AJ Hauser

Got it - thanks all. @casts_by_fly I will get set up for that - punching is new to me as well. There definitely seem to be areas where they are hanging out, and areas that are dead. I have spent long periods of time working over a stump, only to check it out after nothing strikes and find it's sitting in 2 inches of water... which is... frustrating., You can't tell the first time you roll up on a log sticking out of thick muck though! @TheSwearingAngler @Mike L and @Mobasser it sounds like the right time to throw the frog is all year if it looks froggy. I'll make sure to make some trips out here even in the heat of the summer and see how it goes. You guys have any "favorite frogs" and for any particular reason? I have a Livetarget Frog tied on at the moment because it came in a subscription box and it's super soft. I used to use Sebile Pivot Frogs (killer single hook but kind of heavy w/ external weight) but those were discontinued, and I had a Strike King KVD Sexy Frog (LOL) I liked with a rattle - no rattles anymore - dang it, Kevin! I was looking at the Scum Frog Pro Series because it has rattles attached to the hook, some weight and what looks like a fair amount of "hook"... but I was not a big fan of the original Scum Frog (which is still in my box but I never reach for it). Thanks dudes!

Hey fellas. Hope you are having a great week. I went to a new canal yesterday and quickly realized that the only thing I was going to be able to throw was a weedless topwater. Popped on a frog and started to work the acres and acres... and acres... of cheese-covered shallow water. In terms of clarity it was stained, not filthy, and I was in a smooth-bottom plastic kayak. Nothing else would be able to get through here. I'm by no means an expert frog fisherman, and I'm wondering about timing in an area like this. The water was surprisingly only 70° and I did manage to catch 3 fish and miss a few more on the frog. For those of you that love froggin'... is there a "sweet spot" when you would have to be on the water to fish this spot, or would you fish it all throughout the heat of the summer and into the fall? I'm wondering if I need to explore it a bit more now before the heat gets brutal, or, if I need to spend my limited fishing time elsewhere now, then come back here during the heat of the summer - thoughts? Any insight is very appreciated! Sincerely, -Frog-Noob

Sweet - more research to do - thanks guys!

Thanks boys! This is very helpful. I'm on the Lowe website now, and it looks like the Lowe is lighter for sure (0.072" thickness versus the Grizzly's 0.19") - aluminum is half as thick, maybe? I could see where that would be helpful when fishing in current for sure. My current motor is a 15 HP 2-stroke which will work for the foreseeable future. I have a Minn Kota with 55 lbs of thrust but that wouldn't really get used (destroyed) in rivers, but in the marshes and stuff it would need to come into play. @king fisher the wide open plan on their Aura model looks awesome. You also mentioned a very important element: rowing. The attached pic / bass was caught in a marsh using homemade oars (wheelbarrow handles to duct-taped kayak oars - yes, I am a hillbilly). They sucked, but they helped me move through the area where my trolling motor got destroyed... I have yet to find any type of oar socket attachment that would fit on the Grizzly or Lowe and neither have sockets that I can see by default. Any thoughts on that? @Susky River Rat thank you for the feedback as well - when I move to Arkansas, it's gonna get beat up I think, so I am really hoping I can get something that is going to last for several years, just not sure what the balance is between maneuverability and toughness. It is fun trying to figure that out though. @GRiver the Mod-V looks like a great option and it's slightly thicker than the Lowe - how does a Mod-V compare to a standard jon boat? Can't go as shallow? Livewell is a nice touch. So far these all look to be roughly in the same ballpark for $$$. @Catt for the Alweld is that a 1652 Marsh Invader or some other model? Those look like a good option as well, slightly thicker but still not as heavy as that Grizzly. (I'm having a hard time making sense of their models / sizes on their site.) They have a jet model too it seems... very interesting. Thanks guys - really, really appreciate all of the helpful feedback!

Thanks @TnRiver46 I appreciate the feedback. I do need something that will go pretty shallow... I'm good with a bit more weight for sure, but figured the 16' x 6' wouldn't be a huge increase. That said, if the weight is from the thickness of the aluminum and the welds, that is probably worth figuring out how to deal with. Hopefully we got an owner or two in here that can chime in Thanks!

Hey fellas. I have just about squeezed every drop of life out of my 1978 jon boat... while it has been a great project and worked well for the smaller waters I like to fish, last year it developed a nice fat crack in the underside (aluminum - not on a rivet or seam - just a dead center split). I patched it and I have fished out of it several times this year, but I feel like the clock it ticking... Next year we will be moving to Arkansas and I plan to fish The White River out of... well, whatever I end up with. I was looking at the 1648 because it's affordable, and it's 16' x 6' - which is only slightly larger than my current boat at 14' x 4'. I'm hoping the width makes it more stable for the wife and kids to fish out of, and it's still small enough that I can maneuver it in my marshes and small (electric motor or rowing only) lakes, but I'm also hoping that the welds and aluminum are tougher than what I have now and they can get beat up in that river after the move... Do any of you have any experience with these? I'm also not opposed to buying a used one, but I don't see any in my area and I have been saving for a new boat for years, so buying new is not out of the question. Thanks!

DUDE. I am not a huge spinnerbait guy, but I would throw this without question. This is one of the coolest finishes I've ever seen - would love to try it on a weedless spoon as well... Very nice. Also, @Jeff Zurawski I really appreciate you adding notes on the application of your baits. In the river you fish for those smallies, how much visibility are you talking? Like a foot or less, or 5 feet, etc? I'm very excited to get into the creeks here but we've had so much rain they have been very chocolatey all spring 😕

Noted - thanks!

Nice!

Perfect - thanks @RRocket. I hear Canuckistan has lovely weather this time of year. Your suggestions, and yours as well @casts_by_fly are very much appreciated! Now I need to play with elaztech and bullet weights to get the "perfect" sink rate that I can row and keep a few feet subsurface. Let the experimentation begin. Have a great weekend!

Sweet - thanks guys!

Got it - thanks guys this has been super helpful. Much appreciated!!!

Ok so... this one is going to sound crazy... but I need your help... Yesterday I caught my PB largemouth (5.25 lbs, 20" - she was FAT) at a lake that has a max depth of about 9 feet. It is COVERED in cheese (algae / muck) and loads of pads, with some really good sunken stumps and timber. There are also pike and muskie stocked here. I'd like to try row boat trolling along the outer edges of the acres and acres of pad fields and across the open water. A local on the shore told me all of his fish came off the outer edges of those pads, where the stalks from last year poked above water. Problem is, I have no idea what options are available for "weedless trolling." I'll be rowing, so I won't exactly be flying... but what baits come to mind as you imagine this situation? I was considering a floating toad, but it would be nice to find something that would stay just a foot or so below the surface and work in that open water and also along the pads, but I'm not sure about all of this. Would love to get it figured out before I take my boys out here though - because that is happening. Thanks!

@casts_by_fly ah - yes - I believe I was describing a "bra." That may not keep water out of my waders, but I bet if I'm wearing one it will keep other anglers out of my spot...

Thanks @Catt and @casts_by_fly - I'm rockin' a Minn Kota Endura $139 special. Says it has a "power prop." Sounds impressive. Got demolished by the grass and muck. There was much swearing. Would a weedless prop or ninja slicer help prevent future swearing you think?

@MickD - thank you - does the belt go around my chest to keep water out from the top when I do, inevitably, fall in? Great info on the bootie part too, I'm not quite understanding that and I figured they were watertight and went into boots? @Reel - thanks, I will be fishing warmer water and doing a buttload of walking. That is a technical term, but it means "a whole lot." Sounds like I should look at Gore-Tex, boots and spikes? @gimruis - thanks, it will be warm and honestly... hot on many days, so I'll be sweating like a lady-of-the-night in church. Would prefer to NOT smell like death if I can avoid it! @Scott F - thanks, that was my next question. I'm 6 foot (if I round up an entire inch) and a buck eighty-five, so I'll upsize a bit and go with some good boots. I demolished my ankle last year when I was about 3 miles upstream from where I started the day... thankfully the water was so cold it kept me a bit numb (I was in shorts) but that was a very painful and slightly dangerous learning experience. When your waders leak, have you had any success patching them up? @PhishLI - GREAT INFORMATION! Thank you! I'm a bit confused though, and this was the main reason for my post... breathable waders or neoprene let water in? Or through? Do the boots overlap the ankle seam and make them waterproof or... how does that all work to keep you dry? It sounds like I do NOT want to go with cheap, completely waterproof ones based on the comments above. @casts_by_fly- thank you for the suggestion here, too. I might not need to go full chest waders actually, this is a great point! @Kev-mo - I can't believe you made fun of my budget. HA! Just kidding. You nailed it, I'm tired of stepping in cow... uh... STUFF in the creeks. I mean I will for smallies... but I don't like it... you're right though these will probably get more into the rotation in the fall. Thanks all, much appreciated across the board!!!

@Catt and @casts_by_fly thank you - and I was just going to ask if you messed with trailers right before you posted that picture. I also have a Northland Jaw Breaker spoon that I want to try out. It's super shallow here so I am seriously considering a trailer made from floating plastic to help keep it up a bit, but not completely. I have a feeling the Moss Boss is going to get mucked up more than that Jaw Breaker would, but I could see a trailer being helpful for both as long as it's compact... your thoughts? Thanks! Fun Fact: My trolling motor had no chance against the grass and muck in this lake, and I had to paddle around with my emergency kayak paddle... very slowly and painfully. My back is toast today... I had an idea though, and I'm currently making homemade oars out of wheelbarrow handles and random hardware from Farm & Fleet because nobody around here sells rowboat oars and I need to go back to these piggies before the weekend hits. It is hillbilly city over here... and it's so dumb it's gonna work! Hahahahaha

This is a little bit older post, but you said exactly what I was wondering about. I'd like to try one of these, and yesterday I found a slop filled lake (more like a marsh) with some heifers in it. I'm talking miles and miles of good-looking slop, with only 3 feet beneath - but surprisingly clear water. Pike and muskie have been stocked as well. Sounds like my best bet it to remove the snap, cast to open pockets then twitch the bait to get it hook-up and not stop it unless I want it to flutter down? 1. Any other suggestions for this lure? 2. Honestly, is it even worth throwing with so many other options available that seem to be a little less... frustrating? Thanks!

Hey fellas, Hope all is well! Wanted to check in with you and see if you'd be kind enough to let me know what is important to look for in a new (first) pair of chest waders? I have been looking at Simms, Frogg Toggs and the White River stuff that Bass Pro sells. There are also many "brands" on Amazon... my overall budget is $350 for waders and a pair of boots, and I would be using them primarily to hike in creeks and shallow rivers with sand, rock and mud bottoms. I don't think I need to break the bank but I also want to get something that will last... I just have no idea where to start. Could you please let me know your thoughts, and if you have real world experience with some different items, can you let me know? Thanks!

Awesome - looking forward to exploring - thanks!

Hey @bowhunter63 thanks for the tip! Whereabouts in Missouri do you fish? I'm moving to Arkansas in the next year or so - leaving Illinois. Just curious, trying to get a feel for the waters down south. Thanks!

Oh wow thank you guys - I had no idea - I thought there was a time of the year where bass and/or walleye "pushed up towards the dams" in a river system. This is why I ask questions. So @Scott F I will check out the Smallmouth Alliance for sure! When you fish a river... let's say it's a brand-new-to-you river... do you start by the dam and then work your way downstream, looking for likely holding areas? But not waste time up above a dam fishing the back side of the pool before it drops? This is interesting, because in creeks I have had some good luck fishing the deepest (back) parts of pools, which is similar, but in creeks they usually spill over into riffles - they don't fall completely off a dam like the river situation we mentioned above. Do you think this makes a difference? Thanks all, much appreciated!

Hey fellas, When we took our family photo last fall, we walked down by a nearby dam that sits on a nearby river. While we were getting the shot set up... I couldn't help but notice the nice looking eddies and rocky bottom. I have heard of guys catching smallmouth in the rivers in Illinois, but I've never spent much time in them. I'm thinking I better change that this year. Is there a good time to fish below the dam? Guys have pulled walleye and sauger out of here too, and that would be fun as well, but in terms of smallmouth movement, what time of the year would they typically move up towards the bottom of that dam? Is it similar to them moving up into the creeks that empty into the river? Any insight here would be appreciated - thanks!

Just to chime in - @RRocket is spot on - he actually shared some of the Hayabusa hooks with me and they are absolute killers for dropshot and wacky. I personally use 'em primarily for dropshot, and if you are ordering in the states they are really quite affordable. It looks odd and for me there was a period where I was doubtful... but after hooking aout 20 bass in the exact same spot, I started to really like these. They are not the only option, but they are really cool. Thumbs up! Ditto

@Way2slow it's been a wild ride - I started building them (well actually, butchering code and cobbling them together) while I was in college studying philosophy because my band was broke and we needed one. That turned into building sites for other broke bands, and then when I graduated I moved back home with my folks - much to the dismay of my father - and started a business at the dining room table. Thankfully, it's worked out - but I'm pretty sure everyone in my life (including my girlfriend who is now my wife) thought I was crazy! Good times Have a great weekend!