Jermination

I pretty regularly target smallmouth around here year round. Fishing a lot of tournaments throughout the year makes it tough to strictly go after smallmouth because a majority of the lakes in our area have a 1 keeper limit from may-october. If i'm going fishing for fun i almost always target smallies just because the hunt is something i can't get enough of. I think a lot of it is determined by where ya live, I live in the south but fish a lot like the northern guys. Their style and tactics are usually more in line with smallmouth fishing than largemouth

yeah man setting the hook on a DS is a sure fire way to lose fish. Just reel tight and lift, the lightwire hook will button in the top of their mouth. because the pressure changes, if you are shaking on slack line you will notice it. The nice thing about finesse presentations is you don't have to detect the bite immediately, it's not like you are throwing a jig and have to immediately set the hook. Make sure they are there then reel em tight and get ready to do some laps around the boat if it's a big brown fish

This happens with the DS/SS hooks? Nose hooking your bait? I can see it happening with octopus hooks because the bend in them is different, but if you arent horsing the fish or crossing their eyes setting the hook you shouldnt be losing fish. What rod are you using? wherever you see fish buddy, honestly i don't fish it vertically hardly at all in the warmer months. I'll occasionally drop one down but most of the time vertical fishing is reserved for the cold months when smallies are schooled up. I really work my drop shot very similar to a weightless senko in that i almost always fish it on slack line. You want to wiggle your bait without moving the sinker. Sometimes a quick pull up above the fishes head will get them going too if they are just checking our bait out.

you shouldnt be losing fish on the gamakatsu ds/ss hooks. Are they just spitting it or bending your hooks? I have a very high landing percentage on those hooks and very rarely lose fish on them. Octopus hooks are no good unless you are catfishing

i like booyah one knocker sunset craw. also crankwraps has a few sunfish and chart shad patterns i like to slap on the strike king redeyes that ive done pretty decent with

I throw the drop shot and catch more big fish around here on it than anyone i know. I throw it deep, shallow, into current, into grass, around wood, under docks, clear and stained water. @TnRiver46 has seen a lot of drop shot fish this summer A few things to consider-- -throw it on a 7'4 rod so you can sling that thing -3/16 or 1/4 should be about the biggest weight you ever need -use light line, 6-8lb -throw zman trick shotz, they float perfectly horizontal -use a chrome sinker, this little extra flash can catch an eye -rotate through a lot of baits and colors, you can get them fired up and clean up a school with a drop shot simply by changing baits -do not set the hook. reel tight and lift -you really need at least 3-5 ft visibility for it to shine -10-12 inch leader -if you know the fish are there, spend some time & work different angles. the drop shot can convince non aggressive fish to still bite

Tighten baitcasters until i cant pull it(except for jerkbaits and small crankbaits) and spinning reels just tight enough to where you can reel hook fish

chart/white & bh bluegill is what i have the most success with.

they make plenty of crawdad baits in shad color, go take a look at zman turbo craws or trd craws. Lipless certainly do act like crawdads, pause your retrieve then start it up really quick again. looks like a darting crawfish

it certainly helps visibility, thats the most important part of whatever color you're throwing. they're never going to eat something they can not see. and yes the preferred action is a big part. when they're on reaction baits and the wind is blowing i usually throw a chatterbait, if it's still i'll throw a little squarebill or swim a worm

hell i guess i should start making videos of my trips downtown. 5 lb fish ?

Color definitely matters. Ive taken people out who throw baits similar to me but i outcatch them 3-1 or vice versa. Generally speaking you can get away with green pumpkin, black & blue, chartreuse, chart/white, & red. Color in my opinion is more about water clarity & sunlight penetration than it is forage, especially when fishing moving baits. Time of year is also a big factor. I pretty much put my reds up until the water dips below 65 degrees. Green pumpkin is usually my starting point with soft plastics throughout the year then let the fish tell me what they want. Most of the lakes around here like a dab of chart on the pinchers or tail, there have been times where i've been flipping a straight green pumpkin jig in grass and not gotten a bite then tip the trailer with some chartreuse and load the boat. Don't overthink it, throw what you catch fish on

not sure buddy, i'll check with some of my contacts and see what i can find out. I have no idea how you could incorporate something like that into a physical mold that is sealed off, so i think they would have some type of syringe on the line pumping them full

not sure about molds but i'll take a syringe and pump a little bit of air into the claws of a turbo craw or something like that. Also tried vegetable oil in the pinchers to make them really stand up

take a look at zman diesel minnowz in "the deal". the razor shads in "the deal" may work better in clearer water but i throw that color on chart/white, bluegill, and spot remover jackhammers and do very well. Make sure you are pumping that thing on the retrieve