Black Hawk Basser

Aside from considering temperature, which will vary from year to year, take note of the length of daylight. That may spur fish to move just as much as changing temps.

It was mentioned that you may try to fish it faster; I'd agree that you should try that. Chatterbaits are a real hit or miss bait, just like spinnerbaits. Either they seem to be really on em or not at all. I had quite a few great days on chatterbaits a couple years ago; this year, I've had no success with them, even on days where I was confident they'd work. It's interesting that some have mentioned that they are big-fish baits. I haven't experienced this. Spinnerbaits have, by far, produced better quality for me.

One of my all-time favorite bass cranks is a #9 Rapala Minnow Rap in yellow perch.

Catch a 5 lb bass through the ice. Tie a whole bunch of flies. Don't have a heart attack while scooping snow.

Inline spinners are great multispecies baits. I troll with them in gravel pits and you never know what you'll be reeling in next.

No largemouths in my creeks, but the smallmouths tend to be in the fast water areas that also have current breaks nearby - boulders, downed trees, undercut banks, backsides of sandbars, & low-head dams. I rarely catch fish in slow water, even if there is a hole there.

Are we on a walleye forum? This is a hot debate in that world, but I'm surprised that it was raised on a bass forum. Artificials are obviously much more efficient for numbers of bass. The only time that I feel like I am dependant on live bait is on the ice. It can make a huge difference there, some days.

I agree that I think you could have gotten the bait out with more effort. But, no big deal, its just one fish, and we're all in the business of killing fish, inadvertently or not.

I've made these before and done pretty well on them, but it was on a rocky, relatively clean bottom. These are made with rabbit strips for the tail, and rabbit strips wrapped around the hook shank. These were made with Arctic fox tail hair for the body and rabbit strips for the tail

This isn't the first I've heard of it. Fishing is becoming a hobby for the affluent.

Oh man, don't call them paddle tails, a couple members on here ripped me a new a***ole because they are supposed to be called "boot tails", apparently. I agree that exact color is not important, especially with a moving bait. I focus more on whether to go with a general dark or light color scheme. I do really well in clear waters on "boot tails" with a Bama Bug type of scheme; that's blue and brown.

I've never tried, but I've considered trying to put a single hook on the back of my river cranks. It seems that nearly every time i catch a smallmouth, they are hooked the way you described. Sometimes, in the eye. ? What's holding me back is the possibility of losing The Big One.

I'm in a similar situation. I love to be with my wife and son. Fishing takes a back seat the vast majority of the time. I generally make my longest forays when wife is working on the weekend and my boy is at grandma's house. Others may go fishing to escape, but that's not where I am at in life.

Spinnerbaits, if you don't have any/many. I use the BPS brand because they are pretty cheap. I like double Colorados for the hard thump. Big soft plastic boot tails and belly weighted screw lock EWG hooks for them. If you're lacking topwater options, Storm Chug Bug is a great popper/walker hybrid that is on the economical side.

Good luck, and have fun!

Without a doubt, I'd be chucking a spinnerbait from the north shore.

I have always used snaps and I have always connected them to the split rings. I don't see why this is important.

I like a buzz toad or a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worm

In the town I used to live in, you were lucky if the town guys could even find your curb stop. And if they did, most of the time, one valve was used for two or more houses.

I only stock up heavily on baits that are no longer in production, or something I use every season of the year. Every year, I tell myself I'm going to try to burn through a bunch of plastics and not buy more and more, but I'm pretty sure I always end up with a net gain ?

Got any Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Worms? That is a really subtle topwater presentation, and you can always kill it and let it fall.

Gate valves always fail. Make sure to install a ball valve when replacing.

I don't mean to come off as condescending at all, but there's a reality to our hobby that a percentage of even the "safely" released fish will die as a result of the catch.

I favor a Sammy that has a clear belly and a translucent green back. They have a nose-up attitude on the pause, so I'd think with them, the color may matter moreso than with topwaters that sit flat on the surface. I don't use poppers a lot, but when I do, it's a bullfrog Chug Bug with a yellow belly. The Chug Bug is a good mix between a popper and walker.

Beetle spins! I got my boy onto a slew of big gills this morning. We were trolling.