Crestliner2008

granadethrow - Happy to meet a fellow Baystater However, I don't use live bait - period. I'm sort of like a dry fly purist; preferring to catch them on metal, wood or plastic. Half the fun is trying fool 'em into eating something that ain't something to eat! Thanks all for the input. guess I'll stick with what I'm doing. Hitting the river again tomorrow....I'll let you know how I make out.

Lake Champlain (VT/NY border) is one of the premier bass lakes (LM & SM) in this country. It has a fairly large population of gar with no apparent ill effects on the fishery. Results of the Bass Master tourney held there proves this. But I suppose it would be determined by the ecosystem as a whole; size of lake, type of water, spring fed, forage etc.. On any decent sized body of water, I wouldn't worry too much about gar being a detriment to bass fishing.

Bass_Akwards - No question you are correct. But you cannot "pattern" bass when limited by shore fishing access only! At best, fishing from shore, you pick a likely structure and then beat the heck out of it with everything you have. You are just not mobile enough to develope patterns in this situation. I could be wrong though, so please, if anyone has a better approach, let us all know

Bass109 - Netcraft carries replacement hooks at very reasonable costs. When I use to do a lot of jig fishing with 1/8 oz. and 1/4 oz. ball heads & 3" - 4" curly tails (my main smallmouth presentation 20 years ago!), I molded all my own. Didn't really care how man I lost. Loosing jigs was part of the game. Blade bait fishing seems to me a similar proposition. You can't get fish if you arnen't hooked up on the bottom occaisionally! But come on guys - besides the twitch on & off bottom - any other presentation techniques worth trying? I know these blades work well on walleye too - in river systems anyway!

Yeah.....6" Senkos Tx rigged on a 5/0 EWG red hook. Try watermelon or smoke w/black flake. Dynomite!

Do not confuse tournament angling with recreational angling. The pros don't have time to fiddle-faddle with a fish. Nail 'em and move on to the next. $100 grand could be in the scales. No man alive is going to screw around with those odds! I don't care how good his intentions. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning bass mistreatment by anyone - period. I'm just saying that if your livelihood was predicated upon bringing 5 fish to the weigh in - even if barely still kicking - I can understand the mindset. Tournament angling is a two edged sword. On this side of the spectrum you have damaged fish - some - but not as many as it is perceived by purists. However the overall benefit to the sport of bass fishing in general is humongous! I can guarantee you this, you would NOT be fishing a Senko had it not been for tournament angling.

I'm in MA and if you are speaking about smallmouth, they tend to move toward the dams (in reservoirs or river systems) right about now. Water temps are about 60 deg. or less. The schools will bunch up more & more as the temps hit 50 degrees. And it will be like shooting fish in a barrel at 40 degrees!

I'm retired now, so I have the luxury of fishing whenever I've a notion to hook up the boat. However, beliefs to the contrary, when you get to be my age, the old bones don't want to co-operate the way they use to about 20 years ago. Consequently, if the weather if OK, I can usually hit the water 2 or 3 times a week - as long as I take my Tylonol . Not sure what that equates to in hours though? My goodness, I've always fished until I was no longer having fun. Never measured it in HOURS!

Wow. I thought everyone named their best lady! My old rig was a green 14' Starcraft with a 7.5 hp Johnson on the transom - the "Green Hornet". My new rig is obviously a Crestliner! But I haven't named her yet. She still has to tell me what she wants it to be

I've already lost 3! Just ordered another 9. This could get expensive! Netcraft has a mold which I may have to put on my Xmas list I have a couple of those Ledgebuster. Never used them in the river though? Have to give 'em a whirl. Thanks!

Fishing a medium-large river here in MA - the Connecticut - for smallmouth. I like to use blade baits (mainly), tubes and IKAs. How about some tips and/or hints on blade fishing this cold water period. While we're at it, let's talk about some alternative presentations as well.

I love the X-Rap and the Pointers. But to reiterate: clear water, fish structure you know holds fish and fish during the cooler periods - fall & winter months. Smallies love these darn things. The "pause" is the most critical part of the retrieve. This is when the bait suspends and sits there wiggling. Hard for a bass to pass up. Vary the pause time according to water temp. and the temperament of the bass. If you see a bass following but not taking; switch a quicker/slower retrieve, or to another color or size. The fact that you have a fish following indicates that they are interested; you just have to modify your presentation slightly to get them to commit. Early winter is the best time by far. Especially when the water is between 40 & 50 degrees.

If you want to use something less expensive than O rings, try "Goodies". These are small, clear, rubber bands that girls and women use in their hair for braiding. You can pick them up at any Wal-Marts store. You just double them on the tip of your long nose pliers, open the pliers a bit, then pull the loop open with your hook to form a triangular opening, slip the Senko in and presto! (Sounds more complicated that it actually is.) They last and last - as will your Senko - and they are clear to conform to your Senko color. Been using these for a few seasons now. Works fine.

I own three Symetres; 4000, 2500 & 750 FI's, loaded with 10# Fireline, 8# Vanish Transition & 2# mono respectively. Have had these reels for 2 seasons now and have not experienced any problems like you are having. However, my one suggestion would be that due to the internal mechanisms on these reels, make sure you are spooling on your line the way you would with a baitcaster - with a pencil thru the spool and over the top - vs. letting the line "spin" off the spool, laying flat on the floor, as you reel it on. This could be your problem.

Heddon tubular steel bait casting rod with a Johnson Century spincast reel and 6# test line. Caught me a lot of fish on that old rig many, many years ago, growing up on the CT River. Guess what? I still have that rod!

The drop shot can be cast and retrieved. I've done it, but I find that I have the best "control" over my bait when it's directly below the boat while I'm anchored on a spot - or controlling my position with my trolling motor. Another good bet is drifting, provided the wind is light. I've even drifted it in a slow river current very successfully. And you can fish the drop shot on heavy line in weeds. It's an extremely versatile presentation. Shad Master - leader length would be determined by how high or how deep in the grass the bass want the bait. I'd start by keeping it just above the top of the grass, but sometimes the bass want closer to the bottom. Let them tell you what they want. I've even had great success using a 4' or 5' leader below my hook for suspended fish in clear water. Amazing what that do for your day's fishing! Also, try the Wiggle Rig variation to get better control over what your bait is actually doing down there. Hope this is of some help.

That is one fine bass indeed! Congrats You should inport some of the Florida strain to your waters! Anyway, here in Massachusetts, USA, I'd say a lunker LM would be 5+ lbs. and smallie anything above 4 lbs.. I've caught bigger bass, but this would be the yardstick here, I believe. Maybe some other Baystaters have a differing viewpoint? BTW....that 5 lbs. LM would probably be 7 or 8 years old!

I target the Quabbin Res. here in MA during it's open season. Mainly because it holds such a fine smallmouth population. I currently have 14 marked GPS location there, where I've consistently done well, so I usually hit them on a milk run each time out. However, each time I do go out, I make sure to try at least one or two new areas, according to what my sonar tells me, which could/should prove productive. Pre and post Quabbin seasons I fish the CT River and various lakes and ponds in Western MA. I'm always trying different presentations and areas, so I'm not sure what kind of fisherman I am :-/, except that I have one thing in common with all fishermen: I truly love catching fish

OK, you may know, by now, that I'm a fan of this technique. Here's one reason why: Taken 10/21/07. CPR'd. Used the wiggle rig on the lower section of my drop shot (4# test fluoro). Drifting along a shelf in 24' of water. Water temp was 60 degrees with about 1' visibility. No one else in our group (4 boats) got anything.

Have you tried an fat IKA yet? Heavy enough to get down in current and when tx-rigged backwards on a EWG hook you won't get hung up all the time. Best of all, they flat work!

Just one final fly in the ointment, so to speak. A lot of lakes are reservoirs in my neck of the woods now prohibit lead sinkers. Before you know it, they'll probably prohibit jigs as well! That being said, you still do not have to buy the expensive tungsten weights at over a dollar a piece. Wal-Marts usually carries steel "Bass Casting Sinkers" under the Eagle Claw brand name for about $1.50 for 6. These are the old fashion (and best) shape; tear drop with the brass swivel eye. Another alternative I've been toying with in my mind is using a bass jig as my lower weight. That way you can see what they really want; an on-bottom or off-bottom presentation. Maybe next season I'll give this whirl.

The problem with power loading - in a lot of cases - is perception. Here in MA, it's unlawful to powerload at all public launches. The reasoning is that full powerloading blows out the bottom of the launch area, making launching difficult for some users. However, I usually power on (at just above idle speed) about 1/2 way on the trailer, leaving it in that position until I go forward and hook up the winch; then I shut down and use the winch to get the boat the rest of the way on. I still get some dirty looks from time to time, but no one has reported me.....yet!

* GULP * = garbage. Have you used it? As soon as you take it out of the water and switch to another rig for whatever reason, it gets HARD and stiff within minutes! (Wish I did!) I just don't like the stuff. If you use it on a drop shot, it looks like a stick in the mud. No action at all. I think they figure the smell alone will catch fish - NOT! Way overratted IMO. Give me powerbait anyday.

I bought some too. For $40. I got the 2 CD's and a wealth of information along with the baits. I've used them a few times, but have yet to catch anything on them. Our season is now Fall, so I don't think the snakes would be as effective now. More of a summer time top water scenario in thick stuff. I'll give them another whirl come next spring, but I still keep hoping they will be worth their cost. Right now, I have them in the vegetable keeper in my fridge. Hope the wife doesn't find out!

Ditto avid