Finessegenics

Been happening randomly for me over the past few days as well

Went with some lower % picks in hope of making up some ground. Only at 71st percentile in the overall standings.

Just came back to this thread, how did the flickshaking go?

My experience with river smallies is somewhat similar to @PaulVE64. They either come way out there at the beginning of my cast or within a few feet of the shore. Just to add an important note, I’m fishing some pretty decent sized rivers, so I do a lot of fan casting. I’m not necessarily always locked into a specific target as you would be in a creek or smaller river.

Will you be on the Great Lakes or inland bodies of water? Either way, I don’t know what the bass are keyed into there. You can get as complicated as you want with it but I’m going to suggest a few. I think soft swim baits in the 3”-4” range, tube jigs and spinnerbaits will play. Throw in topwater baits like Zara spooks or Pop-Rs too if that’s your deal. With those 4 you can cover the whole water column. Even though I see these as “go-to’s”, realistically there are no such thing as go-to’s. Every bait is a tool for a job! Use the right tool for the job and you’ll get the fish. Good luck!

It was a loooong break

I've gotten away from them in the past few years. They used to be one of my go-to baits for covering water in the river. I snagged quite a lot of them so I don't have many left in my arsenal. Maybe it's time to replace them. My best memory is catching smallies on a #3 black blade and red feather. just about every other cast on them below a dam one early summer morning. I got into a mega school that day or something.

I have a pack of those worms but I can't say I've ever caught a fish on them. I have caught fish on a flickshake rig, which to me is simply a weighted wacky. Or is it only a flickshake if you're using those worms? I find that a knockoff senko/basically any stick worm works well for flickshake/weighted wacky because once you add weight to a wacky rig, any old worm gets that wobbling action that the senko is famous for. I like to use it in submerged grass where a 1/8 or 1/16 flickshake jig will rest just on top of the submerged grass without breaking through or hanging up. Another way I've fished it is by bouncing it around in some shallow current. Cast upstream and just hop it as the current takes it downstream.

Welcome!

Insane amount of good choices in that price range. I see you're Canadian, are you talking 100 usd or cad? I'll assume cad. Take a look at the Daiwa Revros, I chose it for my friend who just got into fishing. It's a great little reel and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in my arsenal. https://www.sail.ca/en/daiwa-revros-lt-spinning-reel-759960 I've also heard lots of great things about the Daiwa Legalis but I have not used it myself. If I ever have an excuse to buy another spinning reel that's probably what I'll go with. https://www.sail.ca/en/daiwa-legalis-lt-spinning-reel-781931

The rod is fine but it’s probably not ideal. I know there’s folks on here who throw up to 3/4 spinnerbaits on M/F but every rod is different. I prefer a MH/F or MH/MF for spinnerbaits 3/8-3/4. That is a nice rod you got though and you can definitely find some use for it for river smallies.

What they meant was it was the first that was not tested in house. True or not, I don’t know. BaitFuel was tested at Queens University in Kingston, ON by researchers who were not affiliated with American baitworks.

Dang, you guys really hate rock bass ? I think they’re a cool bycatch but they do seem particularly slimy and smelly. They’re so aggressive, if they grew to the size of black basses, I think we’d all be fishing for them instead

Exactly OP, If you've patterned the small bass and have yet to catch a big bass in the same areas the small bass are, there's likely no big bass around. The bigger bass in your pond might be relating to different cover or hanging out in different depths than those 6" bass. They surely are hunting different forage as well. It wouldn't hurt to try 'upsizing' the small bass pattern but I don't think it will necessarily lead to more success.

So these are standard 5" senkos you're using? They are not too fat and smallmouth should have no trouble with them. When rigging a 5' senko, I like a 3/0 EWG. I go weightless each time. If I were to use a weight it would not be pegged. I do have to admit that sometimes I don't set the hook after feeling the first 'bite', but after a few seconds of feeling the weight of the fish, I set the hook. Of course, this could be dangerous as you have the potential to gut hook a fish but it has not happened to me yet. It has been my experience that smallmouth almost "chew" (for a lack of a better word) a bigger/longer soft plastic as opposed to swallowing it whole. When and how are you setting the hook in relation to the bite? I think you can find a solution by looking there first. Good luck!

I wear closed shoes/boots when fishing whether it’s a boat, the bank, a dock or whatever, and I would wear them in a kayak too. Not taking any chances with hooks laying or flying around. If I had the added danger of snakes then I’d be even more inclined to wear shoes LOL

RIP

It’s pretty standard but my rig is 7’1 M/F spinning with 15# braid to 8# mono

A swimbait on a ballhead always gets them, and it’s so versatile. What you’re describing sounds a lot like what I fish.

I'm not trying to take a stance here, just playing devil's advocate. Wouldn't mono also be damaged after backlashing? Heck, even braid too. Any line that is kinked seems to have less strength. Are there any studies like this done on monofilaments?

I love anywhere that holds fish. But at heart, I am a river guy.

Rigged vertically on a swim jig and on a swing head!

That’s how I ended up joining BR. I was always searching stuff and BR was usually there to help

We talking bass fishing? Or any fishing? Factoring in the whole world, who knows. I’d say regardless of intended species mister twister grubs have got to be up there. Senko too for sure.