PaulVE64

My local ponds are close to 1 inch of ice now but the creeks and rivers are still open. Soon i will be found near a deep pool enticing fish with a drop shot, a tiny craw jig or maybe a trick worms. Hope Santa brings me Merino wool tights and a decent pair if water resistant gloves. What works on smallies below 40 deg ??? These are for a float and fly presentation i want to learn

I live in Ontario, Canada. We routinely catch 24" pike while smallie fishing. No jerkbait is ever safe and they love bubblegum trick worms. Further north you can get into epic 48" pike.

No I dont use a drop shot hook for maribou jigs

when the line freezes in the guides its time to stop. (then you go grab a can of PAM)

our ponds are crusted over now, the riverbanks will start crusting soon. on days like this i am praying for a sunny day to draw the bass onto a bridge pilling i know of that is built on a rock shelf. they are drawn to the warmth i think. and the piling gives them a current break. otherwise i can't find them. I'm very curious to know where they winter.

This year as with most years i spent 12 to 24 hrs a week river fishing for smallies. The difference this year was that I focused solely on finding a river monster and following him/her for as many days as possible. my catches were down and so was my average weight but the experience was at times fascinating.

I enjoy tying myself and i love the colours you've chosen.

Swampcrawler wtrmln rdflk on a 3/32 split shot in current and drop down to a 1/32 oz in calmer waters is deadly. mic drop

I learned that pike have very tough mouths. If i wanted to land them I needed to sharpen hooks and cross their eyes on the hook set (even with trebles) I also broke down and started throwing a drop shot on tough days and ive used those same lures for "float and fly"

Summertime fly fishing for rainbow/ cutthroat/bull/brown trout. Bow River and the Crows Nest in Alberta Canada

To me it means throwing everything and anything in the tacklebox. I normally junk fish when i start out the day and im trying to establish a pattern.

Morning dawn. I caught a fish while rigging up another rod.

I understand. I was only trying to point out that from experience a 7ft rod can be a problem. I recommended an aird X earlier.

Walleyes have excellent lowlight vision. So a bright sunny day will glue them to the bottom. Ive caught alot of them dragging a jig in the sunshine. And dont try to lip them. They have nasty sharp teeth

In my creeks i throw from a St C triumph. Its a 2pc 7 ft light/fast with 10# jbraid 8. Great rod for 1/8 oz jigs but its a little long if the brush is thick and your stuck throwing from the bank.

A medium spinning rod will not cast an 1/8 oz lure on 15# braid more than spitting distance if its only 6ft long. Edit - aird x is a beauty (my first choice) but for 1/8 oz lures you probably need the light/fast or go with a "7' in ml/f

Yep, they're moving to winter holes. They'll eventually be schooled up in the deepest holes for winter.

today on the river they were laying under the bank amongst tree roots just catching some sun and waiting for my black hair jig.

today on the river i watched a river monster make a lunge at my black maribou jig. He was hanging out in an undercut bank within 3 feet of where I was standing. I watched him dart out, miss and in a flash he was gone into the current. I can only guess him at +3 lbs, he might have been my biggest river smallie this year. If I had been just jigged that jig a heartbeat later he probably would have nailed it but what fun for November, we've had frost every morning for a week.

Those cold nights send them looking for deeper more stable waters. They'll likely make their way in fits and starts to the deeper holes in the river. Water temperature will dictate when they abandon their summer haunts.

talking about a subtle bite. Yesterday I was throwing a sexy shad pattern I make with chartreuse rabbit, flash and white bucktail on a 1/16th oz crappie jig. it darn near suspends. I watched a 10" creek smallie take that jig from behind and thrash a few times. The only thing I felt was the line go slack. I guess I need to swing more often.

Braid to a mono leader. I say why not? For my applications it covers 95% of what i do on spinning tackle on the river chasing smallies.

I throw a split shot rig with great success (some days) in cold water. All the lures you mentioned work for me but i am mostly throwing jigs ive tied at home. Obviously the maribou / hair jig. And i use alot of bucktail and deer belly. The deer belly hair is very buoyant so its just deadly in the cold with maribou.

I have an oversized soft plastic swimbait (picture a mutant 8" kietech knockoff) that may never catch me a fish. But it might catch a PB if i keep faith.