Tokyo Tony

Haha, good ones guys

Hey guys, try to come up with some sentences with irrelevant or inappropriate smileys... What's up fellas? :'( Can't wait to go fishing tomorrow! Man, I love beer Caugt my PB yesterday! You been catching anything lately? Obviously I'm bored.

I could see them being tasty, but they're usually so small it just seems like it wouldn't be worth the hassle. I know it's a rock bass, but it seems like the rock bass species is a cross between a crappie and a smallmouth. They have smallie colors and smallie eyes, with a crappie shape and crappie fins. The mouth is kind of a mix, as are the patterns. By worthless I meant in the sense of a gamefish. The fight is a cross between a weed and a very small twig ;D T-Rig - that's now the biggest rock bass I've ever seen

This guy's a total joke and I have no sympathy for him, even in the face of all these negative comments. When you make claims like this, you open yourself up to criticism. There's no way this guy actually believes the fish are that big - he's trying to deceive people. On the other hand, the Canadian who some thought broke the smallmouth record, I believe, legitimately thought that he caught a record smallmouth, but was just very, very mistaken. This joke of a man should crawl into a hole and stay there, as should any media who covered this BS.

Thanks guys, I'll go with the 9. Has anyone used the original and the x2? It seems like it doesn't make a difference which style I end up getting...

Nice post Bobby. I really do believe in the stuff, but my point was just that generally saltwater fish just slam baits aggressively and a lot of times hook themselves. I'm sure it works as well on saltwater fish, but there's less of a need for a fish really to hold onto the bait when saltwater fishing than when freshwater fishing for finicky bass. What's the new MegaStrike? What would you say is the primary difference from the current version, or can you not say?

Hey guys, this is the biggest rock bass I've ever seen. Caught it over the summer on a dropshot rig with a Roboworm. In general, I think these fish are pretty worthless. Kinda cool-looking though. Definitely a smallmouth/crappie hybrid of some sort.

Dudes shaving their armpits is definitely not a heterosexual act.

Hey guys, I have some questions about this bait. I'm looking to get more into swimbaiting next year, starting with the MS Slammer. As a disclaimer, I fish mainly in CT and NH. Honestly, in the Northeast, would it be best to get the 9 or the 7? Most of the other posts I see recommend the 9, and while I can definitely see that for CA or TX, for example, I wonder if the 9 might result in fewer bites from good 3-4 lb fish. Do you think the 9 would be that much more appealing to really big fish to be worth sacrificing some good 3-5 lbers? I know that a 3 lb fish can attack a 9 inch slammer, but I don't think you can say that a 9 won't result in fewer strikes. Would you recommend the original, the x2, or the x3? I think the x3 looks kind of stupid, but the x2 looks absolutely delicious. It seems like the action on the x2 would be a good bit better than the original. Colors? I'm thinking of starting with a white one and a black one (for night fishing). Would you recommend otherwise? I'm kind of torn about the 7 or the 9 though. What do you guys think, specifically Northerners who have had success with these baits? Thanks.

In my opinion, you won't find a better rod for 140 bucks. I've heard good things about Powell rods in that price range, but I've never tried them. Even if they're comparable, you can't beat the Shimano warrantee. For smallies in a river, I would recommend a 6'6" or 7' ML fast action. Maybe M power if you're not comfortable with a ML. I've been meaning to get a ML Crucial for a while, and with river smallies, I think that rod would be an absolute blast. I have two Crucials: 7' casting MH fast for jigs and t-rigs, and the 7'2" spinning dropshot rod. I'm extremely happy with both, and I don't think I've ever heard a single bad review of these rods. Different companies have different reel seats. As long as they keep the reel firmly on the rod, I'm happy. Regarding the line wrapping around the rod tip: I don't think it has to do with the rod at all. Do you have line twist? That happens to me when my line gets twisted up, but even when I was using 40 dollar rods, that never happened to me. Good luck, and let us know what you decide to get 8-)

Probably not as helpful in saltwater because the fish generally tend to be less finicky. IMO, MegaStrike is great because (I believe) it makes bass hold onto your plastics longer. Saltwater fish seem to be less concerned for their health and just annihilate their prey, so I don't know if it will help, but I can't see how it could hurt. Just look at Roland Martin . He puts MegaStrike on every lure he fishes in every situation, on camera at least. One of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen on TV was Roland Marting fishing for giant Jewfish off of the Florida coast using about a 4 pound dead jack as bait. As he was rigging the bait up he slathered the fish up with MegaStrike while claiming it would help him land that huge fish. Absolutely ridiculous

Awesome! Congratulations AJR ;D

Nice fish and great report From the picture, the second fish looks bigger than 4.5.

Well, it was a chilly, overcast day, and the wind picked up in the afternoon. Water temp right around 55. We started fishing the steepest drop in the lake, from 12 ft to 40 feet. We threw jerkbaits shallow, I slow-rolled chatterbaits in 10 to 20 feet, and we threw the dropshot for a long time. I even rigged a triple dropshot rig with three different color Roboworms...to no avail. The bass fishizzle caught came on a small jerkbait, two near shore, one out on a grassy/gravel flat in about 10 feet. We were hoping to run into some cruising smallmouth on the flat, but nothing. We fished a little rockpile in 18 feet where I got a bite on a dropshot, but I think it was a bluegill because the worm was gone and it was very slight. The lake is as deep as about 50 feet, shaped like a bowl, with steep drops on one end, gradual drops on the other. We threw a few casts at some docks with no luck. Basically we moved around quite a bit, except when fishing the ledge and the rockpile. We were trying to run into something with search baits, but it just never happened. We know there are fish in there, but it was just a matter of finding good offshore structure, which we weren't able to do. I think that would have been the only way to have a good day - to find some good structure in 25+ feet. The pickerel were caught in a weedy bay. Going on that, any suggestions you all have?

Great thread guys. I agree, shorefishing in the late fall in the North is probably the toughest type of bass fishing there is, and although I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, there are some days when KVD probably wouldn't even be able to get a bite. When you're getting followers on the jerkbait, sometimes changing colors will get them to commit. If not, at least you know there are fish in your pond that are willing to follow your lure. In that case, although it's not much fun to do, try throwing a wacky senko out there, let it sink to the bottom, twitch, twitch, etc. If the fish won't hit that, you know the conditions are really tough. I've had a lot of success this fall with black/blue Chatterbaits slow-rolled on the bottom, both from shore and out in a boat. There's something about that bait that bass can't resist. The sensation of a Chatterbait strike is great, too. You either feel a tap, or the blade just stops vibrating and you feel a weight there. Very cool 8-)

Usually, "Got one." Somtimes fishing a moving lure, I'll feel a swipe or a tap, which always makes me say, "C'mon baby, hit it again." When I feel that it's a nice fish, "That's a good one. Really good one. Get the net ready." Then when she darts down at the boat, "Holy crap! Stay hooked, stay hooked...(until she's in the net or my grip)." I love havin' to say that

Jeez, that stinks. I've never hooked a bass big enough that I couldn't move her, so it sounds like that one was enormous.

Yeah Chatterbaits! Nice fish

My favorite jerkbait technique is making a long cast, aggressively jerking and twitching the bait (I mean ridiculously aggressive) for the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the cast, then pausing the bait. Then slow down, twitch, pause, twitch twitch, pause, etc. I learned this from Al Lindner (on his show), and it's a real killer for smallmouth. The theory is that the erratic initial action really attracts the attention of the fish, then when it slows down, the fish will go in for the kill. IT WORKS 8-) A lot of times the fish will actually nail the bait during the attraction phase, which is exciting. I generally fish jerkbaits in clear water conditions, year-round. My favorite color is generally white, or some kind of bone color. My all-around favorite color is LC Ghost Minnow. It is the most natural-looking bait pattern I've ever seen. Sometimes it's fun to fish white X-Raps with a bright pink back. Al Lindner says that's one of his favorite smallie colors. You can really see it well in the water. For murkier water, not much can beat a clown-colored X-Rap. I usually fish jerkbaits on a spinning 6'6" Loomis IMX, M power, fast action. 10lb test power pro with a 4-10 foot flouro leader and a 3000 Stradic FI. I'm looking to switch to a 7 foot next year for casting distance.

Great post, great pictures I don't know if I'd have the stones to hold a praying mantis - those things freak me out.

You're forgetting about my two pickerel. I caught negative two fish. Daniel - you're right. I'll never do a pre-trip post again

Yep. To run a business you have to have a GOOD work ethic and a will to do it. Lazy doesn't cut it. -Ike Unless it's a really, really, really good idea. Then you can be lazy after you start it up and still make a bunch. Of course, you would always make more money if you work harder. I plan on starting a business within the next 5 years, and I plan on working my titties off :-?

Man, that's a bunch of nice smallmouth there. Thanks for the pictures

Great report, beautiful fish. That sucks about the hybrids, and good luck with the DNR.

Going to Crystal Lake in Ellington, CT tomorrow with fishizzle. It's a deep, clear, rocky lake. I've heard the bite is usually pretty tough out there, but that there are a lot of smallmouth. There's a ton of boat traffic out there in the summer, but there probably won't be more than a boat or two out there tomorrow, unless there's such a thing as suicide water skiing. We plan on fishing 8 am to 4 pm. I'm calling a bunch of Chatterbait and dropshot fish, for the record 8-) After this post, I really hope I have some pics after the trip tomorrow, otherwise I'll have to delete the post and pretend it never happened ;D