Crestliner2008

Try vertical jigging with 3/4 oz. blade baits. If the drift is too fast, get a drift sock or a 5-gal. bucket hung off the stern.

Another vote for the BPS Micro Series of rods. Best bang for your buck out there.

I've never experienced this either. Senkos are so soft than hook-up are the least of your problems. Deep hooking is usually number one.

Which is better, a saw or a hammer? This is what you asking in reality. Baitcasting & Spinning are just two techniques in the use of the tools we fish with. Each has it's place and time. Learn and use both.

I have 4 Abu's right now. Donated 3 others to my grandkids. Bought my first back in the late 60's. Easy to self maintain too. No special tools required. These reels are about as bullet proof as you can get; and can do anything with one that you can with a $400.00 reel. Best part is, you'll be passing them down to your grandkids too.

Great lure company - L & S. Been around since the 50's. Back then a MirroLure was considered "top shelf", with finishes much more realistic than anything else in the day. 3-D eyes and detailed, reflective fishes were it's hallmark. Can't imagine why they would not produce as well today.

I do both, boat & bank. When I want to get out for only an hour or two, I hit the banks. Quite a challenge you are in for, for sure. Since you cannot easily move from one structure to another. I would recommend you read the articles above here; there are several that will put the odds in your favor. I would highly recommend you start with the articles on Senkos fishing..

That cold same front came through here last night, with dropping barometric pressure. Dropped air temps today considerably too. Cloudy & breezy today. Tomorrow the sun suppose to take over and the barometer will start to rise, creating your post frontal conditions. Bass will be holding tighter to cover as the day wears on today and tomorrow. A slower, more deliberate presentation is in order.

I probably will not affect the braid. However, I would be concerned about the reel it's on. Excessive heat can degrade some lubricants and I'd be especially concerned about drag washers drying out, as oil does dry up.

If your budget is really tight, consider an Abu Cardinal 101 Spinning reel. Great drag on these reels too. Have 2 of them filled with PP braid and am very pleased. 3rd. season with these reels. Very cost effective!

Cast them out and let sink on slack line. Watch the line! If it starts to move fast, reel up the slack and set the hook. If it reaches bottom, jiggle it a bit, like you would with a shakey head worm. Then I usually jerk it about 1' off the bottom, let it fall back and repeat, until I'm out of the fish zone. I rig my Senkos wacky style using "Goodies", as described in this posting, which is pinned in the Smallmouth forum: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/84060-senko-under-a-float/

Any plastic can work well. I'm partial to a 4" Zoom shad. White and white.

X2 - Especially effective on UL 2# test XL. Casts like a dream and no breakage issues. I truly believe it is value-added.

I'm fond of Yum's 10 1/2" straight tailed "Mightee Worm". I usually rig it on a 1/4 oz. football head, shakey style. Not sure of the hook size on these jigs, but it's probably a 4/0 or 5/0. These were custom made for me out of bismuth, as lead is now banned in MA. These large worms do work. Can be challenging to cast though.

It didn't bleed? I do hope you are up to date with your tetanus shots. Bleeding actually cleanses the wound. With that not happening, an infection could still occur.

A 3" Senko, wacky rigged on a DS hook, works no matter where you put it. If there are perch in the forage base, try the rootbeer w/green flake color.

Try a Fat Ika on a non-weighted EWG worm hook. Plenty of compact weight to get down and plenty of triggering qualities besides. Smallies love them!

35'. Thats the limit to which I will drag any fish up out of freshwater. I'm strictly a CPR fisherman. No need to put fish in jeopardy by chasing them deeper. Just too risky. Besides, I do alright within these depths.

How deep was the fish caught? - 6' Did the lure contain rattles or have hinges? - No Was the lure a natural color (brown, green) or was it an unnatural color (chartreuse, orange)? - Green Pumpkin If possible, what moon phase was your PB caught during? - N/A

What species are you fishing for? Are you fishing in heavy cover or open drop offs & humps? If you are in more open water (like for smallmouths), the rigging you are using will do just fine. However, I'd downsize the main line to 6# or 8# max., myself.....but that's just me. If you are hitting heavy weeds and/or cover, let's say for largemouths, then instead of a regular DS hook, I'd opt for a light wire, regular EWG worm hook and Texpose your plastic on that, as opposed to nose hooking. In this case, I'd probably up-size your line to 20# braid with a 14# test fluoro leader and a 1/2 oz. bottom weight. It's called, "bubba-rigging". You'd do well to look up RichZ's Blog on drop shotting. He's one of the best there is at the game. Good Luck and let us know how you make out.

That is one beaut of a largie! Congrats! I too love the BBZ-1 Jr..

I'm a morning person by nature. Worked in manufacturing for over 40 years and was always the first one to open the shop in the morning. Old habits die hard I suspect, so my internal clock has me rousting about at 4:30 am every morning. If I'm going fishing, I'll probably be awake about an hour earlier than that! The real question here is "why" is either dawn or dusk "preferred" at all? The answer is that most fishermen do not have to be as "careful" (in their presentation/boat control) at times of low lighting on the water. Mistakes are covered up more easily and the fish has less of a chance to figure you out. I believe it was Doug Hannon who first posed this hypothesis. His conviction was that the biggest bass are usually caught between 10 am & 2 pm. BUT....you have to do it RIGHT in order to be successful at that time period.

Is there a reason you want to downsize? A Sammy is a fine smallie bait. I have used the Zara Puppy with some success, but I always get the biggest crashes on the larger surface lures.

Try an "old faithful" - the Ambassadeur 5500C. Also made in left hand, if that's what you prefer. Probably around $80.00 these days. I have four of these round reels. Like the old Ranger once said, "it'll do to ride the river."

In the RichZ camp, straight fluoro is the only acceptable line for drop shotting - off shore. And he would never consider using a swivel between the main line and the drop shot hook. Well, I'll tell you, I respect the man and his philosophy tremendously. For many years, I adhered to it religiously. But many friends of mine have made the switch to braid with a fluoro leader - and quite successfully I might add. So, this season (my 12th. drop shotting), I've switched to 10# test PP as my main line. Then I add a small #8 Spro PowerSwivel. To that I attach my fluoro drop shot leader. A few weeks ago I made a trip up to the Quabbin Res. here in MA and did pretty well with this set-up. I'm thinking I may have something valuable here. Of course I'll need more time to properly evaluate, but it does look promising. JMO.