Finessegenics

Well, I don’t deadstick much anymore as I subscribe to the swim and glide presentation as well. After the “glide” it hits bottom and I continue the retrieve again. In that case I may leave it there for 2-3 seconds and continue the retrieve. So I suppose that amount of time could be effective for you. If the fish are aggressive and chasing you can let it just touch bottom and hop it continuously. Or if it’s a cold water deal, maybe dead sticking it for 10+ seconds could work. Either way, a ned is most effective when using a technique which has the bait moving. As the ZMan article which A-Jay linked says, the buoyancy supposedly helps with the gliding aspect but for me, a light jighead helps achieve that gliding motion the best. Seriously, I basically only use a 1/16 oz head these days. 1/8 oz used to be my heaviest but even that looks unnatural on the glide. If I’m fishing an area with a lot of current, I’ll try a different technique instead of going to a heavier head. Even if you’ll be fishing it on bottom, I highly suggest the lightest jighead you can get away with. When it’s hopping, it’ll glide down in a much more natural looking way.

Jeez…it’s looking pretty decent for me after day 1 but I made a huge mistake on bucket E. I had chosen Groh but switched to Monti at the last second. 10 5 2 12 93

4 pounds separating 1st and 45th according to basstrak. Looks like it’s setting up to be a dramatic tournament

Gamakatsu B10 Stinger Finesse , size 1.

Tiny child rig, I’m usually using a 1/32 pagoda weight with a size 1 or 2 EWG hook. float the bait over the grass, or let the bait fall in the open lanes. I’ve used a “ned” this way with lots of success. I’m still using typical gear for ned, ML spinning rod with 10# braid to 6# or 8# leader.

I’m super excited for the last two. Here are my teams: Fantasy Fishing: DTL:

I’d prefer the 30

Bomber Fat A

Pretty neat, found this washed up on the bank today

Paddletail swimbait, which has already been mentioned. A spinnerbait is pretty easy too imo and maybe even a wacky rig. I also want to add that just because these lures are “easy” to use does not mean that you cannot expand on them and fish them a little differently.

Never gave much thought to the topic but I suppose, yes it is. It’s just chucking and winding and bites are easy to detect since it’s a top water.

Some techniques are harder to learn than others. Only you’d know if you’d be disappointed with a lack of success when taking the time to learn something new. I like fishing enough that it doesn’t frustrate me too much when the fish don’t cooperate while I’m taking the time to try/learn something different

Kleenex and Q-Tips!

Great baits but did you mean to link the swammer? ?If not I've never heard of anyone fishing the slammer that way, but it does sound effective!

Just about any 7'6 ML or M spinning rod. Most rod manufacturers these days make one which they market as a ned or hair jig rod. Edit: I'm coming back to this post 40 minutes after I replied but I just remembered that St Croix makes an 8'6 ML/XF and an 8'6 M/XF in the LTB lineup. Just choose the power based on the weight of the swimbait heads you're throwing. Those would be absolutely perfect and I considered picking one up myself but I couldn't justify it to myself since I'm mostly a smaller river fisherman.

Don't wanna be that guy but senkos are senkos... which brand of stick worms are you talking about exactly? Just curious I'm also one of those people who likes to get the most fish possible from a bait. With certain techniques, I'll look for a bait which I know will last. With stick worms, wacky rigged or weightless, I disregard the fact that GY senkos don't last long. They just work well. I'm also partial to the XZone True Center Stick, which is made of a firmer plastic but still has tons of action. If you want something that will really last, take a look at the Zinkerz from ZMan. The elaztech stuff is crazy durable.

Well you're already at the right place lol... I know you've looked before but just take a look at the smallmouth forum. Or use the search bar to learn about a technique, everything's fished the same no matter the species. I suggest you select 3 baits/techniques and learn them well. You can go with one bottom contact, one for middle of the water column and a topwater. For your river smallmouth fishing, I'd choose a tube (bottom) , soft swimbait (middle but you can fish it anywhere) and a popper (topwater). Best thing is you can throw these all on the same setup which is ideal for wading/bank fishing. If that's too overwhelming, then go with 1. You'll be more productive that way compared to trying everything at once. I know I'm not really helping you in regards to your original post but hey ?‍♂️. Good luck and show us your results!

Killer Perch is awesome! It's my favorite!!!

I'd opt for the light if most of the time, the total weight of your lures won't surpass 3/16 oz. It doesn't seem like your offerings do the, so the light is the way to go.

I rig mine with an internal jighead, usually 1/4 oz but I'll go down to 1/8 or up to 3/8 at times. All that is dictated by depth, current and ROF. I'm also not picky with the bait itself either. Different tubes just have different characteristics. I use the XZone X-Tube, Coffee Tubes and Power Tubes. The coffee tubes and xtubes are pretty similar; fairly thick walls and lots of salt. The power tubes have thinner walls and less salt.

It’s fairly popular here on BR but 956 is a funky one which works great as a sunfish imitator as well as a crayfish imitator. It’s uncommon in my area as it’s pretty hard to find in tackle stores. I also don’t hear much about chartreuse stickbaits (#156, chartreuse blk flk).I’ve been throwing them a bit this year with decent results. Looks great in clear to stained water in low light or sunny conditions.

3/8 total weight or 3/8 bullet weight? I’m going to assume you mean 3/8 total weight. Considering that plus the weightless senkos and flukes…I’d go M. I like the mojo bass, they have a 7’1 M/F but I don’t own that model.

Everyone has a different idea of what lower end means though. Most of my gear would probably qualify as mid range and I’m happy with it that way. I feel like I have found the sweet spot between affordability and quality. I have even “downgraded” before when getting a new setup for a specific technique. I do have some equipment which are pushing the high end range. But after fishing them, I feel like I’m not missing out that much. Thankfully, there are a lot of good, affordable options out there. You can get great setups below $150.

Haven’t had much of a chance to watch bass live for the classic. I’ve got 3 guys fishing today starting at 24th, 5th and 2nd. Pretty decent

I’ve heard awesome things about them, you’re definitely not going wrong. They’re super popular.