Crestliner2008

Well, I use 1/4 oz. for just about all my drop shotting, unless I have to deal with current. Have caught smallies down to 45' with no problems with this size weight.

LOL! precisely what I was thinking!

Osbornj2 - Have you tried the 8" Hudd? I think it has a better action and balance than the 6" myself. Only thing is, bites, hits or bumps will be farther and fewer between, obviously. It certainly is not too big though.

If this is what you are referring to: I tried them with SK Shadalicious hollow bellies. I didn't like the action they made the bait swim with. I think the sled is too far forward. I have better luck with belly weighted swimbait hooks myself.

What kind of swimbaits are you using? If you are getting a lot of follows on any bait, it usually means that something is just not quite right. Size up, size down, change color, speed. Something will work.

Smallies go deep after the spawn. This is a gradual transition as the water warms. They go there for the stable water conditions and the prey they feed on. Start by learning how to use your sonar and look for off-shore structures, that are occupied by baitfish. Don't look for bass....look for bait. The bass will not be far behind. Once you located such a structure, the big girls will be there and can be caught on a variety of baits. The drop shot is one of the best presentations you can use under these conditions. And you can catch just as many big bass fishing tiny finesse baits, as you can with larger offering, in my opinion.

X2 - The rising barometric pressure - after a front moves through - forces bass down toward the bottom (the pressure affects their swim bladder) and reduces their activity levels. They rarely chase under these conditions. They can still be caught, but their strike zone is dramatically reduced, to a little as a few inches in severe frontal conditions. You have to fish very close to cover and almost bop 'em on their noses! But they can be caught.

I"m starting to feel the same way!

I agree. We needed this rain badly. Just hope it doesn't muddy everything up too badly. Still raining this morning!

Wish I had as many options! With our new lead ban, I have to get mine from Green Tackle.com, or a local fellow who pours bass jigs with bismuth/tin.

I've never used them, but they certainly look promising. However, with over 5 lbs. of ds plastics already, I don't think I'll be trying them any time soon! Guess I'll be sticking with my Roboworms for a while yet. Thanks for bringing this to our attention anyway. DS plastics (and now pork) are more addictive than crankbaits! So many lures.....so little time!

Are you referring to the coil spring type keepers on some of the swimbait hooks? If so, Owner Center Pin's are the best.

Excellent article! Thanks. I wish I had a nickle for all the similar arguments I've had over finesse fishing. You can acutally "finesse" fish a 10" worm!

I like the S.K. Shadalicious for smallies. I fish the 5.5" size on a weighted swimbait hook. R.I. Skinny Dipper is my fav solid body.

X2 - learn your boat control first. Then do a search on sonar application here. There is a lot of great information to be gleaned from previous postings.

Try stepping up the pound test of your leader. For a 20# mainline, I'd go with a 15# - 17# fluoro leader. And if you want a more "fluid" joint knot, try the Alberto.

A 1 oz. LedgeBuster works fine.

Same here in Mass. Totally illegal! Besides, I can't even toss an 8" Hudd for more than an hour before the tendonitis kicks in!

Grimlin - you are operating on the assumption that all C&R fish are dead, no matter what. That's unbelievable on any scale. Come on now. Get real.

You're kidding, right? Again - if you keep everything, you kill everything. If you C&R everything you kill ONLY some of what you release. My goodness, is that hard to understand?

ROFLMAO!!! Didn't see that coming! Regardless, fishermen (in general) put way too much stock in color, in my opinion. I guess that's a good thing for the industry though.

Regardless of what any study says, if you keep "all" your fish, "all" your fish will die. If you release all your fish, "some" of your fish will die. Common sense. I don't need a "study" to tell me that. I also have nothing against fishermen that keep some fish for food, if they like that. And I'm certainly not suggesting that either case is "better" than the other. Personally for me, no freshwater fish can hold a candle to just about any saltwater species, when it comes to flavor. Which is the main reason I practice CPR.

Don't forget though, when you get your cork looking like new again with the Magic Eraser, coat it with "Cork Seal" - available from Netcraft.

8" Hudds. Been tossing them for 2 seasons now. Not all the time, but I give them a decent work out. And I'm putting them where big bass reside. I've caught them. Just never seem to get a tap on these very popular swimbaits.