Cdn Angler

Thanks for the video. Interesting that you note that bass will often hit this as soon as it hits the water. This has happened to me a bunch of times and it was always a bit confusing. Just a reaction thing I guess as I can't imagine a spinnerbait looks like anything before you even get the blades turning. Nice to know it is something I should expect though if I'm casting too a high value target. I caught my PB LMB like this and it occurred to me that I was using the type of cast you recommended here, but only because of low hanging trees and necessity. I should be doing this all the time - thx!

Doesn't open until 3rd weekend in June here. I'll catch a few pike fishing prior to that, which isn't until May 14th. That is if we are still allowed to fish by then.

I've fished fairly clear rivers with SMB for musky using what are small swimbaits for musky: think smaller s waver or a savage gear perch. I've seen SMB bass follow them as a reaction, but then turn away and not strike. I like your chances with LMB better as they can eat bigger prey, but a 5 lb LMB here is a rarity. I've only caught 1 in 4 years of fishing. A local tournament series records every 5 lb bass caught and almost all of them are on the St.Lawrence river i.e. smallmouth. They are getting fat on gobies/crayfish mainly, not big prey. Of about 500 bass over 5 lbs since the mid 90s it looks like 90% are SMB. So that's like a million hours of fishing and maybe 50 LMB > 5 lbs. I've only caught 1 > 5 in 4 years of fishing in LMB territory. TLDR: Most big bass here are SMB and they likely don't eat huge baits. LMB over 5 lbs are such a rarity that it'd be tough to target them IMO.

If not crazy deep: I prefer moving baits in general. Casting a crankbait downstream and retrieving against current is my favorite. Using an extremely slow retrieve as current imparts action. Too fast gets snagged. Aim for eddys or slack water around the most raucous rapids. I don't know if it is a "thing" but ill cast a floating crabkbait into thick current and let out line to get it 3-4 times farther than my cast. Then retrieve. Covers a crazy amount of water. If not in major current I like topwaters especially if there is shallowish cover/structure. Spinnerbait also works for anything except super heavy current/deep water. Those are my faves.

Biologists at the local university did a study where they electroshocked pike, tagged them and put a hook in their mouth. About a week later they found them and electroshocked them to see if the hook was still there. It was something like 1 or 2 out of 20, a low number anyways, that still had the hook. I can't remember exactly what type of hook or how long they waited to check, but I remember being pleasantly surprised.

I've only used the normal sized wally diver. Also in Canada where these things are common, which is probably why I'm also a user. Doesn't look widely available in the USA - not on Tacklewarehouse at least. Compared to all of the fancy/expensive crankbaits out there the wally diver looks cheap, has crap hooks, doesn't cast the farthest etc....but it gets bit and is solid if you want something medium depth.

Finally starting to see some open water, but today it is snowing like crazy. The bass season doesn't open until June 18, but at least pike/walleye are in sight. Can't come soon enough with covid house arrest.

+1 for the Wally Diver in perch. First "big bass" I ever caught was on one. No scale, but 4 or 5 lbs. I never hear of anyone fishing it for bass, but it does extremely well for me as a mid-depth crankbait.

Yeah I already did it before learning about using cheaper backing. I'll just keep adding. I've fished straight braid on spinning reels A LOT and I don't believe I've had any issues with slippage. Usually with fishing I disregard advice until something bad happens and I learn first hand. Probably not the best way to learn, but failure does help you learn.

Thanks. Good to know that this can last a long time. Should save me some $$ and hassle.

A few of my spinning reels have older 15 lb PP braid (1 or 2 years) spooled up, but I've used about half way to 65% down the spool. Any issue with tying on more of the same line (except new) to the older braid, which I'll use as backing? Assuming this is OK, how many times could I do this before the backing degrades? Or indefinitely? My thought is just to keep tying on to the backing with new line whenever I get close to it.

On the bright side as far as fishing is concerned, it isn't a "sport" that requires any interaction with other people and many prefer do to solo. Unless you are sick, fishing should be fine.

Compared to the 50% of Americans that are obese, I don't know that you'd fare much better. Plenty of smokers in the USA too. Hard to say what the most appropriate reaction is either way. No matter what some will say too much, some not enough.

Venom lures swim jig has been great for me.

This is a suspending Ima. Liked it for running shallow and pausing.

I think where you are at geographically makes a difference. Where I am LMB basically top out at 5 lbs and there is far less difference between a 5 lb bass relative to his peers than a 10 lbs bass and his, even in areas with bigger fish. So I think the strategy is going to be a bit different than in somewhere like California. I'm not an expert, but here in Canada most of my larger bass (4+) were a result of: 1) places with bigger LMB - not stunted 2) larger than normal lures (not huge swimbaits, but bigger sized cranks, spinnerbaits, topwaters etc) 3) something a bit different 4) fishing a lot. Of all those I think the most important is to fish places with bigger fish. Can't catch em if they aren't there. I've noticed here, for example, that areas which are LMB habitat and have higher volume predators of juvenille bass (pike mainly) seem to also producer bigger bass. Areas with fewer the LMB are all 2-3 lbs, so I avoid those bodies of water.

Bass don't open here until June 18th.

Most plastics can serve a purpose somehow unless they are total trash. The only thing I can't see myself ever using is a pack of giant 7" pink worms that are thick as a finger. Even then I could probably cut it up into two ned heads. I have had some blue craws for a couple years, but I could see them getting used eventually. Hard baits that suck/you hate are a bit different and I'd find those easier to toss. Who is going to pay anything for them though? Usually nobody. I can't see any sense in chucking all your tackle. If you want to narrow your focus then set it aside. Can always revisit it in the future.

I'm in Canada and I probably get bit off maybe .5 per day. Not often. Usually I reel them in without getting bitten off.

I'm in a kayak and carry 3 3700 Planos: 1) topwaters and bigger swimbaits 2) other hardbaits: cranks, spybaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits etc. 3) things with soft plastics already rigged and terminal tackle: jigs, swimbaits, shakyheads etc. I also carry about 8 kinds of plastics in a bag: worms, craws, tubes, keitechs etc. That seems to work, but requires swapping things out in between trips depending on what species, type of water body. I'd say there is like a 5% churn, the rest stays the same. In total I have the option of about 40 hard baits and 40 plastics. I rarely miss something that isn't with me, but it happens on occasion; mostly getting bit on a specific soft plastic and then running out of that size or colour. Usually the closest substitute does just as well i.e. a green 2.8 keitech for a 3.3 in blue.

Usually a swim jig has a weed guard, so they will come through cover differently. Most of my chatterbaits also have a longer hook shank than most of my swim jigs. Aside from one vibrating, I think the weedguard/more compact size/absence of a blade makes it easier to use a swimjig to throw like a normal jig into cover, under docks, hop off bottom etc...and to then swim it back to the boat in a manner similar to a chatterbait. Chatterbait is more chuck and wind exclusively.

Yeah I went in a tournament last year for the first time on a paddle driven kayak. There were a few guys there with boats that must cost $10,000, had screens the size of my television, some kind of kayak sized power poles, pedal driven, 10 rods etc. I was happy to compete in the tournament, but realistically there isn't much hope of consistently competing against that with a paddle driven boat and no electronics. At least not consistently. I covered 10-15 kms in 7 hours paddling about as hard as I could, but there are other guys coasting with no effort to go the same speed. I'll probably do another tournament this year for fun, but it seems like a a silly way to kiss my entry fee goodbye. It isn't like I need to be in a tournament to fish or anything. Anyways I still managed to come in like 18th of 60 and had 3 fish come off that would have had me in the top 5-10. Nobody broke any rules so I can't complain, but if the purpose of kayak fishing is to have a cheaper alternative to motorized boats, at least in my brain. What it has turned into doesn't fit that goal. This is what happens with anything when you turn it into a competition. It becomes all about winning and $$$.

I keep the trailers on, but I take the jig/trailer out of the tray when I get home and dry them out, either outside in nice weather or in my house on a paper towel. I do the same thing for any rigged soft plastic. Seems to be working fine. Probably simpler to take them off and chuck them, but I can't bring myself to tear up a perfectly good piece of plastic.

I've usually heard with musky that they aren't so fond of a big pause the way bass are, so that could partially explain why the whopper plopper got hit and your popper did not. You don't see many giant poppers for musky and the figure 8 is based on the don't stop moving principle. Similar to A Jay I've had smallmouth hit a whopper plopper on ridiculously long accidental pauses, sometimes on days where I'm getting zero other bites. I'm usually in a kayak so mid retrieve I might start paddling due to drift or to fiddle around. Minute or two later...blammo.

Agree with this. Nearly any topwater "works" for SMB. Tailor the lure to the conditions (water clarity, chop, are fish feeding actively, water temp etc). I've had a LOT of SMB strikes on extended pauses. Like sending a text to my wife mid retrieve type pauses. Anywhere from 1 to 30 seconds.