Finessegenics

Inline spinner, oddly enough. It wasn't a "one hit wonder" for me but this year, they just don't seem as effective.

I’d throw a white double willow spinnerbait, on a standard MH with a fast or mod-fast action. I like 12# yo zuri hybrid which is .33 mm diameter; the same as most name brands’ 15# fluoro. Reel, I used to use 6.2:1 but this year have been experimenting with 7.4:1. I see the pros and cons to both but I find myself going too fast with the 7 speed at times. Sometimes, that’s the ticket though. I should also add that at times, the bait I throw doesn’t matter. If I see a single fish chasing a bait ball, I can throw anything in front of its face and it’ll bite. I find this to be truer when I’m fishing smaller bodies of water, like the rivers I often fish. I’d throw little craw baits in front of smallies chasing minnows, and they’d annihilate it. On the flip side, I’ve seen mega schools of baitfish being busted on by bass on larger bodies and not catch a single bass or predator species within that mess. I think lure selection or technique would matter more in those scenarios, simply because you’d need your presentation to stand out.

That looks like it’ll make a really good swimming worm. It’s just a tad larger than I’d prefer. Weightless or weighted EWG on top of sparse cover.

I’m not even sure. I seem to call it a weed wacker, weed eater and weed trimmer interchangeably

Dragonfly nymph seems to be the consensus, thanks for the help guys. I’ll still upload some better pictures within the next few days.

Some of its legs were tucked under itself. I’ll try getting a better picture next time I’m out there, I saw quite a few

Alright, very funny!

Was wet wading yesterday and turned over a few rocks, looking for crayfish. I saw a couple of these clinging to the rocks. I have never seen before. Anyone have any idea what they are? And sorry for the crummy picture

Interesting topic but I'd go back a few hundred years and still be fishing my home waters. Only difference would be I'd have one less excuse to explain why I can't catch em

I second a small tube as a good craw imitator. The chigger bug or any double tail grub is a good option as well. Fish them all with a 1/16 oz jig.

Dang, I just saw on Bassmaster that Buddy Gross actually severely sprained his ankle yesterday. I'm glad he's okay and wishing him a speedy recovery. He's still going to fish the Classic but I'd imagine it would be a little uncomfortable to be fishing and standing all day with that kind of injury. Gonna keep him on my team for now.

I had a hard time making my picks for DTL cause I feel like I still have a lot of good guys to choose from. Here's my DTL team: Zaldain Wendlandt Kennedy Cox Cherry Davis Whitaker Arey

No idea, he has tremors but hopefully something serious isn’t causing them. My grandma is the same way, but the the doctors ruled out Parkinson’s.

I can’t compare it to the others on your list but you’re looking in the right direction with the mojo. I own 4, 2 spinning and 2 casting. They fish great, I love the tapers on them. I’d highly recommend the 6’10 ML/XF. I have 7’1 M/F as well. I’ve heard great things about the 6’8 M/XF too.

I have some Bottom Dweller spinnerbaits which are 1 oz. I haven't used them much, but they are good in a lot of situations. Firstly, just for fishing deep. Think 15+ fow where it would be a PITA to keep a 1/2 oz spinnerbait close to bottom. I don't really use them that way since I'm mostly bank-bound or fishing smaller waters that don't have that deep of water. A second method is in shallow water but truly burning them in. You'd want a bait that'll stay down easier but still stay in the strike zone (let's just say the middle of the water column in 10 fow). A 1oz spinnerbait with the right blade configuration is gonna stay in that zone a heck of a lot easier than 1/2 or 3/4, which would just end up at the surface. I've fished it like this but it can get pretty tiring flinging that bait all day. Maybe I'm just a wuss. And I also think I don't have the right equipment for it. I was using a H rod rated up to 1 3/8 oz. Thirdly, I've seen them used in heavy current. I remember watching the elite series event at pickwick and Steve Kennedy was throwing a 1 oz spinnerbait in some seriously fast water below Wilson dam (https://video.bassmaster.com/detail/videos/2021-pickwick-lake/video/6242726454001/kennedy-hooks-and-loses-big-one-in-rapids?autoStart=true). Doesn't look too safe but if you fish below a dam, even from shore, then it could be a technique to consider. Edit: Looks like @HaydenS beat me to it but you get the point lol!

I agree with most of the sentiment here. The line was fine. I personally prefer mono or co-polymer with .33mm diameter. I’m currently using YZ Hybrid in 12#. I’m enjoying it so far.

I think retiring that Ugly Stik is a good idea. I’d also recommend a ML power spinning rod to replace it, since you already have the M.

A Frenzy Popper

I feel like a tube has more drawing power since it is a larger profile compared to a ned. Stroking a tube can get you some reaction bites, but I imagine fishing a Ned that way could too. I wish there was a simple formula for when to choose one bait over another but there really isn’t. Take tracker01’s advice and try each until you find what the fish want. River smallmouth are so aggressive I doubt it would make a difference.

Take a look at the Eeliminator and the BBB Double Tails. They fit nice on standard bass jigs https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/catpage-GAMECHLR.html?from=basres https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Double_Tail_Finesse_Grub_10pk/descpage-BBBDTFG.html#customer_reviews

The best swim jig trailer!

St Croix’s 6’8 M/XF. Choose a rod in your budget, they have that blank in most of their series.

I'm another fan of the owner ultra shakey heads. For elaztech, I like to use the berkley fusion ones. Their keeper works well with zman baits.

Sounds like a bad idea to me but I truly have no idea if they are legit or not

DTL: