PaulVE64

I dont mean to be contravercial but in my river a 3/8 oz or heavier football head lasts 3 casts at most. My rivers are mostly cobble and larger with little siltty bottom. But i can drag a worm weight thru for hours.

1 pc - St croix triumph 6' ML/F 2 pc - St croix Avid 7' M/F

Get a 6 ft 1 pc ML/F if you're bank beating on smaller rivers or get a 7 ft 2pc M/F if your on lakes more often

Wisdow of the elders mostly

I will try to post sone pics. (Last tine i tried i failed )

Ive been tying a craw pattern for my river system. I can tie it on a 3/16th jig but its more fun as a TR. Anyone want to comment on the snagging percentages between them?

My MLF rod is only 5'-6" long. I love that length for finesse vaits in creeks which have 1 to 4 lb smallies. Its deadly accurate forehand or backhand and all tight spaces I am thinking of upgrading it to something more sensitive, but its hard to find something in that length. Id even consider a 2 pc

A few years ago I went out west to fish the Bow River with my brother for a week which in and of itself is a once in a lifetime event. They take their trout very seriously in Alberta. Anyway I told my bro that I was going to eat one of those trout our first night. Eventually he talked me out of it due to the huge fine and overall reverence they have for trout on the Bow. But at the end of the first day within 10 seconds of calling it quits as we turned to walk back down river to go home an 18" rainbow beached itself right at our feet. It had clearly been mauled by a coyote or bear earlier that day and we just happened to be right there when it died. I got to eat a trout that first night.

it feels like i turned a corner with the jig. I've committed some hours into it and tried to apply it more often in my rotation. I think I'm getting better with it. Lately the strikes have been the classic "long pause, jerk, hit on the drop" and most of the jerks include an erratic bounce off a rock. Friday night i hand tied a black maribou/black bucktail jig with some flashabou and a generic back twin tail grub and slayed them for about 2 hours.

Texas rigged senko into the stumps. Fluke or jerkbait if you have any pools. Squarebill and tubes into the rocks. Spinnerbait sounds right but i have no faith in them myself. I like the spook for topwater.

What wieght is the jig? I make one size for 1/8 oz to a 1/4 oz and a larger blade for 3/8 oz to 1/2 oz.

Spring fishing was tough for me because the current was up, the summer was excellent (set new PB" CS for smb & pike). But I've been throwing a skunk since the weather turned cold for a fee consecutive nights. It was a frustrating 4 weeks. But tonight I simplified and went to the most obvious structure, in this case a bridge. Caught a nice smallie on a St Croix premiere lf and a heddon tiny torpedo. And its the big Thansgiving Weekend in my country.

St Croix rods tend to behave heavier than most other rod makers but thats a good fish on a 6 ft rod. Must have been a nervous fight.

Blackfly Lures for the buzzbait and the zman tubez in watermelon red flake

As soon as i feel like enough fish saw my presentation going fast and slow. I have no idea if its the right ploy but for me i often develop a bunch of bites on the first few casts on a new bait when i'm junk fishing. Lately its been a senko. Unfortunately the senko is my last presentation.

Ive been trying rabbit zonkers as my trailers on maribou jigs. I also tie a bucktail collar under the maribou just for bulk on the fall The hardest part is fishing it slow enough. For me maribou work best when i go really sllloooowwwww.

Black maribou jigs with the stump of a trick worm through any rocky bottom with ledges. Green pumpkin senko Texas rigged in weeds and wood Flukes or a 2" tube or a small crankbait in pools (depending on current) Swamp crawler or a baby brush hog and my own bucktail skirt in olive and fluorocent orange on a 3/16 oz shakey head jig Good luck, tight lines

Every spring I go out to a shallow spot I know with very clear water about 3 to 5 feet deep on very calm days so I can see my weight on the bottom. I throw a white lead weight (5/8oz to 1/8 oz) on the end of my braid. Since the water is clear I watch my weight bounce over/off/into boulders and rocks and I get to relearn what that feels like. I know I've done it enough when I can feel the 1/8 oz banging over everything with my eyes shut. I assume every other feeling is a fish. Unfortunately it doesnt help my weed fishing. I tend to set the hook on alot of cabbage.

Since we never know what presentation is "the one' on any given day I would say they have enough of a similar motion that given a morning of junk fishing you have tried that 'jerkbait" presentation and could move onto a different action or bait. It's not the same, but until you've dialed in the fish its similar enough. I throw a floating black magnum finesse worm (thanks Gman) that always reminds me of a jerkbait.

Covid gave me 4 months of tying/fishing/tying. Actually wore out a bobbin and went thru 3 thimbles of 200 denier thread. An unweighted finesse worm on a maribou jig with light tackle in the rivers around me filled my days. Sight fishing in crystal clear is alot of fun.

We've had alot of rain lately which I think stages the fish in two places. I fish any slack water with reaction baits and topwater Any aggressively feading bass are in the seams and there I'm throwing senkos, jigs, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, etc. Oh and a tiny Rebel Craw is so much fun on light gear. A few days ago I caught a 29" pike in less than 3 ft of water in the middle of a set of rapids on a 3/16 oz baby diaper tube. Was expecting a smallie and I havent known pike to love that much current. His tail was bloody.

I've held the Fenwick HMG in medium and ML, both seemed stiffer than the rating. The ML fast is a beauty.

I had the Pflueger President 3500 on a 7ft medium heavy fast. It only had about 10# of drag and about 33" of pickup. It was a good setup but was the ugly sister to a better combo I used primarily myself. So I let friends use it until my brother broke the reel seat and the tip of the rod (at the same time) I replaced it with a President XT 3500 which is very similar but has 20# drag and 39" of pickup. I put it on a flipping stick and I don't let my brother near it. PS - I also have a Revros LT 1000 on a light fast 7' rod. It took me a month to appreciate it fully. I appreciate tools that just work and you can forget your using them while your working with them.

I've used a St Croix Triumph light fast for a few years now and it will handle most river smallies under 3 lbs but a 4 pounder will go where ever she wants. I normally just break off the carp

I've been exclusively fishing creeks and rivers this spring and summer but in preparation for a future trip to Lake Nipissing in August I've been throwing spoons on heavy tackle in my local river. Guess what - smallies love a daredevil spoon!