PaulVE64

Big hook set, cranked down drag, 8# fluoro Perfect storm

Hahaha Last year I lost 4 or 5 Booyah frogs in just a dozen casts. But what can you do when trophy pike are hitting topwater? #50 mono leader was my answer.

Females in rivers may stick around but I've not seen any truth to it. But I wouldnt be surprised to learn they ate the fry.

A light wire hook will pin a bass without even a hookset, it allows you to use that lighter line. Im wondering what happened at the boat.

I have some Mann's Rhino hard head frogs. Hard noses and soft bodies

When I fish I have maybe 20 lures. That includes each piece of plastic or jig or crankbait. Everything. I rarely throw anything that isnt brown, green, black or white and I change baits often. If was sight fishing and a bass refused my lure I would change it right away. But, I fish for river smallies. They are mean sumbits.

I must be very lucky. The river I fish weekly has a hundred spots I can bank fish or wet wade. From April to October i can pick from about a dozen spots that will reliably produce decent smallies. Its taken alot of years to find them and I'm still enjoying it immensely. And yes I do have to rotate through the spots depending on the water level.

10# braid 832 or PowerPro to a leader of 12 - 15# mono

I'm fishing shallow rivers with current. I use a jig 40%, split shot 40%, t-rig 10% and c-rig 10%

Everything Tom said

Floating trick worm

I have a handful I use for northern pike

Knockoff JDM

I've got a cherrywood med/fast. But mine isnt sensitive. And yeah, the Aird-x is an excellent rod for that price.

A swimbait that 'matches the hatch' on an under spin or propeller head

My 832 floats. It also ties knots better (edit- better than the smooth PP) and has enough abrasion resistance for me. I like a braid that isnt limp (occasionally limp braid wraps around my tips) I like one that is rough enough to hold knots and still be a good casting line. 832 checks more of my boxes

The Great Lakes are awesome

Two weeks ago we had sleet, this week it's in the 70's. My river is dropping but still 2 ft above summer flows. Smallies are set up on in 5 ft of water in boulder feilds in the backeddies of big current breaks. Today I found a school of 2 to 3# river smallies in an area of maybe 40 sf. They started taking a carolina rigged pike streamer. When that died I switched to a weightless worm that I deadsticked. I also did well for 12 - 16" smallies on rock shelves in about 3 ft of water with craw jig.

I once had a Blue Heron attack one of my streamers. I was bank fishing and standing beside a tree. The Heron was on the other side of the tree and obviously didnt see me either. Scared the begeesuz outa me when she attacked.

Oh my, The females rest alot during and post spawn. But they do put on the feed bag asap. Personally I'm throwing at seams, not at beds

All my tubes have rattles. I catch alot of smallies on a tube. Maybe it's just for confidence, but it works for me

During a late spawn a buddy caught a +6# smallie by dead sticking a senko at a marina. He didnt move it or feel it. She was just off the spawning beds and slow. She just hoovered it up and didnt move. Took her minutes just to move 10 ft and he said she felt like a mop.

I mostly fish rivers but I was really thinking of my local reservoir which is more like a lake. On my river I would say the bass are running up the creeks and back channels to spawn and I expect to find the large females nearby on the closest prime structure with larger boulders if I can find that.

Females go deep but should be found at the first rocky points and structure near the spawning area. If you find that spot you should catch them for a few weeks entering and leaving the spawning grounds.

Ghost rider, you there? Willows for smallies.