figure out how to present them in a river environment. They either ball up like a piece of gunk or die and just bounce around. We end up catching white bass and drum, but have not caught any smallmouth. BTW, States fished: MO, KS, OK, AR, MS, AL, LA, TX, TN, CO, WY, ND, SD, WI and Manitoba Province. Currently licensed in TN, AL and AR.

I have fished Lake Michigan around Sturgeon Bay and the Green Bay side of Door County, WI. Although I have never caught big bass (5 lb +), I have had 40+ numbers. Bull Shoals, the largest reservior on the White River has produced a couple of big bass for me and a few of the most memorable days of smallmouth fishing I have ever experienced. In June of 2002 I fished for two and a half days without ever going fifteen minutues without a fish. Now, that was a trip. For size, the Tennessee River has been very good to me. I have yet to fish the Cumberland River or the associated reserviors (including Dale Hollow). Since the two largest smallmouth ever caught were at Dale Hollow, it would be hard to make a case for anywhere else. On the otherhand, many respected publications think the next World Record will come from Pickwick. We'll see. My partner boated the only 10 lb smallmouth I have ever seen in November 2004. I netted and weighed the beast. So, my observation is that better numbers are common further north and I know big bass are occasionally caught there. But for my money, I would bet on the rivers and reserviors of northern Alabama and all of Tennessee for larger smallmouth. 5 lb smallmouth are not uncommon; 8's, 9's, and even 10's are a possibility. 12 lbs 1 oz. is what we are dreaming of. Current World Record: 11 lb 15 oz at Dale Hollow by David Hayes.

fishbear, You need a firm tip to fish ALL soft plastics. You don't need a "Bill Dance" hook-set, you need SHARP hooks and a "snap-set". (Without raising the butt of the rod, reel down quickly and dip you rod. When you feel the fish, snap the upper portion of the rod with your wrists and forearms. This will drive a sharp hook into the fish.) Although the Fat Ika has a relatively thick body, it is soft. You should be using 4/0 or 5/0 EWG hooks. Hook-ups should not be a problem.

No problemo... Get a tetanus shot which is good for ten years. All outdoorsmen should have this shot, it eliminates 99% of your concerns. If you are a hunter, you should also have a rabies shot.

I have always heard that high pressure causes a fish to feel full (pressure on the swim bladder or stomach?). Raul has pointed out in another thread that pressure in water is a function of the dispersed weight of the water. Therefore, a nominal change in the atmospheric pressure above water would have no impact on the pressure placed on a fish. Assuming that is true, your inference would seem more accurate.

No surprise, but it is nice to see this in print from a "higher source". As a side note, The best day I have ever had smallmouth fishing was January 08, 2005. The barometer rose throughout the day as a high pressure system moved through. It surprised me a great deal at the time. For the most part, barometric pressure has very little impact on river bass, everything revolves around current and rising or falling water levels. When we have current and the water is steady or rising, smallmouth are active. If the water falls (at all), the bite ends even if the current is still strong and the river is high.

This month's In-Fisherman has a great article that is a must-read for all smallmouth fisherman. These are a couple of the high points: 1. During the fall and winter, high pressure fronts, i.e. a rising barometer, STIMULATES aggressive feeding behavior. 2. The very best time of day to catch smallmouth? 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Welcome aboard!

No. There are many, often too many, small ones. There are fewer big bass because they die, are eaten or kept by fisherman as they grow over the years. We like to release big bass so they can grow bigger and we can catch them again.

Great post, Matt! Maybe a few guys that read this thread won't have to "learn the hard way." There are a lot of things that happen while you are fishing than come up and cannot really be avoided, but by properly maintining and checking you equipement regularly, your tackle should not be one of them.

I'm not disagreeing with Craig or George, but when it comes to soft plastics there is another aspect that comes into play. Although small bass will eat a big worm, not as many will attack the bait. I fish the GYCB 6" Senko because I don't seem to catch as many small fish on that size. However, the biggest bass I have ever seen in person was caught by a friend of mine on a 5" Senko. Go figure. Maybe that illustrates the point George and Craig are making, but I want to discourage smaller fish, at least a littlle.