Bird

Weather has been crazy here also and when it's nice, the fishing pressure has been crazy. Nobody works and everybody owns a boat, I'm guessing.

Yes I strongly agree with the above.

I do keep scales in my boat but don't way a lot of fish that I know for sure is under 5 lbs. He knows for sure this is his PB.......it's a building block moving forward.

I use a 7'2 heavy quite often......Magnum flukes, 1oz jigs , frogs and some spinnerbaits.

I also don't throw much plastic until post spawn but am I big fan of soft plastics. Tackle bag is predominantly made up of ZOOM ROBOWORM ZMAN With some Culprit and Yamamoto.

I'm guessing she was under the influence of something.

Alberto

You have no idea why ? Consumed by the bait monkey.....

If your drag is set properly and your not leaning your rod back beyond its vertical capacity, breakage should not occur. You should however stay within the rods manufacturers spec ratings.

I've yet to throw a soft plastic in 2020, they certainly work year around but much prefer power fishing pre-spawn and during the spawn. Once the water warms it's a heavy dose of Roboworms, TRD finesse worms, Zoom finesse and Texas rig in general. Nothing wrong with your presentations, just prefer quicker responses this time of year.

Reeling are Ya' ? Lol Great recovery ?

Reminds me of that show " turtle man ". Nice smallmouth though.

Nice catch. I'd also guess 4 - 4.5

Line really doesn't dictate what a rod is used for nor does bank or boat. Look at lure rating on rod. Med in my boat usually has treble hooks, like Jerkbaits. A more versatile rod would be a MH, covers a wider range. Imo

Really good find and really nice boat. Hope you enjoy it.

I have video of those cicada killers......killing cicada. They also fly around the house at night, apparently drawn to light and moths. My brother calls them European Hornets, don't know but they certainly don't act aggressively towards humans.

Smallmouth around here are more voracious than LM and aren't near as picky about what they will attack. My top choices are Jerkbaits, flukes, 1/4 spinnerbaits, zoom lizards and brush hogs. The old school hair jig and pork trailer is also effective.

I really want to start throwing more soft plastics but the fish won't leave my Jerkbaits alone.......they've also been roughing up spinnerbaits.

That's a good fish pre-spawn post-spawn, anywhere.

Never heard of boiling fishing line before but know of a few good local fishermen who pre-stretch Flouro or mono before spooling.

Very good question and one I can't answer, don't know the manufacturer. Bought it years ago from a local bait and tackle shop going out of business. I did however catch my 2 biggest LM of 2020 on it. Another pic.

Pick yourself up a 2000 series spinning reel and spool it with 12# Vanish Flouro.......that should pretty much eliminate your desire to throw straight Flouro ever again. That actually happened last month to my best friend. First cast and looked like 2 slinky's mating. I like Sunline sniper.

Very sad news. That lake has a few very shallow sandbars that extend out quite a ways.....we almost hit one last summer.

One more helpful tip to up your catch rate. On the cast, the bait must be moving forward as soon as it hits the water so it's aligned, blades spinning. You'll loose a bunch of fish with a plop and retrieve technique.

Spinnerbaits are reaction baits, use a nice steady retrieve around submerged cover, edges of logs. I only have 2 colors, white and chartreuse, always use trailers, prefer willow blade in back, colorado up front. If I do throw a spinnerbait in open water, it's horizontal to bank or shallow water, like coves. If water is murky, I throw chartreuse with a black trailer.