J.Vincent

Oddly enough I absolutely despise Michigan winters; but when there is open water and it's between 32 and 40 degrees outside; I will fish on occasion....it's really survivalist fishing and the very thing which often turns a boy into a man ! : )

There isn't much too it once you get the hang of it; but I will say the backhanded skip is very difficult to do accurately and consistently, so I stick to the forehand skip. I also think many anglers are afraid they will birds nest and this is the big hurdle. You have to believe you can do it and pretend you are skipping a stone with a line tied to it. I personally set the spool tension one click tighter than usual and I set my Origins at 2 or 3 out of 10 centrifugal settings. These are $100 dollar reels and nothing too fancy , but the key is centrifugal braking system or dual brakes. Also I found monofilament skips best and braid is a disaster waiting to happen. For more information on the topic , check out Gerald Swindles demonstration on skipping docks; he is a guru and known as one of the best in the business with the skipping technique ! Good Luck !

I agree there is something odd about those hooks, they tend to develop rust when many of my other brands don't. It's a weird deal but whats even weirder is I keep buying them : )

Shallow fish will typically relocate on dropping water conditions ; but Ive also experienced the opposite and found there are generally other variables in play; such as time of year, water temp, average overall lake depth, structure or lack of structure, age of the body of water and forage opportunities

I must add to this post and say, your not alone ! I reached a point this year where I bought so many rods, reels and lures; I began to feel like I was field testing more than fishing ; but oddly enough, I actually discovered how much I enjoy trying out and testing new gear. It gives me an opportunity to be analytical with the tools of the trade and therefore through trial and testing, I feel more informed ! So ultimately I think there is no reason for intervention unless we are spending money we can't afford to spend !

Cotton Cordel Big O Smokey Joe; customized to be neutrally buoyant and slow cranked parallel with the deepest shoreline ledges in a pond. I'm amazed how often a largemouth will rise up from a few feet deep to slurp this lure in 40-45 degree water. I do not deflect off bottom with this unconventional approach, but instead I run these a few feet above the deepest sloping shoreline ledges. It just works and the sunnier days on northern shorelines seem to produce best.

I think no matter the differences of opinion (and everyone is entitled to an opinion, especially on a topic we are passionate about) , the one thing hopefully we can all agree on is; it's never been a better time to be a tournament bass angler or a spectator of the sport. There are now more pro trail options and that means increased exposure for the sport ! I'm actually looking forward to 2019 and hope all of these trails can peacefully and supportively coexist alongside one another !

All of this is an interesting development....what I'm curious about is....what happens if one or a few anglers get their feelings hurt about their opinions not being heard, and they don't like accepted rule changes.....are they allowed to dissent and go on strike or just up and leave to go back to either BASS or FLW, or does their 3 year contract agreement with BPT keep them locked in to that trail for the duration ?

If trying to match the size of a gizzard Shad , or the size of any baitfish that large during the fall....it can often be easiest to emulate with a Topwater cigar style bait......but if they are biting sub surface lures, I find it easier to customize a Swim Jig or Chatterbait with a Paddle tail trailer to get the proper size or length to match forage. But keep in mind the length of your lure doesn't always have to perfectly match the length of the forage in every situation, the reason is many bass will single out a baitfish because it's either runt sized in comparison, looks like an injured target or is oversized in comparison.

Did they discontinue the entire line of H20 lures ? Or is it possible they are discontinuing the color patterns and reintroducing new patterns in 2019 ?

I just checked out the rod you are using and it's actually a very unique rod. I've never used that specific rod but it sounds a heck of a lot like the Daiwa AIRD Rods, they were also made with extra rigidity at the tip section of the blank (like the favorite white bird) and many were labeled fast but closer to an extra fast. I personally wouldn't use a Medium Heavy Extra Fast Action for that specific lure you mentioned , but a Medium moderate fast or medium heavy moderate fast with a more forgiving blank would probably be more suitable, as it would create some additional drag or resistance on the lure during the retrieve, and this is enough to allow for the line to wind on the spool more consistently. Also the magnetic braking system in the black max is similar to my Revo X reels, and they commonly have a lot of initial spool rotation if rod motion is to fast at the beginning of a cast (doesn't really matter even if you have the tension knob adjusted perfectly, the Abu magtrax braking system will do this). The more fluid and smooth the casting motion the better this braking system will perform. I just think you have a few things working against you with this specific combo, when using it for that specific lure and presentation. Just my two cents, hope it makes sense or maybe someone else can chime in and confirm if what I'm thinking makes sense.

Jerkbaits on Spinning tackle can pose a lot of problems; my solution has been 8lb Copolymer. I specifically like the characteristics of Pline CX and Yozuri Hybrid for this technique. Yes it stretches but the stretch allows for more resistance and better line management. Also the wind can more easily alter how braided line lays down on the spool during a stop and go retrieve; I find less of an issue with mono or copoly.

What type of line and what type of rod are you using for this crankbait?

Been fishing for a lot of years and never seen a smallmouth look that orange....but I did catch a radioactive green bowfin during the spawn this past spring . Bizarre looking !

Thats an outside the box approach I've never even considered..... maybe use one of the Zman Elastech frogs with two curly tail legs, they are 100% buoyant

I've heard of some anglers wearing surgical gloves under the Fingerless Wool Gloves......but I've yet to try this

I 100% agree with this.....there is a 6ft6 Medium Berkley Lightning rod which has a Moderate Fast action and it's an excellent rod for lures which don't require a great amount of sensitivity. These are the only sub $100 dollar rods I own , and I have two of them; one for Sammy style Topwaters and one for Shallow SquareBills up to 1/2oz. They just work and surprisingly good !

Yep up here in Michigan , I'm still seeing shallow active Largemouth at the peak temperature of the day , especially when we have plenty of sun to warm the water. The bass I'm seeing are also foraging for Bluegill at the edge of the reeds and closer to wood cover. This should continue until mid November, but I agree the season is winding down

I agree, tournament bass fishing is not the only way to gauge ones ability or proficiency.....however it is the standard by which the industry recognizes Proffesionals from Amatuers. But I don't want to redirect the conversation, so I will just say if the Senko is catching them, I won't be to proud to rig up with what's working, but I agree with the posters comment , that being versatile is important and the end goal is to create greater angling awareness and avoid being a one trick pony.

Bass fishing is a lifelong sport, and it's also a sport where even the most inexperienced anglers can inadvertently teach the experienced. As for being a natural; I've found that most advanced level bass anglers who are worth their weight in gold, don't actually even know how good they really are until they begin tournament fishing. In other words most people aren't aware of their own greatness, if in fact they are great.

One of my favorite lures in the Fall is a RattleTrap, especially when the bass are spread out everywhere. It allows me to efficiently cover and eliminate a lot of water.....this works up here in the north, and Im guessing it should also work on many of the lakes in the South

If it's a drainage creek 3 to 4 feet deep without a connection to a deeper body of water, then that far north, you can almost guarantee winter fish kill. So bass populations would be small or non existent in that type of scenario.....now if it's a creek arm on a main reservoir or lake that meanders out until it gets super narrow and shallow, or if it's a connector creek between two bodies of water, then I would bet on a better population being present. All of this being said, I've seen bass in the most unlikely of places after high water seasons and they can end up trapped in roadside ditches or creeks without any way of getting back to deeper water.....so I think the key is to look at an aerial map through google maps; really try and decifer how the water gets into the creek first, and determine if bass have access to deeper water from the creek and then make a decision based on logic.

I'm sure we all have opinions or experiences which leads us to favor certain times or conditions in the winter, but I'm going to throw my two cents in the bag here.....up in Michigan from October through December (with open water) I've found the majority of my bass are caught at the highest daytime temperature. So when I fish for fun in the winter, I like to look for the times when the temperature is peaking. For example today it just so happened that we had cooler morning low 40s , fair afternoon in upper 40s but a peak temperature of 51 or 52 degrees around 4pm. I found bass moving shallow into 1 to 3 feet of water at this peak temperature, they were bum rushing small bluegill in the reeds, but I was catching them while slow crawling a Texas rigged Yum Christie Craw on a clean bottom, before they reached the reed line. This probably varies greatly from region to region, but in Michigan I'm looking for the highest daytime highs, and then I'm more confident that some of these fish have become more active. Although conversely , over the years I've caught a lot of giants during the coldest times of the day, but it's almost always individual nomadic fish. It's still those high peak temps where I find the majority of bass becoming active.

The Fenwick HMG is an incredible rod with very nice components ; it fishes well above its price point. The fact is learning begins somewhere, and it's not typically done with $200 rods and $200 reels. Even now when I can afford any brand I want , I still fish $100 rods and $100 reels. I only find marginal improvements with each additional $50 I spend , so I really agree the focus should be on techniques, situational intelligence, weather, water and seasonal patterns !

The strategy or the potential strategy and infrastructure is possible with the score tracker software the MLF and BPT are using to log catches. The software tutorials are in their main webpage and can be adopted by fish clubs or sanctioned Trails. When the public gets on board , then there will be a universal way to track catches at non BPT events. This is all down the road and in the pipeline from what I understand and will or could lead to a new standard