Jig Man

They will hit anything that largemouth will but I catch more on the baits listed.

Inside State Park within a couple of hundred yards of the ramp there are rental units. Less than a mile away there is a motel, I believe it is called Mt. Carmel but I would have to check to be sure. It would provide easy access to State Park or Hartley. Stockton does get recreational traffic in the summer but usually after 10:00. What have you been reading to get your info on smallmouth?

Stockton has good ramps. Hartley on the west and State Park on the east will put you near center lake. They are DNR ramps with no fees. The other ramps with the exception of Mutton Creek are COE ramps and require the yearly pass. You are correct on the time. Your best bet is I44 to Lebanon then Hwy 32 to Stockton. From there you can launch at Stockton Park on the west side or Crabtree Cove on the east. If you want to get more mid lake you can go south in Stockton on Hwy 39 to Hwy 215. After you cross the mile long bridge you will be able to choose Hartley or State Park. If you don’t have one, I suggest you get a Fishing Hot Spots map. You can get them on Amazon. It might be useful for your trip. How long do you plan to stay and fish?

Stockton is my favorite lake. I catch lots of smallmouth but rarely on the south end. I catch most of mine in the Big Sac arm north of the Mutton Creek Marina. After the spawn I target large flat coves with Ned, jigs and shaky. I rarely find them deeper than 20’. The Little Sac arm can be good from State Park Marina on west. My best fishing in that area is generally points.

Needed: mold… $50 to $100 heat source…$30-$100 containers…$20 plastisol….$40/gallon colorant…$5/color glitter….$5/color You will also need eye protection and some kind of heavy duty gloves. My advice is to wait until later because it becomes an expensive hobby. My suggestion is to get some Elaztech worms and give them a try. They are virtually indestructible.

Whether you rig or buy a boat keep in mind that it is a lot more fluid if you choose equipment items that are compatible with each other, trolling motors, sonar units, electric anchor systems. You mentioned Humminbird sonar units and a Minn Kota trolling motor. I believe Talons would be the match to give you a one boat network. I had a mixed set and it was a pain for me. I now have a one boat network and enjoy it.

You might want to read this. https://boattest.com/view-news/5353_how-to-choose-a-boat-trailer#:~:text=Typically%2C a single-axle trailer,manually than dual-axle models.

No need for a tandem with that boat weight. Plus it will be a lot easier to maneuver by hand hooking and unhooking.

If you get agms you can put them anywhere you like because they don’t leak.

Did you order an Ethernet hub?

It is his boat, therefore his decision. Pony up and pay for whatever he wants. After all he has $$$$$$ tied up in his rig.

Be sure you get the ones with networking capability.

It’s the best bait that I ever used for lake of the the woods walleye. We used to use it a lot on float trips.

I actually caught 3 smallmouth on pbj jigs today but 19 on mud minnow TRD.

I’m sure glad you guys can catch fish on jigs with purple. If I had a dollar for every fish that I have caught on pb&j, I couldn’t buy a hamburger.

I’m not sure what you are going to get with your proposed setup. I have a 7’ St Croix ml Premier with a 2500 reel. I use it for 1/16 oz Ned with a TRD. I would be hard pressed to throw a 1/32 with it.

I quit buying Bass Pro branded reels a long time ago because there was no continuity quality or any idea of who actually made them.

Since I am a Shimano guy that would be my pick. I recently bought a Shimano 2500 and a 3000. The 3000 holds way more line than I would ever need.

There are lots of custom rod builders. I’ve had some done in Ozark MO and one is being done now in Tulsa OK. I believe Delaware Valley Tackle here does custom rods.

Around here they have 2 names: Arkansas short nosed and Arkansas black nosed. They are common in the James River arm of Table Rock lake.

I am not going larger than 2.8 now because it is all they will hit.

It is true that it used to be eat your catch but the boats weren’t equipped to keep fish alive and there weren’t many tournaments. Today there are many times more tournaments than there used to be and lots of them are 100 to 200 boat tournaments. I don’t see them becoming fewer. I live close to Table Rock Lake. The average size of the bass overall is getting smaller.

I like my dc reels. They work better than my other bc reels.

Is your drag too loose?

I decided to use high temp silicone to block the channel. It worked great.