JonB2

I just started using a kayak, but so far I’ve only brought two. Might do 3, but it makes little sense to deck out like a bass pro on the little weedy river I fish. While smallies are seasonally available, it’s mostly largemouth right now, so often I bring a 7’ MHF casting rod with 14lb mono and a 7’ MHF spinning rod with 20lb braid and 12lb mono lead. I throw casting jigs, t rigged worms/creature baits, and senkos on these. When smallies are mixed in heavier in spring and cover is sparser, I bring my 7’ MF rods in both casting and spinning. I’m going on a bigger fish only mission in the junk soon and will be bringing my 7’3” MHF and 7’3” HF for big worms, 7” senkos and bigger beavers. Feel like that’s gonna be kinda fun

Man, they’re the worst by far. Always just seem to be the most ignorantly selfish people we have around. They crawl up and through any bit of water and rip all around places that just scream “don’t do that”. I just don’t get it at all… Did a relaxed, peaceful kayak float in the stubborn WNW winds. Man has it sure switched to fall feel. Been looking like it for a bit, but this last week has that sky and feel. I typically kind of skim my way down and fish back up. I tried to stay with a t rigged creature and worm, but it was really off feeling in that wind. I did stick a good fish on a pit boss right off the bat, but the back fish with ol’ stinko senko was good and just made sense. It clouded up shortly before I began fishing back, and like usual it sparked them. I landed 11 good, solid keepers and maybe 3 dinks. Most fish were 14-15” with 3 good fish @19”, @19”, @17”. I alternated between my 7’ MH spinning rod and caster. Was glad I had both to switch up with. The second good fish was mean and waked out from some wood after my senko and bit as soon as I let it fall. I could tell by the wake and bite it was a good one

I have some non kinking, tieable wire, but cannot remember the brand. I haven’t used it much because I’m stubborn and iffy about it. I’ve been bit off a whole bunch this season, well over 20x. Casting jigs, creature baits(like CRAZY!), senkos a bunch, paddle tails early and even 3.5-4” tubes for early smallies. They’re native, belong and are simply part of the game for me. Good ol’ northerns man…good grief

Whew, rec traffic has really increased again lately and it’s so sad how people treat our waterways. I’m stubborn and punished myself a couple trips, but it was a really tough grind. Couldn’t fish more than five minutes before some uncoordinated tourist comes flopping around in a kayak or a boat blowing through full step. These hard, frustrating days make me so eager and ready for a good bite day. The wind has also been a huge pain in recent days. I did get some beautiful, quality fish, but low low numbers. Bass around 16-17” for big fish, so nothing major. Also a few good 8-8.5” big river gills on one of my favorite big gill baits; 1” gulp minnow

That’s pretty much how I approach bait selection for bass, aside from conditions. That’s why creature baits work so well and fish don’t condition as easy to them because they look like so many different prey items. I really love beaver baits, you can burn one and they flap and sputter across the surface pretty solid and everybody knows their effectiveness on bottom. I caught a bass the other day on a sweet beaver that I was buzzing in to recast again. It got blasted five feet from shore as it came across some heavy pads in a foot of water. I actually had turned and looked away and simply heard “suck-sploosh” and set the hook on automode. Can’t argue with that lol

Just a little late add on to this interesting and quite opinionated thread. I think going forward, all bass pics are to be taken under some kind of duress lol

@Swamp Girl I’m not sure we have rivers in Michigan that don’t have hordes of tubers, kayaks or canoes during summer lol. People from downstate and out of state invade and ruin our vibe in the northern parts of the state

Wet waded a river for smallies a few days ago and had a nice run. That late afternoon into evening has been good for me on bronze bass. I had to do a little dialing, but just goofy subtle changes that fish do. Nothing tells you “right call” then a solid fish immediately after switching up. Fish weren’t hot to trot, but bit steadily once I threw what they wanted. I have a feeling a few things could likely get me more numbers as this stretch has them. At the same time, I can’t argue with the average size I’ve had in 3 smallmouth trips. I landed an 18.5”, 19.25”, and 20.25” for big fish; all soft taped in the water(difficult at best!). Fights were just great fun man, hard…dogged power in current. A bitsy bug/craw did best by far, but a ned head/craw got a couple and the ol’ football jig/hula grub got inhaled on the drop by the 18+. There’s something I just love about setting the hook into a good river bass in some flow with a bait caster

I like it Pat. Couldn’t have said it better! I’ve literally started out with likely what was working at the end of the last trip and nada. That’s when the mind starts winding…”hmm, just don’t want the green flake today? It’s darker sky, maybe they want a little touch of orange with their crawfish instead of just dull, natural brown?”. Imo, if you feel good and are just not getting bit…switch up until you hook up. It can be an honestly simple thing. Last week I was smallie fishing and throwing a green craw bitsy with a 3” gp finesse trailer. Nothing in my first spot. Before I just wrote off the jig or the spot being “off today”, I put a 3” gp chigger craw on and first cast 17” bass. After that, the chigger hooked the majority of my fish that day and all, but one of the big ones(hula got inhaled ). If I wouldn’t have been disciplined and open in my thinking, I could’ve possibly messed up my day by being lazy, complacent or stubborn. I mean, how can a smallmouth bass turn down pumpkin brown/light brown and a small, subtle 3” trailer for a completely nice looking, very natural bait? Because it wasn’t what they wanted in that moment, that day, etc. I’m gonna get annoying around here with this constantly(probably already am lol), but be confident and stay HUNGRY!

Photography is something I truly enjoy. I will simply say, you have to have an “eye” for good photos. As simple as that sounds, it’s just true. Some have it, most don’t. You have to care and enjoy it to really bring out your pics. I don’t do selfies or hero shots, but instead…I focus and highlight the fish. I have my methods for my pics and they’re authentic and real. I do touch them up with the available editor which is used to simply enhance what is already there. We have all taken a pic of a brilliant marked or colored specimen, only to be sorely disappointed when the pic reflects a much duller, less beautiful shot. You can fix that and make it right. Don’t over do it and create an over polished…fake scene though. Angles and lighting are paramount, but so is your vision. I leave my phone set on “live” for my pics which allows a frame by frame choice of what looks best. This has caused many a victory when I initially thought it was a bad shot, but nope…there’s the frame I thought I had! Pics are an absolute part of me and my fishing. Almost have to take some shots, I just love it! This is an Atlantic salmon and steelhead being released last fall in Michigan…these would be run of the mill, average shots for me

This is precisely what I was referring to in our PM when I was saying “too many people catch a few fish and immediately think they figured it out”. That’s modern fishing and the internet age. There’s still just something to be said for real, live experiences over simply watching YouTube or reading a website and running out copying that. As much as this over saturation is annoying, it still allows mindful anglers with “good” knowledge and skills the ability to slip in quietly behind internet hero guy and catch 5 bass from the spot he just left. I dig that vibe and while I’m not out to be the best, I’m still out to be better than you 😎. Stay hungry and you’ll always fish hard; fish hard and you’ll always catch fish

I ran big game for half my season and never had any issues. It’s not the most abrasion resistant but it’s very solid in that dept. I’ve landed fish on a “textured” leader, but it held up. P-line cxx, trilene xt and maxima chameleon or ultragreen are thicker diameter, but very, very durable mono for leader. Maxima has gotten very high priced though

Well, I guess the obvious question is why limit yourself to the same ol’ spot? I’ve been on this site for a couple months and you’ve never mentioned any other water. I have 3 rivers I hit regularly, but two are my main rivers. If I wanted, I could travel elsewhere and will in time, but for now…I’m not running out of action or size. As far as line size and pressured fish…hard to say. If it’s high angling pressure…they could associate line with danger, but it’s more likely cadence or bait profile. Certain sections and certain times of the summer, I’ve saw clear hesitation on senkos, but not all the time. Lots of tourists and googans use stick worms around me and it shows. One thing I’ve noticed is if a bait type gets popular, everybody uses it and claims it’s the best. Well, fish get used to seeing shape and profile. Same with color. I’d try and figure out the brands, styles and colors you feel fit your fishing and your fish. You will simply fish better with max confidence. I almost feel like you’re trying to maximize a situation that can’t be maxed

Back in June, a 3/16oz black/blue bitsy bug with a black/blue flake or okee craw paca chunk was on fire for post spawn largemouth for me. On fussy days, green craw bitsy and gp paca were viable as well. Also caught some big ol’ rock bass on them lol

Did a little kayak float down my green bass river and got a handful of scrappy fish. One was a brawler and really threw me for a loop; looked like a situation you’d have with a hot steelhead, not an angry largemouth! Per summer usual, plenty of rec traffic to once again prove there are no “quiet week days”. This causes me to often fish faster than I’d like or cut short my spots hit. I got a couple dink 10’s, and a half dozen good keepers. Texas rigged beavers got three 15-16” in the sun and I fished my way back with the Big Senko picking up three more @17”, @18.25”, and @16” to round out the day. This will be my last update for a little while. I get to fish a lot this year and my waters are obviously not hurting for bassin’. I’m quite interested in seeing how things pattern into fall around me

@Swamp Girl Well well, just checked the mail and my small order of new smallie candies are now ready to be deployed…pretty excited!

I love crawfish imitations as they’re consistent and always on the menu. Plus big fish seem to bite them. I really love them on a skirted jig, but a good t rigged craw ain’t no joke. No doubt wider, floppy claws are best. I’m very anal about getting my craw on as straight as possible to get the desired scoot and glide I look for

People always rag Vanish, but I use it all the time for fall steelhead and if it handles them; it’s handling bass. Rocks, wood, gravel beds, mussels combined with the speed and power of fall steelhead are gonna test leader line quick like. I don’t break off much, but do pull hooks sometimes

It’s a mindset. Once you get “it”, you know it…whether you’re aware or not. People forget there are weekend guys that can and would hang with pro fisherman. It’s just not everyone’s bag to tournament fish and while you may be competitive on the water, it’s not “that” serious to you. I can’t overstate confidence in all things fishing. Like I’ve said before, if people could be in my mind on the water, you’d likely laugh at my mindset. I’m forced to fish mostly smack dab 9-5 or 10-6 most every trip, so it’s forced me to be better than average if I don’t wanna be another shore casualty who just stands there and doesn’t make any adjustments. You HAVE to believe YOU will figure out something even if others haven’t. I always always fish this way and I very rarely get shut out

Without any detail about your water, I would honestly focus acutely on making a great presentation over worrying about line size. When fish aren’t biting, “wrong bait or too heavy line?” seem to be instant thoughts. I fish from shore, in areas with lots of angler and rec traffic. It gets tough on congestion days, but a good cadence with a good bait in proper cover is gonna get bit. I’ve been running green 14lb trilene xt lately for largemouth and 12lb sensation for smallmouth and they’ve both bit well in the midday sun and good fish too. Have confidence and BE DIFFERENT!

I can’t find anything wrong with any fish pictured, I’d take’em all. River smallies are just different and man do they pull!

Nah, all good. Sometimes I word thoughts incorrectly or don’t mean as worded

Yessir, an old iPhone too lol I had a chance to fish today again, and obviously jumped right on it. I basically repeated the same as 3-4 days ago and fished midday into afternoon. It was a very slow, quiet start, but I’m definitely improving on my bass game in various ways. I have only had to make subtle changes and have been disciplined on staying with good bait choices and not overthinking when it’s not happening as I expect. Today, once it clouded up, they fired up good. Got into double digits…barely, but size was the name of the game today with big fish taped@ 17”(2), 19”, 19.25”, 19.5”, 20.5”. Rest were 14-16” and one dinker 10”. Casting jigs were hot today with two others on standard sized senkos and one on a Ned. Big fish were all on the casting jig which is typically the case for me

Fair enough, no worries my man I’m gonna spend $26 on a spool of 12lb invizx and use it on my M caster for smallmouth. Current, rocks, wood, weeds and mussels; it’ll be a good test on performance. I don’t top water fish almost at all, but I wouldn’t be worried about that anyways. Casting jigs and Texas rigs will be what I run on it. I’ll be honest after a few trips and will not hesitate at all if I’m wrong. Stay tuned…