Jeff Zurawski

Feels so good to finally get back on the River after a long Winter. Great write up!

River fish here have been chasing pretty good and jerkbaits been best. A regular fluke on a jighead drifted close to bottom is also working for less active biters.

I've gotten a few floats in and have been catching some fish since my pitiful March 13 post on this thread. Dug out the camera for this nice 19"er caught drifting a fluke near bottom on a light jig head through a current seam on an inside bend in the River. @Jessco87 had his scale along and weighed it a 3.5lbs.

Outstanding!

I guess the key might be to figure out just how much backing you need compared to how much space the amount of braid you want to use occupies. Since you have two reels, you could measure out your desired length of braid and wind it onto an empty spool. Then connect your backing material and fill the spool while counting how many cranks it takes. Now you know exactly how much of that particular braid and that particular backing it takes to fill that particular reel. Tie the end of the backing onto the other (empty reel) and wind it the whole deal onto it. With the info you got doing it backwards the first time around, it'll be easy to fill the 2nd reel precisely.

I generally lean toward a bigger, bulkier, more visible jig with more vibration in dirty water and a smaller, natural color, subtle action, finessey jig in clear water.

I've been using a 2nd generation BB1 Pro for the past 5-6 yrs. Excellent reel! At a hundy each, I'd buy two if I was you.

I can recall a couple times when I wish I would've done that. Maybe not right down at bottom of the ramp, but shortly before I got that far after trailering a long distance and launching in freezing weather. Getting back to the harbor after a long night and trying to get froze up trailer wheels moving was not fun. A portable propane heater and wasted time were a bit precarious and aggravating.

30lb test braid (8lb diameter) on my baitcasters. I use mono and flouro leaders mainly for two reasons: 1) To keep the reels at full capacity for as long as possible, which helps get the most bang for the buck out of the braid. 2) Mostly I float mountain Rivers that have a lot of swift current where there's no stopping to retrieve a snagged bait. It's best to break it off, tie on a new bait, and get back in the game asap so as not miss throwing into the next fishy spots quickly approaching or any chances at the lunker of a lifetime.

Yep! I'm a River guy and for me, in addition to experiencing the wildlife like you mentioned, it's about being in the flow -- the current's rhythm. I'm not a religious man, maybe not even spiritual I don't know, but I get a feeling on the River that everything's gonna be alright and is just how it's supposed to be no matter what's going on in the world or in my personal life.

Thanks for clearing that up MN Fisher.

Thanks a lot for you post WW. I am new to tying hair jigs and have only dabbled in 4-leggers' tails so far, but been curious about doing feathers. This will be a great reference point for me!

I still new here, too, and not sure of the rules, but I'd like to see that video. Sounds like a great day (and pretty epic hour) !

I'm glad you decided to start chiming in here because I appreciate hearing your generation's take on things. I pretty often learn new and valuable stuff when I consider your all's point of view. Nice lookin feesh you're showing there, even if it ain't a river smallmouth! ?

Whoa @drakesndrum, that's two trips in a row (if I'm not mistaken) with best 5 well into the 90s". Awesome!! That's a good entire season for me and I usually do at least 30 floats plus wade trips. Stay on em dude.

That's hardcore, man. And topwater action under those conditions blows my mind. Outstanding!

. . . . . There's no pic here because I haven't caught a single one yet this year. Water was 32.5 yesterday morning. Tomorrow's gonna be a high of 30 with NW wind to 25. If this trend don't turn around and I don't feel a smallie thumpin my jig pretty soon, I might blow a 50-amp fuse (like Mick Jagger sang in "You Always Get What You Want"). I'm a tad bit jealous of all you all who have already been out and gettin some this year. Keep up the good work fellers!

Love it when things click like that. Your buddy must've been excited with his biggun. Awesome job!

Ditto NorthernBasser. I carry a straightened out paper clip to break through hardened glue when that starts happening, which it always does after awhile in my experience.

Thanks OC. I ain't as hardcore as I was in the past during my big lake, walleye chasing days. I wait for warm fronts to go out early and late in the year. You see I'm not even wearing an overcoat. ? Btw, can you tell me why it is that my response to 'drakesndrum' is blended in with my previous post? I didn't intend to do that and can't find a way to edit or separate the two posts.

These are all River fish. Never weighed any of them, but I'm guessing they total somewhere close to 20lbs? I posted this one in the Gallery. I'm pretty sure it's over 20" and under 22". It's the first real big one I caught here in WV At the time, I had no idea fish of this size even existed in the River I was fishing. Started carrying a tape measure after that. Caught on a spinnerbait in May 20.5" Caught on a Jignpig in March 21" - Jignpig in March 20.5" - Jignpig in November 21.5" - Jerkbait in November. This is the girthiest one I've caught. Maybe a 5lbr? I remember it spitting up some shad big as my hand. I wanted to hit both the "like" button and the "sad" button. Congrats on an epic day! Feels bad you lost the pics.

I jones for the pizza I grew up eating in Chicagland. There's nothing like it here in West Virginia, so I've been trying on and off over the years to recreate both the thin crust and deep dish styles. I'm getting close.

Zman HulaStickz Missile Baits Shockwave Christie Craw or Yamamoto twin tail grub Big Bite Baits Craw worm Fluke