softwateronly

Got a few on Tuesday the 10th before tornados and then snow hit us again. One might have been over a pound but it was still good to get the monkey off my back and it was glorious while it lasted. scott

Not good @JonB2 , Not good. I've donated a few jigs, finesse swimmers, and tubes to the lake michigan rock deity, would certainly love one of those "tugs" to be able to swim. Last year, 3/18 was the day I got on the smallies working their way to the harbor mouths, so hopefully soon after these winds die down. My next hope/disappointment is looking like Thursday. scott

About a year ago before the tariffs really kicked off, I grabbed a zillion for less than $200 because people on here found the deal and posted it. That is my one and only order from them ever and it was perfect. I'm unaware how it is now. scott

That champagne/pepper in the pic and a gp blue fleck have done it for me on a grassy, clear water lake. I drag it and snap it mostly, and really have no idea why it works. scott

Not great and I wish you a speedy and full recovery, but not many 73 year olds can say that they are strong enough to rip their own bicep from the bone! You'll forever be know as "river "bo jackson" rat" to me..... And I hope there's been enough time for any LSU//Auburn or any other SEC rivalry//hatred thing that this northern doesn't quite understand for you to take Bo as a compliment. scott

I have relied heavily on anchoring and using the wind to hold me where I want to be the last few years. My structure fishing has greatly improved since I started focusing on staying put, as touch and feel is greatly improved. But there are certain times when the wind and fish align and I can plan and execute a proper drift and that is usually when working vast flats. scott

I learned to tie from this video and he clearly counts each turn as a wrap. Obviously others might not. So it’s a valid question. scott

I count each one as a wrap. 16-18 total has given me the best results for a proper cinch. scott

Agreed. I think bkk, decoy, and ryugi hang right there with them and I've been happy with my limited recent exposure to mustad, trokar, vmc, and berkley fusion. Overall I think hook tech has drastically improved the last 5-7 years. scott

I throw the mooch minnow a lot, being made of tpe means a screw lock is not worth the trouble. That material requires way too much effort to get the screw started. @Jig Man 's rec would work great and is my number two choice. I've mostly been using mustad's ultrapoint ballhead jig because of its value and multirole use for me, also a fan of the gammy horizon head and owner roller head. Basically, the cone collar and the bottom bent wire are my favorite keepers for this material. I rarely even use with a dab of glue, they stay put and catch multiple fish. scott

@BigBassBlake I have 3-4 years with the power pitch and the sensor and I only throw braid to leader. It doesn’t seem to be an issue to me. scott

Back in the day when my only hardbaits were jerkbaits and traps, I had success with bottom hopping the RES, LV500, and straight retrieving the og bill lewis. But as time went on the blade bait took over as my number one for hopping and swim jigs/underspins replaced the straight retrieves. I probably need to revisit the one knocks and silent versions for hopping. @Jigfishn10 appreciate the sugar shad comment. The best days I've ever had with a trap, was an early season sugar shad slow roll, felt like I picked off every fish and the biggest fish off of breaks near spawning flats. Eventually, I lost it to a northern pike, I need to keep an eye out for some replacements. scott

Less humidity is what I'm sticking with. I appreciate your solunar comments, I can't seem to put them in consideration consistently, but I'm going to try harder. scott

Eerie should have a healthy gizzard and alewife population though, right? scott Eerie should have a healthy population of gizzard and alewife though, right? scott

Wish I could help if you are referring to color, seems to be discontinued since Nichols bought the Duh spoon. Otherwise, 3/4oz duh spoon. This might work..... Crank WrapsSpinnerbait Blade Wrap Single Color 6 Pack scott

I have the 706cb and you're right; it's an under rated gem. Great for crankdowns and underspins too. When I heard about the longer version, I was really hoping for something in the 7'6-7'9 range to take over my deep crank duties. scott

I might be wrong, but I see the advantages as this; quieter while working the bait to take away some of the metal clanking and less opportunity for a hooked bass to leverage the hook free during the fight because there's more rotation available. If silent cranks are the deal or losing fish is a problem, then this might be the solution. Personally I haven't gotten there yet. scott

@Choporoz I'm definitely no expert, but I throw assist hooks on a lot of my heavy metal baits. I place an order whenever I got a jdm reel because I haven't found many domestic options. Decoy short assist with tinsel have been my main choice. I don't have many pics, but the smallie below seems to have been hooked first by the small assist before the treble got embedded during the fight, so it can help. I don't deal with brush piles often, so I can't say what it'll do but it pops free of grass better than a treble. scott

The komodo and swimon are sneaky free rig baits as well. Spawn to mid-summer when the juvenile panfish/crappie seem to be number one on the menu. Just in case your bait monkey needs some prodding. scott

@Hulkster deps cover scat is the one I've been throwing. There seems to be times in the summer when it's the only thing I can get them to bite. scott

As a guesstimate I fish 80% from a boat on small lakes and the other 20% shore bound on Lake Michigan in chicago and NW Indiana. scott

I've had some big bites at first light in cold water. I'm with @Pat Brown and @river-rat that if you have the time, it's worth getting on the water. I'm pretty sure your Iowa world is mostly ponds, but there is certainly a shad migration that occurs most night to day transitions on my lake. My favorite spot is a pinch point from a large 30' deep flat to a narrow channel in 15' fow, seems like they're always there and looking up for breakfast. I believe the big girls feed when they have the biggest advantage, dark and cold means a lot less to the fish with more mass. scott

The nishine smelt head pairs real nice. It runs a little head down too, so you can get hunting/deflections off rocky bottoms. I wanna try the ryugi soft plastic clip to extend the life, hoping it’s better than a dab of super glue. scott

I voted yes, but there's certain semantics at play. Highly erratic retrieves are my best way to trigger fish in many situations, whether it's a left/right, up/down, or start/stop. scott

I think profile is most important, something to the order of 80/20. Shad eaters up here, really seem to need a close size match "most" of the time. My day got a lot better when I switched to this spoon. scott Edit: I think rate of fall is more important than color.....most of the time.