OldManLure

For sure. I’ve got a kitchen drawer full of bread bag ties that work perfectly, and are so easy to use.

Not at all. I’ve caught some very nice river smallies on the Arkie jig. And they are surprisingly painless to lose to hangups in rocks. And don’t overlook the bargain spinnerbaits on the bottom shelf. They are undoubtedly made to the standards of a bargain bait, but they too work and are equally painless to lose to rocks or submerged trees. Over the years these have caught 3 of my personal best smallmouth for length, and over the past July 4th weekend one caught my first 5lber!

To your first point, they took into their mouth suspecting it was food. If for some reason they decide otherwise, they’ll expel it. To your second point, I think a moving lure alerts a healthy bass long before they can be surprised by it. Now if you drop a lure on their head…maybe.

That does seem like a possibility and I probably wouldn’t be too surprised if that happens. I have had the opportunity on a few occasions to observe from an elevated vantage point male smallmouth on their beds in the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers. It was fascinating to watch what appeared to be near frantic swimming patterns to protect the beds from a threat, a threat that wasn’t always obvious to me. I know their behavior wasn’t as frantic as it looked. It was purposeful. I did not see any evidence that they took a threat into their mouth to injure it or spit it out away from the bed. It seemed their other aggressive displays served them well as they would return to almost a sentry-like pose on the bed.

They may not think the crankbait is a shad, but I guarantee it has provided enough cues to convince the bass it is food.

What are some reasons bass might eat something if not for food?

Some would beg to differ.

Rapala Skitter Prop

Don’t fret. More time on the water and the experience it provides will improve your ability to synthesize that information and eliminate distractions.

I have the same reel on a rod I have used a number of seasons for just topwater. It has always been spooled with 12lb Big Game.

I do not target Muskie and know virtually nothing about fishing for them, but have caught quite a few in the last couple years. All of these were caught while targeting smallmouth, with 3 coming on topwater including a 38 1/2”, 15lber last August. The total number I have caught are evenly split between the 1/2 mile below Dam 4 and the 1/2 mile above the old RR bridge at Shepherdstown. I’ve heard of catches just a little farther upriver from Shepherdstown, but that is a stretch I don’t frequently float.

Experience. And time on the water equals experience. Fish in a variety of conditions and pay attention to results, positive and negative…fishing is an activity that you can be both student and teacher. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but don’t treat all answers as gospel. Some will pan out, a lot won’t. And realize that despite what you might read or hear, no single brand of anything has a monopoly on catching fish. Keep it fun!!

What type of water are you fishing?

Lake Frederick?

Virginia considers the blue cat an invasive species. I hope you took it home or to the landfill.

https://www.woundedwaters.org A non-profit serving wounded military veterans. I believe there is a chapter near you.

You’ve got to love it. A 2 page thread on trailer tire pressure. Reminds me of the 2 page thread awhile back about storing a net on a kayak.

When I fish rivers, I drop off my bike at the take out to ride back to my truck at the put-in. I guess I can count the trip down the river as an upper body workout, and the bike trip back definitely works the lower body.

If you enjoy it, no. If you don’t enjoy it, yes.

I’ve been a long time subscriber to In-Fisherman, and look forward to each issue. It does seem to favor northern fish, but seems to make sure to include excellent articles for the rest of us. Game and Fish is also a good magazine. I have no idea why I receive BASSMASTER, but have found it to be little more than a multi-page marketing brochure. It goes from mailbox directly to recycling bin.

I think I may return to Huntsville, Alabama and open a tackle shop.

That sounds like my father. Every weekend he’d start some project, and was always running to the hardware store. It didn’t matter if it was repacking bearings on the boat trailer, changing oil in the cars, repairing the washing machine or replacing light bulbs, he always needed something from the hardware store. Several years after his death, my brothers and I discovered that it was the only ‘hardware store’ for miles that sold shots and had beer on tap.

@LrgmouthShad By itself, flow rate tells you very little. It becomes more meaningful when you know the depth and width at the point it is being measured. The dam at Jennings Randolph Lake in Barnum, West Virginia releases water for 6 hours several times a year for whitewater activities on the North Branch of the Potomac River. During these releases, which attracts whitewater kayakers from miles around, the flow rate is 800-1000cfs. The river on this stretch averages about 25’ in width. I don’t know where exactly the flow is measured, though.

Your avatar says differently.

If it’s an upgrade for what you have, of course it’s worth it.