roadwarrior

Raul knows best...I would take his suggestion. Match it up with one of his Pink Pixy's and you have THE BOMB!

Kinda...ML and M can be different depending on the brand. For example, St. Croix M = G. Loomis MH in my opinion. My Avid AVS66MLF is very close to the Loomis 842.

No rattles for me. I fish 3/8 oz Evolution e2, 1/2 oz Micro Munch Tackle and 3/4 oz GMAN jigs with a variety of trailers. I have been having good luck with the Rage Tail Lobster as a trailer this fall.

WOW! Nice fish!

Another strong endorsement for Sorels.

This is as light as I go for baitcasting: G.Loomis MBR842C/ Scorpion 1000/ YZ Hybrid #6

For winter fishing: 6" Senko Fat Ika Rage Tail Smokin' Rooster Rage Tail Anaconda 3/4 oz GMAN jig/ Rage Tail Lobster Alternates: 3/8 oz Evolution Shake2/ GYCB Kut Tail XCalibur Xr 50, Chrome Blue/Orange Sworming Hornet/ 3 1/2" LFT Live Magic Shad

Micro, AWESOME!!

Ice

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! If you want to fish a couple of ponds in Germantown, I'll take you out. -Kent

Topic: HUGE Disappointment posted November 14, 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Hayes caught the World Record smallmouth bass in 1955 on Dale Hollow Lake. Some believe the next World Record will be found on the Tennessee River: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/smallmouth_record.html Almost exactly four years ago, November 2004, my fishing partner and best friend, Speedy Madewell, boated a 10 lb beauty. I netted the fish and weighed it, he released the monster! Since that time we have had some luck with other big bass, including the bronzebacks in my avatar (January, 2005). Last Saturday Speedy and I fished the river with limited success: an assortment of species including largemouth, smallmouth, Kentucky bass, striper, cats and drum. We may have caught forty fish or so, but no size and most importantly, no browns of note. Around 11:00 things changed. With poor results off either bank and limited water release by the TVA, we moved to the "middle of the river". Actually, we decided to fish along the river channel, defined by navigational buoys. The drop is well defined, but relatively small, only 3-5' in 15-25' water. Still,this represents significant structure for fish in open water. After landing a few nondescript fish, I got a nice strike drifting along the ridge. I set the hook hard and didn't budge the fish. However, there was very little fight and I saw another drum in my future. After 10-15 yards of retrieve, the drum dove and turned into a big catfish, just digging to the bottom, but no run. As I brought the fish closer to the boat, Speedy asked, "Gonna need the net?" Without any emotion I replied, "Yeah, it's big and ugly." Speedy runs the trolling motor on the forward platform of a BayRanger 2180, center console. So, with the net on the floor opposite me, it takes a minute to get set up. With little current, we let the boat drift. This time of year the water clarity on the Tennessee is about 3, maybe 4 feet. As my partner came over to my side he asked, "What's ya got?" I replied, in a steady voice and without inflection, "The biggest f***ing smallmouth I have ever seen." The fish appeared to be a Trident submarine as it rose toward the surface so both of us could get a good look at her, but then she bolted. She initially ran about 15 yards forward, then after a 90 degree turn, another 20 yards toward the middle of the river. My situation was precarious. I'm in the middle of the boat and have to hustle to get to the front, around and over the trolling motor while at the same time maintaining rod position with a sizzling drag. I was starting to have some fun! The pig came up, but did not jump. I got her turned around, but she had already decided she didn't like the Ranger. When she was halfway back, she bolted again, but this time dove deep. It took a few minutes to get her a little closer. Most smallmouth, especially biggun's, tend to fight the best on the first run after a close encounter with the boat, but even later, they never give up. This fine lady staged at rod length, tugged mightily and would not come up. I asked my buddy what he thought I should do? He responded, "Doesn't matter. That fish ain't ready and she's going to do anything she wants!" Well, I've caught a few big fish and I was in no hurry. My rod appeared parabolic with the line straight down into the river. I said to my friend, "This is when you have to believe in your equipment." And then.......the line snapped. stupid, Stupid, STUPID! We weren't catching anything interesting, so although I noticed a burr on my line before the last cast, I didn't do what I always preach: "If it ain't perfect, it ain't good enough." When there is any doubt, retie your line, leader or hook. So, could that smallmouth have been the New World Record? I don't know, but it wasn't boated, so it doesn't count. You might ask, "Really now, how much do you think she weighed?" I don't know the answer to that either, but what I can tell you is, she was... HUGE! -

The value of advice depends on who is sharing their experience. Examples here on the forum would be: Catt and CJ, fishing structure; Fourbizz, Mattlures, Fish_Chris, Randal, swimbaits; The Reel Mechanic, Bantam1, J Francho, reel maintenance; RoLo, mapping; Long Mike, spelling and punctuation :; Chris, crankbaits; Joe S, jigs: etc, etc, etc... (I know I left a lot of guys out, but not intentionally) So, my point is obvious...We have members whose advice should be revered...Period. When this is applied to fishing gear, some guys (Raul) know "a little more" than others. My advice, especially for those just starting, is to pay attention to those "in the know". Over the long run you will have better equipment and tackle at any given pricing point. I think this will make you a better fisherman, too. -Kent

1. Jerkbaits, hands down! I like Pointer 100 & 128. For a smaller presentation, X-Rap (XR08). My "secret weapon" is the Sworming Hornet with a 3 1/2" LFT Live Magic Shad trailer. 2. Finesse: My #1 lure on lakes is the Fat Ika, weightless, in water less than 12'. For deeper water, Mizmo 3.5" Small Jaws tube. Other options are the Swim Senko, GYCB 5" Single Tail Grub, Slug-Go and Kut Tail on a Evolution Shake2 jig head. Although I have had some luck on hair jigs, they are not among my "go to" favorites. Now for the disclaimer: Live bait outfish artificials at least 10:1. I mostly fish shiners on the Tennessee river.

It's cheaper to replace than repair. :-X

Wrong. Being opinionated can give you very specific advice on a variety of gear. So some of the answers are: G. Loomis, St. Croix, Yo-Zuri, Gamakatsu, MegaStrike, KVD Line & Lure Conditioner, Rage Tail and Shimano. Now, what's the question? ;D ;D ;D :

Ain't that the truth! Obviously, I'm part of the "brand loyal" crowd.

Comes up all the time...I like "soft" plastics. 8-)

For big worms I fish the 5/0 Gamakatsu Offset Round Bend Worm-Hooks. Otherwise, EWG almost exclusively. 8-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azESmq6KENQ 8-)

Read the attachment. You must be rigging the Swim Senko improperly if you're not getting action from the bait. The key is a 1/4 weight, pegged or screw in. 8-)

Looks like a Swim Senko. What's the difference? http://www.insideline.net/articles/swim_senko.html 8-)

Heated socks will solve the problem 8-)

Great advice, but to take it a step further: Experiment with some other lines on a rig or two. There's lots of options! My main line is Yo-Zuri, but I have a baitcaster spooled up with PP 50/12, one with 12 lb Seaguar AbrazX 100% and a spinning reel with 8 lb InvizX. Some might work, others might not. 8-)