Dwight Hottle

Welcome back RT we all share your new addiction.

Go with 10 lb braid. It breaks any where from 17 to 20+. You could go even lower considering your goal is finesse. If you don’t want deal with all the known defiencies of fluorocarbon consider using 8-10 lb mono for leader material.

Good choice

d**n the Eagles defense looks like OSU.

If you want to add 5 feet of depth to your deep diving jerk baits reduce the line size to a smaller diameter & increase the length of line out. For example 10lb braid or 8lb braid will get the baits deeper as you reduce the line diameter. Longer casts or strolling with longer leads will help too. I can hit bottom in 18-20 fow with a deep diving husky jerk or Smithwick deep diver using 10lb braid & 150 feet of line out. You can also use Nishine weights added to your split rings.

Chains for sure.

I agree with Tom's @WRB answer that catch & release has a negative influence on ponds & smaller bodies of water. Larger lakes don't seem to suffer from catch & release or delayed mortality from being caught.

I met Shane Hoelzle down at Lake Baccarac. At the time he was living in Washington State. He and his tournament partner Jestin Brown hold the Canadian record for a two day tournament at 64-06. That's 33-02 the first day & 31-04 the second. They had two over 8lbs & one over 7lbs. They were fishing in British Columbia waters. The lake is located in both Washington State & BC Canada. That's 10 smallmouth weighing 64lbs-6ounces.

Devastating news that I can really relate to. When I was diagnosed back in 2015 esophegal cancer was a death sentence for most. But modern medicine had a solution for me. Keep an open mind & pursue all your medical options. There is hope. I’m praying for your best outcome. Share as much as you can because we all care.

And Ohio State wins their 9th national championship!

The cream always rises to the top. Go bucks. Congratulations on your 9th national championship.

I have had my share of big fish lost & they all hurt when it happens. I lost a really big lake trout ( 50lb class ) that I had on for a long time before she breached & threw my bait back at me. I also lost a trophy pike well over 30lb when she came to the boat cradle opened her mouth & the bait came out. Both of those fish I saw as did my boat mates. On the bass side of things I have lost several big small mouth that I could not control & subsequently frayed my leader in the rocks. Never saw them but knew from the fight & my inability to control them that they were very likely new PB's. Onto the large mouth species I lost two giants down at Lake Bacarrac. One bent a 2X treble hook out on a lipless crank & the other pulled a spinner bait loose after pulling a smoked drag run. Those two really hurt then & still do when I recall the memories. I had a similar surging rod pulling drag largemouth on a glide bait that pulled off fishing a deep water basin off a water control structure here in Florida. Early this month I dumped a DD largemouth while fishing a live shiner. She hit in a shaded cove & started pulling strong left when she came out of the water tail walking. Suddenly she was off. I reeled in the braid & noticed the trokar hook was gone but the polamar knot was still intact. We could only surmise that the knot slipped off at the gap left that forms the hook eye. I was really PO'd at that set of circumstance because it really was out of my controll. But like @A-Jay said in his post our failures make our victories so much sweeter.

Funny thing is El Salto is fishing better than Baccarac according to some sources that have a presence on both lakes. I'm talking about DD's caught.

Yes @TnRiver46 in white.

Jerk baits both hard & soft Swim baits Crank baits Blade baits including blade/jig

Just in case anyone does not know David Hayes world record smallmouth weighing 11 lbs-15 ounces was caught trolling a deep diver crank bait. If you don’t want to troll so be it. It’s your choice but I for one need all the advantages I can utilise to catch bigger fish. I have proof that it works, just ask @A-Jay.

I never said anything about casting sir. As long as your leaving the lure in the water continuously you are trolling no matter how you propel the boat forward.

I didn't get my first boat until I was in my 50's. It was a new Lund Mr Pike , a 18' with twin bubble wind shields & a 150 Yamaha 4 stroke with a T-8 kicker for trolling. My first trip out with it & a buddy netted me my first ever 5lb smallie & a 6lber to boot. Before it ever hit the water my friend had me practicing backing up with it in an empty parking lot. When I traded it in for a bigger boat it had acquired some dock rash from my inexperience but sold quickly.

Yes I'm a closet troller. Trolling is not boring when it produces trophy fish of any game fish species. It is more effective than casting when presenting a bait at a prescribed depth. Successful trolling is a learned skill which helps you with all fishing endeavors. Heck you can even troll top water baits successfully. Just ask Katie aka @Swamp Girl I like to drift fish for smallies with jerk baits. I can target specific depths from 8-25 feet with ease. When the wind doesn't work I use the trolling motor to maintain a specific speed between .5 mph up to 1 mph or so. Throw in a few stops for good measure. Lots of times you will get bit when stopped. I always troll or drift with the wind at my back so it pushes the boat forward imparting extra action to the bait from the surge. When you are casting to a specific spot why not troll to the next spot when your ready to move. Having a bait in the water consistently catches more fish. And when your tired from casting or slinging heavy baits like A-rigs or musky sized baits or deep diving crank baits that wear you out just troll. Trolling is an art and a science for me.

@Glenn You most have gotten my comment about it being cold in Oregon. Wink Wink

O-H... is going to the NATTY.

@Bucks Bass and Bourbon I share your favorite, smallmouth.

Capt Jack Sawer senior linebacker for the win. Go Bucks.

I’m I the only member watching the semi finals?

@fishballer06 That was Happy Bay, only a few minutes from the launch.