Manly Studson

Creepy!

Each year it seems like Thanksgiving is the end of the bass fishing season for me. The bite gets tough in October, but fishing through November can be worth the effort. I target trout in the fall too. I have never caught a bass in January or February. I usually end the year like an old, washed up pro athlete: I just don’t know when to quit. My last day of the year is often a day I get skunked. Yours sounds so much better.

Winter isn’t always fun. I’ll ice fish if the lakes are frozen over. Or I will fish for trout in February or March. I sometimes combine hiking and fishing when it’s cold. You won’t see me in a kayak in the winter.

Agreed. I’ll fish in most any weather.

To me it seems like October and April are the same, because the water temperatures are similar. SMB will bite in deep water. The bite has been off in shallow water (2-4 feet), but still on in deeper water (5+ feet).

Here’s where they are in Indiana‘s creeks. But they wouldn’t bite anything! Frustrating. They just congregated together.

3/16 oz jigs with craw trailers, Rebel Teeny Wee Craws, wacky rigged Senkos, spooks, and poppers work well.

Here in Indiana the smallies like structure—large rocks, gravel bottoms, or felled trees. They like to be next to current so that they can ambush prey in the current. In the spring they are savages, striking everything you throw their way. In early summer they strike fast moving lures. But in the high heat of summer they become lethargic. They’ll still bite, but it has to be a slow presentation (e.g. a jig slowly crawled on the bottom). The fall brings in the top water bite and moving baits again. I have found that jigs with craw trailers work no matter what the season is (except winter). Regarding depth, I’ve found that smallies relate more to current than depth.

Right! Three casts... three frogs... gone! All in a row.

I ran into snakehead last summer in Georgia. I was throwing a frog, and they were cutting the line with their sharp teeth. I assumed that snakehead had been found in Georgia before.

This is a perfect day of bank fishing. Wake up early, hike a little, fish. Back in time for lunch. Makes for a great day.

You could try the SC Legend Elite Panfish Rod. The guides are better than their standard panfish rods, but you will pay a small fortune.

I use a 6’ St. Croix Panfish Series UL for trout fishing. It has been a great rod—soft tip with plenty of power. I caught a 3lb. river smallmouth on it too. I haven’t tried the GLoomis. But if it’s anything like the SC, it’ll be a fine rod.

I caught this LMB today, throwing a 3/16 oz jig (craw trailer) on a 6’ ML. The Fenwick HMG ML is stout enough to throw light jigs and soft enough for a drop shot. Good rod.

I like it! Let’s call it ‘Green Fishing.’ We could use vines for leaders. Totally organic!

Same here. Mono has been my choice for almost everything. I don’t fish very deep (no need for fluro), and 12 lb mono works well in thick stuff (no need for braid).

Josh, this is a great idea! I’ve done it all summer. The kids and I fish small streams, catching rock bass and smallies. Last weekend, I challenged the kids in a fishing contest. Whoever catches the least number of bass must eat a worm. The only ‘out’ from eating a worm is catching a crawfish. The boys caught enough crawfish to catch smallies and rock bass all day. It was a blast! But the big catch was a 2.5 lb smallie on a Rapala ultralight topwater popper. For two summers straight, I’ve fished streams for rock bass and smallies when the kids tag along. These species in streams never disappoint.

Same here.

I use them on paddle tail swimbaits and any Texas rigged lure.

The Curado 70 has served me well. It is as palmable as a Lew’s Speed Spool LFS, but with a better breaking system. It casts light lures very well.

I don’t see many kids fishing—not even from the bank. If ever I see a kid, it is a small boy with his father and a spider man rod. But that scenario is rare too, and it seems to happen on Memorial Day or another holiday. Although I find satisfaction in teaching my kids to fish, I think it would be great to teach a young stranger how to fish. But I don’t see too many around. Last weekend I fished a small stream, catching many smallmouth bass. Kids were there swimming, but a fishing pole wasn’t in sight. They weren’t too interested in what I was doing.

About 35 years. I started fishing creeks and farm ponds. As a teenager organized sports interrupted fishing. Today I have little to show for the years spent playing football and running track. But I have very fond memories of fishing. Now my sons fish often. I didn’t catch my first bass until I was 11 years old, but my kids caught bass before they were 6. Organized athletics hasn’t competed with their desire to fish. If the bite is on, then my kids can’t be pulled away from the water. I’ll fan the flames of fishing in the hope that they keep it up into manhood.

Plano 3650 ProLatch boxes stuffed in a cheap backpack (bank fishing) or in a crate (kayak fishing).

Quantity of LMB: a wacky rigged Senko. Largest LMB: a Bitsy Bug jig with a Z-Man TRD craw trailer. Largest smallmouth bass: a Rebel Teeny Wee craw (go figure!).

I’m confident that the BR community has addressed this before, but when should an extra fast action casting rod be used, and what lures would you use with it? Feel free to answer or direct me to a thread.