Finessegenics

Fair point! I’ve done well too with the streakz but never thought of the feeding minnow

I want the bait to hang out if I’m vertically fishing, which I almost never do. I like elaztech and use several different baits from zman, mostly the Streakz and Trick Shotz but they tend to float tail up if that makes sense. It’s an okay presentation but it looks a lot more natural when the bait is truly neutrally buoyant. Only one which seems to be truly neutral that I’ve tried is the Reins Bubbling Shaker. The baits presentation in terms of floating or not matters less if you’re horizontal dragging, instead of vertically dropping down. With all the movement of dragging, hopping the bait towards you, I feel like the bait doesn’t have as much time to settle. So the way it acts probably matters a lot less. So will you be dragging or dropping vertically? If you’re shore bound you’re almost completely limited to dragging.

I think you’re spot on with the length of the rod. 6’6 or 6’8 is ideal for that downwards snapping motion. I personally believe a M/F is ideal but don’t see a reason why M/XF wouldn’t work either. After all they are just labels, each rod performs differently. I’ve heard a lot of good things about St Croixs 6’8 M/XF as jerkbait rods but in some lineups they also make a 6/8 M/F. My jerkbaits are all 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz, so I use a spinning rod. They are not deep diver models so they’re relatively light. I currently use 15# braid to 10# or 8# mono for my jerkbaits. I used to use a baitcaster with a DC reel but I suffered with distance. Since I do have a braid mainline, I back down on the drag a bit to not rip the small trebles out of the fishes mouth. The mono also adds some stretch to the setup.

I guess I won’t post my absolute favourites, but instead the hot ones in those categories for me in 2021. Crankbaits: Storm Arashi Square 3 Topwater: Don’t think I caught a fish on a topwater this year ? Berkley Choppo 90 Worm: Finesse TRD Creature: Rage Bug Spinnerbait: 1/2 oz or 3/4 oz Screamin Eagle

it will probably do fine but based on the specs alone it seems like an overpowered for most jerkbaits. I think a M or something with a lure rating 1/4-5/8 would be better suited for standard bass sizes jerkbaits. The height is perfect, shorter rods do make for that easier slashing motion.

How heavy? Around my parts the river is real strong, so catfish and sturgeon fishermen are throwing up to 8oz weights to stay pinned to bottom. I'm usually using 3-5 oz but I target some of the slower spots. I'll assume you'll be somewhere around that weight. For 150$ you can get an awesome setup. In my opinion, a baitfeeder reel is a huge advantage so I'll recommend one. Much easier to tell when a fish really has the bait and when it's time to set the hook. I like the Okuma Avenger ABF for its price and quality. For your needs, the 6000 or 8000 is probably best. Can hold lots and lots of braid, even if you use 80# braid mainline. MSRP on those is around 65$ for the 6000 and 75$ for the 8000. Options are endless for the rod but important factors to consider are where you'll be fishing (lots of brush, trees above you) and if you'd need a two or even three piece rod. I know a lot of guys who use surf rods but for the most part they are far too long for my liking. I think 7.5-10 feet is probably ideal. I like the Daiwa Beef Kitty's. There's a lot of options in the models but the 9'0 (1/2 oz - 4 oz) or the MH 10'0 (1-6 oz) should cover you. Even the 10'0 makes smaller channel cats enjoyable but can handle a much larger fish. They also make 10'0 H which has the same lure rating as the other 10'0, I'm just assuming it is has a more powerful backbone. They go for around 55$. So for 130$ that's a pretty solid setup. Best of luck and you may be able to catch a deal with holiday sales!

It would be spinnerbaits for me too. I always threw them but this year I started using the screamin eagle. Game changer for me.

As Tom mentioned, you’re going to need something real soft to still have movement from the bait in water that cold, also considering you’ll be moving the bait slow. I have found that elaztech still has decent action in cold water instead of stiffening up like other plastics.

Cool! Are you in Canada or upstate NY?

Black n Blue always disappoints me somehow. I have plenty of jigs and plastics in that color but they don’t work nearly as well as brown or green pumpkin, even in muddy water. I don’t know what it is.

Neds, swimbaits/grubs on light jigheads, true finesse jigs, tiny cranks, in-line spinners and just about any presentation that has a total weight of 1/4 oz or less.

Posted on December 6th...How did I miss this? Of course, I'll be joining again. Drain the lake will also be way harder this year!!!

It's one of, if not my favorite way to fish for smallies. I'll also add that speed is important, I'm a big proponent of burning a spinnerbait. I never caught much slow rolling or with a slow retrieve. My spinnerbait of choice is a Screamin Eagle Dbl Willow 3/4 oz. The heavier weight makes it easier to burn but not necessarily stay up at the surface, at least in shallower water. Only colors I throw are white/baitfish-y and chartreuse; or a combination of the two. I do have an assortment of gold and nickel framed screaming eagle. I tend to use the gold frame/gold blade on overcast days, as I was always told gold reflects light better when there is less sun. As to your question about painted blades, I don't think it matters all too much. Personally, I am not a huge fan of painted blades as I believe the standard nickel/gold is so effective because it imitates a school of baitfish. If you've ever watched them swim by in clear water, you'll catch occasional flashes as they turn and light reflects off their scales. That's not to say the painted blades wouldn't work or that bass see those baitfish the same way as we do.

Some baitfish color; like The Deal from ZMan, or Tennessee Shad, or pro blue red pearl. Green Pumpkin would be next followed by Chartreuse. If I could only stick with 3 those would be it.

Awesome @TnRiver46!

I agree that fish never seem to get tired of a classic TRD but I suppose fishing pressure could change its effectiveness. I throw a TRD a lot and they actually seem to hit it a lot harder compared to traditional plastics with more salt. I don’t know if it’s the rate of fall, or the buoyancy adds to the natural glide but it’s really something special.

I don’t know anything about the TN River but my guess would be that you were using the right stuff, just not in the right area. Are there areas of the river with less current? Traditionally, people say that smallmouth will avoid heavy current in cold temps but I’m not sure if that applies everywhere. And 52 is not THAT cold, relatively speaking. Still, I remember the elite series event this past year on the tennesse river. All I know was it was cold, and Gussy won the tournament fishing right in the middle of some serious current. Not sure if this helps but hopefully it gets you thinking!

I have some black blue creatures and jigs…but don’t have crazy success on them. So I prefer Junebug plastics and straight black jigs.

I would go with a fast action, heavy power. I use a 7'4 H/F Bass X or the same rod in the Mojo series.

If I'm not mistaken smallmouth are only really established in North America and Hawaii. In most of western europe, largemouth bass are prevalent. Especially in Spain, Italy and Portugal. I could not find any information about smallmouth bass in europe. I found a research paper from the Netherlands written in 2017. They included a table on where and when smallmouth were introduced and the most recent official sightings of them.

I like a fast reel, but fast is relative. A 6 speed is fast compared to what was available twenty years ago. By fast, I mean a 7 or 8 gear ratio. On my frog rod, I have a Daiwa CR80 with 7.5:1 gear ratio. My punching rod, which also doubles as a frog rod at times, is fitted with an 8.1:1 Fuego.

Yup, it’s carp. The amount of detail you can put into carp fishing is incredible.

Wishyaknew river

You’re lucky to still be fishing up here! My waters did not freeze yet but I called off fishing a long time ago! Just got way too busy and it felt like a natural time to end the season. I doubt I’d be catching anything in my rivers as the truly deep “winter hole” are too deep/far into the river to target it from shore! But maybe I should go out and give it a shot in the shallows…

Invest in quality fluorocarbon once and it won’t be an issue. I can only vouch for Invizx at the moment but this coming season I will be trying out Daiwa samurai. I tried Abrazx, it was good but the Invizx felt much more manageable.