4 minutes ago, Mike L said:

For 2 days we fished 20ft from a shear rock wall sitting in 60 fow bouncing jigs down its face and drop shotting. 
 

I was completely out of my element and couldn’t wait to head south 

 

When I used to fish for smallmouth in northwestern Ontario from a canoe, we'd find structure by taking a mid-day paddle. A high Sun let us see pretty deep and we could find the bowling ball-sized rock that attracted smallmouth and even mid-lake structure. Doing this is entirely within my comfort zone, whereas reading a sonar screen would take me a couple hours/days/weeks to become comfy.

 

I think if you'd had a few more days of dropshotting that drop-off, you would have felt at home.

Anyone that fishes in super clear water like the California lakes where @NorcalBassin fishes would be very difficult for me. I've always struggled on very clear lakes like the lower end of Beaver Lake in Arkansas. Not just the water clarity, but those lakes appear mostly featureless and would require a lot of on the water time to figure out, as well as being efficient with your electronics to find the structure and baitfish I'd think. Some of my favorite Youtube channels are guys from the west coast and they're often fishing deeper than a lot of our lakes even get (a lot of the lakes I fish don't get much deeper than 30'), and the fish rarely use the "extreme" depths they do have available. I'm a bank beater by nature, so anytime I have to back off and "cast at nothing", it's outside my comfort zone. 

9 minutes ago, Mike L said:

When I won the BFL Florida State Championship the regional competition was held at Lake Lanier. 
For 2 days we fished 20ft from a shear rock wall sitting in 60 fow bouncing jigs down its face and drop shotting. 
 

I was completely out of my element and couldn’t wait to head south 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike
 

 

 

Lanier is south! 😆 

 

the fishing you described is how we roll most of the time unless we are in the rapids fishing shallow. I love setting the hook 20+ feet down 

14 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

When I used to fish for smallmouth in northwestern Ontario from a canoe, we'd find structure by taking a mid-day paddle. A high Sun let us see pretty deep and we could find the bowling ball-sized rock that attracted smallmouth and even mid-lake structure. Doing this is entirely within my comfort zone, whereas reading a sonar screen would take me a couple hours/days/weeks to become comfy.

 

I think if you'd had a few more days of dropshotting that drop-off, you would have felt at home.

You’re right, I may have.

I remember I landed a few late in the day just before weigh in. I was so relieved I kinda wanted to stay longer but when my pro said we had to go I didn’t complain either. 
😃

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Lanier is south! 😆 

 

the fishing you described is how we roll most of the time unless we are in the rapids fishing shallow. I love setting the hook 20+ feet down 

You’re a better man than I am Pal!

 

Give me dirty water, grass you can walk across and the big stick and I’ll compete with anybody. 
 

But that!!

I felt like a lost little boy looking for his mama. 
 

 

 

Mike

I'm surprised that no one has picked @TnRiver46 for his range of fishing:

 

High, roiling current? He's fishing.

 

Snow on the bank? He's fishing.

 

Fishing from the bank? He's fishing.

 

Canoe? Kayak? Motorboat? Fishing, fishing, fishing.

 

Downtown? Fishing. 

 

Stripers? Catfish? Crappie? Fishing, fishing, fishing.

 

River trips? Fishing.

 

Quarry? Fishing.

 

With the gang? Fishing.

 

Alone? Fishing.

 

With the wife? Fishing.

 

Summer? Fishing.

 

Winter? Fishing.

 

Spring and fall? Fishing and fishing!

 

Guess what! TnRiver46 has a fishing fever and the only prescription is more fishing! What cowbell is to the legendary Bruce Dickinson, fishing is to the legendary Mr. 46.

 

 

Don't know who's type of fishing but similar to @Mike L I fished Lake Tanneycomo back in the 60s when Rockawy Beach was several bars. Had no clue what Smallmouth were let alone how to catch em. Did learn what those horns were far.

On 3/27/2025 at 6:26 AM, Skunkmaster-k said:

Glenn . For me, fishing on camera would be uncomfortable. He makes it look easy. I love you Glenn. 

 

23 hours ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

He does have a trustworthy mustache. 

 

13 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

If you were only asking about filling their shoes, I'd say Glenn. To take an idea and not only turn it into a site like this, but to maintain it and come up with ways to make it better, I don't have those kind of smarts. 

 

Well guys, thank you for the kind words.  I do appreciate it!  I don't know, fishing in front of a camera...working on this site....I've been doing it for so long I don't even realize I'm doing it, if that makes sense.  It's just what I do.  I enjoy helping others improve their fishing, so I'm delighted to hear success stories!

 

As for "the hardest" fishing...night fishing would be my kryptonite. My casting accuracy goes out the window, and I get hung up on the darndest things! 

 

On the other end of the spectrum, I feel quite comfortable fishing gin-clear water.  Watching how the fish react and seeing them hit my lure, it's like topwater fishing but underwater.

 

But man! There are some serious sticks on this site that I'd relish the opportunity to fish with.  Everyone has a unique style of fishing that I could learn from!

Thanks @Swamp Girl! That cracked me up. Only problem is my shoes aren’t hard to fill, all ya gotta do is fish haha. Only hard parts are staying warm, enduring heat, or carrying a heavy kayak. Fishing is beyond easy, loads of fun 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

Don't know who's type of fishing but similar to @Mike L I fished Lake Tanneycomo back in the 60s when Rockawy Beach was several bars. Had no clue what Smallmouth were let alone how to catch em. Did learn what those horns were far.

Catt, I know this area well, and have fished there several times.Its changed over the years, but still a good place. I still love going there 

On 3/26/2025 at 10:16 PM, A-Jay said:

Probably have to be the way @Zcoker fishes the everglades at night.

From a kayak no less. 

Just the polar opposite of what I'm usually doing at the top of the country.

Plenty of giants to his credit too ~ Impressive. 

I'd get lost for several days & nights or be eaten by something bigger than me,

I'm pretty sure. 

 

A-Jay

Can't argue with this ☝️. @Zcoker is a stud. You and @Dwight Hottle come to mind as well. I have no experience on big water. Consistently getting on quality browns on large lakes is something that would without a doubt take me awhile to figger out.

23 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Can't argue with this ☝️. @Zcoker is a stud. You and @Dwight Hottle come to mind as well. I have no experience on big water. Consistently getting on quality browns on large lakes is something that would without a doubt take me awhile to figger out.

Thanks ~ I have my days.

And your dogged determination paired with your own 'innovation' 

makes you a formidable & successful combatant. 

 

And then there's  @Dwight Hottle 

who sits on top of the Brown Bass mountain, alone.

It's a mountain rarely located by other bassheads

mostly because so very few know it exists.

Even in this day & age.

#hardtobelieve

 

A-Jay

@Mobasser Rockawy Beach & Bronson were not what are today. I spent the summer with my brother who lived between Forsyth & Chadwick. 

I would have to say @A-Jay. I have never caught a smallmouth and it would be like starting over. He catches tons of the beautiful bronsebacks and many giants. Fishing in deep clear water is way out of my wheelhouse. Plus his arsenal is out of this world. With all those catches, I do not know how he makes it through those long winters of hard water. The pictures he has posted, proves he is a world class angler.

I'm going to add @pdxfisher to my list of anglers who overcome daunting conditions. He fishes through the winter from a small boat on big rivers. He also fishes through big wind from his small boat. And he has a major health challenge that keeps hims shore bound some days. Plus, his local smallmouth are shifty, always on the move, but PDX persists. Lastly, he even catches sturgeons from his kayak. Friggin' sturgeons! 

 

 

 

I would turn around and nominate @Swamp Girl

 

Fishing out of a tippy canoe with no electronics would be really challenging and she makes it look easy!

9 hours ago, pdxfisher said:

Fishing out of a tippy canoe with no electronics would be really challenging and she makes it look easy!

 

Thanks, PDX, but to be fair, fishing out of a canoe without electronics is my advantage, as it lets me launch where other boats can't.

 

I will take credit for the tippy part. My Bell Kevlar canoe is not a beginner's boat like my two Old Town canoes. The only way you can keep the weight to 32 pounds at 15' 6" long is by making it skinny, which makes it unstable, like a shell that you'd row for a college team. I'm guessing most people would tip within the first five minutes.

 

At the beginning of each year, when I step into it for the first time, until I adapt, I always think, "SERIOUSLY!?!?"

This a good thread. Really enjoy it.

 

Going with @TnRiver46. 

 

I will say one of my fishing buddies likes to fish the worst conditions.... sunny, no wind, clear water and warm. He's a fair weather fisherman to say the least. He thinks if it's the ideal conditions for his own personal well being then fish should feel the same. Then he complains about not catching fish as he is a flip/pitch fisherman as well. He thinks off shore fishing is 75ft from the bank. Stubborn and stuck in his ways. He did catch a bass on a crankbait once that was about 15 feet deep,  around 150 feet from shore only because his trolling motor battery died and I switched it over to the cranking battery.  He said that fish must be sick to be out here all by himself.  I caught three more in the same spot. 😄 

On 3/28/2025 at 6:50 AM, Swamp Girl said:

I'm surprised that no one has picked @TnRiver46 for his range of fishing:

 

High, roiling current? He's fishing.

 

Snow on the bank? He's fishing.

 

Fishing from the bank? He's fishing.

 

Canoe? Kayak? Motorboat? Fishing, fishing, fishing.

 

Downtown? Fishing. 

 

Stripers? Catfish? Crappie? Fishing, fishing, fishing.

 

River trips? Fishing.

 

Quarry? Fishing.

 

With the gang? Fishing.

 

Alone? Fishing.

 

With the wife? Fishing.

 

Summer? Fishing.

 

Winter? Fishing.

 

Spring and fall? Fishing and fishing!

 

Guess what! TnRiver46 has a fishing fever and the only prescription is more fishing! What cowbell is to the legendary Bruce Dickinson, fishing is to the legendary Mr. 46.

 

 

his spinnerbait skills alone should put him on somebodies list!!