roadwarrior

Reels: Shimano Rods: G.Loomis, St. Croix, Lamiglas & Fenwick Techna AV Line: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft Hooks: Gamakatsu, Daiichi X-Point Crankbaits: Lucky Craft, Bagley, Bomber Jerkbaits: Lucky Craft, Smithwick, Rapala Top water: Lucky Craft, Heddon Jigs: Micro Munch Tackle Plastics: Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits Attractant: MegaStrike Boat: Ranger Motor: Yamaha

I have a small soft bait box I carry around when I'm pond jumping. One section is dedicated to hooks and I put red hooks in with the others so they are fished pretty much at random. I don't think they make any difference to the fish but I'm positive your clients will be impressed. They have probably read or heard something about "the red" and you will be making a big statement that you are on top of the latest trends and fish catching technology. That's good marketing and it won't hurt a thing. Your statistical sampling will be more significant than individual results so please report your findings next year.

I wouldn't be interested at any price. I like to piddle at bait stores in person, surf sites on the web and buy from guys that do their own custom work. There are plenty of "deals" out there and there is NO WAY a little club is going to offer the variety of products that are already available from a multitude of sources.

Lamiglas SR 705 R is an excellent rod at a reasonable price. Perfect for big cranks and big top water lures. $210 list, available for around $160. New Skeet Reese Series ('04), built to last a lifetime.

Rat-L-Trap or the Lucky Craft version, LV 500 ( the LV 500 is 3/4 oz but the same size as a 1/2 oz Rat-L-Trap and you can throw it a mile. The Lucky Craft comes with Gammie hooks so you don't have to replace them like you should on Rat-L-Traps).

Not new, and I'm sure you have it, but for the new guys: Smallmouth Bass an In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies. It's everything you need to get started.

Maybe Nick's right about New York & Minnesota, but Alabama's a good pick, too. Just got the December issue of Bassmaster, I don't think I've read an article any better on Southern fishing: (DESTINATIONS) Pickwick Lake: Alabama's Smallmouth Hot Spot .

Honest pros get my attention. When Takahiro Omori won the Bassmaster Classic World Championship and announced to the whole world that he won it by switching to a Bagley B-II in desperation and at nearly the last moment, I was VERY impressed. His main lure sponsors are Yamamoto and Lucky Craft. I call that effective advertising and it is no coincidence that I now own two B-2's in each color they make, both with & without rattles. (I'm also a big fan of Omori's other sponsors).

I generally fish with live bait on the Tennessee River and EVERY fish is the river eats minnows. We NEVER keep our smallmouth but my partner has a construction company and his men really appreciate fresh fish. So we keep most of the fish we catch, especially catfish and white bass. Commercial fishing is no longer viable on this river (because of the growth in catfish farming) and as a result, there is no way recreational fisherman can put a dent in the population. Still, we don't keep catfish over 15 lbs or white bass under a pound or so.

Nick, You must be within a few hours drive to Bull Shoals. It's a huge, clearwater reservoir with very little pressure even during holidays. Both Missouri and Arkansas state record largemouth were caught on this lake. I think it also boasts AR state record smallmouth and white bass. There is a very good chance the next world record walley will be caught here, too. It's a beautiful lake but hard to fish without a guide- over 1000 miles of shoreline and every inch looks great! If you have the time, trout fishing below the dam is probably the finest you'll find anywhere and you have the opportunity to catch the next world record brown trout and/or rainbow trout. Hard to believe but true, check it out.

You're probably right. I don't actually fish for smallmouth in the summer, I'm after big stripers then.

Wow! That's some good stuff. I don't disagree with anyone, but on a lighter note, here's a short cut that has improved my fishing a lot. I got real lucky and met a guy that likes to fish as much or more than I do and he's a great fisherman. We have been fishing together now for about four years and I 've learned a lot. But what's really cool is fishing with several guides around the region that are exceptional. My buddy has spent 40 years fishing with guides all over the country and now I just fish with the best! So, when I hire a guide I know he's good and I fish HIS WAY. Do your homework and hire the best guide on the water you are going to fish. This is especially fun when you go to water that's new to you. This old dog can learn a new trick.

I know clear water can be tough, I fish Bull Shoals and the White River quite a bit. The big smallmouth I catch live in the Tennessee River which is never really cold or clear. The temperature ranges from around 40 degrees in the winter to 85 or so in the summer and the water is stained. That combination makes it much easier to catch trophy fish. The best time of year is NOW! The water is 64 degrees and the fish are aggressive. And I NEVER fish at night...nightime's for drink'in.

Well Chris, that is a very interesting piece you wrote and I'm here to learn more about what other fisherman are doing to be more successful. I think fish are not hard to catch but hard to find and if you are right, I have been passing up an awful lot of water that may be productive. I only fish for big fish and always target structure in deep water or surrounded by deep water and fast current if I'm on a river.

I am 100% sure, rocks don't care. When I buy lead I always buy it painted because its prettier and matches my purse....I can't recall EVER fishing with a guide who had painted lead, they either make their own and don't paint them or buy in bulk which must not come painted either. I usually catch more fish (but not bigger) when I'm with a guide which would lead one to believe unpainted is better. However, my theory is that fish are easy to catch, finding them is the hard part...So, that's where the guide comes in, especially on a new lake. I don't think the paint makes any difference.

Hey Nick! I used to be a P-Line man but tried some YO-ZURI HYBRID about a year ago and switched everything over. Try it, you'll like it a lot...Strong, supple and nearly invisible.

Rods: G.Loomis, St. Croix, Fenwick Techna AV, Lamiglas (Going forward, probably just G.Loomis) Reels: Shimano Line: Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft Hooks: Gamakatsu Soft plastic: Yamamoto & Micro Munch Tackle Jerkbaits: Lucky Craft, Smithwick & Rapala

Here, in the Mid South, the "end of season" is the beginning of a new season. Right NOW is the BEST time to catch monster smallmouth. That may end soon but then sauger come on strong. Near the end of prime sauger season, late February to early March, smallmouth and crappie come on strong. By mid March largemouth become more active and stripers migrate up river to spawn. March and April forces a dilemma: Fish for the world record smallmouth, 3-5lb crappie slabs or 30+ lb stripers? But then it's also prime time for top water and the biggest largemouths of the year. What to do?

It's all about opportunities is your region. Here, in the Mid South, we are blessed with a variety of species which grow to world record proportions. Depending on the river or lake, we can fish for world record smallmouth (TN), crappie (MS), walley (AR), rainbow trout (AR), brown trout (AR), blue cat (TN/AR (currently TX)) and most of the perch subspecies. For some reason largemouth only attain state record weights of 13-14 lbs, 10 lbs is considered a monster. So, back to the question: I generally fish the Tennessee River and corresponding lakes. This fall my fishing partner and I have caught sixteen 5+lb smallmouth. I doubt anyone around here has done that fishing for largemouth. More importantly, I think smallmouth are 5-10X stronger than largemouth and unlike bucketmouths, smallies NEVER give up. My vote is for smallmouth, hands down.

I am a river rat. I never actually fish for lazy largemouth on the river but seem to catch a lot. My partner and I drift thirty to forty yards out and fish in swift current 5-20ft deep for smalllmouth. We catch lots of bank runners when we cast in too close to shore all along the river but generally catch better quality largemouth (3-6lbs) on (1) gravel flats; (2) the mouths of tributary creeks; (3) low banks flooded in high water and (4) behind (never in) eddies. Where smallmouth seem to stage at ambush points several feet away from prominent structure (boulders, trees, points), big largemouth seem to stay right on it. On a river I think you have to put your lure or bait in their face to get a strike, little guys might chase it but the big girls let it it come to them. One more point: This time of year the baitfish are mature and abundant. As a result ALL the predators in the river are oriented to minnows (broadly defined), so I think you need to be using either live bait or lures that strongly resemble small fish. On the other hand, largemouth are so lazy they might eat anything!

Move out to deeper water...keep going...Okay, now find structure, drop-offs (mutiple steps are ideal), an isolated hole, a hump, a point plunging into deep water in the main channel, flooded trees or stumps...something interesting and different then the surrounding subterranian landscape. We call those little guys bank runners and although I catch 'em , I don't fish for them. I catch better fish in deeper water, like 5-20ft, especiallly this time of year. I think the smaller fish chase around the baitfish and injure them and/or cause them to panic and become somewhat disoriented so larger fish are able to prey on the bait without expending as much energy as they might otherwise. Bigger fish suspend near structure and become a part of it to some extent, taking advantage of opportunities to feed rather than actively pursuing their quarry. So if that's where they are, all you have to do is present something the fish think they should eat or something that invades their territory and gets them ticked off. It's harder to find fish than catch them, that's what I like about hiring guides!

Sure, you can fish a jig from the bank and I have and I've caught some fish, but what's the point? There are are better options. I think jigs are most productive in heavy cover and/or nasty structure. When I fish a jig I try to place it where I know, for sure, that I will either catch a BIG fish or hang up. If you are in a boat, use heavy equipment and have an effective lure retriever you might retrieve your jig 90% of the time. On a good day your hookup ratio (to casts) might approach 2%. So, 100 casts, 10 lost jigs and 2 good fish and that's being VERY optimistic. If you are casting from the bank and into the kind of stuff where I think jigs are effective you are going to lose your jig almost every time! If on the other hand you are fishing structure or cover(?) where you can hop or swim a jig you won't get hung up much but I doubt you'll catch many fish and certainly no more nor any better quality than you probably would throwing a Texas rigged Senko, weighted or unweighted. And one more suggestion: Before you start jigging have someone you have confidence in show you how, that is , the techniques that he has been successful with. That way you won't be as disappointed after spending five or six hours fishing WITHOUT a bite! Jigs produce monster fish but will test your patience. If you are looking for action, this is NOT your lure. But if you are like me and only care about BIG fish this might just be the ticket. Either way, don't fish a jig from the bank. That's a waste of time, effort and money.

I have lost a lot of nice fish learning these lessons and probably many more that I never saw because my cast was to short, my line to visible and my drag to tight. Equipment is not everything but it's a variable that can be managed.

Upgrade your equipment. A 7 ft rod with medium action will significantlly increase casting distance. Lighter line helps, too. This is what I would recommend: Fenwick TECHNA AVS 70MM rod (medium action will help you land bigger fish when throwing jerks, cranks & topwater). Shimano S-*** (Stradic is good but the Sustain is much better and the Stella is the best spinning reel on the planet). Spool it up with YO-ZURI HYBRID 4lb diameter/ 8.5lb test.

You are moving near the finest smallmouth fishery in the world. The next world record will most likely be caught on the Tennessee River: Pickwick Lake or Kentucky Lake. (1) Hire a guide; (2) fish structure in FAST current; (3) use live bait; and (4) NEVER keep a smallmouth unless it's the ONLY one you are EVER going to mount.