Will Ketchum

Learn to read the current. Shallow, fast moving rifts won't hold much if any fish. Stagnant backwater won't either. Where the rift enters a slower moving and deeper area is a good spot. They will be waiting where the conveyor belt brings a meal. Behind larger rocks that break the current is another spot.

I think there's a lot of feeding going on at night, and if you get there just before sunrise, they'll be attracted to any top water movement like a jitterbug which I have had success with. I once got to a place at sunrise and ran across a couple guys who fished all night and had a bunch of beauties fishing top water.

On or off when working a lure and why? I always have it off in case a monster grabs it and runs and the drag is set too tight. If the drag is set too loose, I might not set the hook well is my thinking with anti-reverse on. It's a rock and a hard spot thing with me.

I think almost any fish that lives in a river has to survive in current, so they have the strength and stamina to put up a good fight like the smallmouth.

I caught my PB on a 6" purple Creme with no weight, so naturally that's all I use.

Your story demonstrates that you don't need bragging photos of the big ones to have a good day on the water. Most of my trips are that way.

I only get 1/2 dozen at a time at the grocery; always with some kind of filling and icing.

I used to shop for new when the warranty expired, but I'm past that. Now, I'll just wait until things wear out.

Smallmouth will spawn in shallow areas without much current has been my experience. Afterwards, they move on.

Peanut Butter?

The rear seat backs on my 2019 Subaru sedan fold down and the front passenger seat backs fold down so anything up to about 8 ft.long fits in the trunk.

SM love hellgramites in the Susquehanna river, live ones that is. I have an absolute double in plastic and the bass won't touch it.

I would buy all the fake news media....move their operations out of N.Y. and L.A. to wherever people are honest and decent, and staff them with honest and decent people.

That's interesting...I never thought about that. I know soft plastics will melt certain other plastics. You could run your own experiment and see.

You will appreciate a boat seat with a backrest after a couple hours. You'll need wiring from your car's lights to the trailer lights.

You forgot to mention the joy of mosquitoes after sunset.

Why does it have to be spinning reels"vs" baitcasters? The proper tool for the proper job.

In my experience fishing the Susquehanna for SM, they are more active fighters than LM in a lake. My guess is because a SM deals with current all the time and is not at the top of the food chain with muskies as neighbors. A LM in a lake is at the top of the food chain in the lakes I've fished and may be fat and lazy compared to a SM, but again, that's my experience and others might disagree. I would therefore like to catch the record SM over a LM for that reason.

I've read that a fish will strike a lure out of aggressiveness, or strike a lure to feed because it's hungry. With the former, appearance may not matter but with the latter it might, but who knows for sure?

Good idea.

Go ahead everyone....rub it in. It's still winter up here. ?

On the first day of trout, some young guys about high school age sheepishly asked if I could spare some hooks and split-shots, and while I was traveling light, I gave what I could.

I have not been here very long, but I have seen posts where someone requests advice on any number of fishing topics, but I have not yet seen a followup by whomever sought the advice if that advice worked or not. It would be nice to know. Just sayin'.

My experience has been that on a cool, sunny day with a wind from the north, you will be better off staying home.