roadwarrior

Reelwise, My fishing partner caught the only 10 lb smallmouth I've ever seen in Nov '03, but I don't think it was nearly as big as the fish you're holding in the pic...What is that?

In the Midsouth the smallmouth spawn is early, it may have already started. All fish of the same species, on the same body of water, do not spawn at exactly the same time. I don't fish bedding fish but I do fish for monster sows in their prespawn staging pattern. We are catching big girls in deeper water near, but not on spawning flats. These fish are very aggressive right now. I think we'll catch some big fish over the next three or four weeks. Then it's striper season for me!

Hey! I always leave this out: It's the Fat Ika I fish the darker colors: 042J, 194J, 208, 286 & 297

Maybe smallmouth would like them, but I've never fished Ikas for smallies. I fish the Ika exclusively weightless and weedless on light line with a #3 or #4 Gammie EWG. I think the key to success is fishing it slow. I don't drag it or hop it, I pull it 6-12 inches with a short sweeping motion, then move the rod forward to create slack line which lets the lure drop like it's dead. Most of the strikes occur as the Ika is moved after sitting motionless on the bottom for some time. Occasionally a bass will pick it up from the bottom, but that is really hard to detect. I rarely get a hit on the fall. I think the fish watch this thing like its dead and then strike when it moves. Anyhow, nothing I do with the Ika can be done exactly the same in moving water on the Tennessee River. So, that's why I don't use it. By the way, the smallmouth in the pic were caught 1/15/05 on the river. The fat one weighed just over 7 and although the other one was 3 or 4 inches longer, it was just a pound heavier.

I have had very good luck with the Yamamoto Fat Ika. I started fishing it last year and caught most of my 5 lb+ bass on them. Still fishing them this winter and have caught lots of largemouth including two over 5 lbs this year ('05). The Ika works when it's hot and works when it's cold. Senkos have been my go to bait in hot weather, but they don't work for me in winter. They say there is no such thing as a majic bait, but I think they're wrong! Try the Fat Ika, it's numero uno in my book.

Big_Bass_Rich, not to mention all the other species that are begging to be caught. Do you ever fish for muskie? It's been thirty years since I've fished in Canada and you are right, you don't need anything but a couple degrees. Certainly a sportsman's paradise. You're a lucky fellow to recognize and utilize all the opportunities that are right there in your backyard.

Good for you! What about the cranks and worms?

I have checked into it, got the video and a brochure. I've done a little research and some guys out of Texas are the best...fly directly to the base camp, no portage. But it's about $4000 each plus round trip airfare to Miami and that doesn't include any new gear you may want to buy! Wave the majic wand.

Fisher of Men, I'm with you, let's go!

I've caught a lot of big fish on the wrong days and at the wrong time. I wouldn't like to get caught up in all that- Primetime is any time you're on the water! My biggest largemouth have been caught between 10:00 AM & 2:00 PM, on some of the hotest days of summer with bluebird skies...Go figure. Two of my best smallmouth outings this year were on cold days with a rising barometer...Now that's not supppose to happen either. I would be reluctant to restrict my fishing to "Primetime".

I would recommend fishing the entire pond, parallel to the bank with a 6" Senko, weedless and weightless. I fish several ponds, incliding public parks that you wouldn't think could hold big bass- WRONG! Be patient, fish slow.

The world record largemouth doesn't live around here, but the WR smallmouth does. Hope to have a picture of it for you next week!

Here's my best story and it happen last year on Pickwick Lake. I was fishing for largemouth on a shallow flat at the mouth of a small creek. The creek channel, at the "old" mouth is probably 15- 20 ft wide and 6-8 ft deep, the flat is now a large cove off the main lake but only 2-4 ft deep and completely covered with old stumps. I'm fishing a Senko in grass and switching occasionally to a mustard colored tube in and around the creek channel. I had caught several nice largemouth and a couple of small spots...and then it happened. I got a violent strike on the tube and the fish took off. I was sure it was a monster, maybe a 7 or 8 lb largemouth, until she jumped. This is not an area where I ever catch smallmouth, but when she jumped I could tell she was a 5+ bronzeback! I fought the fish for what seemed like an eternity and she jumped one more time. As I got her to the boat she made her final surge and was gone. It took a while to get over that. I went back into the grass,picked up a couple more small fish and as dusk approached I made my way back to the creek. I switched back to the tube and on the first cast to the same spot I caught the smallie earlier...BAM, I got her again and this time I landed her. Even big fish will bite twice.

Thick sliced grilled bologna, slab of sharp cheddar & mustard on fresh Wonder Bread. Add a dash of Tabasco Sauce and a side of salt & vineger chips, ooh-wee, now we're talking. I went fishing ONCE without any beer and the fish wouldn't bite, won't let that happen again.

I think the barometric has a tremendous effect on fishing a lake but is negligible on a river. I generally fish the Tennessee River and have had some of my very best days on a rising barometer, because river fish are all about current. I'm not saying high pressure is a positive, it just has little or no impact on a fast moving river.

To consistantly catch big fish you have to target where they live and what they eat. Lots of big fish are caught by accident, but to catch them day in and day out you really have to fish differently. Fish where others don't: Structure in deeper water is my number one recommendation. Boulders, timber, crevices and brush, anything that hangs you up discourages other fishermen. Don't be scared...That's where big fish live. Bigger lures in general, but jigs might be an exception. Slower presentation, no I mean sloooooooooooooow. Big fish, particularly largemouth bass spend more time looking for opportunity than chasing baitfish. Move out, upsize and slow down. You'll still catch small fish, but you'll have a much better chance at the monster. I don't care if I ever catch another 1 lb fish if I can occasionally catch a 5, 7 or 10. Big fish = big fun for me.

You will learn more in one day fishing with a guide than watching a years worth of videos and reading every article on this site. Obviously, you need to find the right guide and explain to him that you're new. Some will provide the gear so you can get a feel for some of the equipment you might want to buy in the future. After fishing a couple of times, the articles and shows you watch will mean a lot more, you can relate. Then you'll really like this website!

5" Senko if I can't use live bait. The most fish I have ever caught were white bass on the downstream side of Diamond Island, about ten miles below Pickwick Dam. My partner and I went through eight quart boxes of baby crawdads and four or five dozen shiners. Ultra-light equipment, 1 - 2 1/2 lb bass on EVERY cast! Number two was fishing crickets for bluegill. I don't know how many we caught, but after a couple of hours we were running out of bait so we started using "pieces" and that worked fine.

Clear, shallow water is probably a few degrees warmer than the main body. The fish you saw were probably in shallow chasing minnows. A fluke, rapala, or something resembling a minnow might be effective. I probably wouldn't fish for them but just note that the fish are active. The bigger fish will still be in somewhat deeper water. I would try a white or chrome/blue Rar-L Trap five to ten yards out, parallel to the bank and over structure. Maybe a shallow crank like a Bagley BII or even a Bomber Square A. Spinnerbaits or jerkbaits are other options. I would be looking for a reaction bite.

Always slooooooooooooooow. Rather than dragging it or hopping it, try a short sweep so it just moves forward off the bottom and falls straight down again. So, with your rod parallel to the water, pull the rod horizontally a foot or so and bring the rod back towards the worm. Basically you're letting it fall on slack line. Leave it there for a moment or two, take up the slack and repeat until you think you are out of the zone. The bite will come either on the fall or when you first move the worm. With the soft bottom you described, I think you will have more success with a weightless presentation. I NEVER fish Ikas or Senkos with weight. You don't need weight at the depths you have described. When I fish deeper and feel like I need weight, I throw the Kut-Tail T-rigged. This year I'm experimenting with the Roboworm, T-rigged, which killed them last fall in some western tournaments.

Well, I'd call it a big pond. Sounds similar to some of the ponds I fish, but bigger. Since there is little or no structure other than the manmade docks, I would think the bass should hold near the docks, but in a relatively small, shallow body of water, all the fish will probably cruise around randomly searching for food. Until you eliminate some of the shoreline that is just never productive, you need to work the whole pond. All that gunk on the bottom makes fishing jigs and tubes with exposed hooks troublesome. I use weedless and weightless soft plastics: Senkos and Ikas. Shallow cranks, Rat-L Traps and spinnerbaits would seem likely candidates, too. You'll have no trouble with top water but deep diving cranks and most jerkbaits are probably out. As I noted in "the clinic", I fish parallel to the bank, out five or ten yards. If you can find any structure, humps, rocks, ditches or abrupt transition, focus there.

Thanks for the follow up, JT. I guess my little purchases wouldn't support a new line, but I go through a lot of Gammies and would sure like to have the X-Points in my arsenal. Sharpness is so important on any hook, but even more so for circle hooks. That little broadpoint on the X intrigues me. I'm sure it would be a great advantage on a circle.

razysharpe, I don't think you would be comfortable in my kayak and it's probably as big and stable as they come. If you were just playing around in the summer and didn't care about tipping over or getting wet, it might work but just as a toy. For fishing, it's probably not for you.

I notice one of your sponsors is X Point. I really like their hooks, the innovative technology in the point itself is impressive. However, their offerings are so limited. Are they ever going to bring out a full line? What I'm particularly interested in is a #2 circle hook and a line of kahle hooks. Do you have any insight on new products in the works?

Yesterday morning, 2/27, I got out to another small pond. I was too wet and too cold to fish so I tied up a chartruse spinnerbait, big gold willow leaf on top and a small silver Colorado blade beneath it and took nothing else. Landed twelve small largemouth (2-3 lbs) and lost two in an hour and a half. No special technique, tossed it out and burned it back (Shimano Calais, 6.2:1).