Leaderboard

Gotta love the footballs of fall...

I'll start by saying, it wasnt me, but oh so d**n close. Yesterday was the Jack Link's Simcoe Open on Lake Simcoe in Ontario. It is a one day shootout tournament and among the most anticipated of the year. I havent entered for a number of years but decided that I was going to do it this year. I committed hard and for the last month, almost every day off work has been spent on the water following these fish as they transition to their fall feeding grounds. The last two weeks were a grind. The weather and water has been unseasonably warm and they fish have been scattered from 4 feet to 60 feet of water with no rhyme or reason to it. It has made it extremely tough to pattern as they have not "set up" for the fall bite. Going into the tournament, we had 3 spots that we were going to die on, all within a relatively close distance of each other. We just had to get there. The night before the tournament brought strong wind gusts and the lake was pretty blown up. 4 and 5 foot rollers put a beating on us, making the 27 mile run to our first spot. The first fish in the boat was a 13 incher, not a good start for a tournament that regularly takes 27-30 pounds to win. We grinded and grinded and came up with one 5+ and decided to move on to our next area. We graphed a small shoal super quick on our way there and marked 1 loner fish, but decided to move on. We got to spot #2 and made a couple passes to no avail. Decided to make a bait change and voila, fish on. We still had to grind, but we were getting bit almost every pass, and they were all decent fish including 1 over 6. Eventually, these fish scattered and the bite died. We had about 3 hours to weigh in, and decided to try for the loner fish on that little shoal, since it looked like a good one. As soon as we dropped the trolling motor, the screen was lit up with smallies and we pulled another 4 quality fish off that shoal. It was ticking rain the entire day, gusting and cold. We bundled up for our long, wet, cold run back to weigh in and made it with 30 mins to spare, so lets fish by the ramp for a bit. The launch is in Lake Couchiching, which is attached to Simcoe and known for plentiful, but smaller fish. Somehow, we were actually able to make a quick upgrade in that spot. Weigh in time comes and one of my best friends has the lead with a 30.86lbs bag of smallies, insane. Up we go and drop 30.13 on the scale. Bittersweet moment. We finally broke 30, but this year it wasnt enough. It wasnt even good enough for 2nd as another team dropped 31.89lbs on the scale to break the previous record of 31.50 lbs. Insane day and an incredible fishery, where over 30lbs of smallies isnt safe!

Ran out of my 3/0 os and was left with 5/0 widegap os for wacky rigged Senko. This little bass was awfully lucky.

Always! Wear floatation device when the big motor is started! Always!! Wear your kill switch!! Never let pride get your way, I'll beach a boat & get out in a heartbeat if necessary!!! For most anglers being underpowered means slow holeshots & topend speeds. For this dumb Cajun it's about poor throttle response & bow lift in rough water. Learn what your motor is capable of at 1/4 throttle & punch, 1/2 throttle & punch, or 3/4 throttle & punch. Run from lightening! Fear it completely!

I organize close to the same way. Just on a larger scale. Got one of these walls for plastics, Hardbaits, and spinnerbaits/terminal tackle. Ike gave me the inspiration.

First guess would be to clean the battery ring connections, make sure you're NOT using a wingnut, and get a bigger battery. OPTI's need a ton of juice to fire. Get yourself a 31AGM /w 1000-1150 CCA.

My idea is that you need a new cranking battery. Optis have to turn over a few times before they will fire. I had one for 14 years and as long as I kept a minimum of a 1000 CCA battery in it I had no problems.

Know your boat. Learn how to vary the throttle for conditions. A straight line may not be the safest or driest ride and zig zagging may be in order. Boat wakes on a busy lake pose a problem of a different sort, as do barges. They are potentially more dangerous as the wakes can be unpredictable. If you're following another boat riding in its wake leaving the wake takes some practice, especially when slowing down may not be an option, because you may have a boat following in your wake. Avoid barge and wake boat wakes if at all possible.

If you like the Tim Tucker book, there is a sequel: "More Secrets of the Best Bass Pros". Used copies show up occasionally on Amazon and ebay for a few bucks. The red B.A.S.S. hardcover you have is also part of a big series -- there are a whole bunch of those focusing on different patterns, lures, waters, strategies, ect. I have several of them, but looks like the one you got is one I don't have.

Evening before last I went to the smaller pond in my neighborhood. Had a green pumpkin/chartreuse belly Strike King S Toad(used a black Sharpie to color all of the belly leaving a trim around the edges chartreuse) Texas rigged on to my spinning rod with an 1/8oz bullet weight unpegged. First cast with it this 1lber chomped it down. Lowered my rod, reeled the slack and set that hook. Didn't know til I got him in that I had hooked it through the top of his mouth and out his eyeball. Was pretty tough getting the hook out. I thought I was gonna pull his eye out through his mouth with the hook. Fortunately that didn't happen, unfortunately his eye won't be the same. Getting the hook out turned his eyeball inward and I carefully used the hook point to turn it back right so he at least looks kinda right. The eye is still kinda sunken in but he is ok. He swam off quickly upon release. Don't think he'll see like he used to though. You can kinda tell in the pic below that his eye isn't exactly right and kinda sunken in. Never done that before. There's a first for everything though. You can kinda tell in the other pic that I felt bad about jacking his eye up. Wasn't purposely done. Happens to us all at some point I guess.

Tough fishing yesterday. Some dinks and a couple 2-2.5# fish.

I have only one suggestion. Take a boat operators course. It will teach you boat handling, safety procedures, etc. Some states require a license to operate a boat. What you learn will help you avoid trouble on the water.

I don’t compete when I fish with anyone. I like to see everyone catch fish. That keeps them hooked in this sport. I do stop to help the kids near me catch fish too. I give back what I can.

I picked up my first airbrush this year and decided to try my luck and painting crankbait. Good thing fish don't care about how pretty they are.

For bottom contact lures Sunline Shooter Diefer coploy mono (green) has good feedback and abrasion resistance. Maxima Ultra Green 5 lb has been a good finesse line, the 8 lb is closer to 10 lb FC diameter pushing a 2000 size spinning reel do to line memory. Still use the Diefer 25 lb Nylon for my swimbaits. Tom

Berkley has the 6' MH Lightning Rod on sale for $20.00. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/berkley-rods-casting-rods-berkley-lightning-rod/berkley-lightning-rod-casting/1365017.html#start=4

Got a falcon lowrider 20 jerked out my hands setting the hook this summer. Guess my hands were wet and it decided to run when I decided to try and set the hook real hard cuz it'd been a long night and I was frustrated. Watched it swim away in 20ish foot of water with brush piles everywhere. Never got it back.

Seals are compromised. Is that on the tilt/trim, hard to tell from the pic

^ This!

Destroyed[Lost rod and reels!]Here's a story that's almost unbelievable.Back in the early 1960's.Our family was on an annual trip to a small lake in SE Ontario.My father, Born with a birth defect that left one leg almost uncontrollable, was fishing one afternoon with my mother. The spot where they were fishing was about in about 25 feet of crystal clear water. My father tried to reach across the boat to pick a can of pop from a cooler, and in the process, his bum leg reflexes and kicked an almost brand new Pflueger Nobby mounted on a likewise almost new Conolon rod overboard. 25 years later, My mother and younger brother paid a visit to the lady who owned the farm on which the lake was located. The lady asked my mother and brother about my father losing his rod and the location. She went into a shed and came back with the outfit. A pair of divers had visited the lake the previous summer and found the combo right where he had lost it. The rod, other than the guide wrappings was still in pretty good shape. The reel other than the Cortland camo line was still in perfect condition. After a tear down clean and lube, it worked and looked as new. Regrettably, I sold it to a guy who is still using it.

Answer 1 & 2 nailed it. You need maximum juice to start an Opti. Your present setup is okay with warmer temps but not delivering peak capacity at cold temps.

Really... Ande is recognized as the standard for fishing World Records. #6 has the same diameter as Yo-Zuri Hybrid. https://andemonofilament.com/pages/line-specs

My wife doesn't bass fish but does fly fish, we go to Colorado every year and on most days she catches more or bigger trout than son and I. Guides all comment that she has very fluid, gently cast that presents the fly so naturally.....I don't know if true but I am always happy when wife or son out fish me. As matter of fact the first thing I tell all our guides is "don't worry about me, just focus on them".

How do you pack it when you go fishing? Good organization. I am thinking of using the safety pin idea.

A while back @WRB mentioned that he liked Sunline Shooter Defier Armilo Nylon Line, so I tried it. I Really like it - as a non-Fluorocarbon option it's solid. (Thanks Tom ) Sort of fishes like fluorocarbon, especially sensitivity wise, I think this one does float however. Either way, been throwing it for two months, been very successful. Enough in fact that I plan on using the 22 & 25lb south of the border next week. A-Jay

I own 3 ALX custom rods and considered then equal to Loomis NRX and fished them since 2012 without any issues. 1/2 the price as NRX with equal performance. Tom

I own a small lake about the same size but a bit deeper with more structure. It is man made and about 80 years old so there are some monsters in there. There is also a lot of food, making the big fish tough to catch. It is filled with bait fish and frogs and in a 10 acre body of water, it is a canned hunt for the big bass. They know where to eat and get their fill any time they wish. There are times when the bite just shuts down. Right now water temps are dropping and they are really feeding and chasing. I see massive schools of bait fish everywhere so the big, dominant fish have no trouble feeding. All we are catching now are the juveniles. Typically, the biggest bass in my lake are caught in the winter months when food sources are lower.

I never really went fluoro or braid, right now I only have one reel with braided line.

Interesting development...I'm fortunate to live in an area where Lake Master chips in my Humminbird get the job done really well. I have WI and Lake of the Woods chips and that covers my needs right now.

I don't think you met broadside to the waves, 45 degrees into or down wind is safer. Every lake is different regarding wind velocity and direction. Always error on caution, slow down and return safe. We call small white caps "pop corn", generally safe, larger white caps when the "sheep are out of the barn", not safe. Tom

I much prefer the RES to the original trap because of the fact that it shimmies on the fall instead of spiraling. I catch tons of bass ripping a RES off the bottom and letting it settle back down. Also really like the Booyah One Knocker (formerly Excaliber XRK50), when the bass are wanting a straight retrieve around rocks and grass I seem to do better with this one.

I've used the reliable old Curado 200B a lot for tossing baits in the size range you're talking about. You can find used 300E Curados for around $150 if you look around a little.

Size 1 4 1/2" Roboworms and size 1/0 5" & 6" Roboworms. I also use this hook for slip shot rigs using the same size Roboworms except curl tails. Tom

Good idea, but to paraphrase Sheriff Brodie "We need a bigger wall"...

There is no substitute for experience and wind or curr are usually the biggest challenges. start with a good weather app, don’t feel that you have to run from point A to B. Be crea and use islands and protected areas as your friends. Try to use 90 degree angles when possible. look at YouTube for videos, there are a few

Wave size matters more than wind. 30 MPH winds on a small lake are a minor nuisance, but they're deadly on big water. Never fish if there's any possibility of a storm. Winds can go from 0 to 60 MPH in less than a minute, and waves will react accordingly. There's no way you can land your boat without beaching it in conditions like that. Where I fish, people try tying up to something, and it ends up killing them. Every boat is different, so it's hard to give advice. But be very conservative when you're trying to learn what you and your boat can handle. For example, don't fish in 4-footers if you're not 100% confident that you can manage 3-footers. Never take chances.

FYI trailer lights only work in the driveway ? Don't difficult at all

Let's just dump all the monofilamentf Nylon, polyester, Fluorocarbon into one pot and call them what they are mono. It appears copolymer or 2 polymers mixed together has lots it's identity in the fishing line world. Hybrids are co extrusions in the polymer manufacturing world of plastics, Yo-Zuri is a classic co extruded product, the polymers are not blended together as in copolymer, the Fluorocarbon is a jacket extruded over a copolymer core, i.e.; hybrid. When terminology loses it's unique identity trying to communicate using the same term with different definitions becomes futile. Tom

Took my buddy Bill fishing yesterday. First time fishing in 28 years, first time ever bass fishing. He had liver failure and got a transplant earlier this year and is doing well. This was his first bass ever (the little one) and the bigger one he said was the biggest fish he had ever caught in his life. Anyway, by the time we got to mid afternoon he was asking how much money I had in the boat, trailer and motor and was thinking out loud about getting one in the spring. I think he had a good time. It was the best day fishing I have ever had.

It catches smallmouth around here bigger than the text you used to ask this question!

I never use 5 Minute Devcon for clearcoating or installing hardware because it will turn an ugly brown color pretty quickly from UV exposure, plus it is not as waterproof as Devcon Two Ton. The only time I use it is to glue the halves of a balsa wood bait together when laying in a through wire frame. Quick cure epoxies harden too fast to use as a clearcoat on a whole lure. Even if you are fast enough to brush it on the lure before it becomes too hard, it cures so fast that the epoxy will fail to level out like slow cure epoxies, ruining the look of the lure. JMHO

Dunno exactly, but I can take a few guesses: Bass in spring and into early summer tend to be mobile. They can be well distributed, often relating to shorelines. By early summer they are post-spawn, hungry, and heading to summer locations. Bass tend to move away from shorelines in summer. Depending on food availability, summer bass tend to settle into places where there is food. Feeding activity can be sporadic too, often relegated to prime times -"low light" goes a long way in describing prime times. If temps and/or visibility get really high, the bass may even shift mostly to night hunting. Along these lines, has water clarity changed? I know you said this is a new phenomenon, but have you fished it equal time other years too? And NOT found the same thing? Just in case, you should keep effort in the back of your mind as well as. Another thought... Looking at that water reminds me of a nearly coverless pond/lake that up and quit one summer. One of the guys that fished it asked me about it. So I went with him. We found huge numbers of bass fingerlings -a major hatch year- and so I switched to an UL rig and 2" paddle-tail grubs and started catching. My partner didn't own finesse gear so I set him up with a ML spinning rig and some jigs and... problem solved. I'd seen this before and solved it in a similar way. All that said, the UW video I've been collecting has not shown adult LM's chasing fingerlings -at least until they reach about 4" in length, which occurs in the fall here. So... I'm not sure if my reasoning behind the success of the finesse gear is on target, but it worked. Those bass simply were not interested in the larger -mostly crankbaits and spinnerbaits- the guys usually throw there. Possibly, those fingerling bass in that coverless pond were using open water offshore -I did see many out there- as well as along shorelines. This may have drawn the young bass and perch up and exposed them to the mature bass. And drawing large lures through more open water is often a recipe for failure, esp in higher visibility conditions. In general, know that your bass are feeding. Where and when is the question. Don't be put off; Keep at it. You just have some exploring to do. Or... hit a different water body to help get your mojo back. Good luck with it.

Most of my buddies that struggle just fish too fast. They move locations too much, change lures too much, and when throwing finesse baits they can't stop reeling. I have to remind them constantly to slow down.

No. There's no need for excuses.

I fish with my wife and she has never been wrong in her life so....

OK, so here's the feedback: Cuts through weeds like a weed wacker...only better. Works fine at low speeds (down to 2 on a 36 volt Ulterra)...really works at higher speeds. Went though some thick stuff that normally would have slowed the TM way down, and left a bunch of crap hanging on the motor when I pulled it up. Speed through the weeds was great, and there were not weeds on the TM. I'd buy it again.