ElGuapo928

If I’m out fun fishing and there’s a tournament going on, I’ll give them a little extra space, but I’m not going to be run off my spots either.

Keebler cheese/peanut butter crackers, little convenience store bags of peanuts. Then stopping for an ice cream cone on the way home. That’s what grandpa always got me, and I’ve never seen a reason to change.

I used to have a terrible habit of paying too much attention to the Sportsman’s Warehouse ad - err “fishing report” and wanting to try out the new stuff I bought based on what Bassmaster said, and subsequently abandoning what I knew worked. Couple years ago, fishing a night tournament came up blank. Last hour switched to my “drop in the toilet and catch a fish” bait, and picked up a 9.5 lb sack - good enough for 5th. That was when I learned my lesson of keeping a rod at the ready with what I know works, then tinkering with the other stuff after getting a few in the boat.

Never done too good during the rain, right afterward tossing a koshinmushi or other small topwater is an absolute blast.

I see a few younger guys talking to themselves and making a huge production of everything. Run into Johnny Johnson and Gary Senft filming their local cable shows from time to time.

2023 was the year of the spinnerbait for me. Started in February and still have one tied on.

If I feel that it’s too cold here at home, I hitch up and go to one of the lower Salt River lakes. I particularly enjoy Canyon Lake this time of year, just for the “winter resident” ramp follies.

I’ve got a Golden Rule and an old folding plastic one that was a giveaway from somewhere.

Biggest producers this year have been: 1) 4” Yamamoto Kut Tail - Rootbeer Green. Put good numbers in the boat on a dropshot. (Honorable mention to BPS “Amistad Gold” which has been a serviceable replacement) 2) 5” Robo Zipper - Shad/Gold 3) 3/8 oz Googan Zinger spinnerbait - Bluegill and Chartreuse/White. Got on a weird pattern this spring where they would smash a spinnerbait 1-2 feet off the bank and ignore virtually everything else. 4) Zoom 6” lizard - Cotton Candy 5) Whopper Plopper 75 - Powder.

Been through it myself, the most important thing to remember is to just keep moving forward. Best wishes

The loss of Yamamoto as we knew it is especially aggravating, because the business was built on serving the “niche” western market. Spreadsheet marketing will always tailor products/colors to the south/southeast based on simple demographics (more anglers = more sales). Eventually another manufacturer will fill that void, then the investor types will take notice, and here we go again….

Honestly with the exception of the tanuki, I have no use for any of the GSM additions. Big flappy craws and 10” worms don’t qualify as “subtle”, which is pretty much a requirement in this part of the country.

I’ve been drifting away from Yamamoto since GSM involvement. They’ve gutted the product line and color catalog to not even a shell of what it once was. Discontinuation of the single tail Hula Grub and the Tiny Ika cut a huge part of my annual bait expenditures.

I think he hit the nail on the head.

I’ve got quite a few of their hardbaits, and have never had any issues with them.

“Bass Casting” sinkers - about a buck at Wally World. Heaviest I throw are 3/8-ish.

Most everything I caught in November was really shallow - last weekend was spent cruising the coves watching for shad boiling along the banks, then tossing a t-rigged worm in the middle of the boil. Worked pretty well too.

I had a Spirex and never really liked the handle. On the other hand, I’ve got a buddy who swears by them, and usually has no less than 4 of them on the deck.

Shad Raps, lipless cranks, tailspinners. One of my absolute favorites when the water gets cold is slinging a wacky Senko around the shallows - always puts a few in the boat.

My T-rig grubs are usually Yamamoto or Kalin’s 4” grub on a 1/0 Gamakatsu EWG. I’ve been using the VMC “XL” 1/0 more lately, because I like the longer straight shank.

My “Black River” smallmouth box consists of 2.75” tubes, 3” grubs, and those Mepps Black Fury “combo” inline spinners that have a keeper hook with a grub. All have proven themselves effective on that river, should work just about anywhere else.

Nothing at all wrong with that setup. I run a 12v, 55lb TM on an 18’ ‘glass boat and it does just fine. Just do upgrades as budget allows and fit them to your own style - what works for one might be an annoyance to another.

Shad Rap, Little George, 1/4 oz RatLTrap, Fat Ika on a dropshot.

There used to be an old guy that fished tournaments around here in one of those little 15’ Skeeters - pretty much always cashed a check.

We used to have a tradition of sneaking out on Thanksgiving and hitting the bank on one of the small lakes nearby…..virtually every time the winner of the day was lipless cranks. My number one for the bank was (and still is) a gold/black Cordell Spot.