billmac

Most of my old graphite rods (from 15-20 years ago), are in the 5'6" to 6' range. What utility do they have now? What is the best setup for a shorter fishing rod?

This was the explanation of the criteria and process for 2019. "Hall explained the process of creating the rankings takes more than two months. State fishery agencies across the U.S. are polled and rank the fisheries in their states based on stocking efforts, catch rates and angler access. Then, B.A.S.S. Nation conservation directors add to the potential lakes list based on the thousands of tournaments they hold across the country. And finally, the data from dozens of tournament organizations, as well as big bass programs from various states, are analyzed to create the ultimate list of the Top 100 lakes. The rankings are debated by a blue-ribbon panel of fishing industry insiders. The final result of this research and debate is Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings published in the July/August issue of the magazine." No process is perfect, but it looks like the rankings are not arbitrary.

Weather permitting, going on the St. Lawrence tomorrow in the Waddington area. I'll probably be doing mostly drop shotting. But what else should I rig up and have on hand?

Where I live, if I were to go after the largest bass I could likely get, I would target smallmouth, not largemouth.

A 10lb largemouth seems to be the gold standard of goals to achieve for a largemouth fisherman. What do you think is the smallmouth equivalent of a 10lb largemouth? Since the world record largemouth is about 22lbs, and the world record smallmouth is about 12, would you say it is about 6 lbs? I'm guessing, because of the St. Lawrence river, it might be a little higher, say 7 lbs. What do you think?

Good idea on the split shot. I'll use a rubbercore sinker, or a dipsy sinker with an easy-to-pull out granny knot for drop shotting.

Like J.F. said, not exactly an inline, but an awesome lure nonetheless. The jig and spinner combo with a curly grub is my favorite lure of all time.

I'm afraid I can't even come close to 10. And they are types, not brands. Curly tail grub. Paddle tail grub. Tube Senko-type worm. Ned plastic.

I'm far up North also, and don't really have to choose one or the other, but if I did, I would certainly choose fishing.

If you like both, but could only choose one, which would it be? I grew up hunting, fishing, and trapping. I gave up trapping in my 20s. I did it mostly to supplement my meager income and eventually it wasn't worth the time or effort spent. I hunted for many years (mostly big game) but each year I grew older it bothered me just a little more to kill things. And while I love being in the woods, I never found hunting terribly exciting, except for the .001% of the time a deer came walking by. But I love every minute of fishing. There is anticipation in every cast. There have been plenty of times I've come home wishing I had caught fish, but I don't remember ever coming home wishing I hadn't gone fishing.

I am glad the hooks are better now, but a buddy and I used to get together in the springtime and clean / oil reels, respool line, and I would sharpen all the hooks in my tacklebox. A pain, but I kind of miss it.

I don't think I quite understand the question.

Perhaps I don't catch big enough fish, or I'm just cheap and lazy, but I never replace the hooks on my lures. Apart from snags, I've never had a hook break or bend, and if I bend it on a snag, I just bend it back. If I don't feel like a hook is sharp enough, I sharpen it. Just wondering if I'm the only one.

I've had some success using a wacky rig on a drop shot.

I've never heard of this book, but to me the best scientific approach to fishing is from the early days of In-Fisherman.

I can't even get hooks or sinkers at my local Walmarts.

Anyone using inlines? I thought of this when King Fisher mentioned them in the Jointed Rapala / Rebel thread. I was astounded when I learned that Shyster inline spinners still exist. Although I mostly use Rooster Tails now, I caught thousands of smallmouth on Shyster inlines when I was a kid in the 70s, wading rivers. I don't think they had the offset eyelet then. I used a lot of Mepps spinners too, but I think the Shysters were cheaper. I don't know when Rooster Tails came on the market but I think I started using them in the 80s for river smallmouth and trout.

I have always loved the look of jointed rapalas and rebels coming through the water, and I've caught a lot of fish on them, but when watching fishing shows and videos, and reading articles, I honestly can't ever remember seeing one being used, or recommended. What's the deal? Too old school?

I don't know if I still have it, but I used to have an old Pflueger Freespeed spinning reel. I think I inherited it from someone.

Brian: I think it cost me $58 around 1980, which was a fortune to me, and I spent a very frustrating week learning how to cast it, but once I learned, I didn't think I would never go back to spincasting. Like you said, it would cast a mile, and I still occasionally had some epic backlashes.

I bought a Daiwa Millionaire baitcaster in the late 70s / early 80s. I loved that reel and I became kind of a baitcaster pioneer in my neck of the woods. I still have it but it's kind of beat. I wonder if it could be refurbished.

What's the oldest equipment that you are using? I was out of fishing for several years, so I bought a bunch of new (inexpensive) stuff, but a few weeks ago I threw one of my old Ambassador 1000 reels on an old rod so I could have more setups in the boat. Not to mention my '88 boat.

My favorites were Al Lindner and Roland Martin. I loved the scientific approach to fishing even before all the gadgetry.

I was out of fishing for several years. When I got back in I learned about drop-shotting. It was something I was doing with live worms decades ago! When I was a boy, catching the live bait (grasshoppers,frogs, minnows, crayfish, hellgrammites) was almost as much fun as catching the fish. Once we went turning over old corrugated tin to catch mice for muskie fishing and one ran up my friend's pant leg. I don't think we ever ended using mice, but that was pretty fun too.

Back in the late 70s when the BASS tour came to the St. Lawrence river for the first time, they discovered a largemouth fishery that the locals didn't know existed. I remember Roland Martin winning the '78 tournament with 59 lbs of largemouth including a 5 lb-er that took the big bass prize. Since the zebra mussels and gobies took over, you don't win here with largemouth. You need a bag of smallies that average at least 20-25 lbs per day.